Lay Catholic leaving the Catholic Church, Protestant Ministers joining the Catholic Church, what is going on?

[paarsurrey]

The church is the pillar and ground of the truth not the bible because the writtings CAN KILL if wrong interpreted

Hi

I think Jesus and Mary are the pillars as they received Word of revelation from GodAllahYHWH. Neither Jesus established any church , in my opinion, before the event of Crucifixion (in which he made good his escape with the hidden helping hand of GodAllahYHWH) nor after it this event in Judea . He also neither wrote anything himself nor he (or Mary) could authenticate anything written by others; as Jesus spent his rest of life in exile in India; and nobody went to him for this purpose.

Others are welcome to differ with me with good reasons.

Thanks

 

[paarsurrey]

It is an interesting article but more research needs to be undertaken to support its conclusions. Without well documented studies, the RCC in America may continue to lose membership.

Hi

I agree that it should be investigated in detail.

Thanks

 

[notself]

Hi Notself,

I am not worried about the Church losing a significant number of memberships. Why… because Jesus said " the GATES OF HELL WILL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT… if i worry then thats means i don’t Trust in Jesus Christ. However I do pray for the Catholics to find thier way back home.

And about immigrants, The Holy family Jesus Mary and Joseph were immigrants when they fled into Egypt to escape from Herod.
So JESUS IS NOT AGAINST IMMIGRANTS.

This Great Nation the United States Of America, is built by immigrants from all walks of life and that is beautiful.

I say let the people that are so called Catholic leave if they want to be like the prodigal son and leave the Catholic Church thats up to them God gave us each free will. I JUST PRAY THAT THEY COME TO THIER SENSES AND COME BACK HOME TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

Ufamtobie

The RCC has missions all over the world to bring people into the Church. It wants to bring its teachings to everyone. I have to think that it is just as important to retain members. I don’t understand why you disagree. Do you really want your Church to be a revolving door?

I have nothing against immigration. I am married to a first generation American. We are all immigrants. But recently we have had a large influx of immigrants who also happen to be Catholic. Without this influx of new Americans, the attrition rate would be much higher. Yet, this doesn’t seem to concern American Catholics. I am sure it didn’t concern European Catholics when Europe slowly turned into a predominately non religious society.

It really isn’t my issue. I was just responding to the thread.

 

[paarsurrey]

the least serious Catholics tend to leave the Catholic Church, and the most serious Protestants tend to gravitate towards it.

Hi

That solves no problem. The Protestants could interpret it “the least serious Protestants tend to leave the Protestant Church, and the most serious Catholic tend to gravitate towards it”. The real factors should be investigated.

Thanks

 

[paarsurrey]

Nietzche said that Reformation was the beginnig of the death of Christianity.
Atheist Christ Hitchens call himself an Atheist Protestant. Saying that his Atheism carries the Reformation to the logical end.
The Reformers during each generation began to question more and more each of the CC teachings. Hitchens says his Atheism carries Protestantism tendency to the logical end. Question God, Jesus and the Bible.
That was exactly Nietzches point.

Hi

So, what is the solution?

Thanks

 

[paarsurrey]

I believe that the Holy Spirit is doing a bit of New Springtime housecleaning - getting rid of the dross, selling off or throwing away that which is broken and useless, getting rid of the dust, washing the whole house clean, and polishing up the pure silver and gold.

Hi

Well that could be interpreted as shutting one’s eyes from the realities and not rising to the occasion.

Thanks

 

[paarsurrey]

I think it would be wise of the RCC to perform a study to find out the reasons people are leaving the Church. The reason may be that these people are unschooled in their faith. What should the RCC do about the situation? Should they just let the attrition continue with the excuse that it is all the fault of the person leaving?

Hi

I think it is a good suggestion.

Thanks

 

[ufamtobie]

Hi

Sorry , English is not my mother tongue. I don’t understand "Lay Catholic ", even wikipedia has not helped. Kindly explain it for me.

Let us together work for the peace of the world, so vital for all of us.

Thanks

Hi

Lay Catholics are every day people who attend the Catholic Church/Mass some even help out the church in some form or another many are truly devoted to the Catholic Church. Some may be “luke warm” who are not devoted Catholics and these are they that leave the Catholic Church

 

[paarsurrey]

I am sure it didn’t concern European Catholics when Europe slowly turned into a predominately non religious society.

It really isn’t my issue. I was just responding to the thread.

Hi

Yes, the real worry is that those leaving should not become AtheistsAgnostics.

Thanks

 

[paarsurrey]

Hi

Lay Catholics are every day people who attend the Catholic Church/Mass some even help out the church in some form or another many are truly devoted to the Catholic Church. Some may be “luke warm” who are not devoted Catholics and these are they that leave the Catholic Church

Hi

Then it should be investigated as to why some members become lay or non-serious in matters of religion.

