Especially in regard to marriage, catholics and non catholics come here to say "I want to marry a muslim, hindu, other religion etc etc and I want to know If I could marry by catholic rules in the catholic church". Some of them even say that they are not practicing catholics and don't want to be, and don't want to raise their children as cathoics. What I find disturbing is the trend to tell them that it is all possible to do that in the catholic church, and ignore the seriousness of this matter. What I see here is just an insult to the catholic church and God himself. This is not something that is of little importance.

The next thing would be a satanist coming here to marry a catholic or the other way around in the catholic church by God's laws, so that they could enjoy legal status and please some of their friends or relatives, and be responsible to prevent a new life from knowing God. It is through these things the catholic forum seems to act like an anto-catholic forum. I just don't understand why this is an ongoing process.

Is the purpose to please those who come here or to please God and help them?

-- Abraham T (lijothengil@yahoo.com), July 18, 2003

Answers

Response to Why do people come here asking help on anto-catholic things and why do catholics gladly help them?

The purpose is to convey the truth according to the teaching of the Catholic Church. The truth is, the Catholic Church does allow for interfaith marriages according to certain strict guidelines. And so, that is what people are told when they inquire.

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), July 18, 2003.

Response to Why do people come here asking help on anto-catholic things and why do catholics gladly help them?

Interfaith marriage is not the problem. The problem is, they want to know the information so that they could do it in a certain fasion - the catholic way, but does not care any more. That is one major problem. Most of the answers given are straightforward, but one more step needs to be taken - to inform them of what they are asking and in some cases, the seriousness of the matter.

-- Abraham T (lijothengil@yahoo.com), July 18, 2003.

Response to Why do people come here asking help on anto-catholic things and why do catholics gladly help them?

The issue of divorce and Declarations of Nullity (writs of nullity, "annulments") are one of the most controversial and misunderstood processes in the Church.

People have left the Church believing that they were in a perpetual, unresolvable state of sin, needlessly. This has changed in recent years, as people have become more educated.

If people are trying to do the right thing and have sought out this forum in order to try, we can't help them enough.

There are plenty of lost souls out there that need help.

A journey begins with one step. If we can take one sinner, point that person in the right direction and ultimately save a soul, my God, isn't all of this worth it.

We may be greeted in heaven by a reader that we may never have known.

God bless,

-- john placette (jplacette@catholic.org), July 18, 2003.

Response to Why do people come here asking help on anto-catholic things and why do catholics gladly help them?

Because everyone is human!!!!

-- Steve (spirrottina@hotmail.com), July 21, 2003.

Response to Why do people come here asking help on anto-catholic things and why do catholics gladly help them?

Hi Paul,

In you statement "The purpose is to convey the truth according to the teaching of the Catholic Church...." Aren't we as christians suppose to bring people to Christ teachings and what the bible has to say?

Steven

-- Steven (kantarsmovie@hotmail.com), July 25, 2003.

Response to Why do people come here asking help on anto-catholic things and why do catholics gladly help them?

Dear Steven,

What the Bible has to say is this: that the Church is the foundation of truth; that the Holy Spirit guides the Church to all truth; that he who listens to the Church listens to God; that whatsoever the Church defines as binding teaching is bound in heaven.

What the Bible does NOT say is that we are to try to define our own truth by personal reading of the Bible. The result of that approach is denominationalism - the exact opposite of what Jesus desired for His Church - that all might be ONE, even as He and His Father are ONE.

-- Paul (PaulCyp@cox.net), July 25, 2003.