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To: NYer
Some years ago, my wife and I, after spending two years as catechumens, were about to join the Catholic church. In a retreat prior to Easter, the RCIA nun asked us, in the middle of a prayer service, to "raise our arms to our mother, the earth." A chill went down my spine as I recognized the official call to break the first commandment, and we walked out of that "fellowship," never to return. (A subsequent meeting with the priest was of no assistance, as we were told to obey this evil and misguided eastern mystic parading as a Catholic nun.)

I believe there are many sincere believers within the Catholic church, but until the church itself purges the hirelings from its band of shepherds, I can't imagine it would be a safe place to bring up young Christians.
4 posted on 02/26/2005 6:48:04 AM PST by farmer18th
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To: farmer18th

It's the one true Church, in my view, the one that has been here since the time of Apostles. But there will always be at least some false prophets and bad shepherds misleading the flock.

When I came into the Church it was a different problem: a priest who was so matter-of-fact that having conditional baptism (I was in fact already properly baptized) was much like getting a haircut.

It's still the one true Church, however, even if not all the shepherds do their proper job. The more people who come in who want to follow Jesus and the teachings of the Church in spite of the weakness of their pastors, the better.


5 posted on 02/26/2005 7:03:01 AM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
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To: farmer18th
You were given the discernment to recognize the New Age idiocy when you saw it. You don't check your brains at the door.

Find an orthodox parish (I would have complained to the bishop - but then our former archbishop was a profoundly orthodox man, and we have fairly good hopes for the new one as well). When we fled the Episcopal Church, we did a fair amount of research and found a nice, old-fashioned, orthodox parish with no New Age nonsense and a dreadnought of an Irish rector who wouldn't stand for any such.

6 posted on 02/26/2005 7:04:31 AM PST by AnAmericanMother (. . . Ministrix of ye Chace (recess appointment), TTGC Ladies' Auxiliary . . .)
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To: farmer18th; Cicero; AnAmericanMother
I believe there are many sincere believers within the Catholic church, but until the church itself purges the hirelings from its band of shepherds, I can't imagine it would be a safe place to bring up young Christians.

It is truly sad to read of this unfortunate and totally misguided experience that you and your wife encountered. As with all religious groups, there are some poor shepherds, and you happened to encounter one.

I recently heard the extraordinary conversion story of a Jewish man. Like St. Paul on the road to Damascus, he was literally confronted by God. He had been well educated in his faith by some of the greates rabbis and the last thought he ever entertained was to become a christian.

After this encounter, he sought the church founded by Christ. He began with the Evangelicals and worked his way through the mainstream protestant denominations. Eventually, his journey led him to the Catholic Church. Having discerned in his heart that this was indeed the Church founded by our Lord, he approached a priest and asked to be baptized into the Cathollic Church. The priest smiled graciously, told him that God wanted him to be the best Jew he could be and sent him on his way. Undeterred, he approached several churches until he found a priest who listened to his story, enrolled him in RCIA and received him into the Catholic Church at that year's Easter Vigil. You can read Roy Schoeman's remarkable story at this link:

Conversion Story

A true conversion comes from the heart, through prayer and with God's blessing. As a cradle catholic, I am not surprised by your experience, though disheartened. The Catholic Church is both Western and Eastern. For the past year, I have been attending the Maronite Catholic Church, where portions of the liturgy are in Aramaic, using the words and language of our Lord at the Last Supper. You can learn more about the 23 different liturgies that make up the Western and Eastern Catholic Church, at this link:

CATHOLIC RITES AND CHURCHES

To locate an Eastern Catholic Church in your community, go to this link:

DIRECTORY OF EASTERN CATHOLIC CHURCHES

If you are sincere in your beliefs, then pray for those who mislead the flock, shake the dust off your sandals and continue down the path that will lead you home. Rest assured of my prayers for you and all who encounter these poor shepherds.

Pax et Bonum

10 posted on 02/26/2005 8:49:37 AM PST by NYer ("The Eastern Churches are the Treasures of the Catholic Church" - Pope John XXIII)
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To: farmer18th
Tell me of any group with millions of people that doesn't have some goof balls. What you saw was completely off the wall and alien to Catholicism. Those people should be reported to the bishop.

Of course, there are a few bishops out there who are off the wall too. If you are in one of those diocese (they are rare, but they are the ones that make the news papers happy) then you have a real obstacle to orthodox Catholicism.

I hope you will have a chance to experience the real thing soon.

29 posted on 02/26/2005 8:03:59 PM PST by Barnacle (Being the biggest target, the Catholic Church attracts a plethora of poor marksmen.)
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To: farmer18th

You should have reported her to the Bishop, and then fond the next Catholic Church nearest you! Don't let those b*stards keep you from spending eternity with the Trinity.


37 posted on 02/26/2005 9:47:30 PM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion: The Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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To: farmer18th
May I inquire in what diocese you were subjected to such blasphemy?
60 posted on 02/27/2005 10:41:30 AM PST by Barnacle (Being the biggest target, the Catholic Church attracts a plethora of poor marksmen.)
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