I'm thinking of converting to Roman Catholicism

[J0E]

Aw, Leopardsocks, I'm jes' teasing.



Dove seems more easying tho'.



There's always this intensity in RW's writing.

Maybe that's why you 2 git along so well.

You tell him sister!

 I'm gonna! Lol

In spite her past difficulties, I think Dove was loved by many more men than you, 'Real.



I kin tell by the abundance of Lol's and laughter in her writing.



That says it all, eh 'Real.

I laughed my way to a permaban on VF Joey boy.  :D



Troll someone else, Kk?

...but 'Real...you were still not loved....like Dove.

Joe.



Rarely are you correct. There is some malfunction in your logic circuits that distort your perspective of the world at large. But on this issue, you are beyond wrong. You are wallowing in a bizarre fantasy that thinks "love" is how much drool you can extract from an audience.



You would be wise to assume little, ands opine only when you have facts. In this matter, it is extremely unlikely you will have any reliable fact and as a result you should stick to your conversion discussion.

[Randy Barney]

RW is a very nice person. She does have her opinions and stands behind them.  Everyone has a right to say what they believe in and it doesn't mean they are not nice. Just saying.

[Anonymous]

....I've been accused of trolling in other forums by stating this.



However, seeing how our secular North American society is going & how men are becoming marginalized, I don't see that there's much in it for us anymore. I'm even thinking of moving to a predominately Catholic nation. For all its flaws, at least Catholicism seems to guarantee a guy something. I admire a religion which denounces same sex marriage and tries to uphold the family unit. Contrast this with an anything goes credo of the increasingly politically correct society where the purveyors of this ideology grab everything for themselves under this guise of pursuing equality.



We didn't really become freer by throwing of the yolk of religion and tradition. We just exchanged one master and set of values for another. The pc crowd wanted in, so they have stepped on everybody else to get their way.



And since the New is no better than the Old, why not just go back to the Old? It seem to work just as well or better than the New.



Anyways, just my 2 bits.

Don't do it. It's all bullshit.

[RW]

So is Frank.  It'd be a match made in Heaven hahaha

[J0E]

So is Frank.  It'd be a match made in Heaven hahaha

...and after my conversion to Catholicism, I'll git me a faithful & obedient Catholic wife who'll live by the book & do everything I ask.



....Why, it'll be the next best thing bein' married to a Muslim .....but without the veil, eh 'Real?



And I've heard from a number of my Catholic friends that mistresses are common and acceptable in many of these  nations where they come from. So if a guy gets tired of his wife, he can go to greener pastures instead.



And if the marriage really goes South, well he doesn't pay massive amounts of alimony or child support.

That seems like a better deal for men, wouldn't you say eh 'Real?



Also, fish every Friday...suits me fine bein' a seafood lover and all.

[Renee]

You tell him sister!

 I'm gonna! Lol

In spite her past difficulties, I think Dove was loved by many more men than you, 'Real.



I kin tell by the abundance of Lol's and laughter in her writing.



That says it all, eh 'Real.

I laughed my way to a permaban on VF Joey boy.  :D



Troll someone else, Kk?

...but 'Real...you were still not loved....like Dove.

Joe.



Rarely are you correct. There is some malfunction in your logic circuits that distort your perspective of the world at large. But on this issue, you are beyond wrong. You are wallowing in a bizarre fantasy that thinks "love" is how much drool you can extract from an audience.



You would be wise to assume little, ands opine only when you have facts. In this matter, it is extremely unlikely you will have any reliable fact and as a result you should stick to your conversion discussion.

Joe over thinks every subject and you turn around and over pontificate on the subject of "Joe".



It would have been more direct to just say "Joe; you're a moronic attention whore" but in your usual fashion, you had to expell a lot of wind.



This illustrates one of the many things I can't stand about you Aussies; you talk too much and have so little to say. :001_rolleyes:

[Anonymous]

So is Frank.  It'd be a match made in Heaven hahaha

...and after my conversion to Catholicism, I'll git me a faithful & obedient Catholic wife who'll live by the book & do everything I ask.



....Why, it'll be the next best thing bein' married to a Muslim .....but without the veil, eh 'Real?



And I've heard from a number of my Catholic friends that mistresses are common and acceptable in many of these  nations where they come from. So if a guy gets tired of his wife, he can go to greener pastures instead.



And if the marriage really goes South, well he doesn't pay massive amounts of alimony or child support.

That seems like a better deal for men, wouldn't you say eh 'Real?



Also, fish every Friday...suits me fine bein' a seafood lover and all.

If you want a woman who will do everything you ask, you'll have to order a robot woman from Japan.

[cc]

Just his luck he'd get one with advanced artificial intelligence and she'd take over everything



and  tell him to go stick it in a watermelon

[RW]

Real doll FTW!

[@realAzhyaAryola]

For all its flaws, at least Catholicism seems to guarantee a guy something.

Guarantee what exactly? ac_dunno



If what one seeks is to have fellowship with kindred spirits, then one may consider the protestant church. It may be Baptist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, and even the Seventh Day Adventist. I think the Baptists and the Presbyterians make sure you feel welcome and then follow up on you and discuss with you any interest you may have in joining their church. I only mention these two from personal experience but I don't have experience with the others although I've read that they're not too different.

