Ask A Catholic IV

Jehoshua · Nov 8, 2011

Having decided against a break between the threads I bid you welcome to Ask A Catholic IV. This thread is for anyone to ask questions regarding the Catholic Church, Catholic Christianity or Christianity in general.

First things first, I ask people to refrain from answering peoples questions if they are not Catholic, and to refrain from unconstructive, unnecessary and otherwise pointless commentary on discussions originating with other questioners.

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For the record one who can answer as a Catholic is defined as...

A member of the Catholic Church, in communion with the Pope and the Holy See who adheres to, believes and accepts all that is taught by the universal and ordinary magisterium of the Church.

sedevacantists and conclavists do not count. Lapsed Catholics can answer on areas they know about, but can expect correction if they say something contrary to the teaching of the Church. Non Catholics should restrain themselves to asking questions, and reasonably responding to those answers, incendiary attacks on the Church or its teaching for whatever reason is not acceptable.

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One final thing. No one on here is an official source of authority in regards to Catholic teaching, all answers are in an unnoficial capacity. That said I am sure those who answer will do their best to clearly explain and pronounce what the Church teaches.

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With that, ask away

Takhisis · Nov 8, 2011

First question: why did you get to do the OP when you didn't do the #1000 post? This is clearly not divine justice.

Jehoshua · Nov 8, 2011

Since the thread is Ask a Catholic, and the 1000th poster was a non-catholic, the rights to establish the new thread were unclear considering that non-catholics have no rights to establish the ask a catholic thread. Therefore since I posted the 1000th reply to the thread and originated the thread to begin with, I felt it within reason to presume that I had a good claim to establish the next thread.

Ajidica · Nov 8, 2011

What is the Church's position on sentient AIs like Data (Star Trek), if we can build one or encounter one?
Since they already have a position on the soul's of aliens, it follows they might have a few ideas about AIs.

Takhisis · Nov 8, 2011

I don't know of any official positions except 'careful, lads, you're playing with fire'.

Jehoshua · Nov 8, 2011

Firstly the Church thus far does not have an official position on the souls of aliens. The Vaticans astronomer has expressed his opinion that sentient aliens may likely have souls, but that remains a personal opinion and not an official position of the Church. This being especially in consideration that we currently thus far do not have knowledge of such lifeforms and therefore it remains a hypothetical.

As to AI's, there are opinions out there on the matter but as before there has been no official position on the topic.

Ajidica · Nov 8, 2011

And those options are? If you unsure of those options, what is your opinion?

Jehoshua · Nov 8, 2011

The majority of opinions are that a construction of mankind can never of itself truly posess a soul.

Ajidica · Nov 8, 2011

Even if that construct is indistinguishable from a human, until you cut it open?

Branching out a bit, would a cloned human have a soul?

Jehoshua · Nov 8, 2011

Well in regards to AI's first, it is questionable that it is even possible to replicate true intelligence. The idea that mankind could replicate a "cylonesque" replication of itself is at its heart a fantasy, thus arguing a point as if it is firstly possible, and secondly that its a moral reality in the present is a fundamentally flawed proposition. There is no rational reason to act as if something exists or is a likely future development if the very possibility of such a thing is very much in doubt.

As to cloned humans. Yes they would have a soul like any other human being (or identical twins for that matter who are technically genetic clones of each other)

GamezRule · Nov 8, 2011

I just had an incredible urge to subscribe to this thread with a simple "Are you really Catholic?"

Instead, have you ever known anybody who was excommunicated?

Jehoshua · Nov 8, 2011

I do not personally know someone who is, or otherwise was excommunicated.

Linkman226 · Nov 8, 2011

Supposing I were Catholic, what would be the quickest and easiest way to get personally excommunicated by the Pope?

Ajidica · Nov 8, 2011

Linkman226 said:
Supposing I were Catholic, what would be the quickest and easiest way to get personally excommunicated by the Pope?

Move to Avingnon and become an Antipope.

Takhisis · Nov 8, 2011

A mannequin in a store may be indistinguishable from a human until you cut it open.

As for those pesky aliens, they are smart enough to beat me at X-COm UFO: Enemy Unknown so they should all be excommunicated and burned at the stake.

Jehoshua · Nov 8, 2011

Linkman226 said:
Supposing I were Catholic, what would be the quickest and easiest way to get personally excommunicated by the Pope?

If you were of the mind to be excommunicated directly by the pope, then that would actually be quite a chore, and a chore which I have no idea how one would achieve.

Thing is excommunications are usually done by the relevant ordinary, or are latae sententiae. Even attacking the pope wouldn't get you excommunicated by him personally since you would be excommunicated by the very conducting of the act (latae sententiae)

Linkman226 · Nov 8, 2011

Where do you live that mannequins can speak?

Jehoshua- How can I get it done from an ordinary?

_random_ · Nov 8, 2011

Jehoshua said:
First things first, I ask people to refrain from answering peoples questions if they are not Catholic,

Yeah, sorry about violating this last time. A lot of the questions were aimed at Christians in general, but I really should learn to shut up better. Perhaps an all-purpose "Ask a Christian" thread is in order.

Jehoshua · Nov 8, 2011

I wasn't really thinking of you at all when I put that in the OP Random, I was more concerned with certain unconstructive individuals who seemed fit to make snide commentary in answer to other peoples questions. That said a general notice is perhaps needed to restrain some of the more impulsive individuals on these forums

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An Ask A Christian thread may be a good idea, but I would only say that tentatively in consideration that there will always be a multitude of opinions due to firstly the doctrinal differences between the various Churches and ecclesial communities represented on this forum, and secondly due to the fundamental relativism of protestantism (particularly although not exclusively liberal protestantism) in regards to non-doctrinal deductions on moral issues. These paradigms mean that there would be little point in asking for a 'christian' position, since such a unified position, on many if not the majority of issues simply would not manifest itself.

NickyJ · Nov 8, 2011

I have a question: How does a person confess his sins? I was recently watching an old TV show from the 50's, and in one of the episodes, it had shown a priest sitting behind a wall with a small sliding window that could open to show a persons face; however, the window was covered a translucent net so that the confessor was anonymous. The confessor would then confess his sins, then leave. Is that how confessing is really done?

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