Ann, You're making good points. For those who want to stay in the church, the only way to get out of a bad marriage is through the annulment process. If the person does not agree with the annulment process, he or she would have to consider leaving the church. However, there are those who want to stay in the church and don't agree with the annulment process. I believe this last group is the one that Pope Francis is addressing. And, the archbishop is addressing the same group as well. For Catholics who are faithful, the threat of losing heaven is still a strong message to toe the line when it comes to the authority of the church regarding faith and morals.
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <awoelflebater@...> wrote : ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <no_re...@yahoogroups.com> wrote : Marriage is difficult enough (so I hear) without the Catholic Church barging in and laying down the law. Such a complex issue - religion and how to incorporate it into your life. Religious doctrine can be so rigid and it can alienate as much as it can create those who possess narrow tolerance levels, both for each other as well as for those who don't practice whatever religion they embrace. Change (divorce) is a natural flow of life as people grow and evolve although I am not saying that every marriage will or should end in divorce. Life flows, religious beliefs often do not - they are written in stone. This creates a problem because often the religious law has no organic relationship to what is actually happening amidst the fluidity, the organic nature of life. Consequently, the religious doctrine fails to really address the people's real-life issues. Then, you have one of two things: the person abandons their religious beliefs or they adhere to them and often live in unhappiness or inner conflict. Marriage annulments are often absurd - they are just a church-created validation for why a marriage should be dissolved but often the reason for the annulment has no basis in truth or reality. I think two people can figure out on their own why they might want to become un-married without a church annulment or the threat of losing their 'rights' as Catholics. The old mortal sin shtick and fire and brimstone rhetoric is not taken quite as seriously in this century. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <jr_esq@...> wrote : Feste, The Church has become legalistic because of its interpretation of marriage in the Bible. It has determined that marriage cannot be broken. This has become a stumbling for many church members. As such, they either leave the church or ignore the rules set by the church. They remain married in the church, but have live-in girl friends or common-law wives. In technical terms, they should be excommunicated by the church. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <no_re...@yahoogroups.com> wrote : I'm staggered by the lack of understanding shown by the Catholic Church in Philly of how intimate relationships between people work. What he says is ridiculous, completely clueless. You would have to be equally clueless to take any notice of it. My prediction is that no one will. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <authfriend@...> wrote : Or move to another diocese. This is just for the Philadelphia archdiocese, John. Did you read the article? ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <jr_esq@...> wrote : Easier said than done. If this is the case, a lot of Catholics will leave the church. Philadelphia archbishop: Divorced Catholics must avoid sex https://www.yahoo.com/news/philadelphia-archbishop-divorced-catholics-must-avoid-sex-144533896.html https://www.yahoo.com/news/philadelphia-archbishop-divorced-catholics-must-avoid-sex-144533896.html Philadelphia archbishop: Divorced Catholics must avo... https://www.yahoo.com/news/philadelphia-archbishop-divorced-catholics-must-avoid-sex-144533896.html PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The head of the Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia is closing the door opened by Pope Francis to letting civilly remarried Catholics rec... View on www.yahoo.com https://www.yahoo.com/news/philadelphia-archbishop-divorced-catholics-must-avoid-sex-144533896.html Preview by Yahoo
