Yep, just not mooselimbs......

Oh I am not even touching this one.

I will say, I had a Phillipino friend growing up who was catholic, and I had a co-worker from a previous job that I occasionally went to Catholic mass with them. I wouldn't go as far to say I grew up with Catholic teachings, but it certianly wasn't anything new to me by the time I had reached my 20's. I attended services with them many times, I will say it was very different than any other procession I have attended. The incense, the robes, the latin, at first is was very bizarre to this country boy, who had previously only been to Methodist and Southern Baptist services..

Nothing wrong with making it entertianing I guess.


I know a lot of Catholics, all good people.

This post has been edited by POOR_MAN: November 7th 2009 8:51 PM

Fair enough. That which is sauce for the goose is certainly sauce for the gander.

I'll remember that.

That is the thought I was referring to. The idea that each is as valid as the next. That never existed until after the Enlightenment. Anyway, I have no real point to make here, just saying that I don't believe that is necessarily true. Not the point of this post though...

This is not my intention nor is it what I am doing (and I would hope that no one else would do this either). It is just an honest, franky question because I was not raised Catholic and I've only been to two Catholic things...one Mass and one Wedding.

Sarge talks about Catholicism quite a bit so I thought I'd ask so I could learn a little more about the topic.

Maybe not in Europe, but that idea existed elsewhere in the world.

I suppose that is possible. I wouldn't know unless I looked at the history of various religions versus how the beliefs in that religion changed over time. But fair enough, in Western religion and culture that idea didn't exist before the enlightenment and the more humanistic philosophies.

It is red now. Thanks for pointing out my oversight.

ACtually, I only talk about Catholics when others ask questions or mis represnt it.

It is my beliefs that although all Christian religions are not equal, they all have a bit of truth to them. But no one man has the WHOLE truth, nor do I think any man EVER will.


I somewhat agree with Gman that all religions are valid to a point. It is their approach that is often different.

Catholic are Christians, as are Mormons, Baptists and so one.

What REALLY matters is what is in a persons heart, not what building they go to on Sundays

yeah I caught the binary quote

you are a wise mam


odd, and sometimes rather creepy, but wise

what do you mean by Western religion and culture?

What I mean is that previous to the Enlightenment, people didn't have the idea that "all religions lead to the same place" or that everything is a gray area like everyone loves to say right now. The enlightenment lead to the idea of personal truths instead of general truth or absolute truth. Since then, the idea that there is no absolute truth has become hugely popular. I do believe the is absolute truth, but many people believe that there isn't, or that what you believe is just as truthful as what I believe, simply because for you it could be true. People normally say "Oh, well that is truth for you, but its not truth for me...I have my own truth."

Thats basically what I'm talking about.

I believe in absolute truthes

What people didn't?

The religious people. People in organized religion.

You clearly don't think that its possible people DIDN'T think that for all of mankind's history here on earth...but many key things happened during the enlightenment to lead to that type of philosophy. But this is about Catholicism...if you wanna talk about the Enlightenment, I say you make a new thread for it

I understand your views about The Enlightenment, what I was asking is Western religion, I haven't heard that term before, but breaking it down I take it as religion in The Americas since Europeans and the like tend to refer to the Americas as the West

You are only referring to the people in western Europe. That is a parochial viewpoint. This has nothing to do with the enlightenment, which again, is a western concept that totally dismisses the fact tthat other advanced cultures existed on the planet.

Western refers to Europe as well. Wikipedia describes it better then I can: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_world

Western religion generally refers to Catholicism and every other flavor of Christianity. Eastern Religion would be Buddhism, Taoism, etc.

Right, I was referring to the western culture. I don't deny that advanced cultures existed on the planet, but as it applies to us, that idea is a product of the enlightenment. Now if we lived in Japan, I'd be saying that idea came from another movement that was applicable to them.