Some big questions seem to come up a lot for non-Catholics about the way Catholicism works in practice. In particular questions about homosexuality, contraception and abortion.
I'd like Catholics to tell me their views on these things - are they at variance with papal dictates etc - and please be honest :-)
I'm thinking of becoming a Catholic but doubts have come up.
I set up a charity business rosariesforpeace.net - selling rosaries with proceeds to Amnesty International. But then I recently heard that SOME Catholics boycott Amnesty International because they allowed women who had been systematically raped during war access to abortion. I personally see this as completely different to the idea of using abortion as 'late birth control' - and I do feel strongly against abortion after the 1st trimester (my personal feeling is that the soul isn't present at the moment of conception...otherwise why would 50% of pregnancies naturally terminate in the first 3 months...I think the soul is 'allocated' but doesn't reside in the foetus until later into the pregnancy)...but that again goes against church teaching.
Also, I feel that homosexuality is not a huge issue; sex out of marriage is not a huge issue and cohabitation are not huge issues; contraception is no issue at all. However, casual sex and sex without love are very wrong. In all these questions, I believe that love is the most important and significant thing and all the rest are just details! (This is all my personal opinion - I don't want to offend anyone!).
There are so many wonderful aspects of the CC that I really want to be a part of - but it worries me that my views on issues that are less black and white than the church teaches would mean they'd not allow me to become a member??
Some advice would be most welcome.
(I know I should talk to my priest about this but he's always rushing off somewhere after mass...plus, I'm more interested in the experiences and views of the parishoners in this instance).Big questions for Catholics...I am thinking of becoming a Catholic and would really like advice...?
Hi, first and foremost. Wanting to be a Catholic is already a big and honorable step towards truly being one. The three issues you've mentioned have been very thoroughly discussed by the Church fathers over the years and we just need to Study them.
Abortion is truly wrong for most cultures and the perennial argument is the same as yours. The question ';When'; is it wrong? It's better to think of it in terms of natural law. :
Abortion providers would usually prefer the women to not see their ultrasounds. This is because a lot of women who have seen pictures of their baby even just a month old, would save the baby who would otherwise have been aborted. This is because they don't see just a blob of tissue but a real live young human being.
Scientifically, by 30 days in the womb, the heart, eyes, ears, nose nervous system, 40 pairs of muscels, arms and legs, blood cells would have started developing. As early as 17 days, it would have had its own blood cells already. If a woman can see her baby at this stage, it would really be very difficult to kill this one.
Homosexuality is also an issue the Church has already taught on.
The Church does not condemn homosexuality because we truly do not know if it is genetic, behavioral or anything else. They are still human beings and Children of God no matter what. By being human beings, they also adhere to natural law and it is very clear by our biological makeups. For one thing, the male sexual organ is Basic (Base) and the female sexual organ is Acidic (Acid), the male's is shaped cylindrically and the female's is shaped like a basin. It also violates divine law because God created us partially to procreate and procreation can only be achieved with the union of a male and a female.
The Church therefore condemns only homosexual ';Acts';.
However, the Church also acknowledges that ';[homosexuality鈥檚] psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. . . . The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God鈥檚 will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord鈥檚 cross the difficulties that they may encounter from their condition.
';Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection'; (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2357鈥?2359).
Contraception
Again, this issue has been already talked about by the Church. I recommend you read Scott Hahn's book called Rome Sweet Home. He is a protestant who also did not believe there was any issue at all in contraception. ';It's just a Catholic problem'; After careful studying of the Bible, (since they were in Gordon Conwell studying Theology), and studying why the Catholic Church condemns the use. They, themselves threw out all their contraceptives and just used natural family planning.
Again, you've already taken the first step. The next is to study more about the Faith :) Please take time to visit my sources. I will be praying for you.Big questions for Catholics...I am thinking of becoming a Catholic and would really like advice...?
All those things are against Catholic teaching and one other thing, birth control causes abortions.
nannyjankins..... what she said.
Why not join the Orthodox communion?
why in the world would you want to become a catholic then? You seem to have view far contradictory to that religion.
You might as well join heaven's gate...
Do people even read these long questions?
Are you an altar boy?
The first thing that I will hope you keep in mind is that Catholicism isn't a ';Walk in the door %26amp; you're done'; kind of religion. It's a *journey* of faith. So wherever you are in your beliefs about abortion or sex or whatever today is just where you are -- as long as you are willing to keep an open mind and keep learning and growing, that's all the Church asks of us. We aren't asked to be perfect in our understanding of every little detail from day one.
