Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utcsstat.UUCP
Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!utcsstat!laura
From: laura@utcsstat.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Views on Religions - (nf)
Message-ID: <661@utcsstat.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-Jun-83 20:37:37 EDT
Article-I.D.: utcsstat.661
Posted: Thu Jun  9 20:37:37 1983
Date-Received: Thu, 9-Jun-83 21:19:55 EDT
References: whuxlb.1133 <5319@unc.UUCP>, <473@uw-june>
Organization: U. of Toronto, Canada
Lines: 44

The Roman Catholic Church, despite its centralised desent from the Pope
does not really have a "Standards Committee".  By the time you get to
Vatican Councils and the Curia, yes, you have found a central authority,
but the whole things is terribly decentralised in practice.

2 years ago I was in a R.C. church with my parents at the town closest
to their cottage. The Sunday was "a day for Christian Unity Sunday".
We were treated to a roaring sermon (oops. homily) on why all the
Jews were going to rot in Hell for not being Christians and incidentally
crucifying Jesus.  According to my mother, this went on for about
45 minutes.  I dont know about this, for as soon as I heard enough to
be sure that this guy was serious, I left.

My father and I wrote letters to the Archbishop of the dioscese complaining.
We were told that the priest was not in conflict with doctrine, and so
could not be chastised.

More importantly, only about 5 people left the Church in question during
the aforementioned lecture. The priest gave more "fire and brimstone"
shoutouts and at the end of his first year at the Church announced how
"all the community was pleased that he was getting back to REAL Catholicism".

No matter how unprejudiced you are, it behooves you to see whether the same
can be said for your Church as a whole.

Officially, Roman Catholics ought not to hate non-Catholics or non-Christians.
Officially, Berkeley 4.2 should have been out for months.

While ideal Catholics would be a pleasure to be with, on the grass roots
level there are a lot of people who are very difficult.  They are part
of the same group that complains that Vatican Council 2 was a bad idea
in part because it reformed the official Church attitude towards
non-Catholics. Concluding that they are wrong does not make them go
away.  Reeducating them might, but often they do not want to be
reeducated.  It is necessary to remember them when you consider why
the Roman Catholic Church is not an attractive proposition to outsiders.

Anybody got any suggestions on how to reform it or any Church? This
discussion about whether the Bible can be taken literally can go on
for ever...

Laura Creighton
utzoo!utcsstat!laura
-