- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
I'm just wondering why we have a 'Christian' board and a 'Catholic' board. Shouldn't we either just have a 'Christian' board (since Catholics are most definitely Christians!) or 'Catholic' and 'Protestant' boards? Maybe it is the Religious Studies major in me, or maybe just the Christian in me, but giving the boards these two titles seems to show a bit of theological bias.
Personally, I'm Orthodox, and I know there are a couple of other Orthodox (or bees marrying an Orthodox person) out there, and I never really know where I 'fit' in in terms of the WB religious categories. Obviously I'm not Catholic although our traditions are similar, so I often check/post there, but I'm also a Christian! However, Protestant bees tend to post on the 'Christian' board, and many people here seem to see Protestant as equal to Christian, so I sometimes wonder if people think I 'shouldn't' be on the 'Christian' board. I often wish I could post on both because I want to know/hear bees' opinions from a wide spectrum of traditions, not specifically Orthodox/Catholic/Protestant etc.
So my questions are a) (this is an honest not a snarky question) Why does the separation/terminology exist? Is there some back-story/reason for the names?
b) Does anyone else ever feel a little uncomfortable with this?
There was no theological bias intended here - we just got a request for each board, and so we created them.
On a practical level, the two forums tend to cover different ground. The Catholic board often deals with issues around priests, Pre-Cana counselling, mass, and NFP... those issues aren't usually touched on in the Christian boards.
In terms of names: combining the Catholic and Christian boards would probably be more inclusive theologically... but the thing is, there are 5 pages of posts in the Catholic board and only 2 pages of posts in the Christian board. So on a practical level, having a board with the word "Catholic" in it does seem like a useful thing.
All that said - if you'd like to propose that they be combined or one of the boards be renamed, we'd be open to it! It's really up to the hive...
Ah- why not.
I kinda like it that way.
I was baptised catholic, my dad is catholic my mom is orthodox. I actually always follwed both growing up and still kinda do. I dast for both, go to both churches for easter and mass...my fiance is orthodox.
I sont have a problen with the two boards...wouldnt mind if there was an orthodox board added, but i wouldnt want the christian and catholic boards combined.
I agree that there is a good reason that there is a separate Catholic board, but do agree with you that "Christian" should be changed to "Protestant."
The first time I encountered this was when I was in high school, teaching a Catholic CCD class. I needed to find Rosary Beads for my students, and I knew there was a "Christian" store a few towns over that I had always passed. I went in, and asked the sales clerk, "Do you sell rosary beads?" He looked down at me, annoyed, and said, "This is a CHRISTIAN store." I was so confused, I said, "I know! Do you sell rosary beads?" He repeated his same remark. I was really confused and hurt. I always wondered why Catholic wasn't included in Christian in that store, and over the years I've heard the separation used frequently.
So yes, to me, it would make more sense to have a "Catholic" and "Protestant" board. Also, I like the idea of adding another "Orthodox" board as well. Good (non snarky) question and post. :)
@Mr Bee, thanks for the explanation^^ I guess we'll see how many people respond to this post to see if there are others who feel the need for a name change.
@teacherbride - Yes, I think the thing I am uncomfortable with is equating Christian with Protestant. I don't necessarily have a problem with separate boards if Protestants and Catholics have different issues and concerns, it's more the classification I feel uncomfortable with.
On a theological basis, it's a great point that having both a Catholic and a Christian board suggests that Catholics might not be considered Christians. That's definitely not something we would ever want to imply or suggest!
To respond to one of the ideas mentioned above, I'd be reluctant to rename the Christian board as the Protestant board. That's mostly because I think people think, "Oh I should post this to the Christian board"... versus "that's an issue for the Protestant board".
Also, there are non-Protestant forms of Christians who post to the Christian board... so that's a tricky issue too!
In any case, just flagging some potential things to think about. We're open to any and all suggestions on how to best address all of these issues!
@mr bee - Hindus, Muslims, Jews, secular people are also non-homogeonous groups - and they have varying traditions/issues within the umbrella categories. However, on WB they each have 1 board. I guess this reflects the fact that there tend to be more Christian bees than bees of other faith traditions. But that's why I was a little confused at the beginning (and I guess still confused) as to why Christianity is being split into different groups when it is just as difficult to categorize. Anyway, I don't want to turn this into a theological issue, just something that I've seen come up a few times on the boards.
Just to clarify, we don't have a Hindu board?
