This was a very beuatiful article and it touched me deeply. May God continue to bless you.

Observer,

I believe you are confusing veneration with idolatry.

In one third world country where population explosion has become a major problem, Catholic chapels or centers offer free operation to untie the fallopian tubes of mothers after indoctrinating them that it's a SIN.

This devilish Church invent their own doctrines so parents would produce more chiildren despite their abject poverty.

They then teach these poor people that their government is the cause of their poverty due to corruption but lo and behold those same government personnel are usually "devout catholics".

Some revolt which cause more poverty and this has become the CATHOLIC CYCLE which I presume is routinely duplicated around the world.

To escape poverty, many go abroad adding more economic pressure to their host countries.

Haiti Troubles :

Aristide became popular as a PRIEST in the slum of La Saline, and was elected president in 1990. Ousted in a military coup the following year, U.S. troops restored him to the presidential palace in 1994.

After stepping down, he was re-elected in 2000 but was ousted again in a bloody 2004 rebellion amid charges that he broke promises to help the poor, ALLOWED drug-fueled corruption and MASTERMINDED assaults on opponents. "

An exponent of liberation theology, he became a leading figure in the more radical wing of the Catholic faith in Haiti and broadcast his sermons on the national Catholic radio station.

If you want to know why Haiti is in dire straits now, BLAME CATHOLICISM.

The foundations needed to make this a troubled land had long been planted by this deposed former president.

Everywhere around the world where Catholic or Islamic priests open their BIG MOUTHS and try to "SOLVE" problems, bigger problems result due to their STUPIDITY.

The BUSH ADMINISTRATION has been playing like a FOOL for ALLOWING religious (false religion) personalities like Shiite Cleric Muqtada al Sadr to be part of Iraq Parliament.

To Thump - To beat soundly or thoroughly; drub; to instill constantly

I think I'll just have some fun 'thumping the Wiccanism.' (In another religion, that may be a euphemism for something. I'll just laugh)

"And merry we meet again... *thump* And again *thump* And again... :) *chuckle.*

Good night, America, wherever you are. :)

*laugh.*

For someone who considers his random ideas 'worth repeating' a few times on every thread, CCNL, I'm kind of curious what your definition of 'thumping' might be.

Paganplace,

Pagans thump "Wiccanism" and "Voodooing the Hoodoo". Others thump the bible. Others thump what hopefully is reality.

Elizabeth, good post!

Ignore comments from those anti-christ... keep up the faith

GBU

"It really captures the unity and purpose of this adventurous and courageous Church that we belong to."

Ah, *great.* I'm gonna ask you for just a bit more adventure and courage. This means, *letting some people go.* It means *rendering a bit to some Caesars.* It means, being less concerned with what goes in than what comes out.* It means... Stop spending the meek's inheritance. It means...

Everything in the world ain't about your *control.*

Kinda wondering how certain notions of 'Superior Truth' involve trolling all threads with the same exact posts?

Elizabeth, awesome post!

It really captures the unity and purpose of this adventurous and courageous Church that we belong to.

Speed123 wrote "I don't know who is more confused and aggressive"

If I or Jacoby were doing this argument against the Catholic Church just 4 centuries ago, both of us would have been burned at the stake for heresy. The difference is not because of doctrinal change but because they lost the power to do so. Speaking of aggressiveness, this church has really not changed but is just forced into submissiveness (not from within but from outside). Untie the knot and see how fierce this leviathan is.

Speaking of confusion, this church is confused and doesn't know where it wants to go -- to side with philosophy of man or stick with the Bible which is the word of God. For centuries , it has been that way -- confused and still confused. Much of their members end up as atheists as a result. If ever they remain devout, they remain as confused devotees.

Roman Catholicism is the official religion of Haiti, but voodoo may be considered the country's national religion. The majority of Haitians believe in and practice at least some aspects of voodoo. Most voodooists believe that their religion can coexist with Catholicism. Most Protestants, however, strongly oppose voodoo.

Adherents of voodoo do not perceive themselves as members of a separate religion; THEY CONSIDER THEMSELVES AS ROMAN CATHOLICS.

