The Top 40

..... and that is why I converted to Roman Catholicism in 2011, after having been raised Episcopalian.

Hale Adams
Pikesville, People's still-mostly-Democratic Republic of Maryland

Sorry to hear that Hale.

Any rational person eschews organize religion as a corrupt cluster of prelates, bishops, friars, and other assorted 'dignitaries' gathered to fleece the flock. In exchange for demanded tithes, one gets imaginary dispensations and homilies from the mists of the liturgy.

To be an Atheist is to admit to insanity. No one with an iota of rationality can look around at the universe and say "This came out of a Crackerjack box."

Hale, if you need or want a better position than mine, you need to ask someone with a greater insight. Ask Gerard.

Ask no one for anything.
Simple observation proves what there is.
Men's words do not change reality.

One of the weirdest things I have ever seen was an Episcopalian priest going through the motions at a funeral...with no faith in him at all. Scary shit.

The Episcopal Church has been apostate for several years and for several reasons. They hide behind a progressive pseudo-righteousness of mint and rue that says, "But we love and accept all, as Christ did. We will continue to love everyone!" The lie of this is that any others within the Anglican Communion who do not murmur lame assent to this straw man are labeled as haters and bigots, intolerant. Meanwhile, TEC continues to sue parishes into penury. They do not wish to have the buildings and sanctuaries in order to fill them with moonbats, they wish to let them stand idle until they rot or are sold to a porn-industry crony who funnels them donations on a regular basis. They pout and point at those who resist being torn apart, who only want to disassociate, and will sue, appeal, sue, appeal and sue again until the parishoners are exhausted and tapped out and wish to get on with their Christian life without being forced to think about gay sex and marriage, talk about it, and continually raise up legal defenses against it.

TEC leadership is filled with vicious parasites that will gladly consume good Christians and their parish homes for no other reason than spite. That judges are the only stop-gap is frightening. That TEC has never contributed to the purchase, maintenance, or oversight of parish properties and yet insists they own them through a later agreement of association is much like a second-wife demanding the entire portion of the estate after she whores herself to the point of disgusting degradation and the husband begs her to leave him alone and in peace.

Vermont Woodchuck, Thank you (I think) for your condolences. :-) My dislike for the Episcopal Church is not as visceral as Joan's -- I stopped going to church on a regular basis soon after I went off to college in 1980, and so lost touch with the various goings-on in the church. I knew that female priests were a "done deal", and the Church leadership wasn't always very admirable -- back around 1978, our bishop leaned on our parish priest to transfer a $400,000 gift to the parish (given to us by a wealthy widow upon her death) from the parish's bank accounts to the diocese's bank accounts for "safe-keeping". A stronger priest might have told the bishop to take a long walk off a short pier, but our priest was compromised somehow, and the bishop used that as leverage on the poor man. The vestry tried to fight it, but lost. Over the years, I had thought of going back, but between women as priests, and then the high-profile case of that openly-practicing homosexual bishop in New England, I stayed away. In 2009 and '10, I was going through a rather low spot (no particular crisis, just a general malaise) and out of curiosity I wandered into the Cathedral here in Baltimore and, like a tumbleweed caught in a fence, I never left. Am I a "good" Catholic? No. I have a hard time wrapping my head around this business of venerating Mary, and I haven't gone to confession yet, like I should have when I converted. (My family on both sides has been Protestant since the days of Henry VIII -- there's just a lot of things about Catholicism that "don't compute".) So, why do I stay? Why do I keep going to Mass, even though the priests would probably scold me for my (unconfessed-to) manifold sins and wickednesses? (Lord, do I miss the pomp and majesty of the old Book of Common Prayer!) I stick with it, hoping to understand it all someday, because the Roman Catholic Church still stands for *something* (pace Ann Barnhardt). Is it flawed? Yes. Is it in danger of becoming a new Babylon? Maybe. But it is at least worth fighting for, to preserve it as best we can in the face of the forces of politically-correct darkness. It seems that too much of mainstream Protestantism is too far gone to salvage. If I understand you correctly, Vermont Woodchuck, you find fault with me over falling for a scam called "organized religion". I think it was Chesterton who noted that when a man ceases to believe in God, he doesn't believe in nothing -- he'll believe in *anything*. "Organized religion" isn't necessary to belief in God, but it is a help for those of us who need instruction and a routine to cling to -- it helps keep demons great and small at bay. I understand Mencken's cynicism, and why you would echo it, but not all of us are as strong (or as weak?) as he was. I also find it amusing that people complain that the Church asks (I repeat: ASKS) for a tenth of one's income to keep the Church and its good works going, yet they don't bat an eye at how government at all levels want (in total) a third, or half, or even more of one's income. And God help you if you refuse their DEMANDS, not requests. To be an atheist is not necessarily an admission of insanity. Yes, Madalyn Murray O'Hair was something of an unpleasant nutcase, but Steven C. Den Beste at Chizumatic (formerly of "USS Clueless" fame) is about as calm and rational as they come, and he styles himself an atheist. As he puts it, "better hard truths than comfortable lies", but he's a reasonable and sensible guy. Mistaken in some respects, but he's definitely not insane.

As for asking Gerard, I'm sure he understands human nature far better than I do -- he's been around a few more years than I have (70 versus 54), and his experience of life is FAR wider than mine. But I suspect that even he would back away from some of Mencken's assertions.

My two cents' worth, as usual.

Hale Adams,
Pikesville, People's still-mostly-Democratic Republic of Maryland

Ack! The formatting in my comment went away! Sorry for the "wall of text". >_

Hale

"....he doesn't believe in nothing -- he'll believe in *anything*."

=============
Obviously it is YOU that will believe anything.

"....those of us who need instruction and a routine to cling to...."
==============

By far the most repulsive thing I have read in quite awhile.

I'm disappointed, but relieved to know the truth, I guess.

Gee, thanks for the gratuitous slap in the face, ghostsniper.

*yeesh*

Hale Adams
Pikesville, People's still-mostly-Democratic Republic of Maryland