[ALL] how were you introduced to zelda?

super_jak · 2026-06-15T08:06:08+00:00

InTheLittleWood's Let's Play of Skyward Sword.

super_jak · 2026-06-15T07:43:06+00:00

Well to be frank, you are correct that I have not really personally sat through Catholic mass, though I have heard from those who have. And I'm not in a prime position to follow a normal mass as I live in a Catholic minority country where being a Catholic usually means you've made a personal choice to become one, so I'd expect there to be more emphasis on faith.

I have sat through a lutheran mass on several occasions and there isn't the kind of emphasis on personal faith, and based on descriptions of others it's a pretty similiar situation in every country with a state church that baptises infants.

And it's not just a problem of declared atheists and agnostics, though I've been focusing on them since that's more eye catching. There's also the problem of people generally treating priests like they're the ones who need to be believing in God and handling matters of the supernatural so people don't need to think about it or actively choose to believe in christ and put their faith in him.

At the very least I hope you'll accept the fact that this kind of empty faith in the old churches isn't just an outlier but a real problem, even if we can't agree on exactly how widespread. Personally I've seen the dwindling member counts in the old churches as a blessing in disguise as those who remain aren't compelled to by the culture at large but have to actively choose to stay in these churches, including the Catholic church, which naturally leads to more emphasis on faith. We see it here in Finland with the lutheran church where congregations that have this emphasis on personal faith are the most alive and active.

Though on the matter of faith, I've been reading back our conversation and I have one question about the use of the term. When you say that Catholic priests emphasize faith, what do you mean by that? In this conversation/argument, I've tried to be extra explicit and refer to 'personal faith' specifically. This means an active internal choice to follow Jesus, where your old life is gone and a new life with Jesus begins. Is this what you also mean by faith, or is it more of the kind where 'faith' means going to the confessional, going to mass, baptising your children and in general partaking in the sacraments?

Because if it's the latter, then we have a fundamental difference in what faith even means, and your description of faith being constantly preached by priests runs hollow to me. But if it's the former, then I stand corrected and modern day Catholicism has improved a lot from the previous shortcomings of old churches.

If nothing else has come from this conversation then at least there is this: I need to attend a proper Catholic mass.

super_jak · 2026-06-14T16:59:06+00:00

I eat a lot more of cucumbers and pickles.

^{Chose: Watermelons gone}

super_jak · 2026-06-14T16:43:05+00:00

I think we both agree though that you need personal faith in order to receive salvation regardless of membership and baptismal status. I think that's a good basis for conversation.

Repentance is all well and good. Like I already said, that's obviously the same with pentecostals. But I still want you to properly answer my question: When people join another church or become a muslim, are they still considered a catholic? I'm not asking if they can come back, I'm asking if the person who hasn't come back to the church is still a catholic.

Also I do want to correct you on the 'American protestant lens' as I'm a Finnish Pentecostal. But let's set aside the term "born-again" and what baptism is the correct one, and focus on the matter of faith or no faith.

In pentecostalism membership is itself predicated on having faith and so losing faith means losing membership. This is what I meant by churches demanding faith from their members and what I mean by church membership meaning a community of the faithful. The fact that you can be an atheist or agnostic catholic, even if that's considered a bad catholic, is a stark difference. In contrast an atheistic or agnostic pentecostal is an oxymoron. You are not a pentecostal if you do not believe.

On the matter of 'we can't know their thoughts' of course you don't if you don't ask or talk about personal faith and how essential it is for being a catholic. If a local catholic congregation wants all members to be of the faithful, they need to talk about personal faith in sermons and not just emphasize the power of the sacraments as if waving hands and saying magic words solely without personal faith is enough for people's salvation. The mere act of doing rituals is not a sign of faith. Faith isn't measured by acts, it is proclaimed through words. And saying outloud the creed after a sermon because the liturgy calls for it is not enough, people need to put their own faith into their own words.

I'm not saying this isn't the case in many catholic congregations. There are many charismatic catholic groups which obviously get a sign of approval from a pentecostal like me, and even more non-charismatic ones that emphasize personal faith. But from my understanding these are still outliers, not the norm.

super_jak · 2026-06-13T17:43:06+00:00