geez... so much hate for the catholics.
And that's a bad thing?
Yes it is. You'd not hold a person from Arizona in suspicion because the government there is bat shit crazy. You're mixing up people and institutions. It's a fairly easy trap to fall into.
I'm deliberately mixing them up to make a point a little further on.
Guizonde gives Catholics and the RCC a lot more deference than he seems to give Jehovah's Witnesses; as an ex-JW myself I enjoy unraveling that inconsistency.
if that's how i came across, i apologize. not my intent. ok, the catholics and i have less bad blood than the witnesses and i do, but let's get this out of the way: i don't like either. i have however, studied the catholic church for the best part of my school life, so i like to think i've got a good understanding of them. and my scholarly understanding of them is (sorry if i employ technical jargon): they suck. donkey balls. covered in tar.
now why do i talk like i do about the church? let's face it, the usa still has a hate-on for catholics that hasn't changed much since jfk was president (remember it nearly cost him the election?). i just find it funny to play devil's advocate to a mostly
american protestant crowd, having been raised atheist but with both protestant and catholic teachings. oh, and regarding protestantism, i'm surprised the reform didn't happen two or three centuries earlier. there were some undercurrents back then, but it didn't catch on. if you guys are interested, i can pull my notes for you. in the context of medieval and renaissance europe, the reform was a good thing. insomuch as organized religion can be a good thing.
and if i don't give deference to the witnesses, two reasons: a) i haven't studied their history (yeah, i know, i'll get around to it) and b): the aforementioned bad blood leaves a sour taste in the mouth. once burned, twice shy and all that.
hope that clears that up.
@lizard: i don't hate, but i give have a ton of misgivings. too similar for you?