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Re: Calling all Catholics » Dinah

Posted by Flipsactown on April 22, 2004, at 2:27:54

In reply to Re: Calling all Catholics » Miss Honeychurch, posted by Dinah on April 21, 2004, at 23:48:20

I think the "guilt" trip Miss Honeychurch is referring to, from my recollection of pre-Vatican II, is the God fearing Catholic versus the God loving Catholic. Post Vatican II is the Catholic who thinks of God as loving and forgiving rather than to be feared. Also, if you sinned like skipping Sunday Mass, or eating meat on Friday or not going to confession, that YOU ARE SO DOOMED to go to Hell. That is where the guilt trip lies.

God Bless.
FST


> I've never understood the association between guilt and Catholicism either. I grew up post Vatican II as well. But I don't know any older people who are consumed by guilt either. In fact, to my rather more puritan Mormon soul (I was raised half Mormon, half Catholic), the Catholics I knew seemed absolutely carefree. They didn't appear to worry about sin overmuch because they knew they could confess and receive absolution. For many their faith brought immense comfort, for others it was more rote and formulaic. But I don't think I knew a single soul who was consumed by guilt.
>
> And I grew up in Catholic schools among Catholic schoolgirls who in my not unbiased opinion could have used a bit more guilt. I'm speaking of the individuals who taunted me, of course. Not Catholic girls in general.
>
> Hmmm.... Maybe not completely correct. There may have been a very few people suffering from scrupulosity, but that is an OCD variant, and I don't think you can blame it on the Catholic Church. And there were one or two people who had some serious problems where guilt would be appropriate, and they turned to religion to cleanse themselves. But that was also true of other denominations. Not specific to Catholics.
>
> Perhaps there is a cultural component. Perhaps it depends as much on what part of the world/country/diocese you are part of as it does on the faith as a whole.
>
> I suppose the Catholic church does place a bit more emphasis on "works" than some Protestant religions, but since it also incorporates clear rituals for the forgiveness of sins, I don't think that in itself would increase guilt.
>
> So, the short answer embedded in this long post is that I'm not sure why Catholicism and guilt are connected in some people's minds.


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poster:Flipsactown thread:337744
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faith/20040408/msgs/338669.html