The National Enquirer has a story this week which is supposedly an “exclusive look” at the private church Mel is building in Agoura Hills, California. We don’t have access to the photos, but it’s not really important. Just imagine a villain’s hilltop lair in one of the James Bond films from the 1970s (I‘m thinking For Your Eyes Only), and you’ve got the idea. Anyway, the accompanying article had some interesting pieces of information:
Workers are putting the finishing touches on Mel Gibson’s 9,000-square-foot Holy Family Chapel in Agoura Hills, California – and the Enquirer has learned that Mel and Oksana, 40, will tie the knot there later this year.
“This is Mel’s dream church and the center of his world,” an insider told the Enquirer. “He’s a devout traditionalist Catholic and views the chapel as his own house of worship where he can pray privately with family and friends.”
Oksana – who gave birth to Mel’s eighth child, daughter Lucia, on Oct. 30 – is taking catechism classes at the church, according to the insider.
“It’s important to Mel that he and Oksana are of the same faith,” the source added. “She’s learning the doctrines and traditions of his conservative sect.”
Gibson financed the chapel’s construction, and Lucia will soon be baptized there, said the insider.
The chapel’s crowning glory is the huge mural behind the altar.
“Mel handpicked an artist to paint a modern interpretation of the ascension of Christ,” said the insider. “He’s also commissioned someone to cast a bell for the church tower. Mel says he is more proud of his church than any of his other achievements.”
[From The National Enquirer, print edition, March 22, 2010]
I’m not trying to bash Catholicism or people of faith in general, but I really don’t understand why someone would need their own private 9,000-foot church. I mean, doesn’t that go against the tenets of Christianity and the teachings of Christ? Now, I sort of get the whole idea of having a big estate, and including a private chapel on the property so that your rich family can pray privately, in-house. I mean, it sort of makes sense. But that’s not what Mel is doing. This is not a small, private chapel. He bought property to build his own tribute to “Mel As God” so all of his family and friends can practice this ultra-conservative Catholicism and not have to worry about the riff-raff getting in. Eh. Maybe I’m completely off-base. Anyway, I was amused that Oksana is going all out to “learn the doctrines and traditions of his conservative sect”. That’s what you get for going with crazy.
Mel and Oksana at the ‘Edge of Darkness’ premiere in Paris on February 4, 2010. Sidenote: Don’t you love that when you sound out the French name it read “Whores d’ Control”? Credit: WENN.
lol I just find this funny for some reason.
Spending $$$ on churches is very much in accord with Christianity and the teachings of Christ. See Matthew 26:8-13.
This story has problems. We know that the Natl Enquirer tried to marry Mel and Oksana last December, and Mel’s divorce isn’t even finalized yet. Now they claim that Lucia hasn’t been baptized, but she’s almost 5 months old. Traditionalist Catholics baptize their babies as soon as possible.
Octosana, you’ve gotten more than you bargained for! *evil laugh*
While the rest of us count sheep to lull ourselves to sleep, Oksana counts dollar bills and ex-wife Robyn counts her blessings… that she’s rid of Melvin.
Aehm….I’m sorry, but being Italian I may not be grasping some part of the concept here…
He is schooling her in Catholicism after: cheating on his wife, knocking his mistress up and DIVORCING from his wife????! Excuse ME!
He can’t even DO all of the above according to the Catholic faith, how exactly does he think to MARRY Oksana in a Catholic cerimony?!
Doesn’t everything Mel Gibson does go against conservative Christian teaching? I started to make a list of his Christian contradictions, but they were so numerous it seemed futile.
And regardless of what the bible says, Christ (y’know, the guy the whole thing’s supposed to be about) would’ve had some problems with Mel’s chapel. He wasn’t fond of vulgar displays of wealth as a means to get oneself into heaven. For those of you not in the know, Jesus kinda freaked out in places like those. He got real violent and smashed stuff.
All I can say is, Mel better hope there’s no heaven, because if following the rules gains one entry, he’s not getting in.
Sounds a lot like the dynamic between Tom, Katie and Suri. Mel is a turd.
“And regardless of what the bible says, Christ …” Um, really?
“He wasn’t fond of vulgar displays of wealth as a means to get oneself into heaven. For those of you not in the know, Jesus kinda freaked out in places like those. He got real violent and smashed stuff.”
You got it backwards. He wasn’t angry about the fancy Temple. He was angry that the moneychangers were desecrating the fancy Temple.
