Expert: Sal - 5/18/2006

Question
Thanks again......
However more questions are raised....
Not all women in the bible are exalts most are shown in a less the good light. The wife of the beast in the book of revelation is the whore of babylon, this can hardly be seen as a women to look up to.
We must also that humen beings are designed to enjoy sex, it is biologically fact, look at the clitories in women is designed in its entire nature to make sex a pleasureable for the women... To deny sex as being a lustful, pleasureable experience is to deny being human...
I believe that many of the ten commandments cannot be taken as "law" as they used to be, for example it says "respect thy mother and thy father" i as a teenager i don't, i argue with my mum, i disrespect her, so am i going anything wrong? No of course not because my mum and i are close an she nows that its just my age which is doing that.

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Thanks again i see how this is shaping up. I however more questions (im sorry but i an very inquisative and want to know both sides of the argument)
I seem to see that the catholic church takes a very sexist stance on women (its more leanient now but is still very strict) it refuses them to do lots of things, they are almost told that they are beneath men, it treats them hard.
Also many popes didn't even responde to their own teachings as several popes ie Pope Pius 2 and Pope Innocent 8 both had several illegitimate children which is completely opposite to the priesthood order of forced celibatey. It seems that some of the former popes didn't show us to be very good role models or father figures.
Also i disagree with the churches view on contracteption, i believe that a baby or life is only a human being after it begins to take form in the womb and is able to live outside the womb. I believe that the churches stance has increased the spread of sexualally transmited dieseases like HIV/AIDS, which i feel is comdeming those people to die a slow, painful dealth which can easily be stopped with the just a simple condom.

PS: sorry if your insulted in anyway

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Thank you for you response, i do see it as another angle. But I do have some more questions. The catholic church always tells it followers to have large families and to not use abortion (i understand about why not) but how does it seen as so hard for it to except the idea that jesus got married and had children isn't this seen as love (the basies of the catholic church). Also it seems to me that the catholic church takes everything at face value, couldn't it be taken that jesuses child is in fact all of us and is a mataphor that everyone is related to the son of god. It could be seen as a bit of god in all of us.
I also have a view that judes has always been use as a scapegoat for the catholic church as a way to blame someone for the death of jesus christ, but again they seem to have ago at the findings of the gospels of judes and say that it would destroy peoples faith, i however believe that it could restore people faith if the church would except that maybe judes was a gospel, and that he was commanded by god to betray Jesus so he could die for our sins.


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Hi my name is peter. I have read in the newspapers and various other sources that the catholic church has openly criticised dan browns book "The Da Vinci code" they call it "blasphemous" saying its evil but i dunno how to responde, i believe that as the church is criticising it so intenly (which they are telling their members to sue the film etc) that they have something to hide. I also dislike the popes telling the world that harry potter books lead people into satanism and witchcraft which they don't. why does the catholic church is act like it controls everything and that everything which doesn't responde to IT'S rules are "Blasphemous". As this doesn't seem very cristian


PS: i am NOT catholic, i am a protastent under the COE
PSS: Please do not try and tell me that what ever the pope says is gods will because it is clearly NOT
PSSS: i have read the bible, all the way through and i have my own opinions about that.
PSSSS: Please do not feel like i am attacking you, i just need some answers.
PSSSSS: i am only a teenager so my mind is not yet made up
Answer -
Hi Peter:

I don't believe that the Pope is acting as if what he says is God's will. He is viewed by Catholics as a father figure. What he is saying about the negative effects of Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code is just a father having concern for his children. I can go see the Da Vinci Code or Harry Potter if I like, but the Pope is just fulfilling his role as "papa" of God's family. The Da Vinci Code I believe is blasphemous because it promotes the absurd idea the Jesus got married and had a child. In other words, he wasn't really God. Of course that is a blasphemous idea.

I do not feel that you are attacking me. I am glad to answer all questions that you may have about the Catholic Church especially those that relate to the teachings of the Bible. I hope to hear from you again.

Your Friend in Christ,
Sal
Answer -
Dear Peter:

Thanks for your observations. Let me say that the Catholic Church does not tell Catholics to have large families. It does tell them to be open to life and God may bless them with a large family. The openness to life is the important part not whether or not one has a large family.

The reason that it is hard for the Catholic Church to accept that Jesus was married and had children is because the Bible does not even hint at such a thing. The opposite is explicitly taught, that is that Jesus remained single and celibate all his life.

I agree with you that we are all children of God. However, those that promote Jesus having had children all speak of his having biological children not spiritual. That is the problem that Christians have with these people and their allegations.

The Catholic Church as well as Protestant churches agree that Judas betrayed Jesus. No one is looking for a scapegoat. Jesus died because of and for all our sins. In other words, we are all guilty of causing Jesus' death. There is no indication that God told Judas to betray Jesus and every indication that he did it on his own. Thus Jesus condemned Judas. “Alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been born” (Mark 14:21 & Matthew 26:24). Hardly, something our Lord would say if Judas was just doing what God had commanded him to do.

The Catholic Church and all informed scholars cannot accept the so-called “Gospel of Judas”. It is the work of the Gnostic sect. It was probably written around the middle of the second century. It was never accepted by any Christians as a true Gospel. It was first acknowledged and condemned as false by St. Irenaeus. Many other learned men and women have followed his lead.

I hope that this clarifies these issues for you. If I can be of further help just let me know.

God Bless You,
Sal   

Answer -
Hello Peter:

I am not offended by your questions. You are entitled to have your own opinion of things.

The Catholic Church does not have a sexist view of women. I think that the Church exalts women. The Church says that the greatest human being was a woman-Mary. The Church protects women from abusive men in society. Men that promote abortion and artifical means of birth control in order to be able to use women's bodies to satisfy their own lusts without having to support the woman or their child. The Catholic Church does not permit women to be priests because Jesus Christ did not permit them to be priests either. Note that Jesus did not choose a woman Apostle. Who would have been the best Apostle and the best Pope for the Church other than his blessed mother? Yet he did not allow her to be a priest or the Pope because woman cannot fulfill that role in his Church. If Mary could not be a priest how can any other woman think that she could be?

It is true and unfortunate that some Popes, admittedly a very small number out of all the Popes, were not very moral. Luckily for the Church they are indeed few and none of them was allowed by the Holy Spirit to teach a false doctrine as infallible Catholic doctrine.

No priest is forced to be celibate. They all make that decision with full knowledge of what that all entails.

You may disagree with the Church's teaching against artifical birth control, but you must admit that it is a very moral stance that the Church takes. Condoms are immoral and, therefore, should not be used to compound a sin. The person with AIDS should remain celibate if that person cares about others. If he does not then a condom will do no good. If they lived the Catholic teaching then there would conceivably be no such thing as AIDS.

Your Friend in Christ,
Sal  

Answer
Hi Peter:

I never said that all women in the Bible are shown in a good light. I only said that women are not degraded by the Catholic Church.

I don't understand your statement about sex being a pleasurable act? What has this to do with the Catholic Church? The Church does not say that sex is a sin only its misuse. Sex is a great gift that God gave to married couples. They are to use it for the great pleasure that it gives them and for conceiving children.

If you are being disrespectful to your mother then you have sinned. If you cannot help yourself then the sin is not mortal, but it still is a sin.

God Be With You,
Sal