My second child had a friend Rose, who was the daughter of a lady Mary (of course) who was Catholic like nobody I have met before or since (and I say that as someone whose dad was excommunicated because his wife left him, half my family was Catholic.) She was really nice and a true believer to the point of being batshit crazy but so gentle with her dozen kids and they were great kids. She got them a birthday party only every 5 years, we got to go to one for Rose and it was huge, with literal ponies, but the gift her mom gave her was a song she wrote and sang for her. It was awesome. I don’t live in that world but will attest that some fundy Catholics are really nice people, religion does not spoil them, and they don’t try to convert you.
Also when the photographer was going to take a picture of all the kids she said, I quote, “Say Jesus!”
You are complimenting them on their humanism, not their adherence to their religion. Which is fine. It’s the religion which has had to adjust itself to remain acceptable to its fee paying subscribers. As a lapsed Catholic myself , the theme of conversion, and evangelism was a fairly regular one at the weekly groaningly boring sermon. If your friends weren’t attempting to convert you I credit their social awareness, and again general humanism considering that at the back of their heads they have to agree , lest burn themselves, that you are going to burn in hell for eternity for not being a member of the same club. That trusted functional adults told me that repeatedly through my childhood while living in an otherwise decent, civil society is a credit to the social education my family and community gave me and each other otherwise. We cherry pick from the brutal bronze age texts but the pickings get slimmer and slimmer and the choices we make are filtered based on our actual humanity and ethical social standard of our time. Perhaps the official doctrine has since shifted - I grew up in the 70s/80s - but I don’t really care. Crediting people for their actual actions despite their environment is where I’ve ended up. I do disagree though with you saying their religion doesn’t spoil them. Being told by the apparently literal mouthpiece of God on earth that the universe was created for you and that (s)he keeps a constant tab on you and your prayers because you are a member of the club? Doesn’t get much more earthly and spoilt . Like being quietly and modestly told by your parents that you are really better than all other kid on earth. If the parents choose not to spoil their kids materialistically or otherwise, thats the work and choice of the parents, not their religion, let alone the work of the imaginary cloud man.
As a heretic to Catholicism conversion was meh in my churches growing up. They were pretty clear that most people had some faith and that where they might get screwed is in the works department. We were always told to behave so well that people would be impressed by the kindness and generosity of Catholics, and that that alongside letting them come to us would convert them far better than any amount of nagging.
My second child had a friend Rose, who was the daughter of a lady Mary (of course) who was Catholic like nobody I have met before or since (and I say that as someone whose dad was excommunicated because his wife left him, half my family was Catholic.) She was really nice and a true believer to the point of being batshit crazy but so gentle with her dozen kids and they were great kids. She got them a birthday party only every 5 years, we got to go to one for Rose and it was huge, with literal ponies, but the gift her mom gave her was a song she wrote and sang for her. It was awesome. I don’t live in that world but will attest that some fundy Catholics are really nice people, religion does not spoil them, and they don’t try to convert you.
Also when the photographer was going to take a picture of all the kids she said, I quote, “Say Jesus!”
You are complimenting them on their humanism, not their adherence to their religion. Which is fine. It’s the religion which has had to adjust itself to remain acceptable to its fee paying subscribers. As a lapsed Catholic myself , the theme of conversion, and evangelism was a fairly regular one at the weekly groaningly boring sermon. If your friends weren’t attempting to convert you I credit their social awareness, and again general humanism considering that at the back of their heads they have to agree , lest burn themselves, that you are going to burn in hell for eternity for not being a member of the same club. That trusted functional adults told me that repeatedly through my childhood while living in an otherwise decent, civil society is a credit to the social education my family and community gave me and each other otherwise. We cherry pick from the brutal bronze age texts but the pickings get slimmer and slimmer and the choices we make are filtered based on our actual humanity and ethical social standard of our time. Perhaps the official doctrine has since shifted - I grew up in the 70s/80s - but I don’t really care. Crediting people for their actual actions despite their environment is where I’ve ended up. I do disagree though with you saying their religion doesn’t spoil them. Being told by the apparently literal mouthpiece of God on earth that the universe was created for you and that (s)he keeps a constant tab on you and your prayers because you are a member of the club? Doesn’t get much more earthly and spoilt . Like being quietly and modestly told by your parents that you are really better than all other kid on earth. If the parents choose not to spoil their kids materialistically or otherwise, thats the work and choice of the parents, not their religion, let alone the work of the imaginary cloud man.
As a heretic to Catholicism conversion was meh in my churches growing up. They were pretty clear that most people had some faith and that where they might get screwed is in the works department. We were always told to behave so well that people would be impressed by the kindness and generosity of Catholics, and that that alongside letting them come to us would convert them far better than any amount of nagging.