So what is Heresy? Can anyone be a heretic? What happens to heretics?
For common usage, in our culture, a heretic is any baptized person who consistantly denies an authoritive teaching of the Catholic Church. There are many matters of controversy that the Church does not have a doctrine about. Human evolution, the length of creation, aliens... In fact most matters relating to science and the physical world. Yes, there is the assumption, immaculate conception and a few more believes of a miraculous nature all Catholics must accept.
It would be fair to say that believing in God is core. The very creed of the Church begins " I believe in one God...".
Baptism can not be undone. No more than being a Catholic. If you deny the teachings of the one true Church then you are a heretic. By definition all protestants are heretics. It's like being a devorcee. Once married always married. In a similar way I consider long term relationships to fall here too. Marriage is in essence a contract. The Church may bless it, and /or turn it into a sacrament, but the only option is separation. Any thing else is adultery or fornification.
That's just the way it is. It may not be convenient, but otherwise you are crating your own religion. Think Henry VIII. The result for him was excommunication.
But it is not all bad news. In this world there is nothing that the Church using it's Godly authority can not forgive for those who are repentant. Remarried devorcees can carry on in new marriages living as brother and sister. Some marriages may not have even been valid.
Heretics can come back to the Church with a repentent heart. Excommunication is only for public figures setting a bad example. I doubt if a blogger with a readership of two would be in this group.
So go see your nearest priest and get back on the train to heaven.
...have fun but do not sin.
I was a baby when I was both circumcised and baptized. No one consulted me about either procedure, obviously because I was unable to make decisions at that point. Before I reached the age of 'teenager' I was sexually interfered with (and believe me, I wasn't the only one) by two Marist Brothers. As an adult I broke all religious ties with the Catholic church. If they, or their members, choose to call me a heretic, I choose to call them an organization full of paedophiles. (I can name a lot of them.) Hey, that doesn't make being called a heretic sound so bad!
ReplyDeleteThis post reads like the naive and uneducated wittering of a 1960s nun. It's hard to believe that an educated and older man wrote this in 2025.
ReplyDeleteWhat utter claptrap.
" It's like being a devorcee. (sic) Once married always married. In a similar way I consider long term relationships to fall here too. Marriage is in essence a contract. The Church may bless it, and /or turn it into a sacrament, but the only option is separation. Any thing else is adultery or fornification. (sic again)"
Really? You believe this stuff? What's wrong with you? It smacks of arrogance, superciliousness and pomposity - oh - that's right, you're a practising Catholic who believes in the propaganda put out by the Vatican, Donald Trump and Elon Musk no doubt (more about this later in a new post).
I think I'll 'crate' my one religion which will have decency, commonsense and believability packed into it.
TC
"Naive, uneducated, claptrap and arrogant supercillious pompous propaganda?" Oh my.
DeleteYeah. I held back a bit.
DeleteI must be mellowing.
TC
At least RBB provided a reasoned argument and not imperious, snide, sniffy, haughty adjectives
ReplyDeleteYeah, he's sounding like Trent!
ReplyDeleteRBB
That's just hearsay as spread by 'Rob'.
DeleteTC