According to wikipedia, Apostasy is a complete renunciation of a belief system:
"The American sociologist Lewis A. Coser defines an apostate to be not just a person who experienced a dramatic change in conviction but "a man who, even in his new state of belief, is spiritually living not primarily in the content of that faith, in the pursuit of goals appropriate to it, but only in the struggle against the old faith and for the sake of its negation."
Usually, apostates renounce their religion, and leave it. Today, the Catholic Church is inundated with apostates within her own ranks. They refuse to leave, but instead, stay inside to spread their ills and fight the Church from within. At the same time, they don't admit or even think they are apostates, but have deceived themselves into believing they can bring a better understanding of God than the Magisterium.
The Church has had her share of apostates and has survived. This is reassuring when you take a look at the three big sins destroying souls today. All three are connected to sins of the flesh: fornicating, contracepting and aborting the unborn. Many Catholics, laypeople, politicians and even religious react to today's controversies by conforming to the madness. Some even dare to relate their conformity to Christ's "radical" persona, as if Christ, were he giving talking points today, would side with the pro-aborts and the radical sexual idolators. These apostates distort the true meaning of love and charity with supporting sinners in their sinfulness. They do this all the while attacking those who refuse to share in their conformity. Today, if one preaches loving the sinner but hating the sin, they are labeled intolerant bigots. Loving the sinner yet despising their sinful actions will NOT SUFFICE. They demand you ACCEPT THEIR SINFUL DEEDS! You are an intolerant piece of poop if you don't accept their lifestyle as well.
If only "catholic" apostates would understand that when the Church speaks out against these sins, she is showing her most loving motherly affection for the poor sinner. It's more difficult for unbelievers to accept her love, but it shouldn't be for Catholics. This is what sickens my heart. We Catholics are called to follow Christ, to love Him with all our hearts, souls and minds. This love for God demands the sacrifice of our own wills and our own selves. If we truly love God, we would be doing everything in our power not to offend Him. When going through life, Christians get tempted witih everything from the normal temptations to the most bizarre things satan can throw at us. We aren't immune to sinfulness. We know it's not easy! But as Christians, we have a commitment to Christ and everything He taught us. If I had intense feelings broiling up inside my flesh, pining for sexual intimacy with a handsome male friend...I'm called to fight through that temptation and not go through with the action. If suddenly I had intense feelings for a female friend, I would fight through that. If I were married and I felt like contracepting cos I don't want to deal with children...I would pray through that, and do what is right and what God is expecting from me. If I found myself pregnant and didn't want the baby, I wouldn't drive to planned parenthood to kill the child. I'm a Christian, I can't give in to this world's solutions and excuses. Temptations of the flesh are the toughest temptations. We can go through a whole gamut of emotions and sexual feelings. In no way would those feelings define me. I wouldn't embrace those temptations as "who I am." I know who I am. I'm a human being, a target of the devil, so I expect temptations of all sorts. I'm a Christian. We also aren't called to whine about our poor conditions. We wouldn't demand victimhood and a justification to live in mortal sin. We wouldn't demand that others accept our sinful lives.
Apostates take note: your time on this earth is numbered, but the Church will live for all eternity. The sins you fight for are not worth an eternity burning in hell. There are millions of wounded people, but sin cannot heal them. Going along and supporting them in their sins will do nothing but break them even more and eventually destroy them. Supporting sin will effect you the same way. Explain how this is love? Please tell me how this is charity? If it is uncharitable to call sinners to repentance, then Christ himself is guilty. Too often people don't want to offend the sinner, but they have no thoughts on how greatly the sins offend God.
