Excommunication

[Kathy]

Hi,

I loved reading "Jesus for the Non-Religious". I was raised Roman Catholic but am now an atheist. I find the church to be so absurd as to be hilarious. I recently found out that Fr. Marone, Cleveland, Ohio Diocese was excommunicated. His crime- not obeying Bishop Lennon. Although not a believer, I went to one of his liturgies and found it to be inspiring. The Bishop closed his church and Fr. Marone started a parish in a warehouse. I predicted that it would happen and wrote a couple of newsletters poking fun at the crazy situation.

Kathy

[PaulS]

Hi Kathy and welcome,

 

My knowledge of the RC Church is pretty much limited to what I see in the media. There seem to be some that are holding on to the church whilst hoping to bring it forward into modern thinking, but they seem few and far between. That said, I also read of others returning to the church at a later age, so I guess it still offers much to some.

 

Thanks for the intro but may I ask what brings you here? How did you discover the forum and as an atheist, what attracted you?

 

Cheers

Paul

[JosephM]

Welcome Kathy,

 

You are in good company here. Some here have also have been excommunicated from their respective churches.

 

Joseph

[soma]

Greeting Kathy, Catholic means Universal, too bad modern Catholics are not what the names literally means, but they do have a rich history of mystics. St Theresa said, "Spiritual delight is called the prayer of Quiet." "Supernatural experiences begin here." "The satisfaction takes place in its very intimate depths, and the soul doesn't know where the satisfaction comes from or how."

[JosephM]

Moved Luvtosew post Click >>> HERE

 

JosephM (as Moderator)

[soma]

Organizations that propagate politics I feel should be taxed.

[matteoam]

Coming to this conversation late but I cannot really judge any church or denomination. I was a lapsed Catholic for a long time but my reorientation with the Roman Catholic Church came through my becoming a Benedictine oblate. It's easy to judge a church and it's members from our own experience but I realized that it a bit disingenuous to do so. Regardless of the views of the RC church which seemingly go against liberal and conservatives culture of the US the RC makes room for authentic spiritual thought. Had I heard of people like Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Thomas Berry, Richard Rohr, Jean Venier, as well as the eucumenicalism and interfaith dialogue provided members of monastic orders, not least meaning the rich mystical traditions of these orders, I can come to terms with the more traditional individuals within the RC community. There are "liberal" RCs who are cultural progressives and don't seem to find the doctrines and dogma as foolish. They don't deserve judgement for the differing opinions of laity and the authoritative stance of a certain level of the clergy. The majority of American Catholics don't really listen to their bishops anyway.

 

I don't really buy into most of the doctrine and dogma but it really depends on how you view it. When I hear some Hindus (like Sri Ramakrishna) praise done aspects of the doctrine as something spiritually valid I have to wonder if maybe my view is skewed. I know these are all human constructs and I accept the paradoxes they create as I try to transcend them.

 

I respect Pope Francis I. I respected Benedict XVI though I don't agree with him on issues.

 

As my heart is being opened by God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit I may be a bad Catholic by someone's standards but my conscience is clear with God.

[Pete]

Hi Kathy Welcome to the forum.

 

Someone I also admire who came from the RCC was Matthew Fox who wrote the 95 Thesis - http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/spiritual-uprising/1326

 

Whatever a persons association a connection to the spiritual is important and also following what one personally believes is crucial (IMO). I wish Fr Marone every success.

 

I also hope you have many blessing in your journey and I look forward to hearing more from you.

Pete