What beliefs have changed over time?

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The Catholic Church changes its beliefs over time
Christianity's persecution of those that translated and spread its teachings:
The church executed William Tyndale in 1536 for publishing the Bible in English, and they did their best to stop any translation of the book. Unfortunately for them, it is now freely available here.
Previously, in the 14th cent, Pope Gregory XI had tried to persuade England to imprison Wycliffe for translating the Bible into English, but was unsuccessful (though the church successfully exterminated his followers).
Apparently the church now believes it was wrong and the Bible should be made available in English after all, and it no longer (apparently) believes that translators should be put to death.

Limbo is another great example of how the Catholic Church changes its beliefs over time, and will change again in the future. The Church used to insist that infants who died unbaptised would go to limbo, or even hell. In any case, their parents would never see them again. After torturing millions of bereaved mothers with these claims for centuries, the church has finally decided that no, actually, it just made the whole thing up.

The Catholic Church has in fact changed a vast number of beliefs over the years:
It used to believe those who translated the Bible into English should be killed, but doesn't think this any more.
It used to believe unbaptised babies go to hell, or limbo, but doesn't think this any more.
It used to believe atheists and heretics should be executed, but doesn't think this any more.
It used to support slavery, but doesn't any more.
It used to believe priests could marry, but doesn't think this any more.
It used to believe the sun goes round the earth, but doesn't think this any more.
It used to believe the world is a few thousand years old, but doesn't think this any more.
It used to believe humans have no animal ancestry, but doesn't think this any more.
It used to believe in the blood libel against the Jews, and it even canonised "saints" who were supposed victims of "ritual murder" by the Jews, but apparently it doesn't believe this any more.

Perceptive letter by Declan Mc Cormac, 17 Mar 2010, about Cardinal Brady's attempts to weasel out of allegations that he covered up child sexual abuse in the 1970s. "'It's not fair to judge actions of 35 years ago by the standards we are following today,' remarked Cardinal Brady ... a surprising defence from a senior member of an organisation which judges and condemns people based on standards set down 2000 years ago."

Decanonized saints - If the church can actually name a saint, and get it wrong, how can it possibly claim to be guided by God?


What else will the Catholic Church change in the future? It is obvious that in the future, the church will change its position on contraception, homosexuality, women priests and married priests. It will forget that it ever opposed them, and the fact that it ever did will just become the humorous answer to a trivia question: "The church once opposed contraception - oddly enough!"

 

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If a belief is written in the bible and is found to have meaning by the religious hierarchy and followed for years/centuries even, then how does one accept the fact that this is no longer true. Are we saying that religion is made up of falsehoods that can go away at the whim of who is in charge or are they just ordinary people who have found no need to believe in what the church has taught for centuries.

How can what the Bible says, be changed to suite?

 

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Catholic Church Birth Control
The Catholic Church has had a ban on birth control from the earliest days of the Bible. Catholic doctrine is that birth control is absolutely wrong, and a grave sin. Here is the history of why.

History of Birth Control Ban
The Catholic Church has said since its very beginning that using any form of birth control was wrong. Birth control was known at least since the times of the ancient Greeks and Romans. During these days birth control came in the form of animal skin condoms and various poisons to be used as spermicides. ( but they have changed on the belief that members could practice birth control by timing, abstaining)now it is permissible.

The first mention of the ban on birth control was in Genesis 38:8-10. In this story, Onan is ordered to sleep with his brother's widow. He "pulled out" to not get her pregnant. Poor Onan was slain as a result. Death is a pretty serious penalty, there isn't much more aggressive you could get in the prevention of birth control. (now to me Onan was killed because he didn't follow an order, to a catholic priest it's because he squirted his sperm on the ground)

The next mention of birth control being wrong is in Deuteronomy 23:1. It says "He whose testicles are crushed or whose male member is cut off shall not enter the assembly of the Lord." Both crushing testicles and cutting off a male's private parts were effective ways of sterilization. Luckily we don't do things like that any more. Still, the Bible is making it clear that a male who tries to practice birth control can't get into Heaven, period. There's no asking for forgiveness. (Wow who would have ever guessed that this was a way to practice birth control)

This anti birth control message is reiterated many times in subsequent years by Catholic church leaders. Clement of Alexandria (AD195) says, "Because of its divine institution for the propagation of man, the seed is not to be vainly ejaculated, nor is it to be damaged, nor is it to be wasted". [/B (some have said that knowing, of a act in advance make it a sin. (you want to bet how many Catholic priest have held the 6 inches in their hand and wiped it{sperm} away and flushed it down the toilet) This brings to mind the "Every Sperm is Sacred" song from Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" movie. You can find the messages against birth control over and over again through the Catholic Church's history. Believers are told to receive every new life as a gift from God. They should not abstain, they should not withdraw, they should not take other preventative measures. They should actively seek to have as many children as possible.

This of course makes sense from a logical point of view. The more children that Catholic families have, the more Catholics there are to spread [/B]that way of life and to pay the church's tithes.