/catechism
Not all of mel gibson’s family members go to HIS church. His beautiful sister in law mrs.shanna gibson comes to st.sophia’s. she is very well spoken. seems she has distanced herself from that family. pretty sure she and the other mrs.gibson were yanked out cause they wouldn’t kiss ass.
i would love to see a sit down interview with the 2 mrs.gibson’s maybe they can enlighten us with the REAL story.
good for you mrs.g’s.
.
Mel probably built this church because no other Catholic church would let his sorry hypocritical arse in their doors, gobs of money or not. But just another example of how rich and famous people can be so out of touch with reality and think they’re above the rules that they can break even some of the most intrinsic laws of their faith and it’s ok. “I’m Mel F’in Gibson! So it’s totally cool with God that I lusted after another woman, slept with her, divorced my wife and had a child out of wedlock. I’ve already bought my ticket to heaven so I can do whatever the heck I want bitches!” Oy vey…
@ Mary – I don’t think it’s because you’re Italian, because I’m not Italian, and I’m a Christian, and I still don’t get Catholicism.
How is it that a “conservative Catholic” thinks it’s okay to cheat on his wife of umpteen years, impregnate his mistress (to whom he is not wed), and divorce his wife? I’m pretty sure those things are frowned upon (total understatement said with sarcasm) in ALL religions, not just Catholicism. I hate the hypocrisy at play here. It disgusts me to no end.
Christ’s #1 topic was love, and second to that, the wrongness of seeking material riches. He dedicated his life to the disenfranchised and the poor and when asked by the wealthy what they could do to gain righteousness he was quick to tell them: Rid yourselves of materialism. It’s not nebulous. It’s all there in plain sight in the NT.
RE Mel: Nice grandfather/grand daughter photo there.
I had to LOL at this story, because like several of you, my first thought was what conservative Catholic thinks it’s OK to cheat, divorce, have a child out of wedlock, live together with no marriage, etc.
It all sounds to me like overcompensating because he knows he hasn’t been the best guy.
I thought Mel already had a church. Is this the same one that he’s embellishing, or is it a new one? Maybe he’ll name it the Holy Trophy Wife Family Chapel.
I think everyone that’s talking about Catholicism in these comments is missing the point: Mel’s “church” is not recognized by the Vatican, so it’s not a “real” Catholic church. He pays for it and its priest, so he can make the rules and do whatever he wants. I’m no religious scholar, but isn’t there something in the Bible about false gods? Mel seems to have a Messiah complex: he is God and “in the right” and those of us that question him are judgmental and out of line. He obviously doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong. I’m not Catholic, but just from a moral perspective his behavior over the past year has been reprehensible.
@Jose…I’m sure many of Mel’s extended family, the decent one’s like Shana and Robyn Gibson, have distanced themselves from this elaborate tax shelter, especially if he’s bringing an immoral sleaze like Oksana into the fold.
Cathy T…Regarding the baby’s baptism…You said that “traditional Catholics” baptise their babies as soon as possible. But Mel is not a “traditional Catholic,” is he?
the patron saint of mel’s conservative catholic church is the little-known st. douchebag. it’s true!
Mel needs to legally change his name to “Sugartits Gibson”
hypocrite. it’s becuase of people like this that people are turning away from traditional christian religion. i hate a f#cking religious nut that is a hypocrite.
upon completion of his church it has been reported that Mel Gibson will provide a gold leaf covered new edition of the bible with a newly added chapter “THOU SHALT NOT DOUBT MEL .. OR ELSE”. I’ve heard through the grapevine.
This gold-digging Ho will do anything to get that cash.
Mel is in need of a Conservator. Is Pappy Jaime Spears available?
Snapdragon… best laugh of the day.
If Mad Mel was such a good Catholic, why was he commiting adultery with this heather while still married to his long suffering wife and mother of his kids.
Mel needs a Ct scan STAT.
@bubbles…LOL!
Folks, just read on the gossipcop web site that Mel’s “rep,” you know, the one that this time last year was telling us that Mel and Oksana’s relationship was purely professional, is denying the NE marriage story. They bring up last year’s NE story about the supposed December wedding, as if that proves their information is wrong (it couldn’t possibly be that the wedding had to be postponed because the divorce is taking longer than expected, could it?)
Here’s how the lessons go:
Mel: You want to know how to be a good catholic?
Slut: Yeah
Mel: Don’t do what I do.
Fin.
Let’s be fair! Mel Gibson’s latest movie, Edge of Darkness, has not grossed enough money to cover its’ production costs, let alone what was probably spent to market it. He’s going to need “one hell of a miracle” to revive his acting career.
