How do Heretics/Cafeteria Catholics/Schismatics Respond to This?

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I was just driving home and I just realized something. Cafeteria Catholics, schismatics, and heretics all pick and choose what they like about the faith. They don’t follow the Church, they follow their own self, leading them nowhere.

So when Jesus said to the rich guy “Sell all you have and follow me” or something like that, I realized that this applies to the said groups above as well. They need to “sell” (i.e. get rid of) their heretical ideas, and follow the Truth in the Church.

Any thoughts?
 
Speaking as I would have during the last periods as a believer?

I’d have picked out random bible verses and asked you why you lived in American suburbia when Jesus made it abundantly clear that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus said himself he came not to bring peace but a sword, and that those who did not hate their families and did not hold their children and parents of less worth than Jesus were not worthy of him. The lukewarm will be spat out, and those who don’t follow those commandments are just as lukewarm as the ones who use condoms.

To the heterodox Catholic, the Orthodox are just as guilty of cherrypicking aspects of faith as they are. The only difference being they see this approach as enlightened, and claims that such an approach being taken by conservatives who deny they do this is wrong, contradictory and long outdated.

This takes on additional face when it comes to matters such as sexuality, where the church makes one claim regarding an unchanging absolute truth where scientific evidence (Cognitive Psychology, Zoology and human Anatomy on homosexuality for instance) says the polar opposite.

Even the Church claims to be master of moral issues rather than science, so when it makes statements that go against the latter it becomes quite easy for individuals to pick and choose the bits that seem rational and discard those that do not.
 
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Please educate yourself on what the Church teaches before posting more unfounded prejudice.
Seriously, if you want to change people’s minds for the better, credibility is an important first step. Let’s have a real discussion.
(btw, it’s “orthodox” in this context, not “Orthodox”)
 
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I’m sorry, I thought the OP was asking how Cafeteria Catholics would respond to this…Oh wait, he was.

I provided having been one for a time what I would have said.

Where in the OP or my answer was any attempt to change anyones mind?
 
I am in a Parish that I could say fits the description you are providing. I can only deal with the diversion of thoughts similar to yours by practicing the faith as closely as I can, without giving in to being critical of others choices as to how they practice their Faith. In all things, leave them to God’s judgment and intervention by His Holy Spirit which he will always make known to them in their hearts and minds in an appropriate wey for each of them. At that moment, each person has the free will to chose what is made present in his/her mind, and chose to listen to and make the choices God places before them.

I think categorizing people you observe as to how each appears to practice the Faith is God’s work, not mine and to identify another as a Schismatic or whatever, is in God;s domain, not mine. Faith, Hope, Charity! Think long and hard on what each encompasses as a Catholic and in the ture meanings of the Scriptures.
 
Verdanty said:
and asked you why you lived in American suburbia when Jesus made it abundantly clear that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
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Whew. Glad I live in a city and not that awful suburbia.
 
The bulk of your posts are combative towards Catholicism.
Your response in this thread contains misconceptions about Catholicism.
Please educate yourself. It’s a good thing.
 
I disagree frequently with Catholicism yes, Combative? Not at all.

Are you going to suggest a Cafteria Catholic does not have misconceptions regarding your infallible faith? That would be novel.
 
Don’t we all?

Can I legitimately agree with your point if involves pointing to the indiscretions of others? Isn’t that contradictory to the teachings of Christ, until we have done extensive self examination and clean up our own act first?
 
The memes are cute, but I think a distinction has to be made between people who

A) Disagree with or doubt something, but do not let it affect their daily behavior (or it’s not something pertaining to their behavior in the first place), keep studying the issue or else if it’s not really affecting them set it aside, generally support the Pope and do not complain or badmouth, and

B) Use a subject of their doubt or disagreement as the basis for justifying themselves committing sins and/or rejecting or badmouthing the Pope or the church.

Plenty of people have doubts or find something hard to accept. Sometimes they discuss it with their priest or other Catholics and come to some conclusion on it for themselves, mentally, but it is not affecting their daily activities, nor are they using it as a basis to be negative towards the Church, so it’s hard to see any sin occurring. Doubt in and of itself is not a sin.
 
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For some, moral teachings are black and white and must be accepted with full and unquestioning obedience. Others struggle with the grayness of life’s many questions and believe that the answers aren’t always clear-cut.

The recent Synod on the Family discussed the concept of graduality, which acknowledges that we are all on a path to wholeness and holiness. None of us are perfect. As we hope for compassion for our own imperfections, we are also called to offer the same compassion to others. If we focus only on seeking the sinfulness in others, we will not see the goodness that is present in them.

 
Truthfully, there are almost zero heretics. There is heresy, but that is a different subject. One must have a full understanding of the Catholic faith, and willingly abandon or deny it before being classed as a heretic. Those who have never been in full communion with the Church cannot be heretics. Now, back to the discussion.
 
What about the millions of Catholics who use contraception and are pro marriage equality (Gay marriage Yes/Ok) Do you consider them just Cafeteria Catholics or heretics? :roll_eyes:
 
Jamie5 said:
Do you consider them just Cafeteria Catholics or heretics?
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Aquinas defines heretics as “men who, having professed the faith of Christ, corrupt its dogmas”.

A “material heretic” is a Catholic who practices an opinion that is contradictory to the Church; however, that individual may not be aware fully that the act is contradictory to the Church’s teachings.

A “cafeteria Catholic” is someone who professes the Catholic faith, yet dissents from certain teachings of the faith.

In my opinion, it would be difficult for a Catholic to know that contraception and homosexual unions are not in accordance with the Church. If a Catholic practices contraception and knows that contraception is opposed by the Church, s/he is a “cafeteria Catholic”.

A “material heretic” and a “cafeteria Catholic” are different because the “material heretic” may not have full culpability or be aware of their dissent. Note a “material heretic” is not the same as a “formal heretic”.
 
If someone feels, for whatever reason, that he or she can be absolutely confident in “The Truth” about some teaching, then good for them. I have confidence in many such truths.

But I would never tell someone who is struggling with an issue, but not committing a sin in their thoughts or actions, that they are somehow sinning by having a struggle of thought or belief. Nor would I fault them for putting the burden aside as something their mind just couldn’t sort out, perhaps with a prayer to God to provide enlightenment if it be His will. It may be that God just didn’t give them the understanding or the gift to “believe”; it may even be, such as in the case of Galileo, that the Church made a mistake.

Accepting the authority of the Church even when you aren’t sure it’s right is a form of humility. God would look kindly on such obedience. He would not punish you for not being able to beat your mind into submission as long as you did not use your doubt as a justification or excuse or motivation to sin.

Just my opinion.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
Accepting the authority of the Church even when you aren’t sure it’s right is a form of humility. God would look kindly on such obedience. He would not punish you for not being able to beat your mind into submission as long as you did not use your doubt as a justification or excuse or motivation to sin.
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That makes sense but what about us who do NOT accept everything about the Church. I would hope God would still look within our hearts and look kindly upon us. So to sum up, perhaps this “blind obedience” is not the best course of action?
 
If you wish to take your unbelief a step farther and either commit what the Church deems sins but you do not, or openly badmouth the Pope, or join the sedevacantists, or encourage others to commit acts that you don’t see as sins but the Church does, that’s between you and God (including God in the person of the priest in the confessional).

I can’t sit here and say that any of the above is okay, neither do I know what God would do in a particular case.
 
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