What Do You Think of the Catholic Church?

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The Roman Catholic Church is arguably the oldest human institution in continuous existence (although it would obviously have to share that honor with the Eastern Orthodox Church). Please note that your thoughts on the religious tenets of Catholicism; I am asking what you think of the Church as a political structure.

I was raised Catholic but am now atheist. I still find the complicated history and complex hierarchy interesting, though. For much of the history of the Catholic Church, for example, popes were not merely the head bishop but also princes over a country of their own: the Papal Estates. Frequently this meant dogma was created or interpreted to further the political ambitions of the Papacy. During the time of the Crusades, many saw the world as divided into two great parts: Christendom and Islam (much as Islamici terrorists see it today).

Today, at least in the United States, it plays a fairly minor role in politics (unlike in its hey day in the Middle Ages and Renaissance); it is just one of many churches.

So what do you think of it: good, bad, evil, human, infallible, inflexible and outmoded?

What do I think of the Roman Catholic Church politically? Well, for starters, the current Pope was raised a good Nazi. Now I know that doesn't make him a Nazi today, but it does mean that he was raised in an environment where the Government had complete control over its people; now that he rules the Papacy, I think we see this authoritarian streak coming back.

When the Church ordered American politicians to vote against abortion or they would be forbidden to receive Holy Communion (something which Catholics are required to do to in order to obtain salvation) it committed an act of war against the United States. This is exactly what Americans were worried about when Kennedy ran for President in 1960.

I think that because of its attempt to control American policy, the Catholic Church should lose its tax-exempt status (at least!)

I am personally mixed. On one hand, I hate the fact that they're so theologically backward, but a lot of my family is Catholic and I was baptized (but not raised) Catholic, so it is part of my identity. I do, however, think that the liberation theology (which is a Catholic thing) is awesome and at least they're consistent on the pro-life thing (pro-life, anti-death penalty, anti-war).

(I was reading a Wiki article on Christian anarchism, and I found it quite interesting that many people involved in that are/were Catholic.)

no offense to those of you who are cathloic, but I see it as the most vile orgnization to ever exist. millions of people across the globe and espacilly in latin america were killed in the name of rome, they take advantge of the people by lies and threat of damnnation while taking their hard earned money, and spread the evils of homophobia, tranny and slavery to places where it never existed. not to mention covering up sexual abuse of innocent children by its filthy pig priests. its in my opinion the biggest GANG in the world!

It's an institution in the dark ages that either wants bringing into the modern world or annihilating. Their choice. Oh, and the pope has the eyes of a killer.

I think that the last two Popes have undone the Vatican II conference, which was an interesting (but limited) attempt to modernize and liberalize the Catholic Church. The appointment of conservative Cardinals for the last 30 years has assured that the Catholic church will remain a hierarchical institution based on sacerdotalism, the idea that the church has absolute authority and that the hierarchy controls salvation.

It's maybe a bit like the pharmaceutical industry. ( salvation for your child etc )

or powdered-milk-formula manufacturers, ( encouraging poor mothers in countries with dodgy water supplies to stop breastfeeding by distributing leaflets saying that nursing mothers need 3,000 calories of food a day, and with pictures of meat, fish, and cheese, which the mothers think means that they can not afford to breastfeed!), the sugar industry, ( remember how spreading that addiction was the main force behind creating the slave trade?), or weapons industries (worth thousands of millions of dollars which have serious interest in encouraging wars. And do).

All playing on need. All manipulating fear.

And which make the catholic church of today look positively toothless.

Does catholic faith empower people to resist consumerism, exploitation, etc, or does it tend to make them more susceptible? or is it impossible to say which comes first? If it were like vaccinations administered too early, before immune system fully formed; a shock to the immune system that causes it to develop allergies, etc, then catholicism could be seen as seriously pernicious. What effect does catholic belief/church have on peoples? Now that it's stopped killing people who don't convert, anyway? !

OK, I realize I can't change people's minds, and I certainly can't change the past, but if I may, why are you singling out only one religion as being responsible for acts of evil? It might come as a surprise, but from what I can see, bad things have been done in the name of just about every religion there is. Just look at the daily news with all the conflict in the Middle East; Muslims and Jews are killing each other by the hundreds each day. Think of the women who suffer under Islamic extremist law. Check out Queen Elizabeth I of England, a Protestant who authorized the persecution of millions of Britain's Catholics. And there's feudal Japan; thousands of Christians were put to death between the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries by people who considered themselves Buddhist, a religion renowned for promoting peace!

And in case you didn't know, horrible things have been done in the name of atheism, too. Look at China, a nation governed by a regime that considers itself officially atheist. Their persecution of the people of Tibet drove the Dalai Lama, a man who radiates peace and harmony, into exile, and it doesn't stop there. Look at the former Soviet Union; people were sent to prison camps just for professing a religion.

So you see, there are bad people in every religion you find. This, however, doesn't actually make the religion itself bad. One bad apple, as they say, doesn't spoil the whole bunch.

I was raised strict roman catholic and I say that if you want your kids to detest the world, keep them catholic!

I can only say this about the Catholic church. I think they are evil, and a corrupt branch of their "religion."

No offence to Catholics as the Devil wants to mislead us all, and I certainly dont want any hate mail accusing me of anti-catholicicm, but, why does the Pope wear a fish on his head?, just like the old worshippers of Dagon?







Another thing, Constentine, who started the Cotholic Church to unite the fragmenting Roman Empire by unifying all the pagan religions with Christianity, was a Sun worshipper, bearing in mind they changed Jesus birthday from October to Dec 25th, the Suns birthday, why do they show the Baby Jesus in Marys arms as the Sun?




Not me mind, but some people claim the present Pope is actually a Jewish High priest as he wears an Ephod, a skull cap, and even the crucifix is not even a cross but has morphed into the sacred T of the sun god Tammuz who the Jewish women where condemed by Jerimiah for weeping over.



Maybe thats why the Catholic church burnt people at the stake for reading the Bible, in case they found out the truth.

Whatever, all religions apart from pre-Christian Judaism and its intended progression are creations of man and will be infultrated by the wicked one in order to mislead those who would follow the Christ.

I expect they will all join together anyway as the satanic One World religion of the Satanic one world government, the religions have allready started getting closer to each other under the guidance of the UN.