This is not directed at anyone here, but in general, I have never understood how it is anything but hypocritical for practicing Christians to have premarital sex and act like it's okay and not a violation of Christian teachings and morals.

I think 90% of the Christians I've ever encountered pick and choose what rules they want to follow, and I don't get that.

I'd agree with you, but I don't want to come off as judgmental.

I'm not sure about acting okay - I'm fully aware whenever I'm doing anything outside of Christian teachings and morals.

For me at least, it's more trying to live as good a life as I can within those teaching and morals. I know I'm not living perfectly within those rules, but I also know it would be impossible for me to live completely within those teachings. I do what I can and I'll answer for it when it's all said and done. I just try to live the best life that I can and try to be the best person that I can.

I know that doesn't make me an perfect Christian, but I can't change who I am.

LOL, good point. I don't want to sound judgmental at all, and I hope I don't. I'm not Christian and therefore don't give a rat's ass about Christian teachings or whether anyone follows them.

I suffer from a weird sort of what I call "spiritual perfectionism" where I feel as if I shouldn't call myself a follower of any specific religious doctrine unless I'm going to make a serious effort to comply with all of the teachings/rules/morals of said religious doctrine. That's just me, and I know most people don't feel the same way. For now, I'm a non-practicing quasi-Buddhist, LOL.

I agree with you - that's why I explored so many different religions before I "chose" one. I once heard the expression "cafeteria Catholic" and found that amusing! Why be part of a religion where you have to pick & chose which values you agree with & which you don't. Why bother?

I am Catholic, but I don't agree with the doctrine 100% or the teachings.
Just as when America was founded people used the Bible to say women were subserviant and not as important as the men I feel that perhaps my religion has not developed to where it should be.

I believe in birth control. If a family cannot financially afford a child they should try to avoid it, otherwise they place an undue burden on themselves and ultimately the rest of society (at least in places like America where we have Welfare).
That is just an example.

Not only that but I also take into account that the bible was written when women were married at 12 and people died at 40. That isn't how life is now. I am not saying the same principles don't apply, but at the same time this is not the same world.

I wouldn't say I pick and choose, I love my religion and my faith, however there is NO religion that I can agree with 100% and short of starting "Sarahism" I find that I can most agree with and follow the doctrine within Catholicism... that is my choice.

I have a hard time understanding people that don't have any faith- what guides their morals? If you were to have a country of people that had NO faith whatsoever where would they turn to in order to say this is right and this is wrong? You can say people just know or use common sense, but that isn't necessarily true- seeing as how a psychopaths common sense isn't the same as mine.

Sorry for the ramblings, just sharing my experience.

Edited to add- I chose Catholicism when I was 21- after studying everything from Ba Hai, Judiasm, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and a dozen or so Christian religions.

In some ways I agree with this and in some ways i don't. Just like divorce and sex I think religion is a personal choice. I was raised Catholic and so there are certain parts of the religion that I still believe in, but there are also parts that I think are antiquated and ridiculous. So I would never say "I'm a practicing Catholic" but I also don't think it's anyone's business what I choose to believe. I believe in these values because they are important to me, not because they make me a "Catholic".

But if I walk around judging others and saying "I'm Christian/Catholic/Buddhist/etc." then I could see how someone's behavior would be put at issue. Luckily I couldn't care less about whether someone is having premarital sex or any of that so no one should ever be analyzing my choices...lol

I wanted to say this, but like honeychile said, I didn't want to come off as judgmental. I've gone to my church for about 8 years, and have grown up around a bunch of those kids (even though i rarely talk to them). I decided to join one of the college youth groups that the church has and found myself surrounded by the kids I grew up with. Well, we went to Applebees one day and everyone just started talking about different things, and the subject of sex came up. I was surprised that 90% of the people (even the pastor's daughter---i suppose) were sexually active. I hate to admit it, but it did change the attitude I had of them...not necessarily in a bad way, but I pretty much thought the same thing that Valkyrie wrote. If your a "Christian" and try to live in a Godly way, how could u go off and freely talk about ur sexual escapades and think its ok? Especially since I'm a new person, maybe they thought I was sexually active as well?!

I also believe that if you don't really need to find a specific religion (I.E. Catholicism, Evangelism, Presbyterianism, Mormonism, Lutheranism, etc). As long as you have God in your heart, believe that Jesus is his son who came down to earth and died for our sins....and just try to live a Godly way (and not just by doing good deeds, but trying to live the way God says through his Word--the bible) then your all good. I dont think you necessarily have to go to a specific "church."

Everything you list is a branch of Christianity, which is a specific religion.

Totally off the sex/divorce topic, but I find this so odd. I hear of so many Catholics who say there are lots of things they don't agree with, but they "choose" it anyway. Now, I understand it might be a little hard to decide "Never mind, Jesus isn't the savior" and convert to a non-Christian religion - though I know people do. But often the things that Catholics don't "like" about their religion are things I think of as being more "liberal". So I guess I often wonder what it is that the other, more liberal denominations DO stand for that the Catholic folks don't like. Hmmm, GeelyPenguin would be a good mind to pick about this...:)

Now, I could be TOTALLY wrong here because I am not catholic, BUT looking at it from that view wouldn't both premarital sex and divorce be considered Mortal sin, therefore placing them at the same level of "badness" ?


I've discussed this with my friend who is catholic, and this is how she feels, and I'd be willing to bet other catholics do as well.
I think, for the most part catholic people who disagree with the more "conservative" parts of their faith don't find something "offensive" about other, more "liberal" protestant branches of christianity.... (and some branches are JUST as conservative as catholicism) They LIKE the other parts of being catholic, the rituals and ceremonies (communion, saying the rosary...) are really beautiful, and most protestant faiths have done away with those aspects of religion.

i think a lot - maybe even most - people are not in absolute concordance with a singular religious doctrine. one ideology or religion is never enough to encompass all of the choices in every situation imaginable and unimaginable. what your hypocritic divorcee friend is laying on you may be true for her and hers; but not for you and others (and miami vice versa.)

Sarahism or Sarahdox Catholicism sounds like a great religion. I'd convert if I hadn't found Tulei Almighty through Tuleism. just remember, "Tibi seris, tibi metis" is Latin for something in Latin.

Sorry ilovemyglo - but this pretty much sums it up. But they don't have the right to judge you - sounds like they should spend more time in the self-examination mode.

Ah...that's right, I didnt catch my mistake..i'm sorry. I guess I should have just said "different sectors" instead of "different religions."

But everything else after that is still the same:

As long as you have God in your heart, believe that Jesus is his son who came down to earth and died for our sins....and just try to live a Godly way (and not just by doing good deeds, but trying to live the way God says through his Word--the bible) then your all good.

Right, that's the idea I've heard before - though I don't know of any protestant faith that doesn't take communion?! Is there one? But I just don't understand how cermonies and rituals can be more of a deciding factor than, for instance, a stance on ordaining women or condemning homosexuals to hell.

BTW, I promise I'm not judging, just wondering! :) AND, my father's side of the family is uber Irish Catholic, so it's not like I haven't been exposed to my fair share of it.