you could only allow yourself to have a fancy car if everyone else had one too. LOL. I'm Italian: many famous Italian Communists could be recognized because of the red sails on their yachts! Anyway, I'm familiar only with the mild Italian version of Communism, which commanded almost a third of the vote nationwide, and certainly required no such thing as everybody owning the same.
You and Catholicism? The mind boggles. (Are you sitting down?) I was actually teaching Sunday school, age 14 to 18, and I stopped only because I had no time once I started college but remained a deep believer long after that. I was reading the Scripture during Mass regularly whenever I was home, especially before they got the loudspeakers to work properly ;).
Both Communist and Catholic thinking had a great influence on me: I referenced my background, rather than my current belief, because I remember learning the classical "opium" quotation around age 15, as a side remark at a time when we were learning Machiavelli in school.
All my history books (and most of the books on other subjects, like philosophy, Italian, mathematics and physics) in school were written by Communists, and most of my professors in University were Communists too. I also used Russian textbooks (translated in French or English) often as a University student, since they were good and cheap.
Still, I think what I learned in Church plays a much bigger role, except it wasn't the complete Church's official doctrine, but a selected version focusing on the rich giving to the poor. Cattocomunismo was a living reality in my town of origin, where the Communist party had slightly below 60% of the votes, and most people went to church.
I left the Church one year after I first read the Catechism (i.e., official list of what you have to believe) and start reading official documents on the Vatican website: my belief in any God collapsed soon after that.
they are morally obliged to love me Never had the feeling that anyone in my Church loved me, with the possible exception of my ex parish priest who's the Best Person Ever.
which is generally the case, I'm afraid I think we both know we've found a kindred soul despite minor differences on irrelevant details ;).
no subject
LOL. I'm Italian: many famous Italian Communists could be recognized because of the red sails on their yachts! Anyway, I'm familiar only with the mild Italian version of Communism, which commanded almost a third of the vote nationwide, and certainly required no such thing as everybody owning the same.
You and Catholicism? The mind boggles.
(Are you sitting down?) I was actually teaching Sunday school, age 14 to 18, and I stopped only because I had no time once I started college but remained a deep believer long after that. I was reading the Scripture during Mass regularly whenever I was home, especially before they got the loudspeakers to work properly ;).
Both Communist and Catholic thinking had a great influence on me: I referenced my background, rather than my current belief, because I remember learning the classical "opium" quotation around age 15, as a side remark at a time when we were learning Machiavelli in school.
All my history books (and most of the books on other subjects, like philosophy, Italian, mathematics and physics) in school were written by Communists, and most of my professors in University were Communists too. I also used Russian textbooks (translated in French or English) often as a University student, since they were good and cheap.
Still, I think what I learned in Church plays a much bigger role, except it wasn't the complete Church's official doctrine, but a selected version focusing on the rich giving to the poor. Cattocomunismo was a living reality in my town of origin, where the Communist party had slightly below 60% of the votes, and most people went to church.
I left the Church one year after I first read the Catechism (i.e., official list of what you have to believe) and start reading official documents on the Vatican website: my belief in any God collapsed soon after that.
they are morally obliged to love me
Never had the feeling that anyone in my Church loved me, with the possible exception of my ex parish priest who's the Best Person Ever.
which is generally the case, I'm afraid
I think we both know we've found a kindred soul despite minor differences on irrelevant details ;).