Since when are Catholics not free to associate with, and speak with, whoever they want? Isn't that a basic human freedom that only tyrants would attempt to encroach upon?

Yet we have SSPX priests acting like cult leaders and telling their Faithful who they shouldn't speak with (or whose words they shouldn't read).

Just because it's "virtual" rather than physical doesn't change anything. We're talking about communicating with other human beings. What, are we slaves now? Or living in a Communist dictatorship?

I understand that Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, etc. aren't Catholic concepts, but they ARE insofar as that speech is not against the Catholic Faith.

It is not Catholic to censor things or bind the conscience of the Faithful EXCEPT when something is harmful to faith or morals.

I'm sorry, but a traditional Catholic discussion forum -- online or offline -- does NOT fit the bill of something "harmful to faith or morals".

But there might be SLANDER there! There might be unproven statements there! This or that person might be...*gasp*... UNCHARITABLE!

TOO BAD. With that logic, you might as well tell the Faithful to hole up in a "compound" like the Branch Davidians or some other cult, and totally avoid the Outside World.  Because you might encounter SIN out there in the world as well.

Catholics need to be able to deal with a certain amount of people sinning around them. Are we so weak that we have to be treated like 2 year olds?

One is SUPPOSED TO protect children under 5 from the world ABSOLUTELY. You totally shelter them. That is a GOOD thing...for children under 5. No TV, no movies, no bad companions, no video games, no bad influences. You teach them the Faith/morality, THEN slowly teach them how to fight for their Faith out in the Big Bad World. If you're still "sheltering them" at age 15, you have a problem and THAT'S where rebellion comes in.

But to treat grown adults as 3 and 4 year olds?  Telling them they can't handle being in the World where people commit sins? Give me a break!

Since when are Catholics not free to associate with, and speak with, whoever they want? Isn't that a basic human freedom that only tyrants would attempt to encroach upon?

Yet we have SSPX priests acting like cult leaders and telling their Faithful who they shouldn't speak with (or whose words they shouldn't read).

Just because it's "virtual" rather than physical doesn't change anything. We're talking about communicating with other human beings. What, are we slaves now? Or living in a Communist dictatorship?

I understand that Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech, etc. aren't Catholic concepts, but they ARE insofar as that speech is not against the Catholic Faith.

It is not Catholic to censor things or bind the conscience of the Faithful EXCEPT when something is harmful to faith or morals.

I'm sorry, but a traditional Catholic discussion forum -- online or offline -- does NOT fit the bill of something "harmful to faith or morals".

But there might be SLANDER there! There might be unproven statements there! This or that person might be...*gasp*... UNCHARITABLE!

TOO BAD. With that logic, you might as well tell the Faithful to hole up in a "compound" like the Branch Davidians or some other cult, and totally avoid the Outside World.  Because you might encounter SIN out there in the world as well.

Catholics need to be able to deal with a certain amount of people sinning around them. Are we so weak that we have to be treated like 2 year olds?

One is SUPPOSED TO protect children under 5 from the world ABSOLUTELY. You totally shelter them. That is a GOOD thing...for children under 5. No TV, no movies, no bad companions, no video games, no bad influences. You teach them the Faith/morality, THEN slowly teach them how to fight for their Faith out in the Big Bad World. If you're still "sheltering them" at age 15, you have a problem and THAT'S where rebellion comes in.

But to treat grown adults as 3 and 4 year olds?  Telling them they can't handle being in the World where people commit sins? Give me a break!

This thread touches on a complex problem for Traditional Catholics.  The challenge is that the ideas in the American Bill of Rights are quite consistent with our Catholic religion and heritage, but they need to be understood from a Catholic perspective.  In brief, our Catholic understanding is that rights are objective and mutual in nature while the anti-Catholics distort them into something subjective and absolute.  We Catholics believe in mutual rights whereas the Freemasons, Marxists and Jєωs believe in absolute rights.  Hence ideas like "freedom of religion" and "freedom of speech" can be understood from either a true Catholic perspective or a false anti-Catholic point of view.

But this widespread false attitude that treats adults like infants and everyone like slaves of the All-Knowing Omnipotent Slave-Owner is definitely at best Jansenist and probably downright Marxist.  In any cast it derives straight from the тαℓмυd and should be rejected with boundless contempt by any Catholic worth his salt.

True freedom and justice are Roman Catholic ideas!