telling people frankly, THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IS WRONG? but what do you think makes it wrong?
450593
What doesn't!?\n\nTo begin with, it teaches something they cannot prove (I'm a teacher, and my students would kill me if I did). Besides, they make you live according to those unproven beliefs. And some of its members don't bother to live according to their own teachings, and the hierarchy of the Church protects them (I'm talking about child abusers, thieves, priests who supported dictatorships, and torture, in Latin America, and so on).\n\nAnd finally, they have power, and they use it to gain influence on governments, and through governments, on people. Not just the Catholic, but everybody else, too.\n\nAnyway, the Catholic Church is not the only one that acts like this.
826134
Either you're wrong or the church is wrong.  you need to decided which is which, but if i had to bet my money's on the church.
303044
wrong is wrong and there is no way for a wrong to be a right. but there is an exception. it is when vast majority of people make "commit" that wrong. in this case there is no way to say that the whole community is wrong and you are the only right!
567572
Doesn't all this ruckus from the Church seem like overkill to you? I haven't seen the Catholic Church so worked up over a movie since The Last Temptation Of Christ. And I haven't seen the Catholic Church so scared since those pedophilia scandals. Maybe the ideas in the book are not so far fetched after all.
990184
Some are good; some are bad; most are in-between.  Same as all the non-Catholics.  What's your point?
528469
I don't speak for the Catholic Church by any means, but you are not going to get a REAL priest to answer this unless you talk to him in person.  They would not answer because they are told not to answer on forums like this.  The Catholic Church is very political and protective of its doctrine, its priests, and its assets.  They would never open themselves up to the criticism that you would get from answering those questions in a forum like this.  \n\nSo, if you really want to know the answers, you need to go ask a priest in person.  You can find one at your nearest Catholic Church.
249371
I think that Catholics are sinning when they pray to saints or Mary because it is idolitry.  However, all sins are created equal.  So my sin of disrespecting my husband and refusing to submit to him was just as bad.  \n\nI think that inspite of the idolitry, devout Catholics will go to heaven because they believe in their heart and confess with their lips that Jesus Christ is Lord.\n\nI also believe that there is a portion of the Catholic believers that take advantage of "confession".  By this I mean that there are a few who give good Catholics a bad name because they don't have a desire to live a pure and holy life (well, as much as is humanly possible).  They live a worldly life all week long, then go to confession and poof, all is forgiven, just so they can go out and do it all over again.  The thing is, when we ask for forgiveness, the Lord looks at our hearts and knows our motives.  The purpose of confession is to redeem ourselves from a mistake in judgement and then make an honest effort to not do it again.\n\nNow, I don't know about all Catholic churches, but I was greatly offended when I went with a friend to a Bingo/carnival on church property that was sponsered by Budweiser.  The place was crawling with drunks.  To me, this shows a total disreguard for the house of the Lord.  \n\nThen there is the baptism of babies.  In protestant churches, a child is not allowed to get baptised until they're old enough to understand what it means.  It is done by submersion as a representative of dieing to the things of this world and a profession of faith saying that you are dedicating your life to God.  From what I understand, the words spoken in Latin by the priest are actually to exorcise a demon from the infant.  I don't know about you, but none of my babies were born possessed.\n\nAll this being said, I have had many wonderful Catholic friends throughout my life.  They love the Lord with all their hearts and they are good, moral people.  Most of my inlaws are Catholic and I love them all dearly.  Bust just like with any other religion, there are always a handful of "bad ones" that give them a bad name.  Two words, "Jim Baker".  Enough said.
1008408
If you accept the beliefs of the church and the tenets say that is wrong, well then yes
891382
The catholic church has gotten mired down in man's words, and don't think for themselves.  They let the pope, bishops, cardinals, etc, etc think for them and they follow blindly.
549568
You know, I don't even really mind that some religions think others are wrong.  That's to be expected.  What bugs me is that most religions feel the need to convert people who don't wish to be converted.  By their very nature, a person's religious beliefs exclude all OTHER religious beliefs.\n\nThe REAL issue at stake, I think, is how we deal with that.  You and I don't have the same beliefs.  I think yours are wrong (not morally wrong, merely incorrect), and you think mine are wrong.\n\nSo what?  So we don't agree.  Big deal.  Doesn't bother me a bit.  I am perfectly okay knowing that there are other systems of belief out there that do not match my own.\n\nBut there are FAR TOO MANY people in the world that simply cannot abide that someone else out there would DARE believe something different.  And even more frightening is the number of people who would take some kind of action against "the faithless" or "the infidels" or "the unbelievers," or whatever they are calling us this week.
506643
I would confess, that I haven't been to church for a lonnnnnnnnng time. \n\nI am not Catholic either, I am Anglican, and glad we don't have confession.  LOL.
1176751
Of course there's a significant element of truth to it. Why do you think the Catholic Church is so wound up about it ? Why haven't scholars been allowed to translate the Dead Sea Scrolls in the public arena ? Catholicism has manipulated the truth for it's own ends .... it's used threats over the centuries to ensure there is no debate. The end is nigh .... if there's nothing to hide they'd happily open their vaults & show the full spectrum of religeous texts .... not just the ones they'd like us to see. Now the truth is becoming available with or without their consent - Truth Lives once more.
856629
Clericalism, intolerance and hypocrisy.
747834
I agree. This whole Catholic Church priest thing has gotten ridiculous. As if the Catholic Church is the only religion who has this problem. I think it has to do with people not understanding the need for Priests to be celibate and assuming that's leads to pedophillia, which it doesn't.
182976
these rules you cite are part of the reason my catholic faith is lapsing (is that a word?)  \n\ni don't feel it is the church's right to say what i must believe about social issues in the world: i reserve that right for myself.  apparently many people have similar ideas... just look at church attendance.  the women in the church issue, and the position on abortion... how many current (and potential) catholics are 'turned off' by catholic teachings regarding these alone.  having said that, i know the church is not out to win 'ratings points' for being popular...\n\ni doubt if the vatican will reconsider theses issues.  it would almost be admitting a mistake, and you can imagine  how that would go over.  perhaps it would take the election of an enlightened pope willing to go out on a limb.
978457
hypocrite comes to mine as well.  I constantly have someone telling me you do this and this wrong, but then i see them doing it, because they go to church on Sunday that makes it all right.
1056670
Is the Pope Catholic?! By golly Miss Molly, of course Bob can fix it!!!! LoL--Yeah, maybe there was a BIT of sarcasm there...! Haha =)