Originally posted by -Pr-I'm not going to pretend there isn't a lot of religion bashing on this forum.
There is.
I am certain there are others who have admitted this that I am overlooking, but you're the first I can think of in your position to say that,
and I genuinely appreciate your being honest enough to do so.
Originally posted by -Pr-Just a quick note: I'm Irish. Born and raised. Few groups of people in the world have been exposed to the ideological differences between protestants and catholics, and the violence that comes from it, than Irish people.
It's stupid, and frankly it annoys me that any one group thinks that their religion is somehow better than anyone else's. Especially when they're so similar.This isn't me having a go at you; just me saying that I know full well how bad it can get, so please, don't take offense.
Without your including this last sentence, it would have been hard NOT to have taken offense at this, but you did, so I don't, and am thinking now there is something to the original poster formally offering apology to practicioners in advance.
So I'll follow suit.
I apologize, retroactively, presently, and in advance to almost any Catholic who genuinely believes they are doing what is good and right and was insulted by what I've written so far and will likely write in the near future.
Understand that my arguing against an ideology and the way it is practiced is NOT intended as an attack against everyday people trying their best.
There is a distinction between the two, even as there is a distinction, say, between Islam and Muslims. I count the latter as friends and family. On this forum, I've defended the rights of one fairly notable Muslim to post his beliefs without ridicule and to be treated with respect.
That doesn't mean I am a staunch supporter of Islam.
Like Catholics and Catholicism, the 2 are NOT one and the same.
Again, there is a difference between people and the ideas people adopt, the ideas they create, or the ideas they have been taught.
Except people treat their ideas as their own, as part of their person, and become inextricably bound in them to the point of taking personal offense if those ideas are questioned.
Tell us:
Why is it okay to question Catholicism as being a "true" Christian sect, but expecting a burden of proof in religious debates is unreasonable?
Originally posted by bluewaterrider
I am certain there are others who have admitted this that I am overlooking, but you're the first I can think of in your position to say that,
and I genuinely appreciate your being honest enough to do so.
My position? As a mod? I'm not actually a mod in this section.
Originally posted by bluewaterrider
Without your including this last sentence, it would have been hard NOT to have taken offense at this, but you did, so I don't, and am thinking now there is something to the original poster formally offering apology to practicioners in advance.So I'll follow suit.
I apologize, retroactively, presently, and in advance to almost any Catholic who genuinely believes they are doing what is good and right and was insulted by what I've written so far and will likely write in the near future.
Understand that my arguing against an ideology and the way it is practiced is NOT intended as an attack against everyday people trying their best.
There is a distinction between the two, even as there is a distinction, say, between Islam and Muslims. I count the latter as friends and family. On this forum, I've defended the rights of one fairly notable Muslim to post his beliefs without ridicule and to be treated with respect.That doesn't mean I am a staunch supporter of Islam.
Like Catholics and Catholicism, the 2 are NOT one and the same.Again, there is a difference between people and the [b]ideas
people adopt, the ideas they create, or the ideas they have been taught. [/B]
I didn't feel insulted by anything you'd written, though it should be noted that I didn't read the whole thread. 😛
Seriously though, as far as I'm concerned, a person is entitled to believe whatever they want to believe. It's when they decide that other people should believe it too, that bothers me. JIA, as taunted as he was, brought a lot of the flak he got on himself, and as someone who regularly deals with people doing similar things in the comic section, It's hard for me to feel sorry for them.
There was wrong on both sides, either way.
Originally posted by bluewaterriderthere is a difference between people and the ideas people adopt, the ideas they create, or the ideas they have been taught.
Originally posted by Stealth MooseExcept people treat their ideas as their own, as part of their person, and become inextricably bound in them to the point of taking personal offense if those ideas are questioned.
This is not a true exception, though.
It would be nearly impossible to understand Pr's message if it were.
What you're saying is that people wrongly confuse the two sometimes and/or let their feelings get in the way.
Which I agree with.
Hence my apology to some potential Catholic KMC readers in my previous post.
Originally posted by bluewaterrider
That doesn't mean I am a staunch supporter of Islam.
Like Catholics and Catholicism, the 2 are NOT one and the same.
That is a very simple statement to make, and a very comfortable one, maybe you should run into some specifics. Of course there are many things you can criticize from Catholicism, but the idea that any christian groups refuse to support other christians (barring looney sects that do harm to their followers) baffles me greatly.
Catholicism is a method to get closer to the teachings of Jesus, to learn about God. I wouldn't just jump and say I don't support the Russian Orthodox church because their dogma are slightly different from the catholic one. Catholics aren't just one group either, franciscans, jesuits and many other branches of catholicism practice their faith in entirely different ways, which is to be expected really.
The Roman Church is an imperial church, it was built as a part of the Roman Empire with a deeply rooted practice that stems from that. Just like modern protestantism is entirely burgeois. But it has changed a lot during the last century, it underwent two World Wars and a Cold War in the middle of Europe.