Quarrels over fish.

Over at fisheaters, the traditional Catholic forum when compared to the VII friendly CatholicAnswers, I've discovered all is not well, at least when it comes to those who are converting - to Orthodoxy. I've noticed more than few a posters express that if they had an Orthodox church near them it be very tempting to convert while a couple went through the conversion.

On a thread where the original poster said that she was thinking of leaving Catholicism due to her addiction to masturbation, one poster actually said to look into Orthodoxy. What's more disturbing is that no one actually really said to this poster that he was leading her astray from God, since it is the belief of the Catholic that Catholicism is the true church of God. Any other sect or denomination is a pale imitation if not an outright lie. So even in the trad community there is a little VII spirit, just in a different light. I suppose it's because Orthodoxy is seen as the closest thing to Catholicism in the eyes of the well-read trad Catholic. Still, I was expecting these types of Catholics to interject and say the famous belief that gets Protestants all in the piss: Catholicism is the one true church of God. Salvation outside of the Church is not possible.

Protestants take this as arrogant and their reading of "outside the Church" means those who do not believe in a God and/or live a very secular, sinful life.

What I gather from those on fisheaters, from those who converted to Orthodoxy, is that the Catholicism is riddled with convoluted apologetics, the issue with infallibility, the Church's dealings with sin (e.g. masturbation - in the Orthodox mind it's still a sin but it's much less serious when compared to a Catholic lens), and historical grievances. I'll confess I'm not familiar with Orthodoxy, but just on face value those who converted tend to act very Protestant when expressing their disagreement. I find this rather ironic.

Pacman, a poster at the site, posted a thread stating he was leaving Catholicism for Orthodoxy. The byproduct was 29 pages of debate on whether Orthodoxy is more "true" than Catholicism. I tend to read the entire thread to learn about his reasons for leaving and, ultimately, to learn a little more about his new denomination.

So instead of debating whether there is a God, at fisheaters the fight is over Orthodoxy vs Catholicism. If there's one thing both sides over at the forum agree upon is this: VII effects suck and modernism can go to hell.

In the end it's still sad. Not even the beloved Latin Mass, so revered in the trad community, was enough for these Catholics to Orthodox converts to stay. 

Reinvesting in my faith.

Easter Sunday has past and Christ has risen. I type that without feeling silly or strange. I type that with a much deeper appreciation and knowledge of Catholicism. If you asked me to say that out loud during my university years, or even my high school days, I'd feel somewhat strange. Within the next couple of days I'll be starting a post about how I came to where I am today with my faith.

People lose weight. They make promises to learn a new instrument or "be their true selves" - whatever that means. In the past couple of years I've started to take my faith more seriously. And I've also loss some weight (I'm nearing my high school weight).

Now, this is both unique and strange since my generation, especially those who were (sorta) raised Catholic, well, probably don't take their faith seriously. Whether they attended parochial schools till university or were products of the CCD system. They're are either non-religious/fallen away or, at best, cultural Catholics if not spiritual.

Being in your twenties while buckling down to get "in shape" for mass is the strange part. It's unique because it truly sets you apart - not "I'm non-binary and/or LGBT" outlier type, but truly unique in terms of transcendence. Even if you are non-binary or and/or LGBT subscribing to something that says no to your sexual urges is unique. Same goes for straights. When you're under-30 and have decided to reinvest in your faith in a traditional manner that's unique. That's interesting.

People will ask why. They'll ask what's the point. Both are good questions. Both I will try to answer in the up coming days.

"And be not conformed to this world; but be reformed in the newness of your mind, that you may prove what is the good, and the acceptable, and the perfect will of God."  

- Romans 12:2

My thoughts on Michael Voris' "Limiting God" video.

I'm glad for him. Not because he needed to do it, but because he told the people - at least in own mind - that needed to hear it: fellow Catholics and watchers of Church Militant. This video was directed to a specific group, not necessarily to the world.

He "came out clean" and repented. Now that's refreshing. He didn't want an applause; he wanted forgiveness for his sins and, it seems, he has learned from his mistakes. That's something rare even in the most gifted of us.

Does it make him self-loathing? Nope. I never sensed that. After all, he is right on what he says about same-sex attraction and, for the most part, has been very charitable. Take for instance this video.

There's no doubt the LGBT activists will label him self-loathing, but they're wrong - as always, even in this case.

This video doesn't make anything of what Voris said in the past invalid because he has proclaimed the faith like saying 2+2=4, though flawed he may be. And 2+2 does equal to 4.

I believe this confession should not deter or change any goals Church Militant, Voris' youtube channel, has set to accomplish. If anything, it should garner more support by the faithful. 

To be honest, I never completely liked the man's style of broadcast. I found it, well, militant but I understood his goal and therefore was charitable. But within his style I found a person who understood the teaching's of the Catholic faith more so than her opponents, the non-Catholics and the secularists. And as they say, the best conservatives are usually ex-liberals; in Voris case, the best Catholics are usually great sinners.

I hope Voris continues to call a spade a spade, both towards the Church, keeping it honest, and towards modernism.