The Cafeteria Is Closed

So, who replaced Gerald as the news-and-discussion center of St. Blogs?

Thanks for the nice words 🙂
I think this is actually a good Catholic news site, no ? It is a grind though, I warn you.

My hubris was to start a blog with that approach in the first place. It of course was poetic justice how it all ended 🙂

For the record, I never thought homosexuality was morally wrong, I thought of it as a ‘disorder’, like, say blindness. Now I view it as a minority variant that has problems unique to it, esp. for males. But then, men are the root of most evils.

I also never knew the peculiarities of Catholic sex rules, they don’t tell you those in RCIA, and for good reason, it turns out. I smell obsessive compulsive a mile away. The book Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven was very instructive on the history of Catholicism’s view of sex, in particular the Stoic-Gnostic deviations that soon took over.

I never was a ‘rad trad’ to begin with, I guess my musical etc. tastes might have created a wrong impression.

Apart from my family, the disgust and hatred expressed by many an ‘orthodox’ commenter certainly accelerated the process. As did books like “Sacrilege”. The final blows were Ratzinger’s documents from when he was head of the CDF.

Staunch, by the book, yes, no, right, wrong worked well when I had OCD, but with SSRIs, they call me mellow yellow, and thus the ‘witch hunt’ had an end. It’s not that I am a huge fan of Bp. Gumbleton now, but I can see the value of liberal arguments, too – and they are in general a lot nicer than SSPX types. Shudder. But I’ve always attacked SSPX.

And, no, I don’t view my family members (who just got married, btw) as ’embroiled in sin’. Therefore, it was obviously time to shut down.

On my new blog, http://www.geraldnaus.com no one can accuse me that I am not, well, myself 🙂

I don’t bear ill will towards those who defend Church teaching without malice.

Good luck, CMR or whoever else wants to do the grind to themselves 🙂 My new blog is all over the place topic-wise, with no claims to anything. Well, except bashing Obama. I don’t sacrifice animals or pray to Baal quite yet 😉

Well, as of this morning, the Cafeteria is not only closed, but undergone demolition.

For me at least, there seems to be a great imbalance in how “conservative” Catholics view the Church and how they view real life. My own formation in Eastern Christianity taught me to not only love the sinner but hate the sin, but also to look at my own sins first and foremost and not use the Gospel as a battering ram to bash others. St. Silouan of Mount Athos last century said that if you want to convince people of anything, you have to start with what they are doing right rather than what they are doing wrong. When I look at homosexuals and other sinners, I don’t see them in the light of an innocent person looking at a criminal, but as a fellow criminal in this world where we all fall short of God’s glory. For all I know, God is a lot angrier at me than He is at them.

Conservative and traditionalist Catholics love to beat the wardrum, but when it comes down to it, if you really want to save your soul, you would silence the wardrum and take care of yourself and those around you first. Catholicism is not about agendas and it is not about who’s in and who’s out, who’s with the Pope most and who is the hippist ultramontanist. It is about repentance and the glory of God’s love, and we can all use a whole lot of both.

It comes as no big surprise to me that Gerald is not the homo-hater that so many on you on the looney right thought he was. Over the couple of years that I read The Cafeteria is Closed, I think he dropped a number of hints.

What I would like to know now, is how do I access his new blog.

Gerald? Anyone?

Thanks, David, for your, um, thoughtful response!

I also never knew the peculiarities of Catholic sex rules, they don’t tell you those in RCIA, and for good reason, it turns out.

Staunch, by the book, yes, no, right, wrong worked well when I had OCD, but with SSRIs, they call me mellow yellow, and thus the ‘witch hunt’ had an end.

Well, in looking back I see a lot of red flags.

Gerald seems to feel that his RCIA experience was less than stellar. I can’t argue that because I wasn’t there to evaluate it. Some, admittedly, are better than others. But it might surprise him to know that many converts (such as myself) are fully aware of the claims of John Winjgaard et al. and the rest of the historical deconstructionists. They really are the same old heresies recycled in our time.

As far as OCD goes, if medication is helping Gerald all to the good. But to equate OCD with belonging to an authoritative, repressive, black and white church (in Gerald’s estimation, the Catholic Church) simply won’t fly in the face of the many Catholics, both cradle and convert, who have been a part of Catholic history. Was John Wayne a victim of OCD? Or Gary Cooper? Or Edith Stein? or John Henry Newman?

Gerald really wasn’t Catholic long enough to get below the surface.

In the ten years since I became Catholic, I hardly recognize the Church he describes.

Alycin:

I’m afraid there’s been a misunderstanding;

1) You are confusing “being nice” with a virtue.

2) You are not familiar with why we call her “Mother Church.”

Were it not for this misunderstanding, you would know that a) ben is attacking the Church’s teaching on sexuality, therefore is attacking the Church, b) ben is attacking the Church, therefor is attacking my mother, and c) nobody attacks my mother without expecting an ass-whoopin’ before the day is done.

In spite of that which he (was begging for and) richly deserved, I directed him to a place where he might find others of similar ilk. It was the least I could do.

Remember, even St Nicholas punched Arius in the nose at a critical moment during the Council of Nicea. That’s right; jolly old St Nick cold-cocked a heretic.

Things could be worse.

“It took me 30 years of being “catholic” before I got it and became really Catholic. I can’t expect a recent convert, especially with incomplete formation and the social climate now, to get it in 3 years.”

It has taken me 31 years… and I still put the practicing in Practicing Catholic!

Might I suggest that folks join me in having Masses offered for Gerald?

Two great groups to deal with are the Catholic Near East Welfare Association:
http://www.cnewa.org/generalpg-verus.aspx?pageID=167

And the Seraphic Mass Association:
http://www.seraphicmass.org/

The priests of China are supported by the Cardinal Kung Foundation… one Mass stipend (requested donation of $10) will support a priest for three days… It may help Gerald for eternity…

http://www.cardinalkungfoundation.org/

I will pray for him. I hadn’t been able to access his blog, and wondered what was up. Well, now I understand…