The Christianity Thread

[Janszoon]

Originally Posted by mordwyr

What theological or humanitarian point do you want to start with?

One that's not meaningless drivel.

Originally Posted by mordwyr

John 6:53-66


Paraphrase: Jesus said we must eat His flesh and drink His blood to inherit eternal life, for as normal food sustains our mortal lives, God's body sustains our eternal lives. The disciples were like lolwtf. Jesus knew this difficult teaching would cause many to fall away. And a lot of His followers did indeed walk away, not able to believe in it.

Yeah, I know. That's why I mentioned the magical cannibalism.

[Neapolitan]

Originally Posted by mordwyr

Considering I wasn't raised Christian, came to the Church after much searching through all kinds of alternatives, and converted as a free-thinking adult, I would say that is the opposite of being brainwashed.

I didn't know that about you. If you don't mind me asking what were you affiliated before, and what denomination are you? I just want to know just out of curiosity.

[Chula Vista]

Originally Posted by mordwyr

Broad, sweeping accusations are made against the Church, so broad they can be addressed only with the whole of the Catechism. If you have an accusation, please present a specific example, and then I will cite a specific part of the Magisterium that shows how that action is not in line with the Church's teaching.

So what. You have a rule book. Massive numbers of your members continue to break the rules in multitudes of ways for centuries and you do nothing to fix things. You just keep finding parts of scripture that you can twist into a pretzel in order to defend the rule breakers without denouncing them or actually FIXING the problems. And then you fall back on the lamest of excuses: Well, they are not following the rule book.

Knowledge of sexual abuse

Sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic archdiocese of Boston
CARDINAL Bernard Francis Law became the first high-level Catholic Church official to be accused of actively participating in the cover-up of child molestation by predatory priests.

In January 2001 he was named a defendant in several low-profile cases involving pedophile priests, including one involving priest John Geoghan. The editor of the Boston Phoenix weekly, Susan Ryan-Vollmar, assigned reporter Kristen Lombardi to investigate. She wrote an article about the cases under the title "Cardinal sin". Mark Keane, a victim of Geoghan, believed that Law had direct knowledge that Geoghan, who worked in the Archdiocese of Boston from 1962 to 1993, was repeatedly molesting children. Keane said that the archbishop not only allowed the priest to continue working, but repeatedly moved him from parish to parish where he had daily contact with many defenseless children (one of whom was Keane). New editor of the daily Boston Globe newspaper Martin Baron set the Spotlight investigatory team to work on the case in September 2001. Lombardi acknowledged that the Globe may have had the story before she did, but was delayed somewhat pending the release of sealed records.

Resignation as Archbishop of Boston

Following the Boston Globe's public exposure of the cover up by Cardinal Law (and his predecessor Cardinal Humberto Medeiros) of scores of pedophile priests in the Boston Archdiocese, Law had little option but to submit his resignation as Archbishop of Boston to the Vatican, which Pope John Paul II accepted on December 13, 2002. Law wrote in a personal declaration The particular circumstances of this time suggest a quiet departure. Please keep me in your prayers. and moved to Rome. In July 2003, Sean O'Malley, O.F.M. Cap. was named the new Archbishop of Boston. The Boston Globe said in an editorial the day after Law's resignation was accepted that "Law had become the central figure in a scandal of criminal abuse, denial, payoff, and coverup that resonates around the world". A letter urging Law's resignation had been signed by 58 priests, mostly diocesan priests who had sworn obedience to Law as their direct superior; the editorial said that this letter was "surely one of the precipitating events in his departure." The Globe's exposé of the scandal was the subject of an Oscar-winning film ('best picture'), Spotlight, released in the US in November 2015, in which Law was portrayed by Len Cariou.

In a statement, Cardinal Law said, "It is my fervent prayer that this action [his resignation] may help the Archdiocese of Boston to experience the healing, reconciliation and unity which are so desperately needed. To all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes I both apologize and from them beg forgiveness.". While no longer Archbishop of Boston, Law remains a bishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church; as a cardinal, he participated in the 2005 papal conclave. He was over the age of 80 and therefore ineligible to vote in the 2013 papal conclave.

Move to Rome

In December 2002, Law moved from Boston. When the state attorney general issued his report entitled Child Sexual Abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston (July 23, 2003) he severely criticized Law, mentioning that "the Archdiocese has shown an institutional reluctance to adequately address the problem and, in fact, made choices that allowed the abuse to continue," but did not allege that Law had tried to evade investigation. And he did state that Cardinal Law had not broken any laws, because the law requiring abuse to be reported was not expanded to include priests until 2002.

In May 2004, John Paul II appointed Law to a post in Rome, as Archpriest of the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore, an honorary position with ceremonial duties.

Defend this with some pretzel logic mordwyr. "He wasn't following the rule book" is not an acceptable answer. Come on, take a stab at it with your own words.

[Zhanteimi]

.

[OccultHawk]

Did you end up abusing your own kids?

