"Catholics Need Not Apply"

[RedFeather]

No offense, but I find that just a bit ridiculous. I'm not Christian, though I know a lot about the religion. I find it sad how two religions which are both Christian (but with some conflicting beliefs) are so determined to snub one another. It makes me sick. Last I knew, religion was about people's spiritual journeys, and beliefs about such, but the thing is, it doesn't matter what your religion is, or isn't. You can find someone who has the same religious beliefs as you, but everyone has differences, if you look hard enough. So if you can't accept those... just buzz off. You don't have to believe them, just accept the fact that everyone has a right to their beliefs, no matter how silly they might seem to you.

Although, I personally find it hard to believe that any human could be "sinless." Take it how you want.

[Stouthorn]

True, Minstelae.

The "sinless" bit is sort of a minor religious point, in my opinion.

And there are many efforts by the Vatican and some protestant groups to affect greater unity among Christian groups. A lot has been accomplished. A lot still needs to be done.

[RedFeather]

Yeah, I've always seen the "sinless" thing as minor, too. I mean, is it really a valid excuse for tearing people down?

[Vorchia]

Would it not be logical if every newborn could start with a clean slate, assumed innocent until proven guilty and everything?
I mean if I carry ALL the sins of my ancestors all the way back to the hypothetical Eve woman, I'd be a lot worse then I thought I was! Also each subsequent generation would be more sinful then the previous one?
It'd mean we're becoming an exponentially worse kind of people with each generation? Ok that was just a weird thought, I know.

[Stouthorn]

According to Catholic tradition, you do not carry the sin of all your ancestors, but being human, you carry the taint of "Original Sin" -- the act, originally believed to be the eating of the Fruit in Eden, that caused man to fall from grace.

I say "orginally believed" because what with the decline of Biblical literalism...yeah.

Anyhow the sacrament of Baptism, in addition to being a symbolic death and rebirth and an initiation into Christianity, is intended to "cleanse" one of Original Sin. Originally, Baptism was undergone by adults, being old enough to reason and choose their own faith and thus choose whether or not they wanted to be initiated into Christianity or not. The tradition of baptising infants comes from a long history of infant mortality: the fear was that if a child died without being cleansed of Original Sin, the child's soul would be damned to Hell. This belief no longer persists -- at least, not as strongly or widely -- but the tradition remains.

[Azonthus]

vorchia said:

Would it not be logical if every newborn could start with a clean slate, assumed innocent until proven guilty and everything?

That's where the Age of Accountability comes in to play. I don't have my Bible with me at the moment (hey, my backpack weighs 45 lbs already, I'm not adding anything else to it to make it even heavier) so I can't give you the exact verses right now. I'll try to remember to do so later. Anyway, the age of accountability is when a child realizes the difference between right and wrong and makes decisions on what actions to take based on that knowlege. If a baby was to die, it would be an innocent and would go straight to Heaven. It's only after having reached the age of accountability that they would go to Hell after dieing if they had not accepted God's forgiveness.

[Barry]

Thank you for that info Azonthus.
I've been wondering about that too.

I'd studied about it in Bible study long ago and,
wasn't sure about it.

[RedFeather]

admin said:

vorchia said:

Would it not be logical if every newborn could start with a clean slate, assumed innocent until proven guilty and everything?

I don't have my Bible with me at the moment (hey, my backpack weighs 45 lbs already, I'm not adding anything else to it to make it even heavier) so I can't give you the exact verses right now.

Lol, you're such a sinner. (Just kidding, btw...)

[Stouthorn]

Exactly, the Age of Accountability, also known as the Age of Reason. I believe the Catholic Church places it at seven years of age, but I'm not sure.