Subj: Anthony — How can you say such things?
Hi Tony — got my work done so I thought I’d drop you a line. I like your blog but I think your comment about the Bible not saying anything about extramarital sex was unfortunate.
But first I have a real problem with that photo of the volleyball player’s butt. My problem is that I know of no guy who thinks skinny women like that are attractive. Nearly all men agree that women should have curves that are soft and squeezable. How it came to be that women decided to have butts like mens’ is a terrible thing — and it probably suppresses our birthrate too. Thank God for illegal immigration or we’d be in decline.
So you are a fallen-away Catholic. I think I know why. The culture of the Church these past 30 years has offered very little spiritual nourishment. I remember back in the 70s during ccd, all we did was color. Perhaps your experience was as lame. They didn’t teach us anything about the faith at all. There are many theories but all discipline was lost after the council and the priesthood largely became the home of homosexual dilettantes. Mass became a spectacle of bad music and hand shaking. Ex-Catholics litter the land. We can agree on most of this, yes?
I’m the only Catholic left in my family. I left first but came back when I was 25 and got confirmed and all. I can put up a pretty reasonable defense of the faith if you are interested. If not, OK. We have a robust Latin Mass community here in Sacramento. Standing room only always and the average age is like 5 — mostly because of the large families, but also because there are a lot of 20-somethings going to the Latin Mass these days.
In fact, it is the best place to meet a wife, hands down. They are hot, they are virginal, and all they want to do is find a good man to take care of and have kids. If you want to meet people who aren’t hung up about sex, you have to include Trad Catholics because they do it for real, the way God intended.
Back to the main point — your statement that extra-marital sex is not prohibited by the decalogue is hilarious and you know it. But more importantly, you say the Bible doesn’t say this, doesn’t say that etc. Tell me this: where in the Bible does it say that the Bible itself if the sole rule of faith? Indeed, there was no new testament for nearly four centuries after Christ. What pray-tell did all the Christians do without it? I’ll answer — they were guided by one rule of faith, the Church’s. The Church put the good book together, and there is no other argument for saying that the Bible is holy except for the fact the Catholic Church says so.
Therefore, they are petty damn well qualified for saying what it means.
What say you?
I like your blog. Take care.
Eric
hi eric,
glad you like the blog.
theres not one word in the bible that denounces pre marital hetero sex between two non-married people.
no laws, no suggestions, no stories, no tales, no asides, no nothing.
if a church wants to make up their beliefs about it, like how they made up crap about cardinals, bishops, confession & all the other things that go against the new testament Christian teachings of the only way to the father is through the son then they can.
and if people wanna follow it then good for them. i just wish they would stop using the Bible as their main text and start publishing the Catholic Rulez and stack those bad boys in the pews, because there is very little in the old or new testament that explains what the Catholic church is all about, which is probably why they kept the bible in latin for so long and turned their backs to the flock.
the Bible was pretty clear at the end of the text warning against such disobediances as adding to the words of the good book.
in the Bible the Lord describes Himself as the alpha and the omega, which to me says He is the first and last word of everything, including how things should be done on Earth, but definately how things should look like in church. Never was there a mention of celibate priests, or popes acting as middlemen for God.
one of the main tenants that seperates Christians from pagans is the lack of idols, lack of pokemen, lack of individualized mini-gods that one should pray to for specific needs/wants.
everything is supposed to go through Jesus, the Messiah. everything.
but Catholics fuck that up with Saints, they fuck it up with the Pope and confession, and this bizarre idea of replacing or supplimenting the gospel ties right into the history of this church who’s sole purpose, it seems, is to wrestle power away from Above and put it into the hands of men who will change its rules based on the politics of the day.
you want stories about politics and church drama and the ways of men interfering with spirituality? the bible has tons of those. (though none about pre-marital sex… interesting)
meanwhile, there seems to be enough guidelines, and rules, and stories in the Bible to live our lives by (that we still have problems living up to) that we dont need Man to throw in their two cents.
If I wanted to believe in a lower power then I would obey the ideas of man, particularly old school polish/italians who want to make up their own rules that are not based in scripture but based in their own interpretations of dozens of things.
Instead I want to believe in a higher power, which is why I obey the word of the Lord, thus the Bible.
And that is why I no longer call myself a Catholic: not because i was bored in CCD but because I actually read the Book.
thanks for writing,
Tony