Originally Posted by
1Ms. America
Therese, perhaps I do misunderstand, but I have some serious doubts about that. I was raised Catholic, and the more I read the bible, and spent time in prayer, the more convinced I became that there was a vast difference between what religions practice, and what God wants us to know about Him. I've done my uttmost to learrn His ways and to obey what HE taught me. Despite having taught Catechism for 2 years, having put 2 groups of kids through First Holy Communion, I left as an adult, and have never regretted my decision.
Hi Ms. America,
I appreciated your post. :)
Perhaps sometime we can sit down and explore this a bit more. One thing I have noticed in my conversations with ex Catholics about the Catholic faith - and this is not meant to be insulting in any way - is that not one has been able to fully and properly articulate what the Catholic Church actually teaches, and what they reject is often a distorted view of actual Catholic teaching on some fundamental level - something I would reject as well IF it was indeed the real teaching of the Church.
Now granted, catechesis was very poor the last half of last century in the United States especially, and the ex catholics I have spoken with I have found were taught incorrectly by commission or omission and believe they were taught what the Church actually teaches. When we start to dig, we find out they weren't.
Now, you could be the first I have met who doesn't fit this, however your statement:
The beautification and sainthood practices places the Glory that belongs to God only, onto the vessel.
leads me to believe otherwise.
The Catholic Church does not take glory that belongs to God alone and place it on the vessel . . in fact, the Catholic Church teaches against doing so in no uncertain terms.
Idolatry
2112 The first commandment condemns
polytheism. It requires man neither to believe in, nor to venerate, other divinities than the one true God. Scripture constantly recalls this rejection of "idols, [of] silver and gold, the work of men's hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; eyes, but do not see." These empty idols make their worshippers empty: "Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them."42 God, however, is the "living God"43 who gives life and intervenes in history.
2113 Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith.
Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says, "You cannot serve God and mammon."44 Many martyrs died for not adoring "the Beast"45 refusing even to simulate such worship.
Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God.46
2114 Human life finds its unity in the adoration of the one God. The commandment to worship the Lord alone integrates man and saves him from an endless disintegration. Idolatry is a perversion of man's innate religious sense. An idolater is someone who "transfers his indestructible notion of God to anything other than God."47
PART THREE
LIFE IN CHRIST
SECTION TWO
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
CHAPTER ONE
"YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND"
ARTICLE 1
THE FIRST COMMANDMENT