Vigilance

Quote: FrGamble

If we can change that one word to mean something totally different maybe we can change other words as well.

That's exactly what bigots do, keep people
separated with words. It keeps the wall up
between different groups, it keeps them
separated verbally, if not actually, from the
rest of society. The KKK did it, the Nazis
tried it. It never works well because people
are mostly the same, not mostly different.

No matter what the Church thinks.

The Church thinks that people are mostly the same, not mostly different. All people are also equal in dignity and worth no matter if they are still in the womb, a hospital bed, a prison, an immigrant, black, white, brown, or any other color, no matter their religion, gender, or sexual orientation. However do you notice that we do use words to describe who we are, our age, our race, our religion, our orientation, etc.? How is differentiating ourselves with words acting like a bigot? How does describing your unique self separate you or make you less than another? Would you rather we just assign everyone a number? That is what the Nazis did.

Quote: FrGamble

How is differentiating ourselves with words acting like a bigot?

How is wanting to take the word marriage
away from legally married Gays not bigotry?

Here's another definition of bigot:

'a person who refuses to accept the members of a particular group'

Isn't that exactly what the Church is doing
in not accepting Gay marriage for being
what it is, exactly equal with straight marriage?
How can it be called anything else but bigotry.

Of course you bristle being painted with that
brush, but all bigots feel they have strong
reasons for their bigotry, don't they. Jew haters,
for example, can bend your ear for hours about
how hating Jews is the proper way to be.

In the end it's all the same. Discrimination
an ugly thing, no matter what your ill conceived
reasons are.

Quote: Evenbob

Of course you bristle being painted with that
brush, but all bigots feel they have strong
reasons for their bigotry, don't they. Jew haters,
for example, can bend your ear for hours about
how hating Jews is the proper way to be.

In the end it's all the same. Discrimination
an ugly thing, no matter what your ill conceived
reasons are.

You know true bigots don't bristle at being painted with that brush. As you said they have what they think are strong reasons for thinking the way they do and can seemingly never stop spewing out vile and disgusting things and they are totally oblivious to it. It is a very ugly thing and I wish you could see it from my end.

Quote: FrGamble

It is a very ugly thing and I wish you could see it from my end.

That's what they all say, you know. I once
heard a KKK member on a call in radio show
make very compelling remarks about how
it was right to keep Blacks 'in their place'
and not be allowed to mingle with other
races. It was disgusting and compelling
at the same time. Compelling because
he honestly believed the hogwash he was
spewing.

The bigotry of the Church will eventually
be it's downfall, it's already happening.
in 1960, 90% of US Catholics went to
confession on a regular basis. Today 90%
of Catholics never go. It's so bad that
you have to make an appointment now
to make sure a priest is available to hear
you in a lot of places.

Asked why they don't go to confession, many
say it's too intrusive, it's not the Churches
business anymore. Nuns and priests are staying
out of the profession in droves, Catholic schools
are closing in record numbers. And now another
nail in the coffin, Gay marriage has been accepted
as the law of the land.

Progress is an awful burden if you don't try and
keep up with it.

Are you under the impression that this era or these things are the worst the Church has every had to endure? Ha, the Church has been through a lot worse and yet here we are and here we will remain, "and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."

Quote: FrGamble

the Church has been through a lot worse and yet here we are and here we will remain, "and the gates of hell will not prevail against it."

The Church always held it's power thru
whatever scandal it was going thru. That's
not true anymore. There will always be
some vestige of the Church left, but it
will be a shadows shadow of what it once
was. You've tied yourself to a ghost that
doesn't realize it's dead yet.

Quote: Evenbob

You've tied yourself to a ghost that
doesn't realize it's dead yet.

Great line. One that I'm sure was said by lots of people over the years.

Quote: FrGamble

Are you under the impression that this era or these things are the worst the Church has every had to endure?

The worst is yet to come. For you.

For me, I very much look forward to reading about the daily life of the pope's wife or husband, as the case may be. I probably won't live to see this triumph of life over religion. But then as recently as 12 years ago I never thought I'd live to see marriage equality gain so much ground all over the West.

Quote: FrGamble

Great line. One that I'm sure was said by lots of people over the years.

It is a great line and one I haven't seen
before. I pondered over it for about a
minute, until it seemed just right for
the situation.