Interesting Catholic Answers from Catholic Answers

For those of you who have trouble understanding the interpretation of Christianity put forth by the Roman Catholic magisterium, Catholic Answers has a section on their discussion forums where you can post a question and someone on staff will answer the question. In other words, you can get an interpretation of the interpretation and then personally interpret it for yourself.

Here were a few recent interesting questions and answers. I've tried to abridge some of these, so feel free to follow the links to the complete versions. I simply posted some of the things that jumped out at me. This morning I went through a number of these questions with a family member who grew up Roman Catholic, and went to a Roman Catholic school.

Question: is chewing gum while fasting ok?
Answer: Gum is not food. It does not break a fast.

Question: Are Horoscopes sinful?
Answer: "Reading a daily horoscope just for laughs may not be a sin, but it could qualify as a near occasion of sin. That is because the temptation is always present to give credence to the "predictions."

Question: Should priests baptize adopted children of gay couples?
Answer: "Unless there is danger of death, in which case anyone may baptize a child below the age of reason, one or both parents must give their consent and there must be "a well-founded hope" that the child will be raised Catholic. The non-Catholic mother would have to consent to the baptism and the priest or deacon performing the baptism would have to be satisfied that the child would be raised Catholic. Given the fact that homosexual relationships are very often short-term, it is possible that the Catholic "mother" may well not be a part of this child's life long enough to form the child in the Catholic faith (presuming this Catholic could properly form this child in the faith). If you know of a balanced, orthodox priest or deacon in their area, you might give his name to the women and recommend that they consult him for more information about the Church's requirements for infant baptism."

Question: What ability is required to consummate the marital relationship?
Answer: "What is required is that the couple must be able to perform the act of intercourse—even though the man may be impotent or the woman may be sterile. But to consummate the marriage, they must be able to engage in the act."

Question: Did I sin by not going to Sunday Mass?
Answer: "If you forgot or were ill or missed Mass through no fault of your own, you did not sin. But if your just didn't care or were lazy, then it is a mortal sin. "

Question: Is jealousy a sin?
Answer: "Thoughts are just thoughts. It's what we do as the result of them than can cause harm."

Question: What do I do about going to Mass if I live on a remote island?
Answer: "The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor. Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin."

Question: How is someone who claims to be Christian yet aggressively promotes abortion and "gay marriage" more Christian than a Mormon?
Answer: "When we say that Mormons are not Christians, we don’t mean that they do not act in a Christian way. Many do and undoubtedly are closer to God than many wayward Christians. We are saying that their understanding of the Trinity and Jesus is so defective, that it cannot be called Christian."

Question: Is coffee permitted before Mass?
Answer: "If you can finish your coffee at least one hour before Communion, then it is fine to drink it on the way to church. Otherwise, coffee does break the Communion fast."

Question: Did Mary suffer labor pains?
Answer: "To the best of my knowledge, the Church hasn't defined one way or the other whether or not Mary suffered in childbirth. It is within the realm of acceptable theological opinion to hold either that Mary was free of childbirth pain because she was free of original sin; or that, even though she was not subject to this punishment of original sin, that she may have suffered it to be in deeper conformity to her suffering Son, Jesus Christ. Until the Church decides one way or the other, Catholics are free to hold either opinion."