Okay, on to your topics.
Fetal souls: Your theory that the human child doesn't get his/her soul until later in pregnancy is interesting, but unfounded. It not only has no medical or scientific proof, it has no theological proof. And it kind of defies logic. WHY would the soul suddenly jump into the body sometime later in pregnancy? What's the trigger? Having had three kids of my own, I really can't fathom this one at all.
So, whatever. It's your theory. The Church doesn't agree with your theory. Catholic scholars debated this (and continue to do so) and the conclusion every time is that the soul is part of the body from the moment of conception because no other timing makes sense. Now, from my perspective, I have the logical conclusion made by numerous scholars of different backgrounds, different eras, different countries all agreeing together...and your theory, developed by a person of unknown education, little experience with theology, etc. Where I sit, the Church has more to stand on than you do when it comes to theorizing. I guess I would advise you to think a little more and to try to come up with that point of ensoulment so you can have a better argument for your belief. The idea that ';50% of pregnancies naturally terminate in the 1st trimester'; (not a scientific claim -- I've read 25%) is no proof, because the death of a very early human doesn't preclude that person from going to heaven according to Catholic theology.
Abortion: Well, I gotta tell you, I find it troubling that you think kids whose dads are rapists are okay to murder. I can't follow at all why you think THEY deserve the death penalty when their dads did the crime...and you probably aren't even in favor of the death penalty for rapists, are you? I know you probably think you are showing compassion to a rape victim by murdering her child, but actually, the WORST thing you can do to a rape victim is recoil in horror from her because she got pregnant during her attack. The ';get it out, get it out, GET IT OUT'; reaction is hurtful and wounding to a woman who is already victimized. If society in general would surround these rape victims with love, accept their children as good and pure offspring of the MOTHER and commend women for having the opportunity to bring forth something GOOD out of their attacks, it would be very different. Many rape victims who abort later say that the abortion was the greater tragedy, because they turned into attackers themselves and killed their own innocent babies.
You don't say why you think homosexuality isn't a huge issue -- is that because you don't know any gay people? Or because you do know gay people and you don't understand why the Bible says homosexual actions are wrong? I have a background in theatre, so I know a whole lot of GLBT people, and while I love them all, I still understand why the Church teaches what she does on this issue. Sex is a holy, sacramental act in which God proves that we have been created in His image by allowing us to share in creation of eternal human souls. That means procreation. Two men can't procreate together. Neither can two women. It's just not the way it is.
Sex outside of marriage is wrong for the same reason. Contraception is wrong for the same reason.
You say you believe that love is the most important thing, but you're just talking about the warm fuzzy feeling of love. God's love is bigger than that. God's love is about holiness. God's love is about commitment. God's love is about procreating in the image of the Creator.
If you want to talk about these things with your priest, set up an appointment. Priests are very busy.
+ Abortion +
Catholics believe that from the moment of conception until natural death, each human being is endowed by God with dignity and rights. Therefore abortion is viewed as the murder of an innocent and defenseless human being.
You shall not kill. (Ex 20:13; cf. Deut 5:17)
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. (Jer 1:5; cf. Job 10:8-12; Ps 22:10-11)
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth. (Ps 139:15)
Early Church writings: You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish. (Didache 2, 2: SCh 248, 148; cf. Ep. Barnabae 19, 5: PG 2, 777; Ad Diognetum 5, 6: PG 2, 1173; Tertullian, Apol. 9: PL 1, 319-320)
And finally:
';A person's a person, no matter how small!'; -- Dr. Seuss, ';Horton Hears a Who';
For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sections 2270 and following: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3s鈥?/a>
+ Homosexuality +
Created in the image of the one God and equally endowed with rational souls, all men have the same nature and the same origin. Redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ, all are called to participate in the same divine beatitude: all therefore enjoy an equal dignity.
The Catholic Church believes there is nothing sinful about being homosexual. But all unmarried people (homosexual, bisexual, and heterosexual) are called to celibacy.
