How important are the teachings of the Church to the ordinary Catholic?

[Rence]

My observation is that there is a certain and growing narcissism in which informs our decisions (speaking generally). There is a resistance to submit to a higher authority which is taken for granted. In earlier times, there may have been more of a tendency to look to that authority for guidance.

What do you mean by “earlier times”? Which earlier times?

 

[sawman]

We as Catholic Christians in the U.S. have been extraordinarily lucky in the last few decades to be able to practice our religion freely. Christianity has NOT always been freely practiced by its adherents.

And to some extent we have been lulled into a kind of security that as Catholics we are ‘entitled’ to all the ‘perks’ and none of the effort. If we were baptized Catholic (even if that was the only time we were ever in a Church!) then we will grab onto that identity as our ‘right’.

What I think will happen is NOT that the 'big bad Church" will suddenly start to ‘crack the whip’. No, not at all.

What I think will happen is that, using their FREE WILL, Catholics who do NOT agree with the teachings of the Church are going to (freely) depart. (Hopefully not for long). Instead of Catholicism being seen as something positive, it is going to be seen as something NEGATIVE. Heck, it already is presented so by most main stream media.

Now, there are still going to be some die-hards who, despite not agreeing with the teachings, will stay out of pure cussedness and still keep trying the same old 'woman priests and social justice" mantra. But fairly soon they will receive little or no support and (mostly being old) will die away (literally).

The cultural Catholics will have long departed from the “chauvinistic, male-dominanted, sexist, abusive, medieval, closed-minded, bigoted” Church (for whatever reason).

Who will remain?
Those who truly believe.

It is THEN that the miracle will come forth once again.

For despite the trappings of the world, the flesh, and the devil, those who left to ‘be free’ will in time see that all that glitters wasn’t gold, by a long shot.

And those few but true faithful will be on fire for God, and THEIR witness and even the blood of the martyrs among them --and it will come to that–will speak, just as it has countless times throughout history.

And those who left will find themselves longing to return. . .longing to embrace the teachings they once rejected but now see clearly were truth, not lies. Freedom, not slavery. Love, not bigotry.

So yes, temporarily the Church will purify itself and grow strong, and those who left will for the most part wind up returning, and becoming strong and purified themselves.

Tantum ergo, I think you are really onto something here.

 

[Mudgely]

What do you mean by “earlier times”? Which earlier times?

Before 1960 or so. I think that cultural narcissism peaked in the 80’s, and there was a backlash on the personal level. However, the narcissism continued in business and finance, which was demonstrated by the AIG execs who felt that they were ENTITLED to multi-million dollar bonuses because they had “worked hard”

I believe that there was a rejection of outside authority which started in the 60’s, and the natural evolution of the narcissism which characterizes the current social milieu.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

Before 1960 or so. I think that cultural narcissism peaked in the 80’s, and there was a backlash on the personal level. However, the narcissism continued in business and finance, which was demonstrated by the AIG execs who felt that they were ENTITLED to multi-million dollar bonuses because they had “worked hard”

I believe that there was a rejection of outside authority which started in the 60’s, and the natural evolution of the narcissism which characterizes the current social milieu.

Absolutely. My sister, who turns 60 this year and was one of the ‘hippies’ at Woodstock, etc., was part of that “Don’t trust anyone over 30”, and “Anti-Establishment” generation that tuned in, turned on, and dropped out --before most of them re-emerged, put the Birkenstocks and tie dye in the closet, and went on to embrace materialism with as much and more fervor than they embraced rebellion. Thing is, instead of entering into society with the idea of putting IN and taking out WHAT they put in, they wanted to TAKE without giving. Since they didn’t trust ‘authority’, they were, in many cases, out for 'Number One" and to get as much as they could for themselves. Not everybody, of course --my sister is now a college professor putting in plenty of her ‘so-called’ spare time into volunteerism and youth projects even though she doesn’t have to --but a lot of her friends and associates are happily still living like they were 20 somethings, having either no kids or with their kids estranged, still smoking weed, engaged in serial promiscuity, and crowing about their latest gadgets or surgery or other ‘triumph’ of how they ‘stuck it to the greedy, corrupt establishment /organized religion/ etc.’

 

[Bezant]

I was googling about and came across some statistics. According to a Gallup poll of April 2010, 74% of US Catholics disagree with the Church’s position on contraception, and the majority ignore it, according to the NY Times. So, then I looked at the statistics on two countries where same sex marriage is legal. Two democracies, Brazil is 74% Catholic, and the largest Catholic country in the world. Italy is 97% Catholic, and has the lowest fertility rate in Europe, and also same sex marriage. From the Church’s point of view, I would think that this would be perceived as a crisis of some sort. From what I could tell, about 20% of professed Catholics go to mass weekly.

I’m not surprised by these numbers. Even Ireland and Poland, where church attendance tends to be higher than other parts of Europe, has failing numbers.

I think even practicing Catholics–in my mind, those who at least attend church regularly, observe lent, take advantage of the sacraments every now and then–don’t realise that you won’t get all of Catholicism in the Mass. If anything, the Mass is only a taster.