He’s made a mockery of the Catholic faith which no doubt destroyed his first marriage and severely crippled his professional career. All of this has more than likely rubbed many of his current ultra conservative church members “the wrong way” and possibly the priests he pays to conduct their services. He’s probably tired of confronting both the public and private fallout surrounding the scandal attached to his mistress and divorce. A legitimate Catholic Church will not grant him an annulment to marry Oksana because she’s already been married and divorced, twice, in addition to Lucia being her “second” child conceived out of wedlock. Even many Protestant Churches would also frown upon a “church ceremony” in this instance. Instead, they really should consider having a “civil ceremony” and have the marriage “blessed”, if possible.
Mel Gibson certainly has the right to worship GOD as he pleases on his private property as long as he’s not breaking any local, state or federal laws. I read he’s selling the Malibu estate on which he and Robyn raised their children. Their life as a “married couple” will be legally ending soon and he’s trying to pick up the pieces of his shattered existence. Whether he actually loves Oksana or not, who knows? Perhaps by marrying her, he’s hoping to reverse his rather shaky fortunes. For better or worse, Mel and Oksana certainly deserve one another.
Robyn Moore Gibson is THE REAL WINNER in this instance. She still has her looks and will be “free as a bird” to spend Mel’s money as she pleases without having to cater to his whims. Oksana actually did Robyn a favor! Hey, Girlfriend, if you need a “running partner”, please call me!!!
I wish Mel and his mistress and baby would just go live in a cave somewhere in Siberia and never show their faces again.
I haven’t ever liked Mel but I am sure happy his wife got loads of money out of him,good for her
I don’t care anymore
@Jose and @Uzi
you are right she can be reached at
alicensetolive@gmail.com
I was at St.Sophia’s and it was in the guestbook.
I’m not trying to piss anyone off, being born a Catholic but isn’t that sect for old people without an education and the third world? Why would any woman support a religion that casts them as second class citizens? I’m not saying this about Christianity, just the Catholic church. It’s like it’s secretly a haven for gays back in the day that didn’t lie and get married because they wanted to fit in. Am I wrong here? Why not just become an Episcopalian/Anglican that has women priests and still follows the wonderful teachings of Jesus?
@Uzi…What else is he? 50 years ago Catholic babies were baptized during their first week so that if they died they wouldn’t go to Limbo. What possible reason would Mel have for delaying the baptism?
I don’t know what church you go to, but Catholic churches don’t keep out anyone, not even “an immoral sleaze like Oksana.”
About the National Enquirer, a more likely scenario is that the editors predicted a wedding based on nothing more than their belief that religious Mel wanted to be married. Simple as that.
@Sincerity:
“A legitimate Catholic Church will not grant him an annulment to marry Oksana because she’s already been married and divorced, twice, in addition to Lucia being her “second” child conceived out of wedlock.”
This doesn’t matter to Catholics, ESPECIALLY about having children out of wedlock. Catholics are not supposed to shun. Even the strictest marriage tribunal could find reasons to annul Oksana’s previous marriages if her two husbands are still living. The problem is the Gibson marriage.
@ThunderC*nt…No one is “born” a Catholic, so next time you want to share your prejudices, don’t use that excuse.
Thunderc#nut, not even worth responding to with any great thought.
@ThunderC*nt:
What Mel Gibson practices is prior to the initiation of Vatican II during the 1960’s. This is why his church is “not aligned” with Rome because it’s not truly a “universal” or Catholic church.
Frankly, the Catholic Church is not the only Christian denomination with societal issues and double standards. Recently, former President Jimmy Carter stopped attending and condemned how his Southern Baptist Church Association treated women. In fact, I know of a Grammy award winning evangelical minister who is married and has been busted several times for having sex with men. In addition to him, there are other gospel performers who are dealing with this same issue which does not sit well in the African American Community. If you remember, Ted Haggerty, at one time, a very popular televangelist minister was publicly outed by his gay lover. How about Jimmy Swaggart, a Louisiana televangelist, who was busted at least twice for soliciting sex from street hookers. No one could publicly beg for forgiveness quite like Jimmy Swaggart and the list goes on and on!
As you can see, my friend, it’s not about a person’s religious denomination — it’s all about SINCERTIY! Even the Bible says that many will be called but “few chosen” and you will always know a tree according to “the fruit it bears”. What’s done in the dark will always come to light especially, if you’re foolish enough to believe GOD’s not looking.