We're definitely open to the idea of combining the Catholic and Christianity board! Would love to hear your thoughts on that - and others' too...
ooops! sorry! my major was Hinduism, so it's just always on my mind i guess.
I agree that they should be separate, being as these are discussion boards the Catholic group has very different traditions when it comes to weddings . . This doesn't mean that Catholics can't post on the Christian board.. or comment.
I think it is more of an advantage to the Catholic bees to have such a specific board. But I do understand the offense that can be taken just looking at the board titles.
Maybe just re-name the Catholic board to "Catholic - Christian"?
I just did a quick check... and the Catholic board is by far the most popular board under the Faith category!
I don't remember the historical reasons why the Catholic board was created (sorry! foggy memory), but I'm guessing it was member demand. The Catholic board has five pages of posts, whereas most of the other faiths have only 1 or 2.
If any other faith was popular enough to need sub-categories, we would consider adding it as a separate board as well!
I like Redeemed Rebekah's idea to address the issue by clarifying it on the Catholic board page. Maybe we could add a description under the board name: "Issues related to weddings and the Catholic Church (see also the Christian boards)".
Urgh, that wording isn't quite right... but would something like that help clarify things? Or can someone suggest wording that would work better?
I totally agree that Catholics have very different traditions regarding weddings - but Orthodox, Baptist, LDS etc. brides also have VERY different wedding traditions from each other...and they are still kind of part of the same board (if indeed we are the classified as the non-Catholic and thus 'Christian' bees). At the same time, there are shared issues (family planning isn't just a Catholic issue, and there have been several recent threads on Lent on both Catholic and Christian boards).
Bamm - I'm not sure what you're proposing or would like to see!
There are a few options that have come up today:
Do any of these sound directional? Or maybe there's more ideas we should consider?
Definitely open to hearing any and all ideas!
I think the current distinction makes sense... I kind of figured "Christian" was for general christianity issues (because we are all very similar).... but the "Catholic" board was for Catholic-specific issues. I think if it was Catholic and Protestant some things would be unnecessarily exclusive (like, for example, a post about waiting until marriage--- something that speaks to both). Plus, there just aren't many protestant-only issues out there (that i can think of).
I was wondering about this on the "secular" boards the other day - why there aren't atheist, agnostic, etc - but there aren't many posts on the secular board itself, so I think it is a good way for all, well, secular posts to come together. I wish more people posted there so maybe there'd be a need for subcategories!
Re: Christian vs. Catholic, I see there as being unique issues pertaining to Catholics because the doctrine is so different. The Protestant denominations, while numerous, tend to have fairly similar issues and conversations. Although I suppose it would be weird to have an "other Christian" board, I do agree that the semantics kind of makes it seem like Catholics aren't Christian. I have no clue why this notion already exists in the world, but I remember someone writing a post a month or two ago in which they said they were "raised Catholic" but "found Christianity" and just thought "wha?"
Anyway, that was a long post to basically say I see why things are the way there are, but I get why the clarification might be nice. Also, one interesting thing... I was taught in Lutheran school that any form of Christianity besides Catholicism was technically a form of Protestant, because Protestants were everyone who formed after the Reformation - but it wasn't exactly a quality education, so have I been carrying around the wrong notion this whole time? Is it LDS, etc, that aren't considered Protestants?
@bamm, I have often had the same thought. The current Christian board is trying to be a lot of things to a lot of people (From LDS, to Catholic, to the very wide range of protestants). In my head, I've been seperating them as Catholic Process and Christian Living. I do feel like it's important to have a non-Catholic Christian board, but I'm not sure what the best name for it would be.
Also, I think a lot of people on the Christian board feel similarly, that they're not quite sure it's the right place to post. I undertand how you, as an Orthodox Christian would feel uncomfortable. As an evangelical, protestant Bible believing Christian, I also feel funny sometimes. There's just a really large range.
Anyways, no real solutions from my end, but I think it's a really great discussion to have!
As a Catholic, I appreciate the Catholic board. I think there is just more of a demand for this board because there are a lot of people who may be Catholic on here or just have questions related to Catholic marriage. I agree with Mr. Bee, if there is a large demand for other faiths, then by all means they should be considered to have a seperate board as well.
ETA: I've also definitely talked to people who have thought that people who are Catholic aren't Christian! I never understood that...
Sorry Mr Bee - I'm not trying to propose anything specific, I was just trying to respond to the idea that Catholics have separate marriage/wedding issues than all other Christian traditions (presumably under the 'Christian' category). I just put out the initial question because it's something that I think of everytime I post in that area. I guess I'm just trying to respond to/work out the difficulties of the situation as people post.
