BRTD remains one of the only people who can get me to defend the Catholic Church. Mainly because he doesn't actually criticise the Church all that much instead of being an unrepentant bigot against the millions of practicing Catholics who don't toe the strict party line on every theological issue.
I also might as well point out that I was joking when I said that you can "never leave' the Catholic Church. As I recall I was actually referencing a joke I heard some comedian tell. Which isn't to say I wasn't trying to make a valid point - I was trying to impress upon BRTD that the American way - or, er, what he
tells me is the American way - that religious identification changes is more or less unique to the US. In Ireland, but also in most of Europe generally, if someone's born Catholic they stay "Catholic", even if only nominally - prodigious conversion seems to be largely a US phenomenon.
The other point I was making is that - obviously - Irish identity and Catholic identity are almost inextricably linked. That's not something that's always had great consequences, of course, since you have the nasty element in the past of Protestants being considered "less" genuinely Irish, but I digress. A Catholic is not someone who is a fanatical supporter of the Catholic Church. The vast majority of Catholic women, shocker, use birth control, which as far as I'm
aware the Pope is still opposed to. A Catholic is someone who culturally identifies as such.
For a personal example, my mother identifies as Catholic, goes to Mass on Christmas and Easter, but is by no means devout and doesn't stop what she's doing at noon to go through her rosary beads. She agrees with Catholic teaching on virtually no "social issue", but if you asked her she'd say she was Catholic without a second thought. That's very, very common. I'd go as far as to say it's the norm... at least here.
Grow up, BRTD. I don't have much time for the Catholic Church by any means, but your bigotry against Catholics is pretty obnoxious and I'm reasonably certain Hipster Jesus wouldn't approve.
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