In this case, I agree with Ipso Fatso:

"Oveerall, the conversation is beginning to sound like a lot of children squabbling."

There are some posters - 3 or 4 - who use any thread at all to get attention and display their psychological problems and their lack of ability to know when to 'let it go'. Most of their drivel has nothing whatsoever to do with the subject.

ttbn,
True, but OLO has no general discussion forum unlike more modern sites, so we must post where we can.
Foxy’s ducking and weaving has lit up more than one thread.

When asked to explain in their own words the main reasons
for leaving Catholicism many former Catholics cite a
disagreement with the Catholic church's behaviour on
so many religious and moral issues.

Many have found the Church full of self-importance,
arrogance, lack of empathy, excessive moralizing, and
a tendency to confuse it's own narrow-image of God - which
is the reasons young Catholics find the Church irrelevant to
their lives.

Even Pope Francis has spoken about the "sourpuss" syndrome -
being acidic, combative, legalistic, pompous, and biting.
Resulting in driving hope out of people instead of putting joy
into them.

Many critics have said that what is needed is an antidote
to a rigid and narrow understanding of what it means to be
Catholic. They point out that what is needed is a church
capable pf love and compassion instead of being domineering
and authoritarian. A church with a mandate to love everything
and everyone. Unfortunately this is not the way many in
its heirarchy see things - hence the decline in its numbers.
And this will continue unless the church makes changes.
The sexual abuse scandals also don't help.

We have Archbishop Julian Porteous and the Australian Bishops
Conference being investigated during the same-sex marriage
debate on their publication of the booklet - "Don't mess
with marriage,"which was distributed to about 12,000 Tasmanian
families whose children attend Catholic schools. The booklet
states that same sex partners fo not deserve recognition,
that same-sex attracted people are not "whole," and the
children of same sex partners are not "healthy."

cont'd ...

cont'd ...

Prof. Bonnie Thurston wrote the following poem:

"Unable to see verdant forests
for mangled ecclesial trees
Most of my companions
Have abandoned the church
Not rats, but certainly escapees
From a rusty old ship
With a treasure in her hold
Undiminished by its often ugly
Always precarious commanders
To the sailors who remain
Not confident, but at least
Hopeful she isn't going down
Who still stoke old boilers
And swab slimy decks
St Benedict offers counsel
Be prudent in your cleaning
In scraping off the rust
Don't break the fragile vessel
Appreciating mature beauty
Long faithful seaworthiness
Old sailors, like astrolabes
Still chart direction by the stars
Their night watches taught them
The sun will rise from the sea
They show their shipmates how
To be held in a crumbling conveyance
By the foundling love in her hold."

"My biggest regrets in life -
being too damn nice. Apologizing
when I didn't do anything wrong
and lastly making unworthy people
part of my day." That's a good quote!

My faith in God remains strong but my
belief in the institutional Church
has been severely shaken - as it has for
so many Catholics.

However, I still hope that under the right
leadership things can change for the better.

Foxy
Just an example of hate preached, as you claimed.