Catholic Parishioners Burn Rainbow Flag In 'Exorcism' Ceremony

[Janes Groove]

Parishioners defy Chicago Archdiocese, burn rainbow flag in 'exorcism' ceremony
-NBC News

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/parishioners-defy-chicago-archdiocese-burn-rainbow-flag-exorcism-ceremony-n910666

I just . . .
I can't . . .
It's just so . . .

Oh heck. Submitted without comment.

[GingerVicki]

Classical thinking at its best. Using religion for hate.

[Devlyn]

It says so, so much about them, and nothing at all about us.

Someone has to clean the toilets in heaven...I  think we just met the maintenance crew. 

[GingerVicki]

It says so, so much about them, and nothing at all about us.

Someone has to clean the toilets in heaven...I  think we just met the maintenance crew. 

[Virginia]

The spin of this post is disturbing. Why not "Chicago Citizens Burn Rainbow Flag In 'Exorcism' Ceremony." The burning of the flag was an act of hate by individuals who happened to be Catholic. It had NOTHING to do with the Church.

[Donica]

I'm feeling sick! I am denouncing Catholicism. I can't believe they have the nerve to do such a heinous thing, especially after so many have been in the news for child molestation and other lewd sexual acts.

[Lucca]

It has everything to do with the fact that these are Catholic parishioners who burned the flag due to their religious beliefs, not some random citizens who burned a flag for the hell of it.

[Janes Groove]

The spin of this post is disturbing. Why not "Chicago Citizens Burn Rainbow Flag In 'Exorcism' Ceremony." The burning of the flag was an act of hate by individuals who happened to be Catholic. It had NOTHING to do with the Church.

1.  Exorcism is, historically, a Roman Catholic ritual reserved for casting out demons.
2. These are Roman Catholic parishioners who attend the Resurrection Catholic in Chicago who took down a flag that was hanging in THEIR church for years harming no one.
3. It was led by a parish priest, Rev. Paul Kalchik, a Roman Catholic priest at Resurrection Parish who "JUST HAPPENS" to be  a parish priest!*
4. The event was advertised in the parish church bulletin.
5. Discrimination against LGBT Catholics is a real problem and it exists to this day and is perpetuated by powerful forces WITHIN the Church.

*Who stated, in writing:

"On Saturday, September 29, the Feast of Saint Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, we will burn, in front of the church, the rainbow flag that was unfortunately hanging in our sanctuary during the ceremonial first Mass as Resurrection parish"

AGAIN:  That was written by a parish priest!

A footnote on his announcement stated, "US Church homosexual scandal is a sequel to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah."

[Janes Groove]

3. It was led by a parish priest, Rev. Paul Kalchik, a Roman Catholic priest at Resurrection Parish who "JUST HAPPENS" to be  a parish priest!*

Imagine how it must have galled him. Having to look at that evil symbol of diversity and inclusion and acceptance, a truly catholic(lower case c) symbol, EVERY day as he passed by to offer his prayers to The Almighty. 

[DawnOday]

And they wonder why, more and more people are rejecting the church. This is not something Jesus taught. In fact the complete opposite.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
What about this do they not understand?
Next thing you know they will be taking down the sign. "All are welcome"

[GingerVicki]

And they wonder why, more and more people are rejecting the church. This is not something Jesus taught. In fact the complete opposite.
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
What about this do they not understand?
Next thing you know they will be taking down the sign. "All are welcome"

All are welcome
Should this be hanging up there anyway?

[DawnOday]

My Grandparents helped found the Foursquare church. I have attended many church meetings and that sign is on many of their doors. That's part of the problem in that there is the Lord word and the churches interpretation. Unfortunately they are using the Lords word for racism, prejudice and bigotry. I quit the church in my early teens but I have never abandoned God. I just don't expect him to answer every prayer or be at my beck and call. Look up at the sky. See those little dots. Billions of them. Do you really think he has hunkered down in the US? Nor do I.

[Michelle_P]

Next thing you know they will be taking down the sign. "All are welcome"

I have looked at a number of churches.  Before I settled in with the Unitarian Universalists (who have a world view identical to my own, a great match), I tried a number of other churches.  Most expressed "All are welcome" in their signage or other materials.   Many of these "Welcoming" churches saw me as raw material to be 'fixed', 'repaired', or otherwise rebuilt.

"Welcoming" is not the same as "Welcoming and Accepting"

[Donica]

There is a welcoming and accepting LGBT friend church about a mile further down the road from the Catholic church I used to belong to. I'm will to start going there.

[GingerVicki]

Let's get back to the flag.

...so the flag was possessed by demons even though it was in a church for awhile? Hmmm. A demonically possessed flag.

Wow! This sounds serious.

[Janes Groove]

Hmmm. A demonically possessed flag.

Not anymore apparently.  Sometimes you have to destroy the flag in order to save the flag.

[GingerVicki]

I guess so. It must be like burn the witch to save her soul.

[Lady Sarah]

I guess so. It must be like burn the witch to save her soul.

Is that anything like burning Nikes to protest peaceful protests? 

I was raised Catholic. Things I have witnessed within the church are the reason I left the church. Burning a rainbow flag is merely small step towards becoming what the Westboro Baptist Church has become; a den of hatred and bigotry.

Beware of any religion that only propheses certain parts of the Bible, while conveniently sidestepping others.

[Janes Groove]

I guess so. It must be like burn the witch to save her soul.

I was thinking of the Vietnam era saying, "We have to burn the village to save the village," but yours is more historically accurate to what was going on in the middle ages.  But in reality, not just the medieval times.  The last witch was executed as recently as 1727. 

[ErinAscending]

I was thinking of the Vietnam era saying, "We have to burn the village to save the village," but yours is more historically accurate to what was going on in the middle ages.  But in reality, not just the medieval times.  The last witch was executed as recently as 1727. 

But that was during the age of enlightenment...  It must have been an "Enlightened" execution.
/sarc