Thanks

 

[allischalmers]

I think that is obvious that the Holy Spirit is leading lay catholics out of the darkness and into the light and at the same time purifying protestandism by getting rid of protestant ministers that preach a watered down liberal gospel

 

[Contarini]

I think that is obvious that the Holy Spirit is leading lay catholics out of the darkness and into the light and at the same time purifying protestandism by getting rid of protestant ministers that preach a watered down liberal gospel

Liberal Protestants generally don’t become Catholic.

Of course, your definition of liberal may be, well, “liberal” (in the original sense of the word).

Edwin

 

[jmcrae]

Liberal Protestants generally don’t become Catholic.

That’s a rather sweeping statement.

I think it’s more accurate to say that liberal Protestants don’t become famous for becoming Catholic - but I was a liberal Protestant, and I know lots of people who grew up in liberal Protestant churches who became Catholic.

 

[brycelaliberte]

I think that is obvious that the Holy Spirit is leading lay catholics out of the darkness and into the light and at the same time purifying protestandism by getting rid of protestant ministers that preach a watered down liberal gospel

Watered down liberal Gospel? Huh? How is it watered down? How is it liberal?

Perhaps the ministers have seen all that Protestantism has to offer, and they can see there is more to Christianity than the Bible. Just maybe.

 

[ufamtobie]

I think that is obvious that the Holy Spirit is leading lay catholics out of the darkness and into the light and at the same time purifying protestandism by getting rid of protestant ministers that preach a watered down liberal gospel

Hi Allischalmers,

Fact is these Protestant Ministers who left to become Catholics left everything, now they have to start all over looking for a new Jobs to support their families their life of easy living making money (collection basket) is gone. They left everything to follow The Catholic Church some have become Catholic Priests.

These Once Protestant Ministers Now Catholics converts studied the Scriptures prayed to the Holy Spirit for guidences and the Holy Spirit, lead them into the light, lead them Home to the Catholic Faith.

Now for the Lay people who leave the Catholic Church, they were not Devout Catholics to begin with. If they were True Catholics they would have never left.

Ufamtobie

 

[MickyR]

It is clearly because large numbers of lay Catholics are poorly catechized, and because many Protestant ministers do a great deal of theological and historical reading.

Allischalmers, you ‘liberal theory’ is terrible and certainly not relevant to the converts we would read about & meet on this conservative forum. Liberalism is the antithesis of Tradition.

 

[anamchrist]

Hi Allischalmers,

Now for the Lay people who leave the Catholic Church, they were not Devout Catholics to begin with. If they were True Catholics they would have never left.

Ufamtobie

Interesting thesis, but hardly provable. Most of the ex-Catholics I know tend to have been very well educated in theology and the ways of the Church. They tend to end up in two groups…those who are not having their spiritual needs met in some way and so they go somewhere else or those who just give up religion altogether. Some people, like myself, just lose their faith. One day they realize that it all means nothing and so they stop considering themselves believers. I think you are just fooling yourselves if you really think that all of those who leave are just ignorant and never really knew their faith. If you folks want to keep people in the church, then you need to examine why people leave. You never know, the reason might be right outside your own door.

Oh, and my Episcopalian priest friends thank the Vatican for all of their new members. Every time the Pope or a bishop makes an outrageous statement about ordination of women or gays or birth control, etc, they have more Catholics wanting to be received.

 

[MickyR]

Interesting thesis, but hardly provable. Most of the ex-Catholics I know tend to have been very well educated in theology and the ways of the Church. They tend to end up in two groups…those who are not having their spiritual needs met in some way and so they go somewhere else or those who just give up religion altogether. Some people, like myself, just lose their faith. One day they realize that it all means nothing and so they stop considering themselves believers. I think you are just fooling yourselves if you really think that all of those who leave are just ignorant and never really knew their faith. If you folks want to keep people in the church, then you need to examine why people leave. You never know, the reason might be right outside your own door.

Oh, and my Episcopalian priest friends thank the Vatican for all of their new members. Every time the Pope or a bishop makes an outrageous statement about ordination of women or gays or birth control, etc, they have more Catholics wanting to be received.

I make a sharp distinction between the semi-literate people who leave the Church for bible-quoting sects and those pseudo-intellectual types who leave Christ’s Church for liberal Episcopalianism.

Every time the Pope or a bishop makes an outrageous statement about ordination of women or gays or birth control, etc, they have more Catholics wanting to be received.

The ‘ordination of women or gays or birth control’ is alien to the historic Christian Tradition. If that makes me ‘outrageous’ I give thanks to the living God.

As for “You can safely assume you’ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do” I follow a Divine Revelation, I didn’t choose it. I was an atheistic socialist.

More like, 'You can safely assume you’ve created God in your culture’s own image when it turns out that God’s opinions change with the tides of fashion."

By ‘birth control’ do you mean contraception or include contraception. Abortion is ‘birth control.’