Quote Originally Posted by SLUDGE FACTORY View Post
It wasn't MY attempt to connect with God

I had absolutely no choice

Catholic primary and junior school

Mass every Sunday and all the other holy days

I eventually thought this is nonsense as soon as I was able to realise it

From then on Sundays were a good laugh going fishing , playing football and generally messing about like kids do when they are not forced to go to church

If people at 21 are told about God and they choose to reject it or take an interest that's fine
I can understand where you are coming from now. As TP says you have been brought up in the Catholic tradition with a lot of man-made rules and regulations. I have admiration for the Catholic church as they have done much good work amongst the poor in Third World countries, running hospitals etc but unfortunately have been let down by some of their priests. This is a terrible shame for the other hard working, decent people in the Catholic church.

However their insistence on the priest being an intermediary between us and God is a falsehood. There is no basis for such an intermediary - we can confess our sins directly to God. Also I cannot understand their veneration of Mary the mother of Jesus, which borders on idolatory. Yes, she was obviously very important in that she gave birth to Jesus but she is not God. Also the idea of praying to the saints or to the statues of saints....uhm!

In the news today we learn that the Catholic church is going to apply more scrutiny to claims of miraculous signs like weeping statues etc. which is not before time I feel. I often wonder if this is a money making scheme as people go on pilgrimages to see the places where these events have supposedly taken place.

P.S. I found this article on the web which summarises my take on the Catholic church very well:

https://www.gotquestions.org/catholicism.html

FYI these are the opening paragraphs:

The most crucial problem with the Roman Catholic Church is its belief that faith alone in Christ is not sufficient for salvation. The Bible clearly and consistently states that receiving Jesus Christ as Savior, by grace through faith, grants salvation (John 1:12; 3:16,18,36; Acts 16:31; Romans 10:9-10,13; Ephesians 2:8-9). The Roman Catholic Church rejects this. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is that a person must believe in Jesus Christ AND be baptized AND receive the Eucharist along with the other sacraments AND obey the decrees of the Roman Catholic Church AND perform meritorious works AND not die with any mortal sins AND etc., etc., etc. Catholic divergence from the Bible on this most crucial of issues, salvation, means that yes, Catholicism is a false religion. If a person believes what the Catholic Church officially teaches, he/she will not be saved. Any claim that works or rituals must be added to faith in order for salvation to be achieved is a claim that Jesus’ death was not sufficient to fully purchase our salvation.

While salvation by faith is the most crucial issue, in comparing Roman Catholicism with the Word of God, there are many other differences and contradictions as well. The Roman Catholic Church teaches many doctrines that are in disagreement with what the Bible declares. These include apostolic succession, worship of saints or Mary, prayer to saints or Mary, the pope / papacy, infant baptism, transubstantiation, plenary indulgences, the sacramental system, and purgatory. While Catholics claim Scriptural support for these concepts, none of these teachings have any solid foundation in the clear teaching of Scripture. These concepts are based on Catholic tradition, not the Word of God. In fact, they all clearly contradict Biblical principles.

In other words there are lots of man-made rules and regs that you would need to follow, which are totally legalistic and unnecessary. If that's Christianity, then it's not for me!