Ex-Church of Christ Support Board

I recently attended a Catholic church service and picked up a brochure, where they advertised womens' and men's Bible studies. I was quite surprised. I had been told all my life that "Catholics don't read the Bible, they just listen to their priest/pastor".

My SIL is Catholic, well, sort of. He’s a Christmas and Easter Catholic and sometimes not even then. His father is into Catholicism though. We’ve had some interesting discussions.

I get the impression the Catholic Church focus is more on tradition than the Bible. My SIL’s father told me Catholics generally to not take the Bible literally, or at least as literally as Protestants do.

Peter is their main Apostle. Paul seems to be insignificant in Catholicism which is another difference from Protestant beliefs.

I think the Catholics and the Pope believe in evolution. Like Cootie said, they believe in the traditions of the Catholic Church. I’m sure they study the Bible, too. I have a problem with the celibate priests. That just leads to problems.

FinallyFree wrote:I think the Catholics and the Pope believe in evolution. Like Cootie said, they believe in the traditions of the Catholic Church. I’m sure they study the Bible, too. I have a problem with the celibate priests. That just leads to problems.

Don’t forget the Nuns they have sexuality issues too. The Priest seem to focus on little boys and from what I’ve read the Nuns like little girls. That part of the story is just beginning to unfold.

Cootie Brown wrote:

FinallyFree wrote:I think the Catholics and the Pope believe in evolution. Like Cootie said, they believe in the traditions of the Catholic Church. I’m sure they study the Bible, too. I have a problem with the celibate priests. That just leads to problems.

Don’t forget the Nuns they have sexuality issues too. The Priest seem to focus on little boys and from what I’ve read the Nuns like little girls. That part of the story is just beginning to unfold.

You are painting with an awfully broad brush there. I'd guess that the percentage of priests and nuns who molest are consistent with the percentages of the general population. Think of school teachers, protestant religious leaders, sports coaches and every other walk of life. It just makes bigger headlines when it happens to be a priest because they are perceived to be more holy or some such.

The Catholics get a terrible rap from the cofc.

I have never heard of a nun molesting a child (have heard of other types of abuse, but not that). It has probably happened at some point, but I've never heard of it.

Zeek, you have a point. I have not heard of Nuns molesting children, but I have heard of them being involved with priests.

There is a report from the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio paper about the Southern Baptist Convention's cover up of a long list of sexual crimes by pastor, deacons and youth ministers. I think there are 200 + here in Texas either in prison, on the sex registry or back in a church doing their work with the blessing of SBC.

I think Zeek is correct about the general population. It seems to me that a predator no matter the profession is going to go after their prey, it just seems that predators tend to gravitate to the professions that afford them the most access. Lord have mercy on those being preyed upon.

Cootie Brown wrote:

FinallyFree wrote:I think the Catholics and the Pope believe in evolution. Like Cootie said, they believe in the traditions of the Catholic Church. I’m sure they study the Bible, too. I have a problem with the celibate priests. That just leads to problems.

Don’t forget the Nuns they have sexuality issues too. The Priest seem to focus on little boys and from what I’ve read the Nuns like little girls. That part of the story is just beginning to unfold.

I've heard of abusive nuns have been around throughout the centuries. Not just sexual abuse but all forms of abuse. I think there's a lot of abuses that go on in convents. I often wondered if Maria Von Trapp (From Sound of Music) left the abbey because they were making her life miserable.

And no, of course it's not limited to any one religion. These things can arise anywhere.

faithfyl wrote:And no, of course it's not limited to any one religion. These things can arise anywhere.

Absolutely!!!