This just in: Pope causes French first lady to lose her faith!

France's First Lady said that the Church's teachings had left her feeling "profoundly secular".

She departed from her post's traditional religious neutrality to accuse the Pope of "damaging" countries like Africa with his stance on birth control.

The former nude model and rock star groupie, now Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy, said: "I was born Catholic, I was baptised, but in my life I feel profoundly secular. I find that the controversy coming from the Pope's message – albeit distorted by the media – is very damaging."

What a tragedy!! I mean, the French are known for being so pious and religious! LOLOLOL.

I don't understand how people who obviously are not practicing their faith identify themselves as Catholic, or another Christian denomination for that matter. "Gee, I was baptized 45 years ago but haven't been to church in 30 years; That makes me an expert on the religion and RC morality" Her outlook has obviously been secular for years; What drivel. I don't care what she thinks of the Pope.

And of course, the people don't even know that some non relgious types who are medical people think that the use of condoms won't t necessarily slow down AIDS anyway.

AustenFan wrote:What a tragedy!! I mean, the French are known for being so pious and religious! LOLOLOL.

I don't understand how people who obviously are not practicing their faith identify themselves as Catholic, or another Christian denomination for that matter. "Gee, I was baptized 45 years ago but haven't been to church in 30 years; That makes me an expert on the religion and RC morality"

I have noticed this happen alot, ex-Christian, ex-Catholic, HAC, now secular progressives use there former ties to the Church as a resume item as "experts" on religon.

Can I use the word "skanky" on this forum a salute to the French.

which is, people born into Catholic families and raised Catholic seem to feel it as an identity akin to being Jewish, where there is a confusion of cultural identity and religious identification. Hence, we see a phrase like "secular Jew" and don't bat an eye. But somehow "secular Catholic" seems bizarre. Yet they feel this Catholic identity is deeply part of them, even when they don't assent to half or any of the Catholic creed.

I don't see the other Christian churches having the same weird confusion of cultural and religious identities. With the exception of Mormons perhaps (and let's not get into all the exceptions there).

I once tried to distinguish between Catholic1s and Catholic2s on the other forum, where 1s were cultural and religious and 2s pretty much strictly cultural. But the one thing a Catholic2 hates is to be distinguished from Catholic1s.

Also, there's the key to all those polls that tell you what "Catholics" believe. Probably half of the Catholics in any such poll are more like the French first lady than yours truly.

there is a racial-cultural component to their religon that Catholics do not have. Jews (most) belong to a race, same as Irish, Italians, ect....

If you are a "secular Jew" you still belong to a cultrual traditon that goes back 5,000 years.

VicarJoe wrote:France's First Lady said that the Church's teachings had left her feeling "profoundly secular".

She departed from her post's traditional religious neutrality to accuse the Pope of "damaging" countries like Africa with his stance on birth control.

The former nude model and rock star groupie, now Mrs Bruni-Sarkozy, said: "I was born Catholic, I was baptised, but in my life I feel profoundly secular. I find that the controversy coming from the Pope's message – albeit distorted by the media – is very damaging."

I'm wondering how it feels to feel "profoundly secular." And she departed from her peost's neutrality to attack--the Pope? Quelle surprise! And then the acknowledgement that the controversy about the Pope's media-distorted message is damaging.

thing. I would, however, have some greater understanding of it if it were tied to a place of conected to a specific group pf people from like Judaism is. I know some miltitantly Atheistis folks who insist that they are Jewish even though last time they practiced their faith was 45 years ago when they had a Bar Mitzvah. They feel very strongly about the state of Israel, however.

But if you believe nothing your religion teaches why not just say, "I was raised as a Catholic." That bothers me more than "secular Jews" but then the secular Jews I know don't mock other people who are practicing the Jewish faith which they have left.