I hope most people realize that Buddhism, as it is practiced in it's countries of origin, is very much like Catholicism, and the results of the religious practices of each of these world traditions result in spiritual expansion which are commeasurate and equal. Rules, strictures, and applications are consistant across the board, like any any study in secular society. ie. just like schoolfrom kinder garden to Ph.D. territory. There is a parallel to the damages and insufficiencies in all worldly structures. The mystical body is a collective miracle, and the heart is the field of activity, anywhere and everywhere, in a sangha or a congregation, or a school or business, at home or abroad, the manifestations of transcendant, altruistic devotion to a higher, or omniscient & omnipresent force are evident in the fields of their respective practitioners. It is very tragic that the heirarchies in most tax-free religious zones are a mix of opportunists, and hyper- compensitory do gooders with self serving intentions and miniscule ammounts of self knowledge, which ironicly, makes them secular imposters with no spiritual agency. And the many faceted hypocrites and corrupters of churches are causing devoted spiritual seekers much harm and suffering, and by thought and actions and that extends into a quantum reality, which obstructs and weakens the faith of the devoted people who are kicked when they,re down. Unless, if they resist not evil, they will be strengthened by the trials and tribulations wrought upon them by their respective pristcraft. I was refused Holy Communion on a Holy Day by a commandment breaking power and control guy.of doom. He made a foul spectacle of a sacred ritual and profaned his alter and provided sadistic entertainment for his silly sychophants and random parishioners. I was given an unconsecrated host and this soul-killing was the result of gossip, slander, jealousy, and spying etc. I was not informed of this pre-emptive attack , which was planned and employed marxist activist techniques against me in church. That really SUCKS!.It was very disturbing and humiliating to be falsely accused, in secret, of being a Satanist. It was a nightmare and the horror of it was that I was sitting next to two satanists, both of whom received consecrated hosts and ran out the back door of thechurch. . They were the last two people to receive the ritually consecrated hosts. I was treated with contempt and deceived into making a public mockery of the most important sacrament in our Church. . I was planning to talk with the priest after Mass was over, which was even more disturbing: I was interrogated and accused like a criminal, apropo of nothing but lies. This plotting and the strategic set up was carried out by many and I was clueless, and disturbed in spirit. Had to pray and fast to realize what he did and I was stonewalled when I tried ti discuss it reasonably. All questions were answered with lies and with an attitude of smug and wreckless entitlement. And the terrors of litigation- were the reptilian response of cooporate godliness! yuk....caused the panicky bishop and secretaries to do the avoidance with faithful-like polite-lie. WTF!!! MF. ing priest humiliated me more than my imagination was capaple of, until now. and I thank him for it. Now. After a massively shitty week I'm back on my game. Thanks for hearing my blast and phemy!!! God is Love. forgive assholes by any means necessary.... yeah... drugs alcohol,,,too muh ice cream and beer and then.... Voil'e... forgiven forgotten ...ha ha ha . I prayed too.. and fasted, even. I was desperately hurt.and that was serious work I was forced to do. Alchemical Jesus! Mystical Lord! Peace and happiness to everyone who dARES TO READ THIS RANTING HYTSRERICAL B...ch ! Me! NO PRIEST IS GONNA WRECK TOO MUCH OF MY TIME.. . TO HELL WITH THAT B.S.!!! AMEN! CIAO

I remember Catechism! Well not, not really. I remember I had to go, (it was Wednesday's) Until I said Fuck it and started skipping it. And I don't know how my Mom got me through the rest of that shit afterwards. I don't really remember anything but I did 1st Communion. There was more shit after that, that I skipped out on as much as possible too.

And to think, she wanted all of her boys to be priests. In a church that she could never find what she was looking for ......forgiveness. A life of guilt, self pity and denial.

I really shouldn't blame the church. She could have left. Maybe the church was just a symptom.....

Yes, the only real mix and match type of Christian church is C of E. You don’t even have to believe in Jesus. They are great for a chat and home made cakes and cups of tea.

I would endorse them any day if you fancy going to church but not having the expectation of orthodoxy that goes with it. High Church is brilliant theatre as well. You can even take communion if you want without being threatened with Hell for not being confirmed!

I demanded to be excommunicated in 1983 live on my Dial An Atheist recorded telephone line....priest pretended to like us Atheists then compared gawd to George Washington asking me how I knew both existed.....I corrected the fool....only George existed because we still have his wooden teeth.....zero evidence exists for geebush jeehobah ghostholes or alleged vaginal virgin births in dirty donkey stables....he hung up the phone

My great grandfather was excommunicated too - for the simple reason he had two daughters. The first married a non-Catholic (i.e., a protestant). The priest warned him not to let his second daughter marry out of the faith. My great grandfather responded by saying, he would not care as long as his daughter married someone she loved and who loved her! Needless to say, the second daughter also married out of the faith. And the priest returned to repeat his warning and ask why the marriage was not stopped? Following a heated argument, evidently my great grand father pushed the priest off the front porch -- and he was excommunicated. Found this out when my uncle was researching our family background - he and a younger priest were looking through some old record books when an older priest asked what they were doing. When the older priest heard the family name, he slammed the book shut and ordered my uncle to leave immediately and never return. Family members still in the area told my uncle the story to answer his obvious questions. Do not understand why the church should care so much about something so trivial...

Sex is only for reproduction...no one is supposed to enjoy it!

Unfortunately, in my area it was hard to get excommunicated. I know I tried. I even got into a writing match with the local Archbishop. I accused him of breaking the Johnson amendments and should have to pay taxes. He replied and we went back and forth. Still no excommunication, damn.

Churches tend to ignore the population explosion and encourage their followers to have as many children as they possibly can. I am very familiar with this from having been raised in the Moron (Mormon) church. The reason for this is simple. The easiest way to convert people is to brainwash them as children. And the more converts, the more money they rake in. Their breed creed is all about greed.

Each individual Catholic church is lead by their priest and in turn influenced by their bishop. Which is why some Catholics have a pretty blasse, for religion, experience and others suffer greatly. My first full time teaching gig was at a Catholic school. My insurance from them also covered my vasectomy - it did not cover our birth control and my ex used Planned Parenthood. That was 87. From what I read now, they have become more "evangelical" like everywhere pretty much.

Good on you and your father.
I learned that my grandmother was excommunicated by the catholic church for
"witchcraft". She never, ever said she was a witch, because she wasn't.
I'm so proud of her!

Your father should not have made it known that he had a vasectomy.

Mind control is fundamental to all religions, the Catholic church just implements it more successfully than most of the other Christian denominations.

I agree. The Catholic church has soooo many issues throughout their history. I was also 9-10 when I came to the realization it was all a farce. We didn't get a bus; we walked as a group from the school to CCD class. My 3rd grade catechism teacher was young and told us that we didn't need to take the bible literally. It set my mind spinning. If we didn't need to take it literally then did we have to believe it at all. I continued going to classes through confirmation but I was done after that. I felt bad for my mom. She needed to become Catholic to marry my dad and it was up to her to follow all the indoctrination of the 5 children. I know she didn't agree with everything but she did what was "required".

"For me the greatest deficit of organized religion is their compulsion toward exclusivity." Sadly they have to go that way, since it is the only thing they have to offer. If you believed in an all loving, fair and none exclusive god, then what would you need organized religion for ?