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Ask a Catholic

Guy Incognito

Guy Incognito

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I have noticed in a lot of threads that many people have some deep misconceptions about the Catholic Church. I would like to fix that as best I can.

So I invite anyone who has a question about Catholicism to politely pose them here. I will try to give you an answer as clearly as possible.

Note: I am not acting in an official capacity on behalf of the Church, just giving my understanding of Church teaching.
 
Guy Incognito said:
I have noticed in a lot of threads that many people have some deep misconceptions about the Catholic Church. I would like to fix that as best I can.

So I invite anyone who has a question about Catholicism to politely pose them here. I will try to give you an answer as clearly as possible.

Note: I am not acting in an official capacity on behalf of the Church, just giving my understanding of Church teaching.
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How many times a year, good sir, is a Priest allowed to have sex with an alter boy?
 
I have one, and I'm being sincere, Guy. I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but I'd really like an answer.

How do you justify remaining in a religion that has such a horrendous record of abuse? Why aren't you an Episcopalian or a Lutheran instead?
 
Pinkie said:
How do you justify remaining in a religion that has such a horrendous record of abuse? Why aren't you an Episcopalian or a Lutheran instead?
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Quite honestly, didn't those religions merely spring up when a bunch of people didn't want to follow the laws of Catholicism? Hey, there could be a for real question to Guy, the various sects of Christianity are just folk who didn't want to follow the rules of Church, yes? Though my first one stands as a great zinger.
 
Ikari said:
Quite honestly, didn't those religions merely spring up when a bunch of people didn't want to follow the laws of Catholicism? Hey, there could be a for real question to Guy, the various sects of Christianity are just folk who didn't want to follow the rules of Church, yes? Though my first one stands as a great zinger.
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Yes, they all arose out of the Reformation.

But a Roman Catholic has a belief that is rare among Protestants, called transubstantiation. Essentially, it's the belief that during Mass, a miracle occurs and the wine and wafer become the actual blood and body of Christ. Of all the Protestant faiths, only Episcopalians share this completely and Lutherans to a lesser degree.

It'd be a bigger stretch, dogmatically, for a RCC to become a Baptist, Methodist, etc.

 
Pinkie said:
I have one, and I'm being sincere, Guy. I'm not trying to be disrespectful, but I'd really like an answer.

How do you justify remaining in a religion that has such a horrendous record of abuse? Why aren't you an Episcopalian or a Lutheran instead?
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Well, that cuts to the quick.

I do not see it that way. The religion does not have a record of abuse. People who are in positions of leadership certainly do, but not the religion. The responsibility for the child abuse crisis goes high in the hierarchy, and this does not seem to have been addressed by legal authorities sufficiently.

But this was not committed by my religion, any more than the acts of the terrorists on 9/11 were committed by Islam, or the Protestants who use the Christian doctrine to justify the KKK is representative of Protestantism. Or the atheist who killed all those people at Virginia Tech represents atheism. So I find it highly incorrect and dangerously wrong to blame the Church itself for the wrongs committed by individual members of the Church.

I am not an Episcopalian or a Lutheran because neither of those is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ Himself, in my view.
 
Guy Incognito said:
Well, that cuts to the quick.

I do not see it that way. The religion does not have a record of abuse. People who are in positions of leadership certainly do, but not the religion. The responsibility for the child abuse crisis goes high in the hierarchy, and this does not seem to have been addressed by legal authorities sufficiently.

But this was not committed by my religion, any more than the acts of the terrorists on 9/11 were committed by Islam, or the Protestants who use the Christian doctrine to justify the KKK is representative of Protestantism. Or the atheist who killed all those people at Virginia Tech represents atheism. So I find it highly incorrect and dangerously wrong to blame the Church itself for the wrongs committed by individual members of the Church.

I am not an Episcopalian or a Lutheran because neither of those is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Christ Himself, in my view.
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Fair enough.

Thanks for letting me ask without getting annoyed at me.
 
Pinkie said:
Fair enough.

Thanks for letting me ask without getting annoyed at me.
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I know I come off as a ****head, but if a person treats me politely I try my best to return the favor.
 
Ikari said:
How many times a year, good sir, is a Priest allowed to have sex with an alter boy?
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Wow. To respond to your post on another thread in this forum, if I were being snarky, I'd point out that you wanted "altar" rather than "alter."

