I just heard something on MSNBC...and now I can make this decision....

They said the Catholic vote went to * by a majority. So I will now make my announcement...

I am as of this moment no longer a member of the Catholic Church. They are in my mind in league with the fundies and the rest of the 21st Century Pharisees.

I will never step foot in a Catholic church again. As for organized religion in general, I don't want to ever have anything to do with it again. I have never been more disgusted with organized religion than I am right now. It has prevented progress, stifled intellectual thought and killed millions of people over thousands of years.

This is a long way from where I was a few years ago, when I was in a seminary studying to be a priest. Despite all of this, I still believe in God, I think She is filled with sorrow with what we've done in Her name.

I do realize there are a fair amount of progressive catholics out there, and they have my utmost respect.

I want nothing more to to with this All-Men Pedophile Club called the catholic church.

My God have mercy on us all in these coming years.

Check out the UUs, we have a lot of recovering Catholics!

Was very impressed, may check them out again. I'm most impressed with Quakers also.

See uua.org. My family is methodist/evengelical on one side and catholic on the other (my father was a clasic left, left, out catholic involved in the civil rights movement). I still consider myself Christian, but was seperated from a faith community for about 16 years because I couldn't make my views on Christ's teaching and my gut feelings on what is moral match the teachings of the church's I was exposed to or saw in the media.

When I found the Unitarian Universalist church, a _huge_ hole in my life was filled I hadn't even realized was there.

Regardless of where you end up, my deepest sympathies for the truama of transition you are facing.

That's it ... from this point on, I am no longer white, and I am no longer a man.

*Sorry: I understand your frustration at this loss. I feel it too. But you don't abandon your faith/religion for it. God and the Body of Christ (His Church) is bigger than George Bush.

My beef is not with God or Christ. I can sum it up with a bumper sticker i saw once:

"Oh Lord save me from your followers"

Do not leave the Catholic Church, we need you now more than ever. http://www.cta-usa.org/ Go to that website. We are a group of liberal Catholic who seek reform from within. We will not win by just giving up. Please join us instead.

I'm having serious doubts about organized religion in general, it makes me sick to my stomach.

It's like a breath of fresh air. The only way things change is if people get invovled and join together to form movements. At least send them an E-mail or call them. Start your own group at your church! Find the other liberals out there who are as mad as you are and don't want to take it anymore.

What are the progressive churches in the northeast?

My sister phoned this morning, and she and her husband are so outraged by the overt politicking and pressure the Church put them through that they're leaving. And these are church-going Catholics, who attend Mass every week, who paid a small fortune to put their sons through an expensive Catholic prep school.

I get the feeling that the Church hasn't done themselves any particular favors this election cycle.

Read Tom Paine's "Age of Reason."

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I became a much better person because of it. I was able to be more loving towards all those persons, who weren't Catholics, and I didn't have to hate sinners and fear Hell anymore.

christianity. I told my mother this today.

I told her never to bring any of it up to me again. I don't want anything to do with their god or their bible.

I'm no fan of the Catholic church. But come vist us and see if you find the support you need. You don't need to cut all your ties to your lay community - there may be work you can do to help reform the Catholic church. I'd also recommend the United Church of Christ if UU's are a bit too non-denominational for you - I know of some fantastic UUC congregations.

along with the republican party, not because of the catholic church per se but because republicans invoke the religious whenever it's expedient to do so yet cannot seem to live what they preach.
Go to any BBS today and look at the vile posts.

we are welcomimg congregation and we also have wiccan and a few atheists.

We have all the fun food related events as well as a 'kegger' every fall.

I teach religious education classes that focus on community service and comparative religion among other things.

I ditched the catholic church almost twenty years ago. I couldn't believe how much happier I was without all the dogma and guilt in my life.

As a lapsed catholic, you'll find you have a lot of company!

that you feel this way......just remember the words of Christ..." If you don't know me in life, it will be as if I do not know you in death" remember the small amount of time we spend here, as opposed to the rest and make your decision wisely....don't let anger harden your heart....

in retaliation for the deaths of 3000?

RL

the same way this morning. I will step on the grounds to take my kid to CCD classes but I also have problems with stepping into church again. I'm considering sending a letter to the bishop of my diocese telling him my opinion of this whole affair.

starting with the faith of my childhood, from which I did not fall away, I ran: the Roman Catholic Church.

I mean the figures. I did not know that. By what percentage-- if you know.

I am sorry for your angst and hope you find a peaceful path for yourself.

different from past elections. Aren't most Catholics pretty socially conscious - resulting in more support for Democrats?

...there are two UUA ministers. This denomination is the home for those who seek justice and love democratic values. It is accepting and nurturing. Both of these ministers (on opposite coasts) are community leaders and act with courage and clarity in the face of oppression.

organized religion sucks ass, period. all of it. just my humble opinion.

but the catholic church IS a "pedophile club," as you so nicely put it. that it deigns to speak to the morality of others is so outrageous that it borders on farce

as for following jesus at all, whatever. if you are fearful enough to need a fairy tale to make sense of existence, good on ya. i for one find the entire edifice of belief laughable. or answer me the basic theodical question: what the fuck kind of "God" lets children die under rains of bombs, mass epidemics, and starvation, while letting fat shitheads like your average American evangelical claim to be "saved."?

in the words of a famous atheist rabbi (you read that right), slightly paraphrased: "either God is real and allows evil to happen, in which case He is a schmegeggy. Or there is no God and people who believe in Him are meshuganah."

today, my basic attitude is a) fuck religion and all the harm it does and b) fuck anyone who would impose their religious *beliefs* on my life. oh, and this:

if churches want to engage in politics, MAKE THEM PAY TAXES


rcm

I left about 5 years ago. I've been considering the Episcopal church, but am feeling anti-organized religion right now. I may never go back to church.

once you realize that god is in you and you are god, you will have no need for man-made religions.

Remember the basic teachings? God is light. That's all god is. Nothing more, nothing less.

The problem is that from the beginning we have had leaders who put god outside of ourselves. That god is separate and apart from us. They lead us to believe that in order to get to god we must go through them and no one else. Any religion that teaches this, forces you to deny god within yourself. That is their source of power and control and it is time for people to wake up and see reality. To stop supporting all churches and religious organizations that deny that we are god. God is within you, not without you.

And I would love to hear from now? Liberal_Rev, if you're out there join in and please send me a message.