Behavior of average Evangelical vs. Catholic

[JesusforMadrid]

The focus of these two brands of Christianity is in such contrast that their behaviours can’t be held to each other’s standards. For example, it is not a sin to miss church on Sunday at the Christian church I grew up in…but it would be a sin for a Catholic to not attend Mass on Sunday…it’s a sin for most evangelicals to even drink a beer…it’s okay if your Catholic…etc…etc…and then we can say that you can group Catholics into one category because we are The Church of God, but the term “evangelical” can refer to a multiple number of protestant churches. In reality, “evangelical” can also refer to Catholics!!!

Interesting that Evangelicals attend church more regularly than Catholics, even though for Catholics it is considered a sin.

How often do you attend church or synagogue – at least once a week, almost every week, about once a month, seldom, or never?

Gallop polls Based on interviews conducted 2002-2005

Weekly attendence, by denomination/religion

Prot: Church of Christ 68%
Mormon 67%
Prot: Pentecostal 65%
Prot: Other 61%
Prot: Southern Baptist 60%
Prot: Other Baptist 56%
Prot: Non-denominational 54%
Other Christian 51%
Other 47%
Catholic 45%
SAMPLE AVERAGE 44%
Prot: Methodist 44%
Prot: Presbyterian 44%
Prot: Lutheran 43%
Prot: None 37%
Prot: Episcopal 32%

The conclusions of this poll, by the way, are completely in line with those of the poll I listed above regarding “importance of faith”: Evangelical (and mormon) churches lead, Catholics in the middle and Episcopals at the bottom.

By the way, please don’t start questioning George Gallop’s credibility as a pollster, just because you don’t like the conclusions. I cannot think of a more respected pollster. And his Church, the Episcopal, always comes out worst, so you cannot charge him for any bias.

Again, I ask why Roman Catholics are less passionate about their faith, less interested in attending mass than their Evangelical brothers?

 

[rtconstant]

I’m not really sure what to make of all these polls and such on this subject. To be perfectly honest most mormons that I know are way up there on behavior. They love their families, they are usually very moral and tend to be open and warm people to everyone regardless of faith. So from my experience they beat but protestants and catholics out. Yet most protestants and catholics would not view mormons as even christian. So where does that leave us?

Also on surface things protestants and catholics tend to view what qualifies as “moral behavior” differently. Protestants tend to drink less and cuss less and they view these as moral issues. Neither are really even on the radar for catholics in terms of morality. Those sorts of things are just up to an individual’s preferences. On the other hand I’ve noticed that catholics are more likely to feel a moral obligation to do charity work. I’m not saying that protestants don’t do charity but in my experience they don’t tend to view as a moral imperitive. So what is the standard we’re dealing with here?

 

[Jennifer123]

Again, I ask why Roman Catholics are less passionate about their faith, less interested in attending mass than their Evangelical brothers?

Again, I’ll ask, what does this have to do with the Truth?

 

[mastda]

Again, I ask why Roman Catholics are less passionate about their faith, less interested in attending mass than their Evangelical brothers?

JFM, Dude you really have to back down or your just going to cause a lot of grief for people on this board. Please be respectful and do not generalize.

In regards to the poll you have to understand that numbers can be manipulated to say what the presenter wants them to.Remember I am a sales mamager and I use charts and figures all the time. While you may look at that 45% number and show us that less than half of all Catholics go to church and try to say to us that this is a negative thing, I can see something positive in it. For many people in the world, they consider being called Catholic as a cultural thing more than a religous thing. I know many in my family who associate catholic with being Italian and never go to church outside of Christmas, but still call themsleves Catholic. I know this is common in the Jewish faith as well. So when I read a poll that say 45% of Catholics go to church weekly, that excites me because everybody I know call themselves catholic even the fallen away ones. If you were to disect the poll you may determine that that number should really be as high as 95% because every devout catholic I know attends mass every week except when they are sick, and even then they try to attend. My boys attend a attend a Catholic School (they are publicly funded in Ontario) of 900 students and my oldest attends a Catholic high school with 2500 students. That is 3400 students times 2 parents, if they were to all come to mass, we would have to add 7 masses every Sunday.

