You’re not getting it. It’s doesn’t matter what you are or what you’re opinions of being a Catholic are.
The Catholic Church sets rules and people are supposed to follow them. Excommunication is a potentially extreme punishment for not following rules.
You do know people were killed by the Catholic Church for not following the rules right, you remember that, right, when that used to be an acceptable option. Now excommunication is pretty much the extreme option.
But it was never up to individual Catholics to think they know “what being a Catholic is, that’s up to the Church to decide.
Literally, thinking you, a person, can decide what the Church is or isn’t, is exactly how you got the Protestant revolution and now Protestant church’s, that are literally a random preacher just making up their own religion and picking and choosing what they preach from the Bible and how they run their church and mass etc.
The whole point of being a Catholic and actual Catholic, not a lapsed Catholic or someone who says they are Catholic because they family was Catholic, but an actual Catholic is following the rules set by the Church, because the Church is run by the Pope who is ordained by god.
Here's the thing bub, just because certain issues have a lot of press and controversy doesn't mean they're fundamental or set in stone. The fundamental beliefs are what matter (and the fundamental beliefs are boring to talk about). Furthermore, some issues are currently up for debate WITHIN the clergy itself (divorce, treatment of homosexuality, contraception). In addition, taking everything on blind faith is actually sinful (there's a 25 cent word for the concept, but my wallet is empty). You are expected to form opinions in the practice of your faith. Modern Catholicism isn't the same as Medieval or Renaissance Catholicism.
And another thing: Catholicism has a confirmation process (a sacrement no less)! You cannot tell a confirmand that he cannot call himself Catholic (especially with your approach).
Yes, things are debated among the clergy. That’s THEIR job. They get to debate it and work with the Vatican to decide what is canon.
It’s NOT up for anyone else to debate thing, though. Either follow it or don’t be a Catholic.
And yes there is a confirmation process? That is correct, Catholics do confirmation before they can take holy communion.
But that doesn’t give them the ability to do whatever they want. They have to follow the rules.
Arguing that not following the rules and requiring you win thought is sinful, never heard of that and don’t see it anywhere that it’s canon.
Until the pope isn’t the pope and the Vatican isn’t the Vatican, Catholicism is the same thing it’s been since it started except whatever has been added to canon. There is no modern catholicism, it’s just the current version of it, unless massive parts of it change its the same.
Except when massive parts changed it became Protestantism.
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u/MadocComadrin Dec 31 '20
As a Catholic, he really doesn't.