I was wondering, is it a sin to eat a pasta/top ramen with a chicken seasoning in it? Does the chicken flavor of the seasoning make it off limits? What about spaghetti with a marinara sauce that has very small meat chunks in it? Must that be completely avoided? Or is it ok?

What about not eating meat on fridays, but eating upscale fish lunches and dinners at really nice seafood restaraunts? Does eating at these nice seafood restraunts defeat the whole purpose of fasting if we actually really enjoy our nice seafood meals?

What about drinking alcohol on fridays? To me, it seemed kind of crazy last week that I didn't eat meat, yet I went to a local pub near my house and had some drinks. Whats the point of abastaining from meat if I am going to enjoy alcohol on the same day? Am I over-thinking this?

The law of abstinence is quite simple:  No meat.  No meat products.  Nothing made from meat stock.

Everything you list in paragraph 1 is forbidden.

Everything you list in paragraphs 2 and 3 is not.

Abstaining from meat is the intended sacrifice on Fridays.  The intended sacrifice is not to abstain from all pleasure.  You are, of course, welcome to abstain from everything but cardboard on Fridays provided you do so cheerfully (as per the admonition from Christ Himself), but it is not sinful if you do not do so.

Part of the problem is I have nobody to turn to which is why I ask questions here.  Part of the reason why I have so many issues is because I base my faith primarily on these few resources, which often contradict eachother:

-SSPX
-CMRI
-MHFM
-traditionalcatholicsermons.org
-huttongibson.org

Often, its hard to get a straight answer on anything.

CC- I'm not trying to belittle you for asking questions. I understand that you have no one to turn to, and I can see this is difficult. But you actually do have priest to turn to- even if you don't live near them. Look at SpiritusSanctus- he's in a similar predicament- but I'm sure he has a priest he can call if he had a serious spiritual concern.  What you must do, and you really must, is get in contact with a priest. I don't care if he's SSPX or CMRI or most of the Independents out there, but you need a spiritual director. Sadly, its obvious that this is lacking for you- especially with the idea the other day of having your little brother baptize you.

If you don't live near one, call one on the phone. But you must do it. Get advise from a live priest- not the internet- this isn't the best of places for that. I would  personally suggest SSPX or CMRI for validity since you have much to learn still- and I'm sure this will help you get there.

Where do you live, at least near which big city? Perhaps a priest could get you in contact with a local carpool.

Look at SpiritusSanctus- he's in a similar predicament- but I'm sure he has a priest he can call if he had a serious spiritual concern.

You're right actually, I have two Traditional priests I can contact if I ever need to.

After listening to Br. Peter and Michael Dimon (MHFM), I have learned to pretty much trust no priest or formal organization including the CMRI nor the SSPX. I'll be honest if it wasn't for MHFM, I probably would still be in the bogus ordo indult mass, so I owe them a lot and I take their opinions seriously.

Something that really bothers me is this conept called "invincible igonrance" which according to the Dimonds is a complete farce and heresey. So when organizations like the SSPX and the CMRI publically support this "invincible ignorance" idea it really bothers me, and they loose credibility with me. Invincible ignorance goes against what Christ taught in the gospels. "Go out and teach all nations." Why would Christ send the great commission if the heathens were ok in their paganism??

CuriousCatholic, the Dimond Brothers do have good information on their website, but I don't recommend you listen to their beliefs of not trusting any priest from any other group. The Dimond Brothers, first of all, label nearly everyone a heretic. According to them, the SSPX, CMRI, FSSP, SSPV, etc. are all heretics. They say you can't even give money to them or else you're a heretic. You must admit, that's way overboard.

I can't speak for the CMRI, but I think you're basing your opinion on the SSPX too much on Bishop Fellay. He only makes up some of the Society, not all of it. There's plenty of people in the Society (like Bishop Williamson, for instance) who don't support invincible ignorance.

There is nothing wrong with you asking questions, but s2srea has a point- you'll need to seek advice from someone at some point. Are you the only Traditional Catholic in your family? Whenever there's something I'm unsure of about the Faith or something I usually just ask my mother, who taught me alot of what I know today. Or I can contact a Traditional priest. It's silly not to trust Traditional priests when you need help with something, yeah not all of them are trustworthy but most of them are.

1.) I do not trust the SSPX because their whole theology is messed up. Thats why I became a sede. That goes back to Archbishop Lefebvre never coming up with a consistent stand against the Vatican 2 antipopes, God bless his soul. One day he would say JP2 may be the antichrist, and then next day he gives him a hug. I am not condemning Lefebvre, he was a great man, even a saint probably, but even saints can error on recognzing false antipopes. St. Vincent Ferrer and Padre Pio being two of them.

I think that's hyperbole. I don't remember ABL ever saying JPII may be the Antichrist, OR giving him a hug. ABL was open to the sede thesis for a while like I and others here are but never officially committed to it. It really does not matter, because without him we likely would have no TLM. As for Padre Pio, I'm not so sure he didn't think Paul VI was an antipope. He never came out and said he was an antipope, but DID say that Paul VI was a Freemason. I'll post his quote if need-be.

2.) Bishop Williamson does in fact believe in "invincible ignorance." I have listened to the audio tapes on MHFM and they prove it.

Not familiar with that.

3.) I stopped giving money to the SSPX because of their videos. I am afraid I would be committing mortal sin. I feel bad about it because I want to give them money, but I can't.

Well, with them on the verge of selling out it is good to be cautious I suppose. But to give some friendly advice, in the future don't worry about being in mortal sin for giving a Traditional group money just because the Dimond Brothers called them heretics. The Dimonds call nearly everyone heretics, doesn't mean they're right about everything. Sometimes they can even be dishonest, on their website a while back they dressed up a broom and said it was a nun.

5.) The more research I do on the internet the more it seems like Fr. Feeney was right, and I am also investigating whether Pius XII was an antipope because of his heresey on NFP.

There are a few things that Pius XII should have done differently, but you can't label him an antipope just because he believed in NFP. Some Trads say that NFP is Dogma, others say it's heresy.

6.) I have also read things from huttongibson.com that there were some popes before Pius XII who were secret freemasons, which means they were never popes at all.

I highly doubt that. Some Old Catholic who posted here not too long ago posted something trying to show that Pius IX was a Mason but what he posted provided no concrete proof. Furthermore, the user could not even be trusted as he was not a member of the Catholic Church (Old Catholics broke away after the First Vatican Council).

I think the problem is that people think of abstaining from meat in terms of abstaining from what is expensive or luxurious. But the real issue is that meat fuels concupiscence:
http://newtheologicalmovement.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-we-abstain-from-meat-but-not-from.html

Quote from: St. Thomas

Wherefore the Church forbade those who fast to partake of those foods which both afford most pleasure to the palate, and besides are a very great incentive to lust. Such are the flesh of animals that take their rest on the earth, and of those that breathe the air and their products, such as milk from those that walk on the earth, and eggs from birds. For, since such like animals are more like man in body, they afford greater pleasure as food, and greater nourishment to the human body, so that from their consumption there results a greater surplus available for seminal matter, which when abundant becomes a great incentive to lust.

Thank you pepsuber. A post that related to the OPs question.  :dancing: