Ask A Catholic

Great Debates
#1

Hello there. I am a Conservative and a Catholic. I am real about my conservatism and I am real about my Catholicism. If you have a question about Catholicism that you feel you have never gotten a straight answer to, ask me and you’ll get it. I have taught classes in “Apologetics” (Defending The Faith) so I can either give you a correct answer, or at least I can link you to the correct information. Believe me, there are plenty of websites that have crappy information and some websites that have good information, and I know the difference.

If anyone is REALLY intersted in this, here is a bit of a primer; the best condensed explanation of Catholicism online (about a 5 to 10 minute read): http://www.catholic.com/library/pillar.asp

(Please be respectful. Thank you)

#2

Are you a Knight of Columbus? If not, why not? :slight_smile:
And if so, welcome to the SDMB, Brother!

Bricker, PGK, FDD, PFN

#3

Good luck.

#4

No, I am not a K of C. I kinda came to the faith late in life. My mentors did the same: Scott Hahn, Tim Staples, etc. My favorite Catholic authors are protestant converts to Catholicism.

Thanks for the welcome. I would have said hello, but I did not see a “meet and greet” or “introductions” section.

#5

Oh, is it like that here? LOL. Okay.

A note to everyone: I had no idea this forum moved so fast. If I don’t get to your question, be patient. I will do my best.

#6

Actually, as this is an "Ask the. . . " thread, it is not really a debate, as such. (I am more than sure that any answers will prompt a lot of debates, but they can all return to this forum individually.)

I am moving this to the MPSIMS forum, (where I think the earlier similar threads were posted).

[ /Modding ]

#7

I went to Wikipedia to find out what these abbreviations might mean:

PGK = Pasukan Gerakan Khas
FDD = Foundation for Defense of Democracies
PFN = Parti des forces nouvelles

Or is Bricker claiming something other than belonging to a Malaysian special police unit, a Washington thinktank, and a far-right French political party?

#8

My first question is: what do those letters stand for?

Second: would you care to make a pre-emptive statement about your view of the whole Church-covering-up-for-child-molesters thing? It’ll get mentioned soon enough anyway.

Thirdly, do you feel that there is a fundamental culture clash between Catholicism as it is practiced in America versus how it is practiced in predominantly Catholic countries?

And a tip: Der Tris, or someone like him, will be along shortly to say something about how all religion is bunk and all believers are stupid. I suggest moving swiftly past, or you’ll never get your thread back. Don’t take it personally.

#9

What are Knights of Columbus? (Yes, I could search for it. But I’m lazy, I’m curious about why they came up so fast, and you guys give more interesting answers than most other sources)
IAN the OP but I noticed differences between Catholics in the US and those in Spain (for those in the US it’s more of a conscious option and of an identity), but the variation depending on which “branch” of Catholicism you’re talking about is still bigger: the Franciscans are as kumbayah and the Jesuits as brainiac over there as over here.

#10

How do you reconcile your conservative mistrust of government with your acceptance of an authoritarian church governance structure?

#11

I think Bricker is claiming to be a member of a Washington thinktank who is ordering lunch delivered & doesn’t know if he is in the mood for Malaysian or French. If pressed, I think he’d provide a FAX number for various restaurants to send over today’s Specials. :smiley:

#12

Would you live your life differently if you were not a Catholic? If so, how? (and I suppose, Why?)

#13

Is Catholicism so rare where you live that you think this would be something people would need to ask you about?

#14

Not meaning to hijack Teryy’s thread here…

The Knights of Columbus are a lay Catholic fraternal order, established in 1882. Each of those letters refers to a past office held in the order: Past Grand Knight, Former District Deputy, Past Faithful Navigator.

The Knights operate in local units called councils. The Grand Knight is the title given to the elected leader of a local council; he serves a one-year term. Five or six local councils are under the supervision and guidance of a District Deputy, appointed by the state’s elected leader, the State Deputy.

The Knights also have what amounts to an attendant organization, the Fourth Degree. Fourth Degree Knights meet and organize in additional groups called assemblies; the elected leader of a Fourth Degree assembly is a Faithful Navigator.

#15

OP, are you the kind of conservative who considers mistrust of government as an essential part of conservatism? And since I’m asking to define your branch of politics, which branch of catholicism (putting it in terms of religious orders)?

#16

I feel like I missed a good gig. If only I hadn’t abandoned Catholicism, I too could be this rarest of creatures.

#17

Oh, another one:

Do you feel that the amount of influence Opus Dei has in the Church is too much, not enough or just right?

#18

Again not to speak for the OP, but in my experience, many Catholics don’t have a solid understanding of their purported faith. They did once – they were, in their youth, probably taught the faith in great detail. But just as most adults probably can’t factor a binomial equation or discuss what the Treaty of Ghent did, they have forgotten what they once knew.

And if many Catholics don’t know their faiith, then, a fortiori, many non-Catholics will likely also not know the Catholic faith.

#19

Hello there.

I hope you’re not meaning to imply that the Catholic faith is somehow tied to political conservatism, are you? I am as pro-life as one can get; I do not believe gay marriage should be legalized; and I am concerned about the lack of morality in modern political discourse.

I also believe in universal health care, the rights of the working class and labor unions, care for the poor and disabled, avoiding unjust wars, concern for the environment, and public transportation.

So, sometimes my Catholic conscience causes me to vote for a Democrat, and sometimes for a Republican (albeit less so in Western Pennsylvania, where “Democrat” is a much more inclusive group than elsewhere).

tl;dr version – My question: Do I “sin” when I vote for a Democrat?

(To Dopers – this is not a silly question, there have been exhaustive threads on precisely this issue on the website cited by the OP, and I’d like to see where he’s coming from on that angle).

#20

Terry - do you feel that priests have an obligation to withhold the sacrament from public political leaders who they feel have violated catholic doctrine, without any knowledge whatsoever of that political leader’s current standing with the church (i.e. tendency and frequency of receiving reconciliation, etc.)?