In regards to Catholics losing their passion, while I can see you generalizing again I also sort of agree. People are not going to be passionate about something they take for granted. Refer to Manualman’s post in “what do you miss most…” to see it happens on protestant churches as well, even the Fired up ones.
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=1786198&postcount=21

 

[Julianna]

I voted they are about the same. As some posters have noted, Evangelicals, don’t drink, smoke, dance, rock and roll is out, modest dress is mandatory, jeans at church, no way.

Are they passionate about their beliefs! Yes they are. Are they less “Christian” than Catholic Christians…no. Are they more “Christian” …no.

My Baptist grandmother did not drink, smoke, swear, dance, wear pants, or even remotly like rock and roll. She was passionate about her faith and loved the Lord with all her heart. She knew that she would be with him in heaven one day. She never had a meal without prayer first. Her daughter, my mother, married a Catholic, My grandmother was beside herself. When we visited her in the summer, I sometimes went with her to her church. I also went to church with her Catholic neighbors down the street. I loved my grandmother enough not to get into it about religion. She loved my dad very much after resigning herself to the fact that this group of grandchildren will be Catholics, she let it go.

I had the best of both worlds. I learned alot about the Bible due to my grandmother. She was very conservative in her beliefs.

Thankfully growing up, religion was not a big issue, because my parents let us explore both. My father was a quiet Catholic and practiced as such. He was raised in the old school and when VatII dawned, I believe in my heart, he felt betrayed by the church. He passed away, and I never thought to ask him, because as I said, he was quiet about it. He took us to mass on Sunday’s when we were small, and my mother worked with us when we went through Penance (hard for me to call it Reconcilliation) and First Communion. She even made mine and my sisters dresses. Not bad for a Baptist girl.

I don’t think any one practice “behaves” better than the other. I think the OP has a great line of discussion going. It does make us think and learn about each other as Christians.

Juli

 

[JesusforMadrid]

JFM, Dude you really have to back down or your just going to cause a lot of grief for people on this board. Please be respectful and do not generalize.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=1786198&postcount=21

National polling statistics are, by definition, general. That is what polls are designed to do: generalise individual behaviour.

I recognise that there are exceptions. Some Episcopailians are even passionate about their faith!

No disrespect intended.

 

[santaro75]

I’m not really sure what to make of all these polls and such on this subject. To be perfectly honest most mormons that I know are way up there on behavior. They love their families, they are usually very moral and tend to be open and warm people to everyone regardless of faith. So from my experience they beat but protestants and catholics out. Yet most protestants and catholics would not view mormons as even christian. So where does that leave us?

Also on surface things protestants and catholics tend to view what qualifies as “moral behavior” differently. Protestants tend to drink less and cuss less and they view these as moral issues. Neither are really even on the radar for catholics in terms of morality. Those sorts of things are just up to an individual’s preferences. On the other hand I’ve noticed that catholics are more likely to feel a moral obligation to do charity work. I’m not saying that protestants don’t do charity but in my experience they don’t tend to view as a moral imperitive. So what is the standard we’re dealing with here?

i really enjoyed this post. I agree about the charity vs. mannerisms with Protestants and Catholics. That does seem to be the case.

I would also add that it SEEMS (no scientific data) that evangelicals will help you and be nice to you with the condition that you will listen to their gospel or convert. Whereas Catholics are taught to help with no expectations from anyone.

 

[JesusforMadrid]

Again, I’ll ask, what does this have to do with the Truth?

Of course truth is important and clinging to the notion that, “at least we have the truth” is what a lot of mainline denominations that are in ineluctable decline seem to relish. I have even heard some liberal Episcopalian explain away declining membership by remarking, “well, the truth hurts”.

Anyway, I think the topic here is Christlikeness, not veracity. In that sense, mormons may be very Christlike without even being Christian.

 

[JesusforMadrid]

Madrid,
Help me out with this statistics thing: If I take the 30-40% “good” Catholics and tomorrow leave the Church of Rome (a la the origin of all the other groups you mention) , then the statistic on my new subgroup of Christians (which can be added to the 30,000+ protestant subgroups of christianity already extant) would be 100% and would be most likely more “Christ like” than Evangelicals - right? (to use your words and following the methodology of your’s and Gallup’s analysis) . That is how statistics work, isn’t it? 100% beats 70-80%. Now what exactly did I win by schisming the Church even further to win this statistical game - as I surely did win now, didn’t I?

