I realize Nazism is different than communism, which is different than Islam, which is different from conservatism. It’s like comparing apples, oranges, peaches, and bananas. But I’m not comparing the beliefs or the governing methods. I’m talking about what is the same for all four groups: Each thinks they have a divine right to force all other people to eat their fruit and nothing but their fruit. Authoritarian leaders and structures can usually be found in groups that have a clear mission and identity. From the Catholic Church to the U.S. Marine Corps, many organizations rely on strict discipline and obedience. Using the word cult is an easy way to criticize a group, but a poor way to describe one. A 2008 study suggests that most practising Catholics are ignoring the Church's teachings on contraception and sex.

I cared, therefore, how those who consider the center their home today would receive the book. I shared it with the head of both the men’s and the women’s communities ahead of publication and offered to engage with the current leadership, but those requests were denied.America’s military has killed members of three of these four groups in the fight for, and defense of, freedom. We’ve killed Nazis. We’re killing communists right now through direct aid to Ukraine. And we’ve been killing extreme Muslims in the Middle East for decades. All because they try to force their will on others. More recently, groups like the Knights of Columbus had some secret initiatory rites (they are no longer secret as of this writing), but they were not confusing, bizarre, or offensive. They were geared towards charity, unity, and fraternity. The air of secrecy existed as something fun and interesting to share between brothers. Yes, He is. His name is Jesus Christ. If you ask Siri on the iPhone “Who founded the Catholic Church?” She will rightly respond: “Jesus Christ.” The difference between a cult leader and Jesus is that Jesus is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. He is God. Of course, He is the ultimate authority. The Roman Catholic Church traces its history to Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Over the course of centuries it developed a highly sophisticated theology and an elaborate organizational structure headed by the papacy, the oldest continuing absolute monarchy in the world.

Catholic doctrine is based the scriptures and on the church's own traditions. It believes that its doctrines were revealed to the apostles and have been preserved in the continuous tradition ever since. There are several doctrinal issues where the Catholic Church has a distinct position: Calling Trump a cult leader is rhetorically powerful. But that language can simplify how and why MAGA and other slogans appeal to many Americans. And Rep. Speier’s fully reported comments about Donald Trump and Jim Jones did recognize that the issue was complex. According to Pew Research Center data from 2015, roughly 2% of cradle American evangelicals have converted to Catholicism in recent decades. While a small cohort, many of the loudest and most vehement opposition to Francis comes from formerly Protestant converts.More than 75 percent of humanity has access to some form of abortion. The church is present in all those countries. This means that in 100+ countries around the world, a woman can get an abortion on Wednesday and then go to church on Sunday. If 75 percent of humanity can do both, then so can the 4 percent of humanity that lives in America.

Once Christianity was legalized in the Roman Empire, the secrecy remained because of the sacredness of the Sacraments. If one wished to access them, they need only enter the catechumenate! The Sacraments are freely offered, but there is path to access to them to ensure that the person knows what they are asking for. Well, I don’t agree. I’m going to put my faith in my fellow female humans. In my life and line of work, I see at least 100 women a day. They are my family members, my co-workers, my friends, neighbors, and customers. They are a regular part of my life. I don’t talk to any fetuses, but I do talk to women all the time —and I will not betray their citizenship. Efforts to write “heartbeat laws” so Republicans can shrink the abortion timespan to six weeks or less are a fraud. The more important organ is the brain. The heart is a Tinker Toy compared to the brain. A common philosophical phrase we all know is, “I think, therefore I am.” But: You have to have a brain for that to be true! Embryos don’t have brains. Fetuses don’t get a working, developed brain until after some 20+ weeks. Cults usually have some kind of authoritarian, totalistic leader or prophet. While some feel that the pope fits this category, in reality the pope governs the church with heavy dependence upon the bishops (college of cardinals), and within the restrictions of the official teaching of the church. Protestants clearly disagree with the authority and exalted titles given the pope, but he still does not fit the category of a cult leader. Although certain doctrines and practices in Roman Catholicism might properly be termed “heretical,” we would not label them as a cult — for example, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons. The errors of Roman Catholicism are heretical in that sense that they compromise or undermine the orthodox confession of the church. In short, we regard Roman Catholicism as neither a biblically sound Christian church nor a cult, but a Christian church with a mixture of orthodox and erroneous teachings.

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The word of the Lord is right and all his works are done in truth. There is no purgatory, just heaven and hell. was an immoral man and whose palace was likened to a brothel. The bishop of Cremona, Luitprand said, "No honest lady dared to show herself in public, for Birth control stops children from being made. Banning it has only one purpose: force people to have, or risk having, more children. Gay couples don’t make children, so banning gay marriage is an effort to push people toward straight marriages. Churches are just (stupidly) afraid that too many people might choose gay marriage and then hardly anybody will have any children to fill their pews.