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mvc594250 t1_izbrqyg wrote

Reply to comment by ScratchMoore in Can you visit St. Anthony's chapel ? by punkie23

The number of people who have get a "Catholic" (or any other religious) education and graduate without knowing even basic matters of theology is bizarre. This goes all the way through the university level! I have a hard time understanding what someone even means when they say they hold a particular religious affiliation when they know nothing about why their church runs the way it does. These same people often rely on their religion for moral and political guidance and it makes no sense.

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ScratchMoore t1_izbu5zp wrote

Honestly.

I’m atheist now (GASP! Someone raised Catholic who is now atheist?! How rare lol) and I can guarantee I’ve learned more about religion and the Bible and all that on my journey to becoming an atheist than I did in all those years of daily religion classes and twice-weekly masses.

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anonymouspoliticker t1_izc1ead wrote

Up until university, really, kids don't really have a huge say in where they're going to school, and the choice of a religious education is up to the parents. As for why parents might choose a religious school for their kids, it could be physically closer to home or work; public schools in the area could range from abysmal to subpar; or any other sort of non-religious reason. I've not known the local religious schools to be exclusive to members of their faith, either, so ultimately the proportion of religiously interested and theologically educated students coming out of these schools is really low, I'd guess 10-20%.

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mvc594250 t1_ize6emj wrote

Yeah, I understand all of this. But despite that a lot of people claim to hold a particular religious affiliation and predicate huge portions of their lives around it (even those who rarely attend church and aren't getting their dogma from a particular preacher). I'm saying that I truly do not know what is meant by "I am a Lutheran" or "I am a Catholic" (or literally any other sect or religion) when it is said by people who don't know what their sect believes.

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Antiviral3 t1_ize5uqi wrote

Know what’s bizarre to me? The number of Catholics who are suddenly concerned about “obscure dogma virtual signaling” above all other aspects of being Catholic.

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mvc594250 t1_ize5yjw wrote

I genuinely do not know what you mean by this comment.

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Antiviral3 t1_ize9876 wrote

I know. But I am Catholic, educated by Catholic priests and nuns. We were taught the rules. We learned the mass. But we were also taught the value of welcoming new people — openness, of bringing Christ into our lives outside of church, and if respecting other denominations and faiths. Suddenly everyone is concerned about conservative dress and posting “SILENCE” signs everywhere. My priest growing up would prop the door open during mass to let the world in and let Christ out. Have a Pop Warner football game after church? Wear your uniform to mass and blend church with the rest of your life. Let that baby talk during mass. He’s the future of our faith community. The openness was beautiful. Now anyone who veers from robotic adoration in silence with properly folded hands is disrespectful and judged. I’m Catholic just as much as you but I am not on board this crazy train. Maybe the energy directed to all of these proper adoration sessions would be better directed to volunteering at Catholic Services and bringing Christ into the community.

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mvc594250 t1_izebh1x wrote

I'm an atheist who was raised Lutheran, so I think that's worth saying first.

Second, I think that you're missing my point. I'm saying that if one let's their Catholicism (or as I've recurrently said, and other sect or religion) guide their politics or their daily interactions with others, but fundamentally knows nothing about what their church believes, I don't understand them.

You talk a lot about openness and respect, but your church doctrine fundamentally is not about either of those things. Even at communion, the blood is no longer poured out "for all", but "for many". Your church believes that some how mortals need to earn their way to the grace of God through worldly acts. So, worldly acts need to be in accordance with the kinds of things God likes and opposed to those things he despises. If you don't understand what those kinds of acts really are, but spout on about what nations need to do to be more godly, I do not know what you're basing your politics on other than what you personally feel is good or bad.

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Antiviral3 t1_izeekhz wrote

OK. We're talking past each other, and I'm pretty sure no one else on this subReddit about Pittsburgh matters needs to hear more about our informed religious views.

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CARLEtheCamry t1_izda6xc wrote

Probably their parents are Catholic, and they go home and go to church on Easter and Christmas. They don't care about memorizing the ceremony or all the rules, because honestly it's pretty boring, and let's be honest if they really believed they would go every Sunday and practice. "God is good, and Mom wants me to go" is good enough.

My parents made me go to church every Sunday, CCD class every week, was an altar boy, did all the sacraments. Up until Confirmation, which they told me to make my own choice - and I did. They never brought it up again, or nagged me to go to church. They still say grace at holiday dinners, but are cool with us not doing the song and dance and just bowing our heads respectfully.

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