tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668594987436792920.post572196538698509824..comments2023-07-05T08:17:21.505-04:00Comments on Getting to the Point: Splendor in the RuinsFr. Denis Lemieuxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01049723287624178155noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668594987436792920.post-15754057878270754942013-07-13T11:08:13.917-04:002013-07-13T11:08:13.917-04:00You know, Moe, your comments are increasingly just...You know, Moe, your comments are increasingly just you saying to me, "I don't agree with you!" OK. Noted. God bless you. And I hope you would realize by now that I'm not exactly a dummy - of course I realize that to those who (like yourself) have very different ideas from me, the Catholic Church does not seem like anything at all to do with God or Jesus. Yes, I get this. Noted. God bless you. Is there anything new we can talk about or any direction forward in our dialogue? Because my saying what I believe and your saying 'No, it's not!!!' is kind of getting old.<br />From my point of view, a world in which millions of unborn babies are slaughtered each year is a world filled with violence. And it does indeed seem to me that there is a great deal of hatred in this world.<br />My Church is not dying, by the way. Really, it's not - statistically, there are more Catholics in the world today than fifty years ago. Anyhow, in the immortal words of Yogi Berra, 'It's hard to make predictions, especially about the future!' In other words.... we'll see.<br />I really do wish you peace and joy and goodness, you know. I hope that's clear - I just am wondering if our conversation can move ahead a bit...Fr. Denis Lemieuxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01049723287624178155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6668594987436792920.post-92106020445034989222013-07-13T10:04:10.436-04:002013-07-13T10:04:10.436-04:00The Church is not the spotless body of Christ. It ...The Church is not the spotless body of Christ. It has very little to do with Christ. You may be virtuous and see the church through the prism of your own experience. Most within religious life are not. Try to conceive what the Church must look like through the eyes of a woman denied full participation because of gender, reproductive autonomy or respite from an abusive spouse. What does the church look like to the queer boy or girl, who finds a life of celibacy impossible and dreams of matrimony, just like anyone else? Most importantly, what must the church look like to the majority of young adult Catholics who often go years with no contact with or from the Church, who see in the media, the church railing against so many things which have become the immutable facts of their lives.<br /><br />On another note, I resent your assertion that the World is increasingly filled with hatred, violence and spiritual darkness, just because your particular religion is dying. It's true that the population of humans in the World is exponentially larger than ever before and so the actual incidence of these things may be numerically greater but for a greater percentage of the population, throughout the World, living conditions, social and physical are better than they have ever been. There is also unprecedented acceptance of religious and spiritual diversity. No one denies there is plenty of room for improvement.<br /><br />Look on the bright side, you're such a gloomy Gus. The next iteration of Christianity will likely be a big improvement over yours. How could it not be!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08523830314348019666noreply@blogger.com