Religious Sentiments

"And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand." - Mark 3:25 It's no surprise that there is division within the Catholic Church. A quick scroll through the Catholic social media world will reveal as much. On blogs, forums, and social media posts, there are regular arguments among Catholics. This is the world of "church politics", which is not unlike the secular politics of which we are all accustomed. There are many different flavors and factions in the spectrum of church politics. Allow me to use the Orthodoxy Spectrum analogy (not to be confused with Eastern Orthodoxy) to show what I'm talking about. In the middle of the spectrum, you have simple and pure Catholic orthodoxy. Catholics who fall into the middle of the spectrum believe and accept 100% of the Church's teachings, and they live joyful and positive Christian lives. They receive the Sacraments regularly, have many prayer devotions, have a healthy appreci

As many of you have probably heard, this week a report was released detailing some of the sexual abuse which has been committed by Catholic priests. As a Catholic, I want to publicly denounce what these men have done. I cannot, and will not, attempt to defend the abominable actions of these men. By being priests, these men are supposed to be spiritual fathers, but they failed exponentially in this task. Instead of representing Jesus and living in His love, these men preyed up on and manipulated many innocent victims. To make matters worse, their evil actions were swept under the rug. I know that many people are furious, and rightly so. The disgust, anger, and horror many of us feel is justified. However, while I am deeply disappointed by the evil actions of these priests, I will not leave the Catholic Church. This statement may offend my non-Catholic friends and family members, however, I cannot in good conscience abandon the Church which Jesus founded. I am Catholic not beca