Meat on Friday

by bowels 6 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

• 

  bowels

  Having grown up a loyal little dub, I vaguely remember the time growing up (maybe 60's or 70's) that the Catholics changed the rules that allowed them to eat meat on Friday (I take this issue personally because in my school they always fed us the most horrible tasting tuna every Friday). I remember how my parents laughed at them and said "how are all those people that they believe are in hell going to feel now?"

  My question is, for those who were Catholics at that time, how was that handled for public relations purposes? How did they resolve that issue with the church? Was it a "get out of jail free" card type of thing, or what? I know we (JW's) have not been kind to those DF'd for things like organ transplants that "later" were "found" (I guess they were lost) to be issues of conscience.

  *****Smiles
• 

  Silverleaf

  Hi smiles,

  I'm not Catholic but my DH used to be. I don't have a specific answer for your question but I think it's an interesting one. Not to bash any Catholics who may be here, but speaking from experience with many friends and family who are Catholic, I've noticed that a lot of the ones I know are 'in name only' Catholics. They do whatever the church instructs not because they believe it, but because their parents and grandparents do it and that's how they've always done it. If the church says no meat on Friday they don't eat it. If the church says it's okay to have meat on Friday they do and they don't question why the rule changed because [at least the ones I know - I'm not trying to generalize] they either really don't care what the reason is or they assume that if the Pope says so it must be right and that's that.

  Another example of this 'do as they say' attitude toward the church is with First Holy Communion and religion or CCD classes for the kids. A lot of people in my area are Catholic and the parents of children approaching First Communion age absolutley despise the CCD classes their kids have to attend. They hate going, they hate paying for it, the kids hate it and all the parents do is complain about how it affects their schedules and their wallets. Why do they do it? Not because they love their religion and they believe it's the best thing for their chidlren to be raised in this faith, but because it is what's expected of them. They were forced to go as kids, so their kids are forced to go. It's about just following in the footsteps of their parents without ever looking from side to side or asking themselves why they do it.

  Silverleaf - again with apologies to Catholics, I'm speaking about my personal experience with friends, neighbors and family members
• 

  Yerusalyim

  I'll take this one...

  First it must be remembered that while the Catholic Church (CC) has declared that numerous individuals are in heaven, the CC has NEVER stated any human being is in hell, not even Judas Iscariot. They are left to the mercy of God.

  Having said this, here's the deal, PRE Vatican 2 (V2) ALL FRIDAYS were days of penance in which the faithful were to refrain from eating meat as an act of penance, to grow spiritually by self denial. AFTER V2 ALL FRIDAYS are STILL days of penance. HOWEVER, the CC no longer dictates what that act of penance should be.

  THE SIN was not in eating meat, but that of disobedience, and then only if the attitude of the meat eater was that of "F the church, I'm doing what I want" The penance and no meat were congregational issues and didn't apply to non-catholics, therefore, the eating of meat on friday was not in and of itself a sin. SOOOO, if anyone in hell chose to be there because of eating meat on Friday, they wouldn't get an out because the church changed the rules BECAUSE the sin was DISOBEDIENCE and Inpenitence not eating meat. The God I worship wouldn't let those who ate meat on Friday perish.

  Silver,

  Your comments are quite interesting and in many cases all too true. The Catholic Church had done a good job of teaching the faithful WHAT we do, but not so good at teaching WHY we do what we do. I teach religion in my parish on Sundays, I try to explain the WHY along with the WHAT.

  As to kids despising CCD classes, I think that's true to some degree in most religions, kids just don't like school. We try to make it fun. My kids are involved in the Church's youth group and attend that not because I force it or suggest it, but out of real personal desire.

  I'm not trying to generalize] they either really don't care what the reason is or they assume that if the Pope says so it must be right and that's that.

  I think it's the latter, they trust the church. This is a carry over from the midieval times when most people couldn't read or write so they had to take the Church's word for a lot of this. Plus, the Catholics from whom I descend were very humble people with respect for authority.

  UNFORTUNATELY this same attitude is that which has allowed the Sex abuse Scandal to become what it has in the CC.
• 

  Silverleaf

  Hi Yerusalyim,

  Thanks for clearing up the meat issue. Like Smiles I had often wondered, and my DH, [raised Catholic] did not really know what the reason was.

  As for CCD- I know going to school yet another day of the week doesn't sit well with most kids - I can't blame them there, but at least among many of the parents of my kids' school friends, I can see where the attitide comes from. The vitriol they spew at the church for having the nerve to charge them for the classes, scheduling them at inconvenient hours [4:00 pm on a weekday or 8:00 on a Sunday in some cases] and in now they actually expect the parents to have a workbook as well and answer the questions with their kids - yikes! I've heard nothing but complaints for months on the playground and the bus stop from Catholic parents. My neighbor gripes constantly about how much it costs for her two daughters to attend, and how much it ruins her day to have to take the kids to class after school, "they've got some racket going with this stuff," [her words]. I just try to empathize with her and the others I know who feel the same way, but I would really like to ask them - why they go through it if it absolutely KILLS them to have to comply with the rules. Mind you these are weekend Catholics who never go to mass for the most part - so again I have to wonder, why are they raising their chidren in this religion when the example they set is that anything the church wants of them must be done no matter how much of a pain in ass it is - and apparently everything the church asks of them is a monumental pain in the ass, to hear them tell it.

  Silverleaf
• 

  Yerusalyim

  Silver,

  Mind you these are weekend Catholics who never go to mass for the most part - so again I have to wonder, why are they raising their chidren in this religion when the example they set is that anything the church wants of them must be done no matter how much of a pain in ass it is - and apparently everything the church asks of them is a monumental pain in the ass, to hear them tell it.

  I too have to wonder why they bother. It baffles me.

  One solution for the educational bit though, is to hear a bit more from the pulpit about doctrine. There are some good educational programs out there too, I'm a CCD teacher.

  I'm an intellectual Catholic in that I know what the church teaches and the why's of why we do what we do. I wish more were like that.
• 

  MYOHNSEPH

  Bowels:

  Don't really know anything about this 'meat on Friday' thing. I just wanted to say WELCOME! and comment on what a beautiful nickname you have. It doesn't presage anything about what you're going to bring to the board here, does it?
• 

  bowels

  Thanks to all for the information. I tend to agree that many Catholics (and people in most other religions for that matter) simply call themselves whatever they were brought up as and never really practice it. I guess my wife falls into that category, she was raised Catholic but only goes to mass about twice a year.

  And for MYOHNSEPH regarding my name ... well ... I guess I should change it. I'll think about it. It may give the wrong impression. I mentioned before that "bowels" was my actually my third choice but Butterfly and LoveAngel were already taken.