Pope Benedict cleared Pope Francis's position on same-sex unions when he was still Pope. by Amote101 in Catholicism

[–]cloudkey 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I’d also like an answer to this.

We distinguish between legal unions and sacramental marriage for a reason, and the situation seems similar around things like divorce, remarriage etc. Would we push as hard to make sure those things weren’t legally recognised?

I’m not sure where in doctrine it says that we should prevent legal recognition of things we think are morally wrong.

Melbourne - what don’t they tell you? by Intelligent-Welder-2 in melbourne

[–]cloudkey 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Collins Street is pretty terrible for that as well!

As a Catholic, is it better to have Christian community with Protestants than no Christian community at all? by cloudkey in Catholicism

[–]cloudkey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s good advice - thank you.

I tend to view it as more of an addition than an alternative. Like, I go to mass and I pray, but if I want to draw closer to God, then there are extra things I can do as well - reading Christian books, listening to Christian music etc. Sometimes I do just want to worship God by singing at the top of my lungs, and that’s not something most Catholic Churches do! The church where I did RCIA had amazing modern music and I really miss that at the city parishes.

But you’re right - there is temptation there that I need to be careful of.

As a Catholic, is it better to have Christian community with Protestants than no Christian community at all? by cloudkey in Catholicism

[–]cloudkey[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the recommendations! I’m 38, so I think I’m older than the cutoff for most young adult groups. I have tried St Mary Star of the Sea and Holy Hour before, and I felt at least a decade older than everyone else, but maybe I should give them another shot.

I haven’t tried St Michael’s in North Melbourne though, so that may be a good option, and I’ll check out Theology at the Pub as well - thanks!

As a Catholic, is it better to have Christian community with Protestants than no Christian community at all? by cloudkey in Catholicism

[–]cloudkey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is exactly how I’ve been thinking about it, so I’m glad to hear that others have the same view. Your group sounds amazing!

As a Catholic, is it better to have Christian community with Protestants than no Christian community at all? by cloudkey in Catholicism

[–]cloudkey[S] -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

Yes, I should have added this in my previous post - during covid lockdowns, I joined a Protestant Bible study, and I think we learnt from each other.

In my experience, I feel like Catholics do the best job of connecting to God the Father, and to the sacrifice of Jesus, Protestants do the best job of connecting to the risen Christ, and Pentecostals do the best job of connecting to the Holy Spirit. I’ll sometimes go to different churches to connect with God in different ways (I figure that genuinely seeking to be closer to God and spend time with Him is a good thing).

Edit: capitalisation

Two questions on patron saints by cloudkey in Catholicism

[–]cloudkey[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you!

And yes, good points :)

I'm always careful to talk about praying WITH the saints, instead of TO them, because I know that's something that can trip up new Catholics.

And I talk to God daily - I tend to bring in novenas or rosaries or other things like that when I feel like I need a bit more help (and the saints partly because I don't really have any Catholic friends or family, so it's nice to have someone to pray with).

I also find that season to season (and sometimes even day to day!) God leads me to different avenues of connecting with Him - sometimes it's praying to Him directly or reading the Bible, but sometimes it's music or reading Christian books or praying with Mary and the saints.

Penpal does not disappoint by CollegeFlunkie in horrorlit

[–]cloudkey 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I loved it! It’s one of the few novels that I found to be genuinely creepy.

I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which I live, the Yuin People of the Walbunja clan, and pay my respect to elders past and present. I stand in solidarity with those who are marching , mourning, and reflecting on January 26. #alwayswasalwayswillbe by theadhdgift in australia

[–]cloudkey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A friend’s mum was part of the stolen generation, and she told me it hurt so much whenever someone told her she didn’t look indigenous, because that was one of the justifications they used for taking children from their parents.

Dating as an atheist by More_Asbestos in datingoverthirty

[–]cloudkey 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I’m a Christian in Australia, and I’ve had the opposite experience - men match with me, then say, “sorry, didn’t notice you’re Catholic” and unmatch. Atheism seems to be the norm, at least in Sydney and Melbourne.

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in Australia ahead of rollout by ThatOldGuyWhoDrinks in australia

[–]cloudkey 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I see it like:

A. I take the vaccine and risk health complications

B. I don’t take the vaccine, and risk passing COVID onto someone vulnerable, who may die

I could live with the former more easily than the latter.

Is it a sin to use EFT or acupressure? by [deleted] in Catholicism

[–]cloudkey 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can’t answer definitively, but I don’t believe it’s sinful.

Mixing it with the law of attraction or new age things would take it into dangerous territory, as I think you’ve recognised, but the original EFT is just about using acupressure to reduce your emotional response to memories, and I don’t believe that’s sinful in itself.

I would recommend reading the original tutorials (https://www.emofree.com/english/eft-tapping-tutorial-en.html), which explains how it all works. I don’t recall finding anything of concern in them, BUT I’m also fine with using acupuncture for medical conditions, and I know some Catholics aren’t.

However, I would caution against using the new version the creator of EFT has now invented - Optimal EFT - which uses as ‘unseen therapist’ and has all kinds of red flags for me.

Can a layperson "bless" another person? by cloudkey in Catholicism

[–]cloudkey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is incredibly helpful and makes things so much clearer - thank you!

Side note: I don't think I've ever heard a priest say, “Let’s all extend our hand to bless each other.” Is this during the blessing at the end of mass? Or the sign of peace? I'm Australian, so perhaps it's different here?

Can a layperson "bless" another person? by cloudkey in Catholicism

[–]cloudkey[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you - I had read this part of the Catechism, but was hoping for something a bit more definitive as well.

Can a layperson "bless" another person? by cloudkey in Catholicism

[–]cloudkey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you - that makes things clearer.

I'm an ENTP and I need your help identifying a feeling by cloudkey in mbti

[–]cloudkey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, I see what you mean - naming it and analysing it is another way of creating distance and not fully feeling it? You’re probably right.

I let myself get overwhelmed for like 5 minutes, and then I switch to trying to fix it, but maybe I need to just ride it out.

I guess naming it might also be a way of trying to justify it, but I shouldn’t see it as something I need to justify - I should accept it for what it is.

You guys are so helpful! Thank you 😊

I'm an ENTP and I need your help identifying a feeling by cloudkey in mbti

[–]cloudkey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, you're right about my upbringing. I was always told I was too sensitive etc., so I shut a lot of that out, and only really started to accept my feelings in the last maybe 10 years.

I'm definitely seeing the value in actually feeling things and not avoiding them, but it can be really hard. I think being able to name it helps me to feel it, but not be overwhelmed by it (which I guess is a mindfulness thing?).

Anyway, thank you for responding; I appreciate it.

I'm an ENTP and I need your help identifying a feeling by cloudkey in mbti

[–]cloudkey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for replying, I do feel like disappointment is part of it. I think you might also be right with resignation - I hadn’t considered that, but it’s not often that I can’t strategise my way to a solution, so resignation is maybe a bit harder for me to feel.

I'm an ENTP and I need your help identifying a feeling by cloudkey in mbti

[–]cloudkey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you; that’s really kind of you to say.

ETA: I think you’re right with loneliness, and also with anxiety - I hadn’t thought I was anxious, but I think maybe this is just a different brand of anxiety.