sorry if this post is disjointed
I seem to find that if people know you go to church, they automatically assume you follow that church's laws 100% and then some. They also don't consider the point of you having your own personal relationship w/ God, and church is way to express that, and to do some good in the world. I agree with Mrs. Springsteen & verte & screaming: the change that we need to see is going to take the people, the churchgoers, and happen from the inside and build up, through the priests and the bishops..
I think it does say a lot that non-believers or non-church-goers don't realize that having a faith is more than having a church, it's about the personal relationship with God. Maybe b/c a personal realtionship isn't really encouraged in the church (I'm speaking Catholic, which is what I grew up with). Not to say it's
discouraged, but never once in my CCD classes was I taught about me and God, or how I can live my life as He wants.. the classes were basically history lessons. Mass was ritualistic and automatic. Maybe it was just my parish, but faith doesn't seem to be brought down for the individual. I don't know where I'd be spiritually if I hadn't explored other Christian religions/churches and discovered the beauty and the love in worshipping God and how lucky I was to be able to have a personal relationship with Him. But when the Church is so messed up, it gives us all a bad name, and I've had people ask me, how can I stay with a Chuch when I don't agree with some of the things they teach (I equate this to living in the US when I don't agree w/ the president) but, it's a frequent question I get.
Oh, to relate back to the topic
I still say that no matter what, marriage ain't no one else's business. If the church doesn't agree, fine. It's not up to them to agree. And due to separation of church & state, it's not up to the government to pass moral indictments onto people like this.
This all really gets me angry when I think of the post I read recently in FYM about Bush wanting to/passing some law that is going to distribute propoganda & make it financially attractive so women who are living in poverty will marry the man they are with. I guess as long as it's a man and a woman he doesn't care that the marriage could be abusive and void of love. I guess it's okay to raise children in this sort of atmosphere (at least the parents will receive enough money from the govt for their drugs). If marriage is viewed as such a holy sacrament, then where is the Church in this situation?? Why aren't we helping the women and men get on their own two feet rather than slapping a husband or wife (respectively!!) on them and compounding the problem?
Sooooo messed up!!
*edited cuz I can't spell