Why were people saying Harriet Meirs used to be Catholic?

[hedgehog]

I thought it was odd to be making such a big deal out of her converting from Catholicism to an Evangelical/fundamentalist church, but why lie about her being Catholic in the first place?

While we're on the subject, apparently she has joined a small splinter group that has left the church that she joined in a dispute over the worship services. Does anyone have details on that? Hey, normally I'd be the first to say that religion is a private affair, but Harriet and George have put it on the table, so let's dish.

[mzteris]

1. what I find odd is

why didn't she set the record straight on the whole Catholic thing?

Did she think she WAS, but wasn't - or something?

[DefenseLawyer]

4. All those years I thought I was Roman Catholic

turns out I was an Aztec. Praise Quetzalcóatl!

[asjr]

6. LOL! You just made my day!

[jeff30997]

7. Lol!

[hedgehog]

5. Now we're really in weird territory

As noted elsewhere, the Catholic Church is really anal retentive when it comes to record keeping (it's a habit left over from the Middle Ages). How could anyone think they were a Catholic and not be a Catholic? But why would you go for years going to other churches while letting other people think you were Catholic?

[MADem]

2. Catholic is CODE for pro-life--no birth control, no abortion

Of course, if you look at the average Catholic family, they must be spending a lot of time looking longingly at one another. Where back in the day, five to seven, to ten kids were the norm, nowadays you see one, two, three tops, on average.

So someone is fibbing in the confessional, I suspect.

[hedgehog]

10. Oh, get real

Go out and talk to some Catholics instead of making fun of them. Most of us have a very good understanding of just what Christ taught and know just where the Church's current teaching's on contraception fit into those teachings. For example, last weekend my parish took up a collection for some (probably illegal) migrant workers injured in a propane gas explosion. Why? Because they are members of our parish. That's what we consider to be important.

I agree with your statement regarding code language, but please don't stereotype Catholics.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

15. I don't think he was stereotyping

Except to the extent that the stereotype was necessary to explain the code.

[hedgehog]

16. Sorry

Knee jerk reaction to something that comes up way too often.

[Geoff R. Casavant]

19. As a former Catholic

I know exactly what you mean.

Peace.

[MADem]

20. Hedgehog, I was baptized a Catholic at birth and educated in the Faith

So I am as real as they come. And I am very aware of the Church's teachings on contraception and abortion. I am also very aware of the present as well as the last Pope's assaults on "cafeteria Catholics."

You are far too sensitive I fear--you immediately assumed that I was speaking from a point of no real knowledge, but you were mistaken. I see what is happening in the Catholic church--the politics from the pulpit, the homophobia, the coverups of the abuse scandals...I come from Cardinal "Above the Law" land. I am not "making fun" I am simply reporting what I see. The Catholic church needs to respond to the real needs of real people living real lives, or it will wither and die.

The latest generation of child bearing age in my family has one or two kids. The generation previous to that, three or four. Before that, five to ten. Before that, thirteen pregnancies were common. So some must be committing a "sin of omission" in the confessional, they are all infertile, or they are simply looking longingly at one another.

If it walks like a duck.

[jody]

3. Generally so-called Christian groups that split away from traditional

denominations do so because of a more fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible or a few passages.

IMO Miers actions qualify her as accepting fundamental, evangelical views whether she has said so or not.

IMO, SCOTUS requires justices who are independent, not someone who carries religious baggage when determing what a particular law or case means.

[hedgehog]

12. I think Kennedy made this clear back when he ran for president

When you take an oath to uphold the laws of a country, you are bound to the laws of that country. If you can't follow the laws, resign.

[the_spectator]

8. It may have been a funny kind of misunderstanding -

when I read this, I read that it was friends and acquaintences in Texas who said she had been Catholic.

Well, as long as they knew she was a Christian of some type - she wasn't Jewish - they probably still got stumped with that last name - Miers - which probably comes across as rather "ethnic" in the still generally often English and Scotch/Irish white circles in Texas - or at least, ethnic for Texas. And it is usually true that ethnic white Christians are Catholic! (Poles, Italians, etc.)

So maybe they just assumed?

(Now I know many Germans went to places like Texas, especially after the failure of the liberal Revolution of 1848 in Germany. But I DON'T know if most of those immigrants were from the Protestant north or the Catholic south of Germany.)

[kskiska]

9. Her sister said so in one account

Said Harriet was "raised as a Roman Catholic." Maybe these people think that by attending mass that makes them Catholic. They probably even went up for communion, which is taboo for a non-Catholic.

[hedgehog]

11. What was her sister raised as?

How can someone be raised as a Catholic without going through the Sacraments? Going by Harriet's age, there should be record's of Baptism, 1st Confession, 1st Communion and possibly Confirmation. This doesn't make sense.

[mzteris]

18. If they went to the same church

to "take communion" - don't you think the Priest would have KNOWN they weren't Catholic and refused them Communion?

[TomInTib]

13. To the fundies there is no better Xtian than an ex-Catholic.....

It is all codespeak.
To the wayouts- Pentecostal, Jehovas, etc- a reformed Catholic turned is as good as it gets.
Keep in mind Harry and pals broke from that church in Dallas to start their own in a dispute over worsip practices.

Bigtime symbolic.

[jody]

14. I disagree, fundies believe ex-orthodox Jews make better Xtian.

:hi:

[hedgehog]

17. By Jove, You' ve got it!

Thanks for breaking the code!