what draws you to all the religious threads ... as an authority on Christianity ?
You flatter me! I'm no authority! Just a person interested in the world and how it works.
Most societies work best with a moderate amount of religion (too much = regression and stagnation while not enough = nihilism and decay) so I'm interested in how religions work...
Where's the nihilism and decay in Communist China? A whole lot more of nihilism and decay to point out where I'm sitting now - in America - which happens to be the most religious OECD country.
False causality.
China shows that filial piety and general respect for elders is a lot more important than any religion.
Young people will discover that sitting an hour in church and sorting out their thoughts gives more than an hour at the best psychologist. The only thing I don't like is underheated churches in winter.
Young people will discover that sitting an hour in church
Getting them through the door would be the problem. Younger Poles in particular have been at the forefront of protests against the church. The near-total ban on abortion has been fully supported by the church, and this, combined with the child sex abuse scandals involving clergy members and subsequent failure to deal with the issue, has lead to dramatic falls in church attendance.
A sorry state of affairs but I do believe that although mass attendance and religious practice have dropped, the majority of Poles do still believe in God. It is the church that Poles have an issue with.
the more religious areas have a lot less dysfunction.
Excellent point. Parochial schools vs. Public schools where they don't teach children how to put a condom on a banana verifies that. 😡
Young people will discover that sitting an hour in church and sorting out their thoughts gives more than an hour at the best psychologist.
Another excellent point. Older people would too.....and what time did you go this morning, Alien ?
It is the church that Poles have an issue with.
I used to too and I felt empty. These Poles need to be educated that letting the Church stand between them and God is Satan at work. There are many alternatives in receiving God's word and worshipping than just going into a building with a man wearing a dress and you going up and down going through the motions.
A good alternating home Bible study classes with your Christian friends would be a good start in staying connected.
@Alien That is a filthy lie, just because you are not a practicing Catholic and refuse your obligations and keep them to a minimum
Does not mean catholics as a whole don't study the bible, being Catholic is about attending mass at least once in a week, where the bible is studied verbally in a group together in a sacred and respectful manner.
Have you ever actually been to mass?? We don't study the Bible at mass. There are readings from the Bible and everybody sits there and listens to them and reflects privately. That's different. Then the priest gives a sermon usually based on the Gospel. Again, that is not Bible study. Did you go to a Catholic school? I did. We studied the Bible for the last two years of secondary school, read various parts of it, discussed them etc. but study of the Bible is generally minimal for Catholics.
I wouldn't call it studying. Catholics are not Evangelicals, they actually study the Bible. Catholics are rather uncomplicated. The best mass religion in the world, except for no religion at all. Although in my religionless country I don't want to do that.
@Atch I guess our understanding of English or worded communication is different or lacking. Especially my own
I mean that, by going to mass a Catholic gains further understand and learns it by hearing in a group setting in a sacred and ritualistic setting. Not in the sense of being a student and reading a book by himself and talking with fellow students about the meaning of texts that was read on their own.
Catholic Church takes a more French magistrate type of approach to learning, while Protestants prefer students deciding in Italian style to a larger degree, problem is both Christian groups take out their preference of learning out on each other at the cost of the performed sacraments and cohesion.
So yeah call it whatever you want, Catholic learn about the bible one way or another, it came from God through the church obviously. So no point giving out the impression that Catholics don't touch bibles!
The term Protestant is far too wide and an over-simplification. Anglicans for example are almost exactly the same as Catholics even down to having orders of monks and nuns. Then look at Quakers and how their quiet reflection and emphasis on charity and philanthropy is so different to the fire and brimstone of some evangelical groups or the dourness of Presbyterianism.
@Atch It's an simplification of every group in protest over belonging or being part of the church, due to how the church is being run.
Shown by multiple users here on this board, that people are unable to swallow their pride in thinking that they do not know better on how to run the church considering it's long lasting practices and still being around boggles my mind
One of the reasons I gave up going to mass when I was a teenager was because I could not in good conscience repeat the words of the Apostles' Creed. I don't believe that there is only one true church. One God, many paths to Him. The Catholic one is not the right path for everybody. It's God that matters, not the Church. Having said that, I still consider myself to be a Catholic even though I haven't been to Mass or Confession in donkeys' years.
but study of the Bible is generally minimal for Catholics.
That is because in your great grandmothers generation the church didn't want their flock to read the Bible so the people would stay ignorant.
It was a Control issue. They did this so the church could control the people by instilling guilt and shame in them with superstitions. ie: if you eat meat on Friday or miss mass on Sunday it is a mortal sin and you will burn in hell unless you go to confession and confess your sin to "father" who is no father of anybody, he is a mortal man.
Their is only one Father and that is God the Father to ask for forgiveness as that is what the Holy Bible teaches. And that is why I left the Catholic church, same reason as Atch, I was being taught things that I could not find to be true in the Bible.
That and I am allergic to incense that the priest use to smoke the church up with.
@johnny reb One asks God for forgiveness through the priest, I don't know why the priests status is of any importance to you. Unless you got a personal grudge or something towards your own biological father.
Is that what you were taught ? You should have ask why it takes a middleman to have a personal relationship with God. Perhaps I could ask you that same question.
@johnny reb I get paid for teaching people, so find a course online about social roles, why priests, firemen, policemen exists
Look up history of the Jewish priesthood, how it started with Moses. Then got transformed by Jesus Christ.
Find a history teacher, social society/structure I don't know how they are named in your area. Or ask a Catholic priest for best advice on it is explained.
If it's only for arguments sake as to steer the sheep away from the flock then: "good luck"
@Kashub, don't forget that today is Mary's day and May is Mary's month. Did you have May processions in your childhood? We did and then later when I was teaching in Irish primary schools. I taught many children this hymn :)
That was the best deflection that I have EVER seen here on the P.F. when someone got stumped.
Perhaps I could ask you that same question.
ask a Catholic priest for best advice on it is explained. Won't work on me
Is that because I left you speechless ? Do you not think for yourself ? If you are really a teacher you should be able to answer your students questions.
today is Mary's day
Which one ? Feast Days of Mary January 1 Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God January 8 Our Lady of Prompt Succor February 2 Presentation of the Lord February 11 Our Lady of Lourdes March 25 Annunciation May 13 Our Lady of Fatima May 31 Visitation June 27 Our Mother of Perpetual Help July 16 Our Lady of Mount Carmel August 15 Assumption August 22 Queenship of Mary September 8 Birth of Mary September 12 The Most Holy Name of Mary September 15 Our Lady of Sorrows October 7 Our Lady of the Rosary November 21 Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary December 8 Immaculate Conception December 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe
Yes, predictably, after hearing that they just acquitted a man accused of abusing religious feelings when he had been wearing a T-shirt with rainbow Black Madonna.
In 2022, the District Court in Gdańsk ruled that there was no offense to anyone's feelings, but Ordo Iuris filed a cassation appeal and the case went to the Supreme Court.
The cassation appeal was examined and found by the Supreme Court to be clearly unfounded. I can confirm that this is the final end of this matter - said Marcin Pawelec-Jakowiecki, representing the accused, in an interview with the NaTemat portal.
"Final judgments have been passed in similar cases before, but this is the first time that the case of the so-called Rainbow Virgin Mary reached the Supreme Court. And it ended with the defeat of Ordo Iuris. This is the first spectacular defeat of Ordo Iuris in the Supreme Court. The rainbow does not offend. Banana does not offend," the lawyer added.
