Hi Therese,
I just posted this over at the Alan Alda interview. Catholic means “universal” or if there is only One God, then everybdy’s God is the same God (or Monotheism) We don’t have different gods, we have one God with many perceptions (and perception is everything!) What I can’t figure out is why we are ALL willing to kill each other over this … or drive opurselves into de-pression ?
Let me make this easy for you Namchuck (and ALL of you out there wrestling with the hypothetical concept/procept of God)
God is a generic term/metaphor encompassing everything that we cannot comprehend or limits the fulfilling of our dreams.
God can be anything you perceive Him/Her to be (and perception is everything !) The problem is not that there is no God, but that everybody’s perception is different. And worse yet, organized religion/government, insists that their perception is the only correct one, and they will force it upon you, and if you don’t submit, you will be abused, tortured and crucified (like that Yeshuah guy !) God for me is defined as “I am Love, Love I am”. If you can keep it at that level (yeah right !)
(cont.)
We could work it all out. But there is a conflict between the Spirit and the Flesh . . “Our battle is of the Spirit, and not of the Flesh” Money is what defines your worth in a Capitalistic society (and don’t kid yourself, all society/organization is Capitalistic, it is by its nature… and by its nature it is corrupt, all of it ! “Lust for money, is the root of ALL evil” … I prefer “Love conquers ALL”
I guess the bottom line is “Do you believe in Love ?”… Do you believe there is such a thing as Uncompromising,Unconditional Love … God does !
LUV 2 U /LUV 2 ALL
Wisdum

Speaking of not being very reverent … I’m SO jealous — you live in Eastport!
On a serious note:
Saying you want your children to have something to reject when they grow up isn’t as cynical as it seems.
I’ve rejected a good bit of my Catholicism, yes but I value my education and my experiences and they have influenced me immeasurably. Catholicism, for all the faults I see in it (no offense, Therese), has given me moral grounding — which, even though I’m not perfect (who is?) is, IMHO, essential just for survival as an adult.
I once knew someone whose parents were raised Jewish, are now Unitarian, and whose attitude about religion was, “Oh, they’re all the same, so I guess if you’re interested, you can pick one someday.” (While making clear they really didn’t want her to, at least a strongly theistic one.) They took the same attitude with her brothers.
One went to college at St. John’s (in Annapolis!!) and eventually became, with his wife, fanatical Opus Dei Catholics (right down to home-schooling their five kids to shelter them from the world — and, for him, using the cilice). One became a staunch atheist and set out to raise his equally atheistic family, in the most stubborn way and worst possible place, in the rural South.
And as for the daughter? She just became a rootless, lost soul, blown by the winds into whatever spiritual fad caught her fancy, like the feather in Forrest Gump (and like Forrest himself).
The daughter in this story is my ex-wife.
And you could always count on a rip-roaring, people storming away from the turkey argument among my in-laws every Thanksgiving …

I cry for the both of us. It looks so nice and solid, but we have never stood on the rock because the rock has been broken into so many pieces. Right now I cry for the world as well as my self, and try to deal with my addictions outside my faith, witch I will not go into. I pray to God that you reach out and touch every one as you did me today.
Thank you
Mark

I was raised in a fundamentalist church, we did a lot of memorising of Bible verses.The fundamentalist views scared the you know what out of me, but a few of the verses I memorised have always been with me.” By GRACE are you saved through FAITH, It is a gift of GOD and not of works, lest any man should boast.” ” GOD is LOVE.” These two verses are the basis of my faith ( not religion) Religion is man made, faith is not. It is the faith of any religion that brings you to God, You don’t earn it , you don’t get faith just because you are a certain religion, it is a gift offered to everyone no matter, all you have to do is believe in whatever, Higher Power, Buddah, LOVE! Therein resides all knowing. Lynn

Therese:
Don’t let the (inexplicable, IMHO) lack of combox replies discourage you.
KEEP UP THE VLOGGING!! I love it — and I think most of your longtime/faithful readers, even if they didn’t write back, do too.

I truely believe that God is one and he gave us the freedom of choice to follow what ever our hearts tells us is best for us. It is also his place to Judge and our place to accept his Judgment, and no mater what you put into your heart to believe in, He is the Boss. For me it is peacefull to not accept mans Judgment of man, no matter what faith or religion that you may follow your choice ends when you leave this world and pass on to your place in Gods plan for you.
Mark Of The Beast