[@realAzhyaAryola]

My experience with the Catholic church is that after the service, the fellowship is over until the next Sunday. However, my experience with the protestant church is that the fellowship continues long after the service, if this is important to one. They are there for you if you seek their help. One is welcome to join their men's groups, women's groups, family groups, youth groups. They have many activities such as spiritual family retreats, coffee hours or lunches at the social hall after the service, and more that are designed to strengthen the bond among members. They study the scriptures together such as having regular Bible studies aside from Sunday School. They encourage their members to be Christ-like to their neighbors.



However, if you are fascinated with rituals and traditions, perhaps you might want to explore Judaism.

[@realAzhyaAryola]

If you don't want to part with your hard-earned money, the protestant church may not be for you.



In the protestant church, when you become a member, you are urged to give a yearly tithe or pledge. By December of each year, you will get your box of new tithe envelopes for the following year. You will bring this envelope with you every Sunday to place on the offering plate. You will put the amount of funds in that envelope that you have pledged to give each Sunday. You may put cash or a check.



Here's an example of a pledge envelope. In most cases, if you are a member, your name will be on this envelope.



http://www.calvarypublishing.org/images/samples/Tithe%20Envelope_Tempate_4L.jpg">

[J0E]

For all its flaws, at least Catholicism seems to guarantee a guy something.

Guarantee what exactly? ac_dunno

.....like basic sobriety, a bit of sanity and common sense.

Is that much to ask?

I went into a protestant united church recently, and the priest was gay sporting rainbow colors on his robe.

Then I went into an Anglican Church on another day, and the walls were plastered with gay pride colors.

.....like hello....why do we owe any of these groups anything?

Can heterosexuals flaunt the sexuality in front of an alter too?

Wasn't Jesus supposed to be above the pleasures of the flesh?

Since when did one group give itself the power to redefine the Mission of a Church and the scriptures of the Bible?

Geez no wonder why some groups have decided to split off from their denominations.

They don't represent the wishes of their followers nor the fundamental beliefs of the religion.

For that reason I somewhat admire the Catholic Church because it has stuck to its guns and not allowed a few to redefine rituals or Church traditions intended for the many.

If certain individuals don't like what a particular Church preaches, why don't they get their own religion or write their own bilbical supplement? Isn't this what the Mormons did? And now they're flourishing.

[@realAzhyaAryola]

Here's a good explanation of pledging and tithing that I found online.



Pledging & Tithing

http://stmarksaugusta.episcopalmaine.org/stewardship/pledging-tithing.html">http://stmarksaugusta.episcopalmaine.or ... thing.html">http://stmarksaugusta.episcopalmaine.org/stewardship/pledging-tithing.html



What's It All About?



At St. Mark's Episcopal Church, we know that financial stewardship is an important component of a balanced spiritual life.  We emphasize the giver's need to give rather than the church's need to receive.  Maintaining a healthy relationship with our possessions keeps them from getting in the way of our relationships with God, our neighbors, and our own inner being.  Returning to God from that which God has given us is a tangible way to express our faith.  When each of us gives as we are able, together we fund ministry within our parish and to the Augusta community and the world.



What is a pledge?



A pledge is an estimate of giving; some call it a statement of intent.  Your pledge amount may be changed, increased or decreased during the year, at any time as your financial circumstances change.



Why should I pledge?



Pledging allows you to make intentional decisions about your financial giving.  When you plan ahead for your giving, you make conscious choices about spending your money in ways that reflect your faith and values.



Receiving your pledge allows our Vestry, the church's governing board, to do for our parish community what you do for your household: plan wisely for the use of resources in support of the mission and ministry to which God has called us. The Vestry sets a budget based on the total amount pledged to the church. While regular giving that is not pledged is important to the parish, your pledge lets the Vestry plan more accurately.



How do I pledge?



Annual giving pledges at St. Mark's Episcopal Church are made each year.  While our annual giving campaign is held in the fall, pledges may be made at any time.



How do I pay my pledge?



Paying your pledge is a matter of your personal preference.  You may pay weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly via cash or checks.  



How much should I pledge?



Determining the amount of your annual pledge is between you and God.  The church does offer some guidelines to assist you as you make this important decision.



What is proportionate giving?



Proportionate giving is basing your pledge amount on a percentage of your income.



What is a tithe?



A tithe is 10% of your income.  A tithe may sound like an unattainable goal to begin with, but if you start with a certain proportion of your income and increase the percentage each year, you will be tithing in a short time.  You could start with 5%, a half tithe.  Another option is 2½%, which is equivalent to pledging the first hour's pay of a 40-hour work week.

[@realAzhyaAryola]

The obligation to tithe (i.e., to give 10 percent of one's gross income) was binding only on the Jews. Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic law (Matt. 5:17), so even Jews are no longer bound by it. But this doesn't mean we're not obligated to support the Church—we are—but there is no longer a specific percentage required.



Scripture provides insight on how Christians should give:



On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper. (1 Cor. 16:2)



The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Cor. 9:6–7)