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by mordwyr

Neapolitan,

I was raised in a broken home. As broken as can be. There was nothing but pain and abuse. I didn't do drugs, though. I studied hard, got good grades, got scholarships to university, and studied hard there, too. I vowed not to be like my family. So I rose above.

There was still no God in my life, though. I met a lovely girl at university, and she was the game-changer for me. We married a week after graduation. Still no God, but I had my beloved one. Her presence delayed the effects of my abuse. We had children, and life was great, but then my past reared its ugly head.

Psychiatrists say that when children bury the memories and effects of abuse, such effects usually come roaring back with a vengeance in one's late twenties. And, oh, how they did! But my darling one was always there, helping me every step of the way. I tried so many drugs, looking for answers, but my drug use never compromised my professional or family life. It was casual. MDMA cured my PTSD and gave me a moment to breathe. I had my moment of clarity when I was dead sober, though, with an all-night up-and-pacing fight within myself. And with the dawn came understanding.

I ran to Mary and, with the perfect confidence of a child, cast myself into my Mother's arms--and I haven't looked back.

And my darling wife (and so much more than merely wife!) is Jesus to me. God worked through her, and through her love and patience, I saw the light. By the way, she wasn't raised Catholic, either. We came to the Church together.

So you're mentally unstable. Questions answered.

*rides off into the sunset*

[Kedvesem]

Originally Posted by mordwyr

Neapolitan,

I was raised in a broken home. As broken as can be. There was nothing but pain and abuse. I didn't do drugs, though. I studied hard, got good grades, got scholarships to university, and studied hard there, too. I vowed not to be like my family. So I rose above.

There was still no God in my life, though. I met a lovely girl at university, and she was the game-changer for me. We married a week after graduation. Still no God, but I had my beloved one. Her presence delayed the effects of my abuse. We had children, and life was great, but then my past reared its ugly head.

Psychiatrists say that when children bury the memories and effects of abuse, such effects usually come roaring back with a vengeance in one's late twenties. And, oh, how they did! But my darling one was always there, helping me every step of the way. I tried so many drugs, looking for answers, but my drug use never compromised my professional or family life. It was casual. MDMA cured my PTSD and gave me a moment to breathe. I had my moment of clarity when I was dead sober, though, with an all-night up-and-pacing fight within myself. And with the dawn came understanding.

I ran to Mary and, with the perfect confidence of a child, cast myself into my Mother's arms--and I haven't looked back.

And my darling wife (and so much more than merely wife!) is Jesus to me. God worked through her, and through her love and patience, I saw the light. By the way, she wasn't raised Catholic, either. We came to the Church together.

You had not known love, my darling Sir, and it was my delight to be able to be the one to show it to you.

The Church provided me with the strength to endure until your eyes opened to the dawn of love.

And now here we are. <3

[Neapolitan]

Originally Posted by mordwyr

Neapolitan,

I was raised in a broken home. As broken as can be. There was nothing but pain and abuse. I didn't do drugs, though. I studied hard, got good grades, got scholarships to university, and studied hard there, too. I vowed not to be like my family. So I rose above.

There was still no God in my life, though. I met a lovely girl at university, and she was the game-changer for me. We married a week after graduation. Still no God, but I had my beloved one. Her presence delayed the effects of my abuse. We had children, and life was great, but then my past reared its ugly head.

Psychiatrists say that when children bury the memories and effects of abuse, such effects usually come roaring back with a vengeance in one's late twenties. And, oh, how they did! But my darling one was always there, helping me every step of the way. I tried so many drugs, looking for answers, but my drug use never compromised my professional or family life. It was casual. MDMA cured my PTSD and gave me a moment to breathe. I had my moment of clarity when I was dead sober, though, with an all-night up-and-pacing fight within myself. And with the dawn came understanding.

I ran to Mary and, with the perfect confidence of a child, cast myself into my Mother's arms--and I haven't looked back.

And my darling wife (and so much more than merely wife!) is Jesus to me. God worked through her, and through her love and patience, I saw the light. By the way, she wasn't raised Catholic, either. We came to the Church together.

I did not know that. It is a humbling thing when you find out how hard a life a person has had. Sometimes I think I would like to say more, but I feel I'm like Daniel in the den of lions. (cue in someone being insulted for being compared to a lion.)

P.S. I leave you with this quote:

“Be kind to people and don’t judge, for you do not know what demons they carry and what battles they are fighting.”
― Vashti Quiroz-Vega

[The Batlord]

Originally Posted by Neapolitan

I did not know that. It is a humbling thing when you find out what a hard life a person had. Sometimes I think I would like to say more, but I feel I'm like Daniel in the den of lions. (cue in someone being insulted for being compared to a lion.)

P.S. I leave you with this quote:

Seriously, though, I always knew you were an uber-Christian with the way you were so uncomfortable with any talk of sex. Either that or asexual. I legitimately thought it was one or the other. Nice to know I was right.

[Zhanteimi]

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