Nicolai, JM and such, I have an honest question.

[Mrs. Tuberski]

oh god ben Like ur the all knowledgable all of a sudden? You have been catholic for what like going on 2 years now?? Not haven even been baptised in catholic church but allowed to follow since u paid some fees to get the other sacraments??? Funny I think relgion no matter what faith it is a a bunch of garbage the older folks that preach whant u to believe. The whole idea surrounding relegion can be defined with one word CONTRADICTION

[Ben Kenobi]

oh god ben Like ur the all knowledgable all of a sudden?

Oh no, hardly. I have still so much to learn. I'm sorry if I came off that way.

You have been catholic for what like going on 2 years now??

Yes, my confirmation was just a little over two years ago.

Not haven even been baptised in catholic church but allowed to follow since u paid some fees to get the other sacraments???

Yep, I'm a convert. I haven't had the privilege of growing up in the church, and learning about the faith from when I was young. I'm still catching up with all you folks who have been Catholic from birth. I'm not a real Catholic in that sense, that they accepted my baptism in the Anglican church when I was a baby. It still took me two years before I was at all ready to take the very first step of confirmation, let alone everything else.

There are still things I don't understand well, like the distinction between Mortal and Venial sins and I was hoping some of the other Catholics here could flesh that out.

Funny I think relgion no matter what faith it is a a bunch of garbage the older folks that preach whant u to believe. The whole idea surrounding relegion can be defined with one word CONTRADICTION

I've met some very good people over the years many have been in the church, but many have been outside too. You don't need to be religious in order to be a good person, often the folks who need the most help are the ones who go to church.

[Jon Miller]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
You don't need to be religious in order to be a good person, often the folks who need the most help are the ones who go to church.

You have been to very different churchs then me. It is true that there are a lot of people with problems in churchs... (church should help you become a good person, not a place for you to go if you are already perfect) but by far the people I know personally who could least be described as good people aren't in church. While there are undoubtedly some who are very bad people who go to church (the Phelp's (spelling) person for example), there are very bad people who don't go to church as well. And while I don't really know many very bad people, the higher percentage of people who need the most help aren't in church.

Jon Miller

[Heresson]

Originally posted by Ben Kenobi
I really don't want to rile up Methodists.

After all Bush is one of them.

He is? I thought he's southern baptist or something

[Straybow]

Originally posted by Jon Miller

Originally posted by Straybow
No, rather that when man gives up seeking God, God permits man to sink to the depths of depravity, and even allows them to justify it in their own minds. He "gives them over," that is, removes any pressure of conviction and allows sin to run its course.

This doesn't fit with what we are told in the Bible about people being born blind, for example.

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents sinned..." (John 9:1ff)

I'm not sure how you're making that into a counter-example.

[Jon Miller]

That there is inherent disease/etc that we have that isn't caused by us. Not every person who was born blind get's healed by God either.

The homosexual teens aren't greater sinners then I, who have been permitted by God to become homosexual. They, instead, have a condition... and how they deal with that is between them and God.

I can reason, since God is against ****ing around, that homosexuals shouldn't **** around either. For some people a homosexual relationship might be the right relationship. Even if it isn't ideal, the Bible is full of people in nonideal relationships (having multiple wives is not ideal), and I don't see why this one should be singled out as a greater evil.

peace,
Jon Miller