Trillion, he came to redeem men from they’re sin’s, rich and poor, He never played the class card. Everyone is precious to Him, and not just the poor, but everyone.
Oh man, when Tom Cruise sees this, he’s going to be soooo pissed that he didn’t get to build a bigger scientology “church” in HIS backyard first.
Oksana looks about 12 in that second pic – and Mel looks like her father (or possibly even her GRANDFATHER)! Gross!
@CathyT…You and I have always disagreed about the validity of the NE. My point is that I don’t find them any less credible than other media outlets, especially those like “People” that are fed by “official” PR reps like Alan Nierob. I wish Mel had given at least one interview during his recent media blitz in which he addressed some of the rumors and speculations. To my knowledge he never even mentionned Oksana by name; he referred to her as “the mother” while talking about the baby. Unfortunately Mel’s life will always be under the media microscope, and his being evasive and deceptive will not help the situation. As for a wedding…only time will tell if the NE is correct. They certainly have an excellent track record regarding John Edwards, don’t they?
@Sincerity…I just re-read both sets of comments, and you’ve made some great points. Non-religious people like myself have a problem with these hypocrites because “religious” does not mean “moral.” Going to church on Sunday and memorizing Bible verses does not make a person better than the rest of us. Whenever I get involved in a discussion about this I bring up Jimmy Carter as an example of a “true Christian,” someone who walks the walk, not just talks the talk (and it has nothing to do with his political affiliation or views). I see Mel as someone totally opposite. He seems to believe that making “The Passion of the Christ” and building an elaborate church balances out his “sinful” life. His chapel is private, so why does he need to make it bigger and fancier? The impression is that he’s trying to “buy his way into heaven.”
@Cathy T:
“Catholics are not supposed to shun.” I vehemently disagree with you. The “dark”, “fanatical” history of the Catholic Church does not support this statement. The Jews were driven out of Spain during the Middle Ages because they refused to sever their cultural and ethnic ties to Judaism. These poor souls had to leave their possessions behind and left with nothing except the clothes on their backs! Many people who opposed the church were accused of being “in league with the devil” and “TORTURED TO DEATH” for various reasons. Even scientists and scholars had issues with them. The Protestant Reformation along with the Age of Reason helped eliminate some of this “bigoted foolishness”. Cathy T, go back and read the Church’s history — IT’S NOT PRETTY!!! Furthermore, I strongly suspect that many of his current church members are appalled by his relationship with Oksana and would prefer him not to dictate to them about their behavior or opinions. In all fairness, don’t dish out what you can’t take! Which is probably why he may be building another chapel to exclude any opposition from others.
You’re correct. The Gibson marriage would have to be annulled by a “legitimate”, “ecclesiastical”, “administrative” Catholic authority because the Gibsons were actually married in the “Roman Catholic” Church. Since Mel Gibson and his “pathetically” twisted father don’t acknowledge the authority of the Vatican as the head of their “bootleg”, “ultra conservative”, “self-righteous” cult (THANK YOU, JESUS!!!), no legitimate Roman Catholic official is obligated to consider or grant an annulment of his “legitimate” marriage to Robyn Moore. Furthermore, a “legitimate”, Catholic tribunal would have problems with Oksana’s previous marriages and out of wedlock births, if she petitioned to marry in a “legitimate” Roman Catholic Church. Which is one reason why so many Catholic women are very paranoid about avoiding out of wedlock births to begin with. Even within many Protestant Churches, ministers will “flat out refuse” to marry you in their churches out of respect for the sanctity of the House of the Lord. Many of these ministers would be willing to privately counsel you, even possibly bless your “civil marriage” but not marry you in their churches.
Cathy T, in “an ideal world”, people are suppose to be accepting and forgiving; however, this is not always the case.
annie, OMG, you are a woman, right?
An educated woman? Highly doubt.
Trillion, he came to redeem men from they’re sin’s, rich and poor, He never played the class card. Everyone is precious to Him, and not just the poor, but everyone.
Sin is or Sins. Educated people, this doesn’t fly with them. See who you are. Right through it. Sin Is=Sin’s. Gave yourself away.
Their sins, oh brilliant one.
@Uzi…I don’t discount everything from the NE. The John Edwards story was unusual because they actually did some old fashioned investigative journalism on that lead. They had a reporter on the ground. But their bread and butter is making safe predictions: pregnancies, medical disorders, drug use from “dehydrated” starlets, and of course hook ups and break ups. The NE won’t be vindicated if Mel and Oksana marry any more than if Brad and Angelina finally do split. Now if the NE starts claiming that George Clooney is planning a wedding, then I’ll pay attention. A story about a Clooney marriage is a much riskier than predicting Mel Gibson will remarry. As for this particular story, I believe their claim that the church has or will have a mural about the Ascension of Christ. That detail is too specific to come from thin air. They must have spoken to a contractor.
