- Apr 9, 2002
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I just wanted to thank the Catholics on this board for being good friends and good companions. I disagree with Catholics on many, many, points of doctrine and practice, but for the two years or so I've been hanging around here, I have been met consistently with a warm welcome and with friendly answers to my questions.
I continue to respectfully disagree with some Catholic positions, and to be merely unconvinced by some others. That's as may be. When I came here, I thought it was strange that there were groups that teach that Catholics "aren't really Christians". It no longer seems quirky; now it seems terrible.
I don't know that there's anything we can do to heal the wounds left in the Body of Christ by the centuries of conflict and mutual distrust between different churches... But I'd like to start by asking that people consider that peaceful discussion is a possibility for us. It can be done. I have asked dozens of questions, some on very touchy issues, in this forum. I have been met with kindness, respect, and careful attention to detail.
I have observed that, often, when a thread asking about Catholic beliefs goes sour, it has to do with one of a few specific problems. I would like to comment on these, in the hopes that perhaps others can come to share my positive experience.
One of these is a tendency to begin with an accusatory tone. This is unnecessary, and harmful. It must simply be avoided.
Another is a tendency to refuse to accept the answers offered. The intent is clearly to reveal "flaws" in the Catholic position by trying to find contradictions in the way questions are answered. However, this tends to be done in an inflammatory manner. I have consistently found that, if an apparent conflict is considered carefully, a question which will reveal the reconciliation can generally be found. Ask in love, assuming that the answers will be honest. If you do not see how an answer can work, continue to assume that it is honest, and see if you can find the problem in your understanding, before blaming the answer.
Finally, it is most crucial to remember that a set of beliefs cannot always be judged fairly by comparing it with other beliefs. If I reason from the beliefs I see as foundational, I can find problems with any doctrine other than the one I accept; this is not a flaw in the other doctrine, it is a difference between the foreign doctrine and my own. This is not a logical problem; it is a question of premises, which must be evaluated on their own merits, not by trying to reason to them from other premises.
Anyway, I would like to reassert my thanks to my Catholic brothers and sisters on this board. You have been kind beyond reason, and it pleases me to know you.
I continue to respectfully disagree with some Catholic positions, and to be merely unconvinced by some others. That's as may be. When I came here, I thought it was strange that there were groups that teach that Catholics "aren't really Christians". It no longer seems quirky; now it seems terrible.
I don't know that there's anything we can do to heal the wounds left in the Body of Christ by the centuries of conflict and mutual distrust between different churches... But I'd like to start by asking that people consider that peaceful discussion is a possibility for us. It can be done. I have asked dozens of questions, some on very touchy issues, in this forum. I have been met with kindness, respect, and careful attention to detail.
I have observed that, often, when a thread asking about Catholic beliefs goes sour, it has to do with one of a few specific problems. I would like to comment on these, in the hopes that perhaps others can come to share my positive experience.
One of these is a tendency to begin with an accusatory tone. This is unnecessary, and harmful. It must simply be avoided.
Another is a tendency to refuse to accept the answers offered. The intent is clearly to reveal "flaws" in the Catholic position by trying to find contradictions in the way questions are answered. However, this tends to be done in an inflammatory manner. I have consistently found that, if an apparent conflict is considered carefully, a question which will reveal the reconciliation can generally be found. Ask in love, assuming that the answers will be honest. If you do not see how an answer can work, continue to assume that it is honest, and see if you can find the problem in your understanding, before blaming the answer.
Finally, it is most crucial to remember that a set of beliefs cannot always be judged fairly by comparing it with other beliefs. If I reason from the beliefs I see as foundational, I can find problems with any doctrine other than the one I accept; this is not a flaw in the other doctrine, it is a difference between the foreign doctrine and my own. This is not a logical problem; it is a question of premises, which must be evaluated on their own merits, not by trying to reason to them from other premises.
Anyway, I would like to reassert my thanks to my Catholic brothers and sisters on this board. You have been kind beyond reason, and it pleases me to know you.
