Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

I for one feel left out of this conversation having been brought up Church of England I can Honestly say that I've had next to no religious education at all, therefore I & probably others like me can't understand the passion that you are all putting into this topic.

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

Wonder why they call the Roman Catholic Church the richest in the world? Obviously it speaks for itself.

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

I think the fact that some people feel passionate about their religion and others have a great passion against all religion is reflected in the foregoing postings. Religion has stirred up passions for centuries. Let's face it, most wars have been fought on religious platforms so I think a little bit of written passion on a forum is a safe and healthy way to go. I doubt anyone is going to die over it.

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

Doug, you must have something to add??

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

In answer to Less's question about passion. I don't think that it is passion, so much as conditioning. The Jesuit's have a famous saying, to the effect of 'Give me a child until he is seven and he is mine for life'. Thus the phrase ' Once a Catholic, always a Catholic.' The conditioning we were given from an early age was so effective that even now that we are old enough to reason for ourselves, it still works. Like Pavlov's Dog, one whiff of incense and we are off, barely able to restrain ourselves from crossing ourselves and genuflecting all over the place. Which is sort of annoying and comforting at the same time. It is because of this that many of us have a sort of love/hate relationship with a church that we no longer belong to in a practising sense, but that we will always belong to till we die. It is for this reason that many of us felt something akin to personal berevement when we watched Sacred Heart Church being demolished. Perhaps it is something that is very difficult to understand if you didn't go through the same process.

For some of us, the experiences we endured have scarred us irrevocably and my heart and sympathies go out to them. I wish that I could say that they are, mercifully, in a minority. But, sadly, I don't think that this is the case. As Shakespeare says '...the evil that men do, lives on, while the good is oft interred with their bones...'

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

Basically does not matter what Religion you are born in to if you do not believe in God

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

I don't think that we are actually discussing belief in the existence of the deity, except in passing. We are discussing memories and experience of the organisation of orthodox religion, a different thing altogether.

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

As you said bob ' Conditioning' and i can only see that one is born in to a religion.Not many people in this world choose their religion but instead are born in to one and stay with for the rest of their lives.
Interesting point is that here in Germany they try to incur a Religion Tax.All of ones own free will apparently until you refuse to pay it.The its court cases and the likes.Been through one myself.I was asked to show written proof that i had left the 'Church'.When asked for written proof that i had actaually joined the church, well nothing more was said!Court case finished.And it is a fact that the Catholic Church is one of the richest institutions on this earth

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

I must be one of the not many in that case because I wasn't born into the church I am a member of. I chose it.

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

One of a kind that breaks against the grain

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

Can you explain a little more about this 'Religion Tax', Mick?

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

Basically Bob 1% of your Gross wage gets syphoned off to the local church where you live.Unless of course you do not put down any religion on your tax form like yours truly did.

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

That's outrageous, how do they justify what is in effect a state subsidy? How did they get it past the EU? Do any other member states operate this tax?

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

The correct version of the above is "Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man" and was uttered by St. Ignatius Loyola the founder of the Jesuit fathers.

Re: Once A CATHOLIC.
 

Bavaria is a Catholic stronghold.The worst thing that i have experienced is that when you are unemployed the tax is automatically syphoned off your unemployment benifit.If or not you are a mebmer of teh church and have paid this tax previously.When i complained about that i was told that it would be too much work for a civil servant to handle everybodies case seperately.That is crap as your unemployment benifit is based on your average earnings for the last 3 months and has to be worked out seperately anyway.god knows how it is doen but that is the practise over here