Catholics are tough--don't you know!

[corneliamcgillicutty]

Those of us that attended Catholic schools and were taught by the nuns were pretty much prepared for a lot of the stuff that life throws our way. I would not trade my experience for all the money in the world. Tough love--the nuns were practicing it before the concept became popular. And guess what, it worked! I am still in touch with many of my school friends over more years than I care to mention. To a person, myself included, they have weathered all the challenges that life can offer and have managed to stay grounded while striving to be good people. Oh there are those that will say that the nuns are not the Catholic church, the church is comprised of pedophiles, mysogonists, homophobes and whatever other philes, ists and phobes one can think of. The parent(s) that pay tuition, often at financial sacrifice, to send their kids to Catholic schools, they are the Catholic church. The hard working people that would like nothing better than to roll over on Sunday morning but get the
kids ready and head off to mass, they are the Catholic church. I could go on and on but I will spare anyone who may happen to read this. This will sound corny to most of you. It does to me as well. But it happens to be the truth. So, people can post all the negative comments they wish to express and guess what? It ain't gonna matter! You will not discourage Catholics from their faith. Catholics are tough!

[Warpy]

1. I remember some as great teachers and others as abusers

I will say that since they've abandoned the habits in favor of restrained modern dress, they've turned into some very nice women. There have been some down the years I've counted among my friends, and I'm very selective about my friends.

(Typical introvert, not typical snob.)

But yeah, the majority of Catholics are even tough enough to stand up to Rome and say the hierarchy doesn't now anything about married life, sex, procreation, or women's health and should shut up about it because most Catholics aren't listening.

[jerseyjack]

2. Great ! That's wonderful.

The Catholic Church running YOUR life if fine.

If they would stop trying to run MY life, I would accept them. Until then, they are the enemy.

[Arugula Latte]

10. ^ yes ^

[MichiganVote]

3. What a croc. By any measure nuns were also child abusers.

[corneliamcgillicutty]

6. You must have had a terrible experience to

make such a statement.

[MichiganVote]

13. Me and about 400 other kids in one elementary alone.

Lots of people had the "terrible" nuns. Some didn't. But there were no regulations on how kids were treated.

[corneliamcgillicutty]

14. I had some tough ones too--believe it!

I still remember at my ripe old age some of the stuff that went on. Once, at a young age, I overheard a nun tell a male employee at the school to "go to hell". That kind of humanized them from my perspective. I had the opportunity to relate that story to her shortly before she died at an advanced age. She had a great laugh about it. Make no mistake, I am well aware of how tough they could be on us. But in my particular situation. I think it somehow prepared me for some of the situations I encountered throughout my life--kind of like boot camp. Guess I was lucky.

[Sheldon Cooper]

16. How 'tough' they could be?

That's laughable - they were fucking abusive, and you cannot sugar coat that. Bitter, frustrated old women who beat, and I mean literally beat, six- and seven-year olds because they didn't learn their letters fast enough, or some other mortal sin. You can carry all the fond memories you want, I remember the vicious beatings. If a teacher pulled that shit today they'd be arrested, and rightfully so.

[smokey nj]

17. Sr. Theodosia, my 4th grade teacher, slammed a classmate's head into the blackboard because he had

difficulty with a long division problem. I went to Catholic school in the 70s. The nuns in my school had pretty moved on from physical abuse to emotional abuse by then, but they still resorted to it occasionally. I still resent that my parents made me go to Catholic school. I was spared a Catholic high school education because my parents couldn't afford the tuition. It was the one and only time in my life that not having money worked in my favor.

[trotsky]

4. Catholic schools are also the world's #1 producer of atheists.

Or so I've heard.

[corneliamcgillicutty]

7. Right here on DU? It seems to be a chat room for

former Catholics who are now Atheists.

[bhikkhu]

20. Guilty

8 years of catholic school only succeeded in making me think. "Belief" never really seemed like a good idea.

[liberal_at_heart]

5. great post. I am loving all of these personal stories.

