Tell us about your religion

PrintSmith wrote:

Scruffy wrote: Really? Isn't that like saying it's your fault for getting shot because you stepped in front of a bullet?

It's more along the lines of the Church recognizing what is already apparent.

There are some fundamental elements of faith that are necessary to be a member of the communion of the Church, one of which is the virgin birth of Christ. If you renounce the virgin birth of the Savior, then you really don't share in the faith, you have removed, or excommunicated, yourself from the Church by virtue of your renouncing that fundamental tenant of the religion. The Church simply recognizes that you have chosen to do so. It has not cast you aside, you have removed yourself from it.

I hope that explains it in a way that makes sense.

Yours is the second opinion I have recieved...This means that I must do more research !!! (Pssst...It's tenet... )

OK spelling nazi - tenet it is. The rest of it, however, can be taken on faith. I am the great grandnephew of two Reverend Monsignors, one of whom founded the National Catholic Register newspapers (Uncle Matthew) and the other (Uncle Gregory) was the pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church in Denver from 1940 through 1973. Uncle Gregory was also the vicar general of the Archdiocese of Denver. I'm giving you the straight skinny on this Spyke, I am well schooled in the catechism of the faith.

I attended "Sunday school" at the Unitarian church for several years and spent a lot of time learning how various religions were founded, died and were replaced over time.
However -- nobody bothered to tell me about the Resurrection!
I did not understand the back-in-three-days part until I was over 18YO and took classes in preparation for baptism.
Imagine the look on the priest's face when we discussed Easter, and he grasped that I was hearing for the first time the meaning of the holiday (previously I'd celebrated it as the beginning of spring). He asked, "Um, why did you think people thought he was the Son of God?!" I said, "I dunno, I thought it was the virgin birth and healing of the sick" which frankly seemed pretty miraculous to me, without any of that other part. lol

PrintSmith wrote: I am the great grandnephew of two Reverend Monsignors, one of whom foIunded the National Catholic Register newspap

For a second, I thought he said "grandson" - but I rubbed my eyes, and saw they were fooling me.....

PrintSmith wrote: OK spelling nazi - tenet it is. The rest of it, however, can be taken on faith. I am the great grandnephew of two Reverend Monsignors, one of whom founded the National Catholic Register newspapers (Uncle Matthew) and the other (Uncle Gregory) was the pastor of St. Francis de Sales Church in Denver from 1940 through 1973. Uncle Gregory was also the vicar general of the Archdiocese of Denver. I'm giving you the straight skinny on this Spyke, I am well schooled in the catechism of the faith.

Spelling nazi ? You hurt my feelings...NOT !!! Aren't you religious types supposed to be kind and nice and sweet and cheek turning, and all that gooey stuff? For shame...for shame !!! :bash It's that kind of hypocricy and "straight skinny" browbeating that turns me off to religions...FYI, When I pointed out the spelling error, I followed it with a grinning smilie, because it was a playful jab...smarten up...

Sorry for the misunderstanding there Spykster. My 'nazi' remark was intended to be in the same lighthearted vein as the correction was (it wasn't capitalized after all). I simply forgot to add the winking smirk to indicate the intention. Pobody's Nerfect after all - that is the one tenet of the human condition that never changes regardless of which, if any, God or god one chooses to place their faith in. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me my transgression. I will endeavor to ensure that it is not repeated and will be especially vigilant in including the appropriate emoticom when communicating with you to ensure that I don't inadvertently hurt your feelings. :thumbsup:

Are we all good now?

And it seems I made another error - I am the grandnephew of those two Reverend Monsignors, not their great grandnephew. They were my grandfather's brothers. I also forgot to include that I am the great grandnephew of two identical twin sisters who became nuns, which is where the inspiration for my Uncle Gregory to choose the priesthood came from. Uncle Matt, who was the elder brother, was so inspired by his little brother that he followed him into the priesthood. The two of them, Uncles Matt and Gregory, were brave enough to actually rail publicly against the KKK when they were at the height of their influence in Denver back in the day. I used to visit my Uncle Gregory after his retirement at the Little Sisters of the Poor retirement/nursing facility. I was so inspired by him that I almost joined the priesthood myself, but by that time I had discovered the opposite sex and I knew that chastity and I just couldn't coexist. Although I do think that the ink in Uncle Matt's veins was passed along to me somehow, which is how I ended up in the printing trades. It's all his fault. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. :rofl

PrintSmith wrote: Sorry for the misunderstanding there Spykster. My 'nazi' remark was intended to be in the same lighthearted vein as the correction was (it wasn't capitalized after all). I simply forgot to add the winking smirk to indicate the intention. Pobody's Nerfect after all - that is the one tenet of the human condition that never changes regardless of which, if any, God or god one chooses to place their faith in. I hope that you can find it in your heart to forgive me my transgression. I will endeavor to ensure that it is not repeated and will be especially vigilant in including the appropriate emoticom when communicating with you to ensure that I don't inadvertently hurt your feelings. :thumbsup:

Are we all good now?

never weren't good...we go back a ways, you know. :thumbsup:

One man's theology is another man's belly laugh.
Robert A. Heinlein

Spykster wrote: Religion is a crutch for the weak of mind, and a crutch for those that look like howdy doody...hey wait a minute... that's a pair of crutches for the howdy doody looking fella...I follow no religious belief system.

I also beleive, "Whatever gets you though a day..."
Believe that about religion I ask...
Is drinking, drugs, road rage, hunting, throwing darts, watching football, beating your kids, kicking your dog (god), is rape, murder a crutch?
Let's get deeper... :scared:

"Religion is control, faith is freedom!" - Steve Seidenfeld

TPP wrote: "Religion is control, faith is freedom!" - Steve Seidenfeld

And each of us works that out for ourselves. I like the idea of the first century "church" -- a few people get together and discuss and share their own insights with each other. The pastor is more of a facilitator (or, dare I say it? ... the moderator lol ).

When people blindly follow what a person tells them to believe, that gets dangerous; that's what I call "religion", rather than faith.

"God told me to tell you to do [whatever]". No, no, no, no! No middleman is required, OR permitted in New Testament terms.