I’m not surprised that Mel doesn’t refer to Oksana by name. Robyn has always been “my wife” and he always refers to his children by their ages. But he is clearly uncomfortable discussing the situation, probably out of guilt and shame.
@Sincerity…your post reads almost as a parody of historical ignorance.
Shunning is directed to members or former members of a religious group who transgress some rule or standard of behavior. Catholics don’t shun. Excommunicated Catholics are still expected to attend mass. Although there are probably some Catholic parents who don’t speak to their children who leave the Church, they are not supposed to do this.
@Uzi:
Thank you very much. I find your points interesting, too!
My friend, none of us are perfect. Mel Gibson has had the luxury of being “catered to” during the lion share of his professional career and it seems to be very difficult for him to accept the radical change in his celebrity status.
Money and notoriety simply went to his head and gave him a very false sense of security. His ego deluded him into believing that he was morally fit to operate a “spiritually” based organization. We all have skeletons in our closets but the Universe turned his inside out for the entire world to see. I gather he was raised by his father who actually studied for the Catholic priesthood to believe that “strict adherence” to ritual and dogma will “buy” GOD’s favor.
Unfortunately, many Catholics have been “brainwashed” to believe that their teachings about GOD and Christianity are the most authoritative which simply is not true. In many respects, this will tend to produce a “rigid”, “temporal” mindset rather than a “spiritual” one. Too many of these people believe that “more” is always better when in fact YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL SHOULD BECOME A MUCH BETTER PERSON. If he is in fact building another chapel, it’s more or less a “coping strategy” he’s initiating to shield his damaged self-esteem. It’s much easier for him to build another building than to accept that his “ultra conservative” Catholic upbringing does not work for him. He’s trying to control everybody around him hoping that he’ll be able to control himself. He seems to be repeating the same strategy that has failed. We all live and we learn!
Mel is a MONSTER and a BULLY and an EGOMANIAC.
And the Russian is a PRETEND cutie and a FAKE FACE.
She actually thinks that she can fool HIS entire family.
No ma’m they dodged women like HER all the time.Saw on twitter that Mel had renewed his marriage vows to his wife recently.
FAKE FACE was smarter than his other lovers. She popped out that baby so fast . And he is stuck with her. And his family has to pretend they like her. But am pretty sure they will get back at her. HIS family is not dumb.
Wonder what Tim Dalton thinks of that SMEAR FACE WANNA BE singer now. He didn’t like or need this kind of publicity for HIS son.
Wow, that grabbed my attention after pulling away from the Buffalo chx from my guest. His old childhood loser friends. I digress. Early 90’s, Mel was hitting on me hardcore at bar in village, called Merc Bar. On Mercer St., NYC. Loved that canoe they had suspended from ceiling. Just think if I bit, I could be Mrs.Gibson today but I come from a finer and non-sectarian family w/my young boyfriend in towe. God, I was 19 and he is still gross. Besides my boyfriend didn’t have a big schnozz and a hole for a mouth like Polanski, Penn and Gibson.
who knows….God forgives. But, I believe the relationship will implode. Too much baggage and Oksana’s real colors are right in front of Mel’s eyes…..wish he would see the mess of a life he is entering into and run….they simply cannot set this mess straight, no matter how many songs, or appearances they make.
oh, right. Oksie woman is real holy….now that she has nailed her pocket book. She is, however, wearing the wrong kind of cross for Mel’s faith. What a sad and phony mess.
I took a look at the NE in the store today…and the key to this story is that someone photographed the inside of the empty church and sold the pics to the Enquirer. I guess that after the NE got the pictures they needed an accompanying story about the church. Hence the alleged future baptism and wedding.
Anyway, the church is average-sized and very tasteful. So my compliments to Robyn, Mel, or whoever was behind the aesthetics. It is well lit with white walls, dark wood pews and rafters, and cast iron light fixtures from the ceiling. The painting behind the altar is reminiscent of the upper half of Raphael’s Transfiguration.