That is how statistics work. But please don’t do this. It would leave a lot of beautiful buildings very empty on Sundays.

Madrid, watch Marcus Grodi at 8:00 Mondays on EWTN and cross the Tiber yourself. And bring a boatload of the 70-80% along with you - for many of them certainly are the good people that the many posters above me have attested to.

I don’t watch a ot of televison and don’t get US programmes anyway.

As for crossing the Tiber, that would be a complete disaster.
Leaving aside all theological differences, my style would not fit in with your local parish and you would ask me to leave in about 6 months.

Month 1: I request 30 minutes of praise and worship time before mass. I bring in the rock group. The parish priest reluctantly complies.

Month 2: I request 30 minutes of “ministry time” after mass, during with time people are free to confess to one another, pray for one another, lay hands on one another and use whatever Spiritual gift they feel appropriate, within the guidelines set out by St. Paul in I Cor. 12 and 14.

Month 3: I request that we begin an Alpha course or other evangelistic outreach. I suggest that I lead it.

Month 4: I request that we begin a number of programmes to help the needy, including drug abuse recovery and homosexual recovery. I bring in the guys to lead the groups.

Month 5: I get hundreds of little cards printed up with the name of our parish and directions on how to get there. Then I visit every street person, homosexual bar and prostitute in your town and invite them all to mass, same time as you and your family. We sit behind you and take up more than half the pews.

Month 6: You and the parish priest ask to visit me. My home. You suggest another local parish would be “more appropriate” for me. Your parish priest nods his head in approval.

 

[JesusforMadrid]

I voted they are about the same. As some posters have noted, Evangelicals, don’t drink, smoke, dance, rock and roll is out, modest dress is mandatory, jeans at church, no way.

Are they passionate about their beliefs! Yes they are. Are they less “Christian” than Catholic Christians…no. Are they more “Christian” …no.

My Baptist grandmother did not drink, smoke, swear, dance, wear pants, or even remotly like rock and roll. She was passionate about her faith and loved the Lord with all her heart. She knew that she would be with him in heaven one day. She never had a meal without prayer first. Her daughter, my mother, married a Catholic, My grandmother was beside herself. When we visited her in the summer, I sometimes went with her to her church. I also went to church with her Catholic neighbors down the street. I loved my grandmother enough not to get into it about religion. She loved my dad very much after resigning herself to the fact that this group of grandchildren will be Catholics, she let it go.

I had the best of both worlds. I learned alot about the Bible due to my grandmother. She was very conservative in her beliefs.

Thankfully growing up, religion was not a big issue, because my parents let us explore both. My father was a quiet Catholic and practiced as such. He was raised in the old school and when VatII dawned, I believe in my heart, he felt betrayed by the church. He passed away, and I never thought to ask him, because as I said, he was quiet about it. He took us to mass on Sunday’s when we were small, and my mother worked with us when we went through Penance (hard for me to call it Reconcilliation) and First Communion. She even made mine and my sisters dresses. Not bad for a Baptist girl.

I don’t think any one practice “behaves” better than the other. I think the OP has a great line of discussion going. It does make us think and learn about each other as Christians.

Juli

Great story! Thanks for that.

 

[JesusforMadrid]

The stats are interesting. But we must remember that Church attendance as a whole is decreasing.

Actually, this is wrong, according to Gallup polling data since the 1950s: about 40% of Americans attend religious services weekly and this has remained remarkably steady during the past decades. What has changed is the composition of this 40%: more Evangelicals, fewer mainline Protestants, Catholics remained about the same.

Catholic church attendance is decreasing amongst native born Americans, this is certainly true. But immigration is making up for the gap somewhat.

 

[scylla]

I don’t watch a ot of televison and don’t get US programmes anyway.

As for crossing the Tiber, that would be a complete disaster.
Leaving aside all theological differences, my style would not fit in with your local parish and you would ask me to leave in about 6 months.

I really don’t think so unless you are disobedient and do things without caring if it is respectful or obedient.

The Catholic Church is for everyone since Jesus founded it for everyone who is willing to follow Him alone and not their own desires, as for style and passion that is God given and a gift to be shared in the Catholic Church.

