Tags in VS: An Open Letter

[Ash Wednesday]

No worries, I didn't want to come across as some cold robot looking to strip people of religious tags, I had just been in the process of asking other Mediators of Meh if something should be done about it -- given that this particular board is a tight ship to run -- and wouldn't have acted unless it was a consensus across the boards with the experienced Mediators of Meh higher up the food chain, given that this isn't the first time the question of assigning premature religious tags has come up amongst the Mediators of Meh in private because posters ask us about these things. If some past premature religious tags prove to be a sensitive issue to someone unable to stay in their order, then perhaps it is better to let them take it upon themselves to handle it with dUSt. 

Ideally the tags are just meant to avoid confusion, i.e. if someone is CM they are obedient to all teachings (so there weren't people claiming to be Catholic but telling someone that the Novus Ordo mass isn't valid, or that Humanae Vitae doesn't matter) or if someone is Scholar then they are allowed to answer questions on the Q&A board and are likely to bring good insight and clarity to a particular discussion. But in the big picture they aren't worth having a bee in the bonnet over.

Unless my phatsenility is kicking in, I think one of the reasons that influenced using the tags (CM and phishy in particular) was because Catholic Culture had leveled criticism at phatmass in their website fidelity ratings because of some of the posters on the boards, and I felt this criticism was a little unfair. Phatmass clearly states fidelity to the Church and there's always going to be people of dissenting and differing beliefs on the boards, what's more there's always a good group of people there to explain the teachings of the Church (and this must be done with kindness and charity, of course).

[dominicansoul]

Ash, I feel the majority of us didn't take it that way.  The thread is about tags, so of course, the discussion of those who have the tag and aren't religious would come up.  I wouldn't suspect anyone of being malicious mentioning those facts, they are just simple observations.  I'm sure people who have the tag and aren't religious would be happy to get it off.  (At least, if it were me, I definitely would no longer want that label.)

I do believe there has been some confusion in the past, where a person just entering a community would automatically be up for a religious tag.  But I like your idea better, that they should actually have professed final vows/ordained before receiving it.

 

 

[Ash Wednesday]

A lot of people have brought up avoiding premature tags prior to this discussion -- needless to say, it makes sense for a lot of good reasons.

[veritasluxmea]

Ha ha, maybe we should have a separate tag for people in religious/priestly formation.

Edited July 12, 2015 by veritasluxmea

[Gabriela]

Ha ha, maybe we should have a separate tag for people in religious/priestly formation.

LOL. No!

@Ash Wednesday: Thanks for your posts. They were really helpful. I didn't know a lot of the stuff you clarified. 

[Feankie]

I have a Master's and Doctorate in Theology, but became  Church Militant in the "free for all" last year.

 

[Guest]

Mmmmmmmm......read the thread.......and I am so confused .......... 

Edited September 5, 2016 by BarbaraTherese

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

1 hour ago, BarbaraTherese said:

Mmmmmmmm......read the thread.......and I am so confused .......... 

In brief: Don't count your novices before they are professed.   

In layperson's terms, wait till they have the ring on their finger. (Except that not all Communities wear rings.) <sigh>

I REFUSE to use the "chicken" cliche when talking about nuns!! Unseemly.

Edited September 5, 2016 by IgnatiusofLoyola

[Guest]

31 minutes ago, IgnatiusofLoyola said:

 Don't count your novices before they are professed.

One of my hobby horses. 

I think all in all in all the various Catholic matters here and then there and then over there - oh yeah and then there too, we just may have surpassed in number all the rules and regulations of the Jewish religion in the days of Jesus when He walked our earth.   And we know what Jesus had to say about it

Edited September 5, 2016 by BarbaraTherese