Do you wonder why Haiti is in such dire staits now and even before? Stupidity is the cause and their type of religion is the fuel for that STUPIDITY. Catholicism is a CONFUSED religion. It embraces all kinds of stupidity.

Now stop blaming me or others and look towards your practiced false religion. REPAIR IT.
It is so defective. Don't blame the ones who show the defects.

The purity of the Bible is hidden in its metaphors. Many false religions take it very literal that is why they end up as idiots. One example is the bread as the body of Christ. The bread he was referring to was His Words and not the bread that they were eating during that last supper.

Where did that holy water came from? It also came from a literal interpretation of water baptism. Christ used water to signify the Holy Spirit. As the water washes out dirt, the Holy Spirit purifies a sinful soul. There is no such thing as holy water. Catholics can't distinguish a metaphor from literal words.

An open Bible and an open mind will make a free-churcher every time...

"Worth repeating:"

Not so much. Unless you like to divert discussion back down the same old tracks, I guess. Whatever that discussion may be.

So, I'll say, Jon, ...trying to claim the 'dark fragments' are to be ignored, even if they apply to you personally, so that the Church can claim shining perfection and then lord it over us... Not so convincing. I'm a simple Pagan, I'll be a good neighbor if you can cool it on the deniable flak and shrapnel. :)

"Pagan Place - The dark fragments are based on our human frailties and weaknesses in our nature not on our limited knowledge of God! All men are capable of evil including myself."

Pardon if I don't believe you about that absolute divine authority, thing, then. It's unnecessary, anyway. There is a goodness in people that is not served by calling people 'evil.' Folks are liable to live down to that.

Pagan Place - The dark fragments are based on our human frailties and weaknesses in our nature not on our limited knowledge of God! All men are capable of evil including myself.

Observer,

I use to believe that the Pope was idolatrous. But a closer examination of scripture reveals something much more amazing! If you’re open minded you will find these buried truths. With the help of great theologians it will take less time. I recommend reading Scott Hahn. Have a great day.

Jon Matthew: ""Religions were created for peace because they look toward the same God of all," he said."

The 'dark fragment' of that is how they treat people not swearing by the same 'God of all.'

Jon Matthew,

"Habamus Papam".

I don't, and seems to me that On Faith's and the Roman Church's exorbitant attention to this one religious personality smacks of idolatry.

I'll be glad when they and I can get back to contemplating matters of greater importance.

BGONE: You are misguided in what Elizabeth was saying, 1 Peter 2:5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 44There is (I)one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one (J)hope of your calling; 5(K)one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all (L)who is over all and through all and in all.

Have a great day everyone.

The Reality of it all:

Benedict like many of us suffers from the Three B Syndrome i.e. he was Bred, Born and Brainwashed in his religion. For this reason, he is unable to think past the shackles put upon him by the likes of Paul, Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.

The wishful thinking done by these five scribes approximately 2000 years ago continued the embellishment and fiction tradition of the Jewish scribes. The locals paid for a good story of myth and imminent second coming. There was no money in the truth but now we know the truth and it boils down to two simple statements, Do No Harm and Love Thy Neighbor as Thyself.

Time to pink slip the pope, bishops and priests!!!!

Anti-Catholics do not understand the Catholic position on Salvation.

“We are saved by Grace alone -- a Grace with whom we must cooperate through, "faith that works in love.” Salvation is not just a mere feeling; it is a call to share the love of Christ in us. By answering the call we participate in the works of Jesus Christ that saves and purifies our faith!

P.S. Habamus Papam!

"Liz, you are the church" is awfully good logic. Doesn't it free you to make the church what you want it to be?

Your words are those of one chained to nightmare. You have the responsibilities, the ax of hell fire hanging over your neck for getting "it" wrong and no control "it." That's the stuff from which springs litany's of mental illnesses.

Good luck with your career.

Elizabeth: Wonderful article. Please ignore the rantings of the Anti-Catholic "christians."

"It is impossible to doubt someone you know," proclaims Kerusso who later accuses another commentor as follows: "You twist scripture to your own destruction!" This Sola (anti-Catholic) Scriptura ninny must not have read this passage from Matthew 27:46

46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi,[a] lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Did Jesus know the Father? Did Jesus feel forsaken?