Oh ok. Sorry, was trying to figure out if there was something we should do to address your questions and concerns! I thought you had a great point.
I'm fine leaving it the way it is, if that's what you'd prefer. :-)
... wow, this thread TOTALLY made me think about those boards in a different way! I was like Lamby in the sense that I've been treating Christian as a lifestyle board, Catholics included, but that the Catholic board was for the rules, regulations, hoops you jump through to get married in the Catholic church. I'm protestant, but my WHOLE extended family is Catholic and it's helped me understand what happened before or at their weddings.
That being said, I'd like to see the boards kept seperate... which seems to be the consensus.
I totally understand where you are coming from... but I think the title of Christian is the perfect one for all of those religious groups to fall under. I would love to see your posts in it so please dont hesitate to do so!
@ Lamb - yes, I think you articulated the issue better than me.^^
Every once and a while it seems like there is a bit of a confusion on the 'Christian' board ie. does 'Christian' mean general Christian issues or does Christian = Protestant (lilyfaith brought up a good example, and I've seen at least one 'I'm Orthodox I don't know where to post'). I don't know if that's because of the semantic Catholic/Christian board categorization, general confusion in the Christian world, or whatever.
I'm also not trying to create any problems...just wanted to discuss something that bothers me a bit and see if anyone else had thought about it.
I, like many posters,am used to being told I'm not "Christian." Usually, when i post in the Christian board I'll say I'm "Catholic Christian."
That being said, the Catholic board is INTENSE! lol. I'm not sure the non-Catholic bee's want to see it! Yes, NFP can be universal, but usually those threads on the Catholic board are a combining of secular "I don't want to follow the church" and traditional "This is what church teaching is and why it's important." Not usually "how to." Most FAM posts are in sexuality and wellness I believe.
There's also a lot of posts about the hoops to jump through, and for the most part, HOW to accomplish a Catholic wedding... as well as education on church teaching for those who have fallen away.
I click there first so I can see all the relevant Catholic posts, update those and chime in, and then I come to the Christian board... which usually has nothing new, or if there's an updated thread I've already posted on it. Most seem to be repeats too, "What's great worship music for a wedding." So, since one is extremely directed and specific to ONE way of thought and interpretation as opposed to tens of thousands of churches... I'm OK with the split.
I bet if we got a lot of active LDS bee's they'd get their own board, because there weddings are completely different too. (I'm not getting into the LDS / Christian debate, here and now.) But for now, most post in Christian and that's the closest to the values/beliefs of their church. I do think they need their own board, because I've shot a LDS wedding, and trust me, I know there are a lot of quirks they have as well and different logistics, customs, and requirements. There just aren't hardly any active ones...
Reminds me of the time though I had to speak with a middle aged manager at LifeWay bookstore (like a walmart of Christian stores) because I found a "how to help your Catholic friends going to hell convert" book in the "current issues" section. Poor guy, I don't think he had even met a Catholic teenager more versed in the bible than himself... lol
ETA: From time to time when it comes up, LOTS of bee's, even those who aren't catholic are always quick to point out that Catholics are Christian.
@KLP - you're telling me! I went to the Catholic boards the other day because I was considering posting a question I had about a rule at my university (we're Catholic, but largely secular) and I just decided to forgo it... I really didn't want to offend anyone or have anyone jump down my throat! I'd say the majority of posters are concise and kind, but there are a few very vocal and intense individuals that sometimes make their way to the interfaith boards as well.
Catholics are Christian. Just like Baptists and Lutherans are Christian. The secular category is not branched out into the various sections of Pagan, Atheist, Agnostic, etc. If you are going to seperate the Christian sections, call the 'Christian' category "Protestant" which is the other branch. For the record, I have never heard anyone anywhere refer to themselves or others as "Catholic Christian" but I do know a number of people who refuse to acknowledge that Catholics are Christian at all, but that's another argument. Add to that, there are LDS/Mormons which call themselves Christian even though the rest of the Christian community does not as they do not subscribe to the same general core beliefs that Protestants share.
I think my preference would be to leave the boards as is, unless there's another name someone strongly feels like we should name the Christian board.
As a Catholic, I NEVER say that I'm a Christian, I just always say, "I'm Catholic." So for me, I would actually never think to look or post under the Christian board for Catholic-related issues.