I think the terms Gibson’s pre Vatican II church has with the Vatican is murky. Some Traditionalists broke off entirely, while others maintain some connection. I remember reading his is the latter. If that’s the case it’s possible to “persuade” the right people to get an annulment. Although that might seem like a stretch to a lot of people after 7 children, since I think it’s based on entering a union for the wrong reasons, and you’d think after the 2nd or 3rd child you’d figure that out. I think a Kennedy wife challenged a sanctioned annulment on the grounds that the basis for it, was false. Meaning things were misrepresented to get obtain it. The church looked into it and agreed.
Just one of many actors I used to admire and have fallen down so hard and in such a sad and tawdry way. Can’t men think of a better way to have a midlife crisis????!!!
@Cathy T:
The only “ignorance” that was emphasized in my post concerning instances of the Catholic Church’s “dark” and “fanatical” history was the cruel and callous way it has treated various groups. By the way, your definition of “shunning” would certainly apply to the instances that I mentioned.
Concerning the Jews who were driven out of Spain during the Middle Ages, many of them were actually “practicing” Roman Catholics. In order to appease the Spanish authorities and societal customs, they joined the Catholic church, attended mass and honored the church’s feast days in addition to honoring their much older Jewish customs. Being driven out of your native country would certainly qualify as “SHUNNING”. Martin Luther, the father of the Protestant Reformation, was also a very devout Roman Catholic scholar. If the church authorities in Rome could have gotten their hands on him, he would have been tortured and executed like so many other reform minded scholars before him. Galileo, a brilliant Italian scientist was relentlessly harassed by the Roman Inquisition because he strongly supported the “heliocentric” view of the universe as opposed to the church mandated “geocentric” view. The poor old man simply caved in so those fools would leave him the hell alone.
Cathy T, LET’S GET REAL!!! I’m an African American and there are people who have been so brainwashed by the Catholic Church, they won’t even shake my hand as a customary offering of PEACE during mass. I would certainly consider such behavior an example of “shunning”. For you to insist that Catholics don’t shun is somewhat out of touch with reality. Historically, the Roman Catholic Church has tortured, executed and SHUNNED GOD knows how many people for various reasons. In fact, I can’t think of too many things “under the sun” it hasn’t done! Stop living in a fantasy world and “CALL A SPADE A SPADE”!
Sinderity, why go to Mass then?
@Sincerity…Jews and Muslims were expelled from Spain in 1492 by Ferdinand and Isabella near the end of the Reconquista which was 800 years of fighting between Spanish Christians and Moors. Those Jews and Muslims who converted were not expelled.
Perhaps you should supply an example of a “reform minded scholar” who was “tortured and executed” by the Roman Inquisition. It was Martin Luther who advocated for the torture and execution of prostitutes, witches, and Anabaptists.
About the exchange of peace during mass, I don’t know what you’ve experienced, but let me say that there are people, myself included, who hate shaking hands during mass. It feels out of place and then there are people with moist sticky hands. Eww. I rejoiced when it was temporarily stopped because of swine flu.
Dont know how I found this site but glad I did find it. Think I was looking for something else on google. Dont think I agree 100% with what you say, but have bookmaked and will pop back to read to see if you add any more posts. Great website
Cathy T., Bravo!
@Cathy T:
Ah! you’ve actually done some historical research — GOOD FOR YOU! Forcing innocent people to leave their homeland and possessions behind because they refused to give up their ethnic and cultural identity is simply wrong. It’s myopic, cruel and imperialistic. On this point, you can’t rewrite history. Spain did eventually pay for it’s fanatical cruelty via Elizabeth I of England.
Martin Luther was a devout Catholic — not a liberal! LET’S GET REAL!!! We’re talking about the Middle Ages! Witches and prostitutes are not even favorably looked upon by many in our modern society. The man was simply a product of his time not “a visionary”.
Cathy T, an intelligent person can usually tell the difference between health related caution and OUTRIGHT BIGOTRY! I have no problem shaking anybody’s hand because I carry hand sanitizer and baby wipes in my purse. Most people who have colds will tell you so and decline to shake hands. I have also done so, myself, from time to time. As I said, the Catholic Church’s history is certainly not perfect. So, why pretend? It won’t accomplish anything!
Kiki, you published someone else’s email address in a forum? What kind of moron are you? Publishing email addresses of parishioners that you find in a church guest book says it all about you. What the hell were you thinking?
First i’d like to say that i dont condone Mel’s bad actions but more importantly i would like to remind everyone that no one has the right to throw stones except Christ and He chose not to. Instead he chose to Forgive us, Love us, and Die for us. So if we all just put our stones down we can better focus on Christ in our own lives and learn from him 🙂
I have frequented your posts before. The more I read, the more I keep coming back! ;~)