Is belief in Catholic teaching about to be declared a mental illness?

[johnhp]

When you stop to consider the scope of Judaism then one can say that Judaic (religious) law was essentially the secular law of the ancient Jews. That is life in a theocratic order.

I think the ancient Judaic law predates Moses by several centuries by the way. If I remember correctly the book of Genesis has a setting of about 6,000 BC where Moses was in the era of 1400 BC.

There is no codification of law in Genesis.

[DougRich]

Generally speaking, we see as "normal" those things that our culture has taught us are normal; the same is true for things that our upbringing tells us are aberrant. If you saw someone lighting a small piece of rolled-up paper stuffed with leaves on fire, sticking it into their mouth and sucking the smoke into their lungs, and you'd never seen or heard of "smoking", you might have reason to doubt that person's sanity. If a person were to perform that action in a society where smoking was unknown, they might find themselves in custody and under clinical observation. The arguably inherent oddness of the behavior is lost to us, because it is so familiar.

We live in a society - and, for the most part, a world - where a belief in supernatural entities (including an all-powerful, intelligent deity), rewards and punishment in the afterlife, miraculous occurances, angels and demons, the efficacy of prayer, etc, are the norm. Because we've grown up with it - and perhaps mostly because we've grown up with it being identified as, and practically synonymous with, all things good and positive - Religion, as a concept and practice, does not seem all that odd to us...unless, of course, it's somebody else's religion, and involves universes emerging from a flower that grows from the navel of Krishna, or the like.

It's my personal belief that many religious people - in this country, mostly those identifying themselves as Christians - err when they attempt to convince others that their Faith is logical, or can be logically proven. Advocates of so-called Creation Science demand that God's signature be shown to be affixed to every particle of His creation - having apparently forgotten that faith is supposed to be the evidence of things not seen. The apostle Paul understood about being "a fool for Christ", and about the things of God being not of this world; too many folks, in my view, are unwilling to follow his example or his teaching in this matter. They want the State to promote and advertise their doctrines. They equate being ignored with being attacked. Their "success" at being Christians seemed tied, in their thinking, to how much noise they can make about it, and how much control they can exert over the lives of others in Christ's name.

[ivanm]

Generally speaking, we see as "normal" those things that our culture has taught us are normal; the same is true for things that our upbringing tells us are aberrant. If you saw someone lighting a small piece of rolled-up paper stuffed with leaves on fire, sticking it into their mouth and sucking the smoke into their lungs, and you'd never seen or heard of "smoking", you might have reason to doubt that person's sanity. If a person were to perform that action in a society where smoking was unknown, they might find themselves in custody and under clinical observation. The arguably inherent oddness of the behavior is lost to us, because it is so familiar.

We live in a society - and, for the most part, a world - where a belief in supernatural entities (including an all-powerful, intelligent deity), rewards and punishment in the afterlife, miraculous occurances, angels and demons, the efficacy of prayer, etc, are the norm. Because we've grown up with it - and perhaps mostly because we've grown up with it being identified as, and practically synonymous with, all things good and positive - Religion, as a concept and practice, does not seem all that odd to us...unless, of course, it's somebody else's religion, and involves universes emerging from a flower that grows from the navel of Krishna, or the like.

It's my personal belief that many religious people - in this country, mostly those identifying themselves as Christians - err when they attempt to convince others that their Faith is logical, or can be logically proven. Advocates of so-called Creation Science demand that God's signature be shown to be affixed to every particle of His creation - having apparently forgotten that faith is supposed to be the evidence of things not seen. The apostle Paul understood about being "a fool for Christ", and about the things of God being not of this world; too many folks, in my view, are unwilling to follow his example or his teaching in this matter. They want the State to promote and advertise their doctrines. They equate being ignored with being attacked. Their "success" at being Christians seemed tied, in their thinking, to how much noise they can make about it, and how much control they can exert over the lives of others in Christ's name.

Christianity is an evangelical religion, so yes, Christians try to exert control over those they hope to convert.

Are Christians being attacked here in the US?  It is apparent from some of Mornac's post that indeed they are being attacked and murdered in other countries.
I think they have as much right to promote their faith as any other religion does.

[DougRich]

Christianity is an evangelical religion, so yes, Christians try to exert control over those they hope to convert.

Attempting to infuse the secular law with one's religious doctrines is not being "evangelical". You don't "convert" anyone to your belief system by telling them, "God doesn't want you to do that, so I'm having it made illegal".

Are Christians being attacked here in the US?  It is apparent from some of Mornac's post that indeed they are being attacked and murdered in other countries.

As are Muslims, Buddhists, and members of other religious faiths - sometimes by folks claiming to be Christians. When self-identified Christians in this country speak of such atrocities in the same breath as a chain store requiring their employees to say "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas", or a courthouse losing its Ten Commandments display, and lump them all into a bag marked "Persecution of Christians", that's where they lose a lot of us.

I think they have as much right to promote their faith as any other religion does.

By all means - on their own time, their own dime, and their own property.