The Church specifically says that homosexuals ';must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided.';
Official Church documents:
+ ';Always Our Children: A Pastoral Message to Parents of Homosexual Children and Suggestions for Pastoral Ministers';
http://www.usccb.org/laity/always.shtml
+ ';On the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons'; http://www.newadvent.org/library/docs_df鈥?/a>
For more information, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church, section 2357-2359: http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3s鈥?/a>
With love in Christ,
As a convert to Catholicism myself, I know what you're going through. I had to do a 180 on my views on sex out of wedlock, contraception, abortion, etc. As someone who has been there, I'm going to be blunt -- you are not ready to enter the Church at this time. That does not mean you will never be ready, or that you should abandon your journey; it just means you have further to go.
When people are received into the Church, they make the following profession: ';I believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.'; Only when you can HONESTLY and truly say that are you ready to enter the Church. It may take years to get to that point, and that's okay. When you want to shout that profession from the rooftops, THEN you are ready.
Abortions are strictly forbidden.
Divorce is strictly forbidden.
Homosexuality is strictly forbidden.
Sex out of marriage is a sin.
Why? Murder is wrong. And remember the Monty Python song...Every Sperm is Sacred...
Divorce is wrong because it says so in the Bible...you are breaking a sacrament.
Homosexuality is wrong because it says so in the Bible.
Why would you want to join the Catholic Church? What is appealing about it that you can't have on your own? There is a lot of money, secrets, mystery and ritual...it is not a game. It is a cult...
EDIT: Gale, it never leaves you.
Certainly, pray about the issues that you have brought up. Some of the questions you posed take time to discern. Reflect on them and keep asking questions as to the fundamentals of the beliefs. Certainly it is a black and white world.
God created man and woman. Homosexual unions do not procreate, nor are they natural. Sex is not intended to be outside of marriage. If sex out of marriage didn't happen, the number of STDs that are running rampant would basically cease to exist!
Life is precious. God gave us our sexuality and it is to be cherished and children are a blessing. Abortion is out of the question in all cases, as it seeks to destroy life for a selfish desire. There is no need to terminate a life. Contraception seeks to deny the procreative aspect of sex. God gave a limited fertility cycle for women, so why not let God plan the spacing of your children?
There are a lot of people who claim to be Catholic in the world. If they are not following the Church's teachings, then they are not truly Catholic.
As Catholics, we believe in protecting life from ';womb to tomb,'; or from conception to natural death. Because the child in the womb is a child, not a random mass of cells, we believe we must protect it, just as we would protect any child who has already been born. To make that easier to understand, I will say this: No one would take a premature born baby and want to kill it, right? Well, the difference between that baby and the one still in the womb is what...a couple months? So abortion is still murder, even in cases of rape or incest.
The problem with homosexuality is not homosexuality in and of itself, but rather the practices of homosexuals. It isn't acceptable for homosexuals to marry because they couldn't have a child naturally as a couple. Children should be ';begotten, not made'; which makes children conceived from sperm donors and the combining of cells in test tubes not naturally conceived. Also, children need the male and female influence as they grow up. In another words, they should have the influence of both a mother and a father. Let me set this straight: homosexuality is not a sin, but practicing it is.
Sex outside of marriage and contraception are not acceptable because they take away the purpose God intended for sex: for a man and wife to become one in the sexual union and to possible conceive a child. If the couple does not want to conceive a child, they can practice abstinence, which is the only morally acceptable family planning. (Also known as Natural Family Planning.) When the couple begins to use sex purely for their pleasure instead of the purpose God intended for it. (Conceiving a child.) Contraception is often used to eliminate the consequences of 'casual sex.' (This is often because of the selfishness of adults.) Sometimes, contraception isn't effective, and can lead to more abortions. Since our goal as Catholics is to protect life, this is not acceptable.
You would be allowed to become a member of the Catholic church, but to act on your beliefs that are not the same as the Church's would be sinful. I suggest you talk to your priest and/or members of the church about this.
I hope I helped! May God guide you on your road towards Him!
Catholicism at it's root is sun god worship. It started with Constantine an his mother Helena.
As part of your research you should google Nimrod, Semiramis, Tammuz, Ishtar and Mithra.
You should really figure out what you are getting into before joining.
Now Yahweh, God, does not change and he says that he knew us before he knit us in our mother's womb. Therefore every person is a true person at conception. Any kind of sex at all outside of the marriage between a man and a woman, naturally is not right. Abortion is always murder no matter the trimester. You cannot get around that. I actually think if you are going to continue in your belief system as you describe the Catholic Church would probably work for you. Especially since by your account above you are obviously more concerned about the opinions of the pope and other Catholics and their teaching, not once did you mention, God.
Need anyone say more?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment