Catholic soapbox

People are crazy. Have you see www.thebricktestaments.com? It's a website with many of the stories of the bible in lego figurines! It even has ratings which I found pretty hilarious. Crazy stuff.

For the last couple of weeks, I've been getting up earlier than my usual time. So I'm up with the kids while Josh sleeps in a little bit before work. Yesterday I was up at 5, today 7. And you wonder why I go to bed rather early??? Otherwise I just wouldn't make it through my exhausting days with the kids.

I've been looking and responding to a person on the Riverview boards, about baptism and Catholism. I think everyone here knows about my husband as a former Catholic, and I made a study of it before we got married. There are quite a few very touchy issues with Catholics. This doesn't pertain to all Catholics, but most....

1. Don't say "saved" to them, they have a negative connotation of it, because at least once in their life, some Baptist or evangelist came up to them and asked them that fateful question, Are you saved?
2. Baptism at birth is still baptism to them, although it isn't their choice. Most protestants, (minus the hierarchical faiths, Lutheran etc.) view these baptisms as "dedications" of the baby to the church.
3. Catholism vs. Christianity. Most Catholics consider themselves Christians, when there are two different meanings to this word. 1. Christian itself means to believe in Christ. 2. Christian to a protestant is about having Christ as your personal savior. Two totally different things, and Catholics are oblivious to it, because they won't discuss being saved! The English language is full of these ridiculous idiocities, with one word having several meanings. The same thing happens when protestants say saved. Catholics say they are saved because they believe Christ is their savior. No wonder we are screwed up. I wonder if other languages have this same problem.
4. Questioning their faith and how Mary and the saints come into play. They usually look at you like you are stupid, and most protestants blow this out of proportion. The saints and Mary are merely ways to pray without directly bothering God (not meant to be offensive). You ask Saint Christopher to help you with your travels, because he is the saint of lost travelers. I stand corrected, (joshology) you are asking the saints to intercede on your behalf to God. Because God blessed them with powers, (2 miracles equal sainthood in Catholism) they are asked to intercede to God, it's like a more help with prayer kind of thing.

Isn't it funny how different the "Christian" (ones who believe in Christ) faiths are? I wonder somedays why I ever got mixed up in this. They weren't kidding that the divorce rates were skyrocketing because of mix-faith marriages. Lucky for our marriage, we more depend on each other to get through our faiths rather than at each other's throats.

Although we did start to fight about it this morning......then said this is ridiculous, we already realize the differences between faiths, putting in on paper is not a fighting matter.

How do you get around these blind attacks that separate our faiths? We all believe in one God, and we all worship the same God. Why is it so hard to accept others with different faiths? Because our standing point of our beliefs are a strong indication of who you are? Is it really a stereotype? I think it is. Oh, you're Catholic. Oh, you're non-denomational, you can't even decide what "type" of faith you are. Really people! Grow up! I don't care. Same God. God doesn't look down at us and separates the Catholics from the Lutherans and determines that one is good and the other is better. At least we believe there is an omnipotent being! The athetists have a stronger foothold because their "faith" (meaning no faith, just fate) has no divisions. They don't fight about not having a God. So why should we fight about having one?

I just started reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller and I like what he says about humans in general. Parenthesis mine.

"We have to be taught to be good (as children). It doesn't come completely natural. In my mind, that's a flaw in the human condition."

Maybe that's something to take into consideration when we talk about one ultimate faith. It isn't possible. God's goal in revelations is everyone believing in God in one moment. It just doesn't matter what "religion" you are, as long as you believe in Christ and His word. That's all we got.