Mr. Bee already mentioned some reasons in regards to why it's nice to have a separate Catholic board (NFP, pre-cana, etc.) and I think renaming the description of it and she mentioned would possibly helpful and clear up some of the confusion. I think the number of posts in the Catholic board is enough for it to stay open and not be merged with the Christian board.
I don't think anyone's advocating for the Catholic or Christian boards to be shut down, I think it was just genuine curiosity as to the reasoning behind the choice in title names. :)
I also like the current set up, although I understand the confusion about semantics regarding "Christian."
I think the boards on weddingbee are a function of supply and demand, not a predetermined decision about how things should be. If you post enough about it, there can be a board for it. There's a huge amount of Catholic-specific posts, so it makes it sensible to give it it's own board. All we need to have other denomination boards is to have enough interest and posts to fill them up. In the meantime, I look at the Christian board as the place for non-Catholic Christianity-related posts.
Actually lilyfaith Mr. Bee posted here http://boards.weddingbee.com/topic/why-do-we-have-a-christian-board#post-738245 saying, "There are a few options that have come up today: Combine the Catholic and Christian board..." So, I think this discussion has partly turned into a brainstorm regarding whether or not we should make any changes to these boards. So, I was just throwing my opinion out there. :)
I vote for keeping them the same - I think it makes sense. Catholic is a more specific category than Christian. Later add other more specific boards if the need arises.
I vote for keeping it the same as now. There are all kinds of hoops to jump thru to have a Catholic wedding and we "the hive" get lots of questions about it. It is a large group of people. I'm sure the other Christain demoinations have some hoops to jump thru but they tend to vary more by each individual church. I know there was a lot more paperwork and prep classes that had to be done for my catholic wedding versus my sister's Methodist wedding.
I'm definitely on board for keeping them separate.
And for those of you who feel the Catholic board is intense, the intensity or the strictness of some of the comments are really just users projecting their particular parrish's teachings. There are some wedding related things in the Roman Catholic Church that are practically written in stone as musts and others that are subjective. I don't think anyone is trying to be diadatic on that board, it's just the way it comes out. You have to remember that the Catholic Church is pretty strict, so some of the comments are going to come out sounding that way too.
I agree that the boards should exist/made/combined due to supply and demand. As noted above, since there are many catholic-specific issues and posters, it makes sense to have a board devoted to Catholicism, separate from Christians.
I see Catholics as a sub-board of Christians (although they're all sub-boards of "faith"). Since I don't believe we need to be so technically or semantically correct, it's not necessary to reorganize all the boards into a complex heirarchy. It will just generate more confusion and decreases user-friendliness.
All christians can probably find relevant issues in Christian but only people interested in CAtholic-specific issues would go to Catholic board. That being said, I do agree that posters who are LDS, orthodox, or of a faith that does not fully belong in either christian/catholic boards may feel slanted. However, when there isn't a huge demand, it does not make sense to create a separate board. I have seen posters in the Catholic board specifying that their posts are episcopalian or orthodox-related, for example. People still chime in and offer helpful comments.
They should stay the same @kayakgirl73 I agree with you...If they were to change it that would really offend me.
I've always understood that a Christian was a follower of Christ and that it had nothing to do with religion. I know several people (myself included) who are Christians, but are non denominational and don't follow any religion.
Several people mentioned that they were open to a clarifying description for each board, so we tried some out:
Catholic
Issues specific to weddings and the Catholic Church. For general issues about Christianity, see here.
Christian
Issues related to weddings and Christianity. For issues specific to the Catholic Church, see here.
You can see the descriptions in context here:
http://boards.weddingbee.com/board/catholic
http://boards.weddingbee.com/board/christian
Let us know if that sounds all right! :-)
Mr. Bee - you rock! I love the distinction. I feel much better. Thank you!!! :)
Sorry for joining this thread so late, but I just thought I'd throw one suggestion in...
What if there were three boards:
Christian - Catholic
Christian - Protestant
Christian - General
Just a thought! :)
@jenbrandner - There are only two pages of threads in the general Christian board... we wouldn't consider dividing it into sub-categories unless the board was much much more active!
Do the descriptions above address your concerns at all? Please let us know!
I'm cool with the descriptions. Just wanted to put that idea out there in case it helped.
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| rachgirl82 | 33 |
| kate02121 | 12 |
| ndreighton | 11 |
| louiseW | 10 |
| ozpeony | 8 |
| Indecisivebride2012 | 8 |
| Lyndzo | 7 |
| abbie017 | 6 |
| cbeyelia | 6 |
| rivierabridal | 6 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| Spoonie | 1 |
| ozpeony | 1 |