Month 1: I request 30 minutes of praise and worship time before mass. I bring in the rock group. The parish priest reluctantly complies.

Now of course this would not be appropriate at worship in Church, but having a concert is common in Catholic Churches even Rock.
We have a Christian band who plays in our parish hall, so this type of prayer and music is great for fellowship and appropriate for that type venue…
Since Jesus is present in the Tabernacle at the Catholic Church we first focus on Him at Mass, this is why Catholics generally do fellowship in other locations. So certainly you would be welcome to do that.

Month 2: I request 30 minutes of “ministry time” after mass, during with time people are free to confess to one another, pray for one another, lay hands on one another and use whatever Spiritual gift they feel appropriate, within the guidelines set out by St. Paul in I Cor. 12 and 14.

We have this in my Catholic Church too, we have fellowship with one another in a Bible Study, pray for each other and you can certainly confess to the priest(elders) anytime you ask them to.
You would be very welcome in my parish.

Month 3: I request that we begin an Alpha course or other evangelistic outreach. I suggest that I lead it.

As long as it you don’t deny truths of the faith and prove your fidelity to truth most any Priest is willing to go along with that sort of thing.
Now if you start denying Christ then you might have a problem, or if you are pushy and act like you are better than everyone then of course you might have some friction.

Month 4: I request that we begin a number o
f programmes to help the needy, including drug abuse recovery and homosexual recovery. I bring in the guys to lead the groups.

We already have many groups like this but if you can help that would be great.

Month 5: I get hundreds of little cards printed up with the name of our parish and directions on how to get there. Then I visit every street person, homosexual bar and prostitute in your town and invite them all to mass, same time as you and your family. We sit behind you and take up more than half the pews.

Now this is where you might have problems because the Evangelical Church down the street from my parish will go nuts and they would advertise, and slander the Church every weekend. This is a common thing each couple months but this would certainly become a weekly thing, but I agree we need to get more Evangelistic in our communities, we do great in Mission areas but we need to Evangelize everyone.
This would have to be done cautiously but firmly.
Everyone is welcome at the Catholic Church it is truly universal

Month 6: You and the parish priest ask to visit me. My home. You suggest another local parish would be “more appropriate” for me. Your parish priest nods his head in approval.

I am not sure if your scenario is very optimistic, it seems tainted by an image of the Catholic Church being stuffy and intolerant.
Now what the Catholic Church should be intolerant of is denial of the truth of Jesus, and this is why we get so uptight about people attacking the Church of Jesus, since He founded it, attacking it is attacking His truth.

In Christ
Scylla

 

[Sixtus]

My mother in law planned our wedding down to the last degree. It was ok except for the fact she had planned on a grand Church of England wedding. I was catholic and wanted a nuptial mass!

The mother in law would not listen, she had made up her mind, sent out the invitations etc etc. I could not be heard so I just let her get on with it.

Eventually, she told me she had made an appointment for me to see the vicar to discuss. I told her that I would leave our parish priest to do that. She was adament I had to go along and see him. I was adament there was no need. She asked why. I informed ‘because the catholic priest knows how to conduct a nuptial mass’.

She informed 'you are not having a nuptial mass, you are getting married in the parish church. I informed that unless there was a nuptial mass in the church in which I was baptised, there would be no wedding.

My poor old mother in law was horrified. ‘But all the arrangements have been made, all the invitations have gone out’! I explained I did try to tell her but she was not listening.

Well, she said, you and my daughter will go through the Church of England parish church, let that be an end to it’!

I informed: that will be an end to it. No catholic nuptial mass, no wedding, it is up to you, either you invite guests to attend the catholic church or you tell them the wedding is off!

Shocked, disgusted, dismayed, disorientated, she reluctantly ammended her plans for our plans. Her father [the wifes grandfather] hated the Irish with a vengeance, was nearly discharged from hospital because he ‘objected’ to lying in bed next to an Irishman!

Years later, when we visited him, he went to lengths to find out the time of mass at the local catholic church, which to add insult to injury, was in the heart of an Irish community.

