Maybe someone can explain to me, doesn't heaven have a wall around it and you must get St. Peter's approval to get in?

In the Jewish Religion when you die you go to Gehenna (sp?) which is a holding place. Then you must be redeemed from there thru prayer to go to heaven. No hell, Christian idea.

Don't know where dogs go but I would like to go there. I miss my fur kids!

The Church needs to shut the hell (sorry) up. We left a couple of churches for the facts the always were diving into politics and asking for money.

One minister stopped by the house once and said they wanted to build and new sanctuary. "Can we count on you for help?" "Got some 2X4's and nails you can have" Not what he wanted to hear.

Left years ago. Tired of the constant pleas for money...and of course the cover ups of the Priests who assaulted children. THAT was it for me.

I haven't been to any Church since, live my life by Christian values.....I'm doing fine.

Concentrate on your faith and the Bible. Find a body of believers that follow the Bible and don't convolute it with "religion".

Most of my friends are Catholic but I think the Catholic Church is apostate. NOT the faithful Catholics, but the Church's political and socioeconomic hierarchy.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
To all those who left:
Where did you go?
Another religion, or simply not practicing any religion?

Still Christians, just not regularly attending in a formal church.

quote:

Originally posted by ArLEOret:
Maybe someone can explain to me, doesn't heaven have a wall around it and you must get St. Peter's approval to get in?

A wall and gate, yes. Approval of St. Peter is not familiar to me, going to say no.

quote:

Originally posted by ArLEOret:
In the Jewish Religion when you die you go to Gehenna (sp?) which is a holding place. Then you must be redeemed from there thru prayer to go to heaven. No hell, Christian idea.

Gehenna? No. There is a concept of "paradise" or "Abraham's bosom", different from the burning garbage heap.

quote:

Originally posted by smithnsig:
Concentrate on your faith and the Bible. Find a body of believers that follow the Bible and don't convolute it with "religion".
Most of my friends are Catholic but I think the Catholic Church is apostate. NOT the faithful Catholics, but the Church's political and socioeconomic hierarchy.

Thank you. I understand.
It makes me sad. The Church was very vibrant when I was young. I hate to see it not so, but I'm sick of the politics, too. As you say, the Church's hierarchy has brought this upon itself.

quote:

One minister stopped by the house once and said they wanted to build and new sanctuary. "Can we count on you for help?" "Got some 2X4's and nails you can have" Not what he wanted to hear.

I love it!
We don't need fancy churches. Maybe someday soon we will be back in caves where the early Church started out.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
There are still good men and women in the Church who will be there to pick up the pieces and rebuild once this group of leftists fail and die off.

Unfortunately, they spawn and train up new Leftists to replace them!

flashguy

The "Social Justice Warriors" have taken over the Roman Church in America. Those "second collections" we're never supposed to occur again after the institution of the "Catholic Services Appeal" in the late 1980s/early 1990s, to compete against the October beg-athons of United Way.

Once the pederast priests got exposed, the civil litigation happened with the massive pay-outs; my Archdiocese got nailed for $26 Million, which caused divestiture of lots of real estate property and sale of financial assets in order to settle the court claims. And that's when the "second collections", the so-called "reaching out" giving, started up again.

And Catholic Charities is nothing more than a scheme for the continued enabling of human trafficking, under the guise of refugee resettlement.

I refuse to give them "one thin dime".

If this keeps up, I'll go over to the Eastern Rite Greek Orthodox, as they are close enough in theology for me to be comfortable with.

I'm not catholic, but here's my take on it:

"The Pope" does NOT equal "The Church."

The Pope is a person, usually (in view of my observations) one with MANY political concerns/agendas.

The Church is the local body of believers that you join in worship.

Two different things.

I'm sorry to hear that. The Catholic Charities here does good work.

I never could figure out how several mostly old men choosing another old man as leader of the Catholic church makes the selected one infallible.

Just to name one aspect with which I disagree.

I have done a lot of studying of prophecy as well as a 2 year study with Liberty University.

For an introduction to the "end times" prophecies I suggest reading a book named "Revelation Unveiled".

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
To all those who left:
Where did you go?
Another religion, or simply not practicing any religion?

Daoism. I am still charitable though to certain local groups.


Whos up for a reality show... "flip this church!"