But that's for your contribution to this thread. No point, I guess, in reading further.
 
Pinkie said:
Yes, they all arose out of the Reformation.
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Honestly, that's why I have a lesser opinion of other sects of Christianity barring Catholicism. People just didn't want to follow the rules, so they made their own **** up. But if the bible is the word of god and we are to believe all that is told; then that's that, right? You don't get to change the rules because you don't like them. God said X, you cannot say Y because you don't like X.

Pinkie said:
But a Roman Catholic has a belief that is rare among Protestants, called transubstantiation.
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OK....and now I have to apologize to Guy for that great zinger to start off. Because this is an answer I truly want to know. It was under my impression that the Catholic Church no longer believed in LITERAL transubstantiation. True or False, Guy?
 
nota bene said:
Wow. To respond to your post on another thread in this forum, if I were being snarky, I'd point out that you wanted "altar" rather than "alter."
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No, actually that's a good point.
 
If you're serious, than I would urge you to research for yourself the rates of pedophilia and also sexual abuse in the Catholic Church vis-a-vis other denoms. The facts are out there (provided, among other sources, by insurance companies).
 
nota bene said:
If you're serious, than I would urge you to research for yourself the rates of pedophilia and also sexual abuse in the Catholic Church vis-a-vis other denoms. The facts are out there (provided, among other sources, by insurance companies).
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I'm not serious about the whole Priest and altar boy thing....I know it's not endorsed, I know it's limited. The Church has done a lot to cover it up, y'all have to grant that; but it's not something that is pushed for or accepted within the Catholic doctrine.
 
Pinkie said:
Yes, they all arose out of the Reformation.

But a Roman Catholic has a belief that is rare among Protestants, called transubstantiation. Essentially, it's the belief that during Mass, a miracle occurs and the wine and wafer become the actual blood and body of Christ. Of all the Protestant faiths, only Episcopalians share this completely and Lutherans to a lesser degree.

It'd be a bigger stretch, dogmatically, for a RCC to become a Baptist, Methodist, etc.
Click to expand...

In answer to your question, yes, the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and also the Lutherans do believe in transubstantiation as opposed to consubstantiation.

In response to your last comment, though, Pinkie, I can say honestly that I've met lousy Catholics who became inspiring Baptists and also lousy Baptists who have become powerfully committed Catholics.

I think this is because the Holy Spirit reaches each heart individually. What matters, if we are people of faith, is respecting each others' differences while celebrating our unity.
 
why is divorce banned ? because i cant see a specific statement about it in bible as far as i remember
 
Medusa said:
why is divorce banned ? because i cant see a specific statement about it in bible as far as i remember
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Marriage is considered a sacrament in the RCC, if it's officiated by a priest. You can divorce (although many people who did were excommunicated) but the Church will not recognize your divorce, so you can't remarry again.

Many American Catholics who divorced are given annulments if they can prove the first marriage was not dogmatically sound, for example, one party intended to use birth control. The RCC is less generous with its annulments in other parts of the world, and they aren't cheap -- my brother and his wife both needed one, and spent over $5,000 between them.

 
Medusa said:
why is divorce banned ? because i cant see a specific statement about it in bible as far as i remember
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Only men in the Old Testament, Deuteronomy. 24:1-4. In the New Testament, see Mark 10:12 and Corinthians I, 7:13 re women and bringing a divorce.
 
nota bene said:
Only men in the Old Testament, Deuteronomy. 24:1-4. In the New Testament, see Mark 10:12 and Corinthians I, 7:13 re women and bringing a divorce.
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Are you suggesting the RCC blesses divorce, nota bene?
 
Why does the RCC offer exorcisms? How can they reconcile the dogma of free will with a belief in demonic possession?
 
Pinkie said:
Why does the RCC offer exorcisms? How can they reconcile the dogma of free will with a belief in demonic possession?
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Free will is an instrument of the soul not of the physical body.
 
Guy Incognito said:
So I invite anyone who has a question about Catholicism to politely pose them here. I will try to give you an answer as clearly as possible.
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How would a Catholic verify if they are right or wrong and another religion, maybe Hinduism, is right? Same goes for other versions of Christianity that claim to be completely different than Catholicism.
 
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