Years later still, I transpired to be the only one who really cared for him from his 7 grandchildren. He never really got over his oldest grand daughter marrying into a catholic family. This illustrates the enormous paradigm shift he had to make to accomodate me. This he did. All credit to him

May he rest in peace. My mother in law also

 

[ALLFORHIM]

And my parish, too. I don’t know everyone in it because it is HUGE! But, of the people I do know, they are good, faithful Christians who love God and serve him in their daily lives.

It just rankles me when someone judges Catholics by standards Catholics are not expected to uphold. Besides, no one should judge one Christian against another. Don’t you agree?

Hi,
Completely and totally agree 100% :yup:

 

[mastda]

Month 4: I request that we begin a number of programmes to help the needy, including drug abuse recovery and homosexual recovery. I bring in the guys to lead the groups.

Month 5: I get hundreds of little cards printed up with the name of our parish and directions on how to get there. Then I visit every street person, homosexual bar and prostitute in your town and invite them all to mass, same time as you and your family. We sit behind you and take up more than half the pews.

You know JFM, you are really starting to annoy me first by your generalizations and second with your assumptions that that Catholics do not do this type of work.

As I re read you post again I thought you know people like you (judgemental evangelical ex catholic protestant) would criticize Catholics for having prostitutes and homosexuals at church and assume all catholics are like this.

 

[McKevin]

Interesting that Evangelicals attend church more regularly than Catholics, even though for Catholics it is considered a sin.

How often do you attend church or synagogue – at least once a week, almost every week, about once a month, seldom, or never?

Gallop polls Based on interviews conducted 2002-2005

Weekly attendence, by denomination/religion

Prot: Church of Christ 68%
Mormon 67%
Prot: Pentecostal 65%
Prot: Other 61%
Prot: Southern Baptist 60%
Prot: Other Baptist 56%
Prot: Non-denominational 54%
Other Christian 51%
Other 47%
Catholic 45%
SAMPLE AVERAGE 44%
Prot: Methodist 44%
Prot: Presbyterian 44%
Prot: Lutheran 43%
Prot: None 37%
Prot: Episcopal 32%

The conclusions of this poll, by the way, are completely in line with those of the poll I listed above regarding “importance of faith”: Evangelical (and mormon) churches lead, Catholics in the middle and Episcopals at the bottom.

By the way, please don’t start questioning George Gallop’s credibility as a pollster, just because you don’t like the conclusions. I cannot think of a more respected pollster. And his Church, the Episcopal, always comes out worst, so you cannot charge him for any bias.

Again, I ask why Roman Catholics are less passionate about their faith, less interested in attending mass than their Evangelical brothers?

Don’t forget that many non-practicing Catholics identify themselves as such because they were baptized as a baby and raised in the faith not because they are practicing the faith! I believe that this in and of itself skews the poll.

It would be interesting to see a poll of how many practicing Catholics attend Mass weekly…I know from my experience that the number has to be exteremely high.

Live in the Light!

<>
McKevin

 

[Ridgerunner]

By the way, please don’t start questioning George Gallop’s credibility as a pollster, just because you don’t like the conclusions. I cannot think of a more respected pollster. And his Church, the Episcopal, always comes out worst, so you cannot charge him for any bias.

Again, I ask why Roman Catholics are less passionate about their faith, less interested in attending mass than their Evangelical brothers?

One more time. The reason more evengelicals attend church regularly, statistically, is because they deselect the ones who do not conform. Catholics are never told not to be members of the Catholic Church any longer.You know it J4M, and so do I. Please either admit this or stop throwing your statistics out in an effort to make yourself look more holy than others.

G.K. Chesterton said : “The Catholic Church is for saints and sinners.” It does not tell people they cannot be members if they do not meet the highest expectations of the Church.

 

[30miller]

That is how statistics work. But please don’t do this. It would leave a lot of beautiful buildings very empty on Sundays.

I don’t watch a ot of televison and don’t get US programmes anyway.

As for crossing the Tiber, that would be a complete disaster.
Leaving aside all theological differences, my style would not fit in with your local parish and you would ask me to leave in about 6 months.

Month 1: I request 30 minutes of praise and worship time before mass. I bring in the rock group. The parish priest reluctantly complies.

Month 2: I request 30 minutes of “ministry time” after mass, during with time people are free to confess to one another, pray for one another, lay hands on one another and use whatever Spiritual gift they feel appropriate, within the guidelines set out by St. Paul in I Cor. 12 and 14.