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
There are still good men and women in the Church who will be there to pick up the pieces and rebuild once this group of leftists fail and die off.

Yes, there are, and it is an ongoing battle. For those considering leaving the Church, I would encourage you to stay...hang tough. We're right and we will eventually win. We can't lose with God on our side.

For encouragement, I would recommend http://www.churchmilitant.com/. Good and faithful Catholics who are leading the charge.

For an idea of how all of this leftist crap began, watch this video of Michael Voris discussing Alinsky's influence on the Church and it's subsequent leftist organizations (USCCB, Catholic Charities, etc...). It's almost two hours long, but well worth the watch. Voris is one sharp guy. I'm glad he's on our side.

The Church is still perfect and always will be. It was, after all, created by Christ...how could it be otherwise? Some of those within it, however, can be/are evil.

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
For an idea of how all of this leftist crap began, watch this video of Michael Voris discussing Alinsky's influence on the Church and it's subsequent leftist organizations (USCCB, Catholic Charities, etc...). It's almost two hours long, but well worth the watch. Voris is one sharp guy. I'm glad he's on our side.

Also read up on how the Soviet Union came up with 'Liberation Theology' and spread it throughout South America as Pope Francis was coming of age:
Catholic News Agency: Former Soviet spy: We created Liberation Theology

Pope Francis: ‘Liberation Theology Was Good for Latin America’

quote:

Originally posted by ArLEOret:
Maybe someone can explain to me, doesn't heaven have a wall around it and you must get St. Peter's approval to get in?

The entire Vatican City is surrounded by walls.

Find an "evangelical free" church that seeks the word & truth. You'll be glad you did..

The Catholic Church is mostly responsible for opening my eyes to atheism. Had I been born into some other denomination I might not have been exposed to the absurdity of religion.

This pope is going to do that for millions more with his bullshit.

quote:

Originally posted by recoatlift:
I read the church is calling Mexicans traiters if their skill & labor is used building the border wall. See link.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2...lic-church-says.html

Our priest's-homily last Sunday reminded us that the 2nd collection was for the church in Latin America & the Syrian refugees. Long ago, I scratched Catholic Chastities off the donation list. I came damn close to walking out while hollering I am but a poor infidel, Padre!
Concern yourself with dropping attendance. The Church is doing a great job pushing me out!

Maybe the pope thinks if he steers the church far enough left, Soros will come along and refill their collection plate shortfalls.

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:
The entire Vatican City is surrounded by walls.

'Mr Pope, tear down this wall'.

quote:

Originally posted by Hound Dog:
I'm not catholic, but here's my take on it:

"The Pope" does NOT equal "The Church."

The Pope is a person, usually (in view of my observations) one with MANY political concerns/agendas.

The Church is the local body of believers that you join in worship.

Two different things.

To the die hard believers, he is the church. Have you ever seen the reception he gets in third world countries?

quote:

Originally posted by 95flhr:
My wife and I left a little while ago. They seem to be trying to step in to political issues that I see the church having no business in.

My wife and I also left. I would love to see the number of people who have left the church in the last say 8 years as the liberals have taken over the power in the church and turned it into a political machine that thinks like the popes true hero Che'.
It never ceases to amaze me of what the pope says. It seems like everything he has said since he became pope has shown how little he cares about what the church has stood for up till now and how political he is making it. Is it hypocritical to live in a walled fortress and talk about building bridges instead of walls?
He spoke of the U.S. increasing taxes so they could do charitable work by giving it to the poor. Is it charity to take it from someone and give it to another? He makes Robin Hood sound like Mother Teresa. Sounds more like Socialism to me. The U.S. already gives more money to struggling nations and poor people than probably the rest of the world combined, but that is not enough for this pope to chastise us.
Forget about abortion, let's be more concerned about global climate change.
I would be willing to bet they are losing people right and left and that is the reason he came out and stated that he would NEVER step down without being thrown out. It has been going this way for a while. I mean, one of obamas first acts as a U.S. president was to give billions of dollars to the U.N. earmarked for abortion for all over the world and yet Notre Dame invites him to speak at Graduation, I think it was and then had the gall to throw anti obama protesters in jail, for peaceful protests, which included some priests. This pope has throw lots of cardinals out of their positions just because they were conservatives, getting rid of the people who could oust him. He is a despot in my mind, not a shepherd.