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Former Catholic, Now (Again) Adventist Bill Cork's Bad Reasons For Leaving Catholicism (Redux)
[18 July 2008]
http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2...-
adventist.html
This is an important issue to bring up. I am glad you mentioned that you don't put in your time and energy if it is just one person. Not that that person is unimportant, but after reading blogs like this one it became clear to me that you will burn out only going after one person at a time.
Bill Cork did not convert for any significant reason other than family pressure. This is the most common reason for any conversion to any religion, but that doesn't make the move acceptable.
I'm not saying Cork is a bad guy at all, but his reasoning is problematic. His reasoning for picking the SDA denomination over and above the Catholic Church is purely unfounded and illogical (when a one to one comparison is made).
Reading Gary Allan's comments on Bill Cork's blog in this thread:
http://billcork.wordpress.com/20...h/#comment-
9442
I was struck by the fact that he gives not one single biblical or theological reason why he left Catholicism after converting to it. It's all complaints about sins and supposed sins in the Catholic Church and sociological observations and caricatures of the task of the apologist.
Nothing theological whatsoever! He may have some of these reasons, but he hasn't expressed them in this comment. And that is symptomatic of the postmodernist mindset as well: majoring on the minors and everything rather than working through comparative theology, to determine which view can stand up to scrutiny and be held as true, in faith.
It is hard. You have to accept leadership from bishops and priests who have a very different mindset from you. First of all, because they have been raised in the Catholic tradition. Secondly, because they can be somewhat liberal while the convert is typically quite conservative. You add to that the fact that errors by the bishop cause a major sex scandal for the church. That is going to make it very hard for any convert to accept the fact that the local bishop and priest have as much power as they do. It is a wonder more don't go back.
Randy,
While that is true, the "postmodern mush" spin is that these guys are NOT basing their decisions on anything theologically concrete. Emotion is driving their conversion/de-conversion more than (or rather than) a true side by side comparison of doctrines for Catholicism and their new Protestant denomination.
In the case of Bill Cork, my money is on some ultimatum his wife gave in the form of "either leave Catholicism, or you will never see me and the kids again." That is a tough and sad position for anyone to find them self in, but I believe it is very real and very common.
But what is emotion? Often it flows from people. Some you have an affinity for and some you don't. I don't think disliking the particular people currently in charge of the Catholic church in your area constitutes a "theologically concrete" reason. I would call that emotion.
I know I had that. Emotion was pushing me to remain protestant. Theology had to override emotion.
Whats interesting I had lunch with guy over 8 years ago with some other friends. To me this is very sad.
"In the case of Bill Cork, my money is on some ultimatum his wife gave in the form of "either leave Catholicism, or you will never see me and the kids again."
Ha. Obviously you don't know her, who Cardinal Law called a "saint" for her graciousness.
Just to make it clear: for my part, I haven't speculated on personal stuff, but on deficiencies of the offered reasons for leaving the Church.
Certainly it is no more wrong to discuss those than it is for you to discuss deficiencies in the Catholic Church (moral or otherwise).
Nick, even if it were appropriate to do so, there is no need to speculate about Bill’s motives and reasons for leaving the Church and returning to the Seventh-Day Adventist sect. He has been open and forthright about his reasons, and has publicly mentioned the things that brought about his loss of faith. I agree with Dave that his reasons are wholly inadequate, ill-reasoned, and largely emotional, but there no reason to start wondering if his wife practiced emotional blackmail on him.
I agree. I think it is inappropriate and unethical to do that, and there is no need.
Ok, I guess I went a little too far in my speculations, but they came from my conclusion that Cork's conversion was more due to family pressure than a reasoned and fair look at what each group teaches.
>In the case of Bill Cork, my money is on some ultimatum his wife gave etc....
I reply: I have little to no respect for Cork these days since his apostasy. But the above comment I find hard to believe & I dismiss it as an unkind & unfounded speculation.
Bill has no rational basis for leaving the Catholic Church. After all he made his choice based on his emotions & nothing more.
Indeed he still leaches off Catholic Doctrine to maintain his SDA beliefs. Or so Rosemarie tells me.
You might ask considering all the grievous false prophecies, historical & doctrinal errors made by the SDA "Prophet" Ellen G. White how can Bill with a straight face return to that particular cult? Well as Rosemarie told me Bill has borrowed the Catholic Teaching on Private Revelations(i.e. PR's) & applies it to EG White. Now PR's can, as we know via the teaching of Benedict XIV, contain errors. So he tries to cast Ellen G. Whites' gross mistakes in the same light.
Of course according to Traditional SDA doctrine & Ellan herself, she never considered her revelations mere "private revelations". So right there it falls flat.
Plus not PR can contradict the public revelation & EG White's teaching flatly contradict the Bible.
Weird how Bill can't make a clean break. He needs to come home.
I'll pray for him.
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