Month 3: I request that we begin an Alpha course or other evangelistic outreach. I suggest that I lead it.

Month 4: I request that we begin a number of programmes to help the needy, including drug abuse recovery and homosexual recovery. I bring in the guys to lead the groups.

Month 5: I get hundreds of little cards printed up with the name of our parish and directions on how to get there. Then I visit every street person, homosexual bar and prostitute in your town and invite them all to mass, same time as you and your family. We sit behind you and take up more than half the pews.

Month 6: You and the parish priest ask to visit me. My home. You suggest another local parish would be “more appropriate” for me. Your parish priest nods his head in approval.

Madrid,
1. Marcus Grodi is on EWTN’s shortwave radio as well - live at 8:00p.m. EST Mondays. Also available on the internet. No excuse for a computer savvy person like yourself not to get it.
2. The act of “Crossing the Tiber” is not a rowing exercise. Once you complete it you won’t have to worry your perceived style “issues”.

 

[rtconstant]

Month 1: I request 30 minutes of praise and worship time before mass. I bring in the rock group. The parish priest reluctantly complies.

Admittedly this would go over like a led baloon. I like many Catholics arrive about an half hour early so that we can have a quiet time to pray and commune with our Lord. If you were trying to put on stage show while the rest of us are trying to talk to Our Lord yeah that might not be very appreciated. Mass is for worship of the Father, adoration of Our Lord Jesus Christ and to reaffirm our commitment to obey His teachings. We’re there for worship not to be entertained. I realize that is a huge difference between most protestants and the Church.

That being said if you wanted to have concert for the youth and young adults then the lower level hall is great place for that on any other day of the week. I’d even help you set things up.

Month 2: I request 30 minutes of “ministry time” after mass, during with time people are free to confess to one another, pray for one another, lay hands on one another and use whatever Spiritual gift they feel appropriate, within the guidelines set out by St. Paul in I Cor. 12 and 14.

These sorts of things are common in Catholicism the only thing that I think you’d get looked funny for would be why you would think you only need an half an hour once a week. Also there might be some timing issues with the adult formation classes which at least where I go is often the hour after mass.

Month 3: I request that we begin an Alpha course or other evangelistic outreach. I suggest that I lead it.

Well many catholic churches have this so the suggestion for an Alpha course wouldn’t likely meet with any resistance assuming it wasn’t already there. That being said you suggesting you lead it with only 3 months of being in the Church is a bit bold. Try following for a couple of years. Learn about your faith do volunteer work with already existing groups within the church show yourself mature and worthy then maybe you’ll be asked to run such things.

In Catholicism we like to make sure that those who are in positions of instruction are secure in the Faith. Also there is a strong undercurrent of humility with Catholicism.

Month 4: I request that we begin a number of programmes to help the needy, including drug abuse recovery and homosexual recovery. I bring in the guys to lead the groups.

Umm you realize that the guys you bring to lead the groups will likely be Catholic right? These are areas that Evangelicals are only recently trying to break through in. So this suggestion would probably be met with a blank stare and someone handing you a bullitin with the times of the weekly meetings of such groups.

Month 5: I get hundreds of little cards printed up with the name of our parish and directions on how to get there. Then I visit every street person, homosexual bar and prostitute in your town and invite them all to mass, same time as you and your family. We sit behind you and take up more than half the pews.

Again you’d be better off just joining the existing groups for such things. Unless your goal is self recognition. The only downside to the cards is that they would end up being used by local evangelicals to show that catholics are sinnful and hanging out with prostitutes and homosexuals. As a former evangelical I find it hilarious that you seem to think the above is something that is common for evangelicals. Most would be scandalized if you suggested bringing a homosexual into the church.

Trust me. Been there. Done that.

Month 6: You and the parish priest ask to visit me. My home. You suggest another local parish would be “more appropriate” for me. Your parish priest nods his head in

approval.

Well you may get a visit but it would likely be more geared toward why you don’t pay attention to announcements lol.

 

[carmine007]

I don’t get what "less passionate’ means.
Passion is all well and good but emotional responses to religion only takes one so far. Those MegaChurches seem to have alot of passion but how long does it last?