It happens to the best of us.

Keep the faith.

Ms. Tenety:

After reading the comment above, I wish to say only that having occasional doubts is completely human, and in no way should you (or your grandmother) feel condescended toward for it. That said, upon finishing your piece I did not come away remembering your confession of doubt as the most important part, but instead what stuck with me was the steadfast quality of your faith. After all, a faith untried is not true faith. It is easy to believe in something if we don't have the luxury or need to question it. True faith requires a test. To be honest, religious individuals who claim to have never faltered in their faith--who assert that no tragedy has ever caused them even a small amount of doubt--worry me much more than those who do not. The testament and credit to the reality of your relationship with God is not that you've never stopped believing, but that He has continued to call you back to Him and that you have answered that call.

Be blessed,
Jo

Karusso, what a pest.

“Communion is a memorial, it has nothing to do with salvation...” – Kerusso

John 6:53So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of (CG)the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. 54"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will (CH)raise him up on the last day. 55"For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56"He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood (CI)abides in Me, and I in him.

You twist scripture to your own destruction!

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Dark spots exist in the Catholic Church, but they are only a small part of the reality of the church and its members, said Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican secretary of state.

In an Aug. 20 interview with Vatican Radio, the cardinal said media that focus only on the failures of church members are giving the public a distorted vision of the church.

"It is as if they presented a dark fragment of the great, restored Sistine Chapel, which is a splendor and has reacquired Michelangelo's original colors," the cardinal said.

As a historical record, the restoration workers left a few spots untouched to show the dirt and grime that had accumulated over the centuries.

"If someone pointed a television camera at one of these dark spots to show the Sistine Chapel instead of focusing on the splendor of the Sistine Chapel (as a whole), it would be a falsification," he said.

The dark spots are part of the chapel, he said, but they do not portray accurately the overall impact of Michelangelo's masterpiece.

In the same way, Cardinal Bertone said, "the church is a great masterpiece of God's and of the men and women of the church," who have done and continue to do "an immense volume of good in every part of the world."

Cardinal Bertone said that "sometimes it seems that there is a plan" on the part of the media to present only negative stories about the Catholic Church and to focus on them long past the time they are news.

He told the radio there are many signs that the devil continues attacking all that is good and all that is of God.

"Think of violence, which is so widespread and which erupts almost spontaneously, even in places that should be sanctuaries of love: within a family, in forums of sharing, reconciliation and friendship; and the violence that explodes on the part of religions," he said.

"Religions were created for peace because they look toward the same God of all," he said.

"Each of these are signs of the furious attacks of the evil one in our age, which we must oppose with a strong faith, the faith of one who follows Christ," Cardinal Bertone said.

Our Faith has been misunderstood and hated since the beginning of Christ’s ministry. Continue to stay strong in love, hope, faith and charity. You know the truth in your heart!

Grace be with you Elizabeth,

Jon Matthew

Elizabeth,

Your grandmother's comments sound suspiciously like Agnes Bojaxhiu's doubts. The entire of the katholik church is sanctified, there is no such thing as a better saint. Paul was clear, "To the saints at Ephesus." "To all the saints of Christ Jesus in Philippi." The word derives from sanctified. (1 Cor 6:11)

If you don't know you're a child of God, then you're not. Being baptized has nothing to do with it...having a priest say you're reconciled has nothing to do with it...communion is a memorial, it has nothing to do with salvation...if you're trusting in these things, you will hear on the day of Judgment, "Depart from me, you worker of iniquity, I never knew you."

The true katholik church is strengthened by hardship; persecution is our friend. If you're life gets a little less peachy and you have to doubt your god, it's because your god doesn't exist, you're worshipping a pagan idol manufactured by the Emperor Constantine.

It is impossible to doubt someone you know. If your faith wavers because something bad happens to you or the world, you need to read Galatians 1:3-5 and 5:19-23.

God resists the proud, Elizabeth; I implore you in the name of Christ, be reconciled to God. Flee from idolatry, and hold fast to the only mediator between God and men, the man, Jesus Christ.