[MellowDem]

8. Catholics are discouraged from their faith...

and are leaving in record numbers. You can cover your ears and eyes and pretend all you want the the Catholic heirarchy doesn't exist, but it's there.

Your OP seems almost delusional, as if you're trying to convince yourself of some sort of ideal Catholic Church that has never existed. You might as well face reality. It's not just Catholicism, but all religions in the developed world that are shrinking.

As for religious schools... let's just say that indoctrinating children in unproven, unproveable beliefs is a form of child abuse.

Most Catholics are not tough, nor most other religious people, considering the majority don't agree with their own belief system yet won't face their own cognitive dissonance or intellectual dishonesty out of fear. Hell, few have the courage of their religion's convictions.

[corneliamcgillicutty]

9. There you go again--same scata--

different day. Your response to various posts is both repetitive and predictable. Why do you seem so angry? BTW, Catholics, in addition to being tough, generally have a sense of humour--helps us deal with the accusations of people who are self-appointed know it alls.

[Zoeisright]

11. There you go again - same scata -

different day. Your response to various posts is both repetitive and predictable. Why do you seem so angry? BTW, atheists and members of freethinking societies, in addition to being tough, generally have a sense of humor AND logical reasoning abilities. Helps us deal with the denial of people who are self-appointed know it alls.

[corneliamcgillicutty]

12. OMG--an atheistic plagiarist or

plagiaristic atheist!

[LAGC]

15. Ahem.

At Thu Mar 21, 2013, 06:11 PM an alert was sent on the following post:

Catholics are discouraged from their faith...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2545067

REASON FOR ALERT:

This post is disruptive, hurtful, rude, insensitive, over-the-top, or otherwise inappropriate. (See <a href="http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=aboutus#communitystandards" target="_blank">Community Standards</a>.)

ALERTER'S COMMENTS:

\"As for religious schools... let\'s just say that indoctrinating children in unproven, unproveable beliefs is a form of child abuse.\"


So CAtholic DUers who send their children to Catholic schools are engaging in child abuse?? This is rude, and bigoted.

You served on a randomly-selected Jury of DU members which reviewed this post. The review was completed at Thu Mar 21, 2013, 06:20 PM, and the Jury voted 3-3 to LEAVE IT.

Juror #1 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: It is the poster's opinion (which I don't agree with). I don't see it as bigoted-just stupid.
Juror #2 voted to HIDE IT and said: very rude and bigoted.
Juror #3 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: I'm sorry, alerter, but poster is correct. Religious schools do involve a certain amount of indoctrination -- its the very reason they exist: to promote the faith. I think its fair to question how right it is for children to be raised in such closed environments, versus being free to develop their own belief systems on their own, without adults telling them how to think.
Juror #4 voted to HIDE IT and said: I agree. All the Catholic bashing is following a pattern that basically to be a Catholic is to be a pedophile enabler and a child abuser. It is bigoted. I'm waiting for the next step, in Catholic bashing, that Priests are using convents for brothels, something I used to hear from non-Catholic acquaintances back in the fifties.
Juror #5 voted to HIDE IT and said: As someone who went to Catholic school for the first 8 years of my schooling, I find the poster's claim that such schooling amounts to "child abuse" to be ridiculous, ill-informed, and insulting. I'm no longer a practicing Catholic, but neither am I ruled by a blind, seething hatred of religion such as this poster seems to possess.
Juror #6 voted to LEAVE IT ALONE and said: No explanation given

Thank you very much for participating in our Jury system, and we hope you will be able to participate again in the future.

[treestar]

18. "I'm sorry alerter, but the post is correct."

People agree with something and think that's all it takes to allow it to stand. I guess "objective" is just not in some people's vocabulary.

[LAGC]

19. Would you have preferred if I had just said "The poster has a right to express his/her opinion?"

Jurors pass commentary on the content of posts all the time.

What's the big deal?

After all, its a discussion board... aren't we here to discuss?