Re: For all those who ponder...About Charities

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: You said........

: : Hi Adele -

: : I'm going to try to reply as briefly as possible. Your post can't possibly be considered offensive.

: So relieved to hear that!

: : Firstly, I don't EVER call myself a 'true believer' - my point was that I do believe what I adhere to & that's why I adhere to it. I don't have a 'need' to attach myself to any group at all. I am a Catholic by choice/conviction, not by need. I wasn't church shopping ... You'd have to ask someone else who does have such a need to explain their own reasons. 

: Ok, so this is the part that interests me - you don't NEED to be Catholic, you CHOOSE to be.....but why?  Is it something you feel?  Is it as simple as that you feel that it is your right path for you to follow?  Sorry to be so pressing on this point, but it is purely a genuine desire to understand your choice that prompts these questions.

: : Secondly; My first reaction to your post was to address the issue you raised regarding wealth & power. However, that'd lead us further into a 'Catholic' discussion which was never the point or topic. I would say this only; Temporal abuses have & do exist, as does an obligation to feed the poor & pay the bills. Somewhere, there must be a balance - but this does not relate to teachings. If the teachings are good, sound, & virtuous, why reject them? Reject or embrace them according to their own merit or lack thereof.

: Now, this is where I have a REAL difficulty in understanding established religion!  Can you reject some teachings of the Catholic church and yet still call yourself Catholic? (Only using Catholicism as an example here because of your understanding of it).  This is maybe one of the reasons why I cannot become associated with any one single religion......because I have never come across one that matched my own innate beliefs.

: : Your second example (death sentences) does relate directly to a teaching. Again, reject or embrace according to its merit or lack thereof.

: : Thirdly; "I consider myself a religious person, I
: : believe in God, try to follow a true and honest path, treat others as I would wish to be
: : treated etc etc. " This is following your own conscience, Adele, and that's EXACTLY what you should do. 
: : 
: : Lastly; Working to bring down barriers & not perpetuating them is  an objective - & certainly one that'd go far in bettering human relations. However, people will still more closely associate with some over others. That is not to say people do, will, or should associate exclusively among particular groups, only that they WILL do so to SOME degree for various reasons & that those associations are not inherently wrong or puzzling. 

: We ALL make associations with groups of some type or another - it would be a very isolated life, if we didn't.  But when those groups are categorized and labelled, they not only bring likeminded people together, they also put up barriers between them.

: :Somehow, it seems I've been interpreted as advocating closed circles of interraction. That's not at all what I was speaking of, nor was I advising such a philosophy, & my life certainly proves otherwise.

: I REALLY hope that you do not think anyone here belives you are capable of 'advocating closed circles of interaction'.  Definitely not the case, I can assure you!  

: : Hope I've made this a little bit clearer - 

: : Thanks, Adele!

: You certainly have made things clearer - unfortunately I have a tendency to receive answers with even more questions - I hope nobody minds.  I know that this is VERY off topic, but it is such an intriguing area for me, I find it hard to keep my curiosity in check!!

: Thanks for such a thoughtful response Elaine

: Adele


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