Here we go... the new Pope starts his crusade

I think the pope is defining family as two people married, it is the basis usually for making children.

My daughter has a family even though her parents (me + her dad) are not together , it might be her family but we dont live as a family unit anymore, thats why I wrote family unit

Dawn

[quote="Dawn"]I think the pope is defining family as two people married, it is the basis usually for making children.

My daughter has a family even though her parents (me + her dad) are not together , it might be her family but we dont live as a family unit anymore, thats why I wrote family unit

I just don't think two people can make a family unit. Family is comprised of many people (usually), like grandparents and other relatives. Don't they too belong in the 'unit'?

the destruction of the family?....

I wonder if he's taking into account thaty up until a couple of decades ago women were up against it big time with regards to legally obtaining a divorce (i'd need to check my history notes to get the precise years of passed legislations) and before this men could do whatever the **** they wanted and women just had ot deal with it.

before: family unit still going, men actin glike shit.

now: men act like shit, women have the power to do something about it.

the "lack of morals" was still happening back in the day, it was just that the family unit was harder to break up.

[quote="spunkywho"]without the initial unit of a mother and father then the family wouldnt exist , the baby doesnt get made in order for there to be the rest of the family. This is why I think the pope concentrates on this.

Dawn

Very true Jim - the real issue here is power - not families or kids. The catholic church is very much against women being able to do anything. In my opinion the men of the catholic church actually hate women - for ex.

1. They preach no divorce - therefore even if a man is screwing around a women should just "look the other way"
2. They preach no birth control - men can still go out and screw around but the women get stuck at home with all the kids and usually not enough money to raise them..
3. They preach no abortion - women have no control of their own bodies or their own destiny - therefore they can be no competition for the men.

As you can tell, it is not my favorite institution, and I am Italian and was raised as a catholic. How any intelligent thinking people can buy all this is beyond me.

Kathleen

Ok, I never thought it would come to this, but I have to defend the catholic church here a bit. Though, it is more so pointing out the weirdness/hypocracy of the roman catholic church.

I am catholic by default and I went to a catholic high school. I understand that the pope should be the guy in charge who interprets/makes the rules and the rest of us will follow.

However, during my 4 year stint at a catholic high school (and this was in Germany where, I believe, catholism is taken wayyyyyy farther than in the US) and we were taught the various ways of birthcontrol without actually taking a pill. Don't exactly remember if a condom qualified, but there are other methods besides abstinence that the nuns approved of.

Divorce. I got married in a catholic church. We had some church counseling before we got married, including taking a test of compatibility. At the same time we 'learned' about divorce and the catholic stance on it (this being in the US and I have to point that out because in my view the catholic church in the US is by far more liberal than the European one). What we were told was that the catholic church no longer believes that couples who get a divorce will go to hell and they even had support groups for divorced couples. The church put on 'nights out' for divorcees and bible studies for those people. I was floored when I heard that, coming from an old school catholic background.

Abortion - this topic was taboo and never coverd.



As far as how any intelligent person can subscribe to a the roman catholic beliefs, I have no clue. I am with Kathy. I still consider myself catholic, but by default as I've pointed out earlier. Meaning it is what I was born into and raised as. I don't follow all aspects of it, I don't even like it. However, no other religion sits well with me either, so I can't really switch. (unlike my mother who since has devowed herself from the catholic church).

At the same time, I have a very good friend who was raised without spiritual beliefs. She now at age 39 wants to belong to something. She intends to convert to catholism, which I cannot understand the least. Again, I was born into that religion. I feel like I can say no to certain aspects of it. What I don't understand is why one would seek out the catholic church. (and she has no intention of following the no sex before marriage, no birth control aspects, she is a divorcee). I just don't understand why one would pick a religion they know from the getgo that they can't comply with........

end of rant.

I understand your argument that different regions treat the religion differently. The thing that bothers me is that this pope is German - this does not bode well for anyone.

Kathleen

How does his nationality come into play?

wasnt the last one polish?

Not a slam against the Germans at all - just a comment based on your story about the church being different in Germany when you were educated there. It may change for the worse unfortunately.

Kathleen