New Pew Forum poll says Catholics leave church over moral doctrines

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Kinda like started-life-as-a-Democrat Arlen Specter going back to whence he came.

 

[Disciple96]

However tempting it may be to respond to these people’s doubts and disaffections with snappy and somewhat smart alecky answers (and it is tempting, I know, I can be bad about this too), I’m thinking that we are really called to pray for them. And to witness to them with the compassion we pay lip service to.

I know that I personally have a tendency to shoot off my mouth and, not surprisingly, shoot off my foot and promptly lodge it firmly into said mouth. But these people leave for a reason. Real reasons. And I’m sure we all could live our commitment to the faith, more, well, faithfully. When I was younger I left my Protestant denomination and wandered down many blind alleys and dead end streets.

But I heard the call to the Catholic Church and here I am now. I even fell away from Catholicism for a little over a year. (Attachment to some things is not always easy to get rid of. Purification takes time and I’m still a work in need of progress.) Now I understand more of the Catholic path than when I was a new convert. And I have much more compassion for those who are struggling. Our prayer and witness, mortification and sacrifice will do more to bring them back to the true faith than any amount of snappy comebacks.

Of course, some real catechesis in our parishes would help. Something from the pulpit, perhaps, or something from real catechists. You know, something from, say, the Catechism. Something real and really Catholic! Oy, don’t get me started about one of absolute pet peeves.

 

[RobbyS]

They don’t believe that their pastors believe these policies. When was the last time you heard a homily that discussed the notion that contraception is intrinsically evil?

traison de Clercs (or something like that). God’s grace protected the pope from error in 1968,but Paul VI was treated by too many priests as Israel did Jeremiah. Truth is hard to take. I wonder if those unfaithful priests have noticed how events have confimed his predictions.

 

[rlg94086]

However tempting it may be to respond to these people’s doubts and disaffections with snappy and somewhat smart alecky answers (and it is tempting, I know, I can be bad about this too), I’m thinking that we are really called to pray for them. And to witness to them with the compassion we pay lip service to.

I know that I personally have a tendency to shoot off my mouth and, not surprisingly, shoot off my foot and promptly lodge it firmly into said mouth. But these people leave for a reason. Real reasons. And I’m sure we all could live our commitment to the faith, more, well, faithfully. When I was younger I left my Protestant denomination and wandered down many blind alleys and dead end streets.

But I heard the call to the Catholic Church and here I am now. I even fell away from Catholicism for a little over a year. (Attachment to some things is not always easy to get rid of. Purification takes time and I’m still a work in need of progress.) Now I understand more of the Catholic path than when I was a new convert. And I have much more compassion for those who are struggling. Our prayer and witness, mortification and sacrifice will do more to bring them back to the true faith than any amount of snappy comebacks.

Of course, some real catechesis in our parishes would help. Something from the pulpit, perhaps, or something from real catechists. You know, something from, say, the Catechism. Something real and really Catholic! Oy, don’t get me started about one of absolute pet peeves.

Well said! I always try to keep in mind my own slow conversion process. My RCIA and first parish were not particularly orthodox (e.g. I was taught that “primacy of conscience” allowed my wife and I to use birth control). As I grew in my faith, I became more orthodox. There were faithful Catholics along the way that set me straight in the proper fashion - gentle fraternal correction/instruction. Had they taken a stronger approach, they may have blown me out.

I also try to read the signature from Brother Jerome Leo that I have in my signature line. It is a great piece of wisdom.

 

[WarriorAngel]

Was there a prophecy that this Pope would do a clean up in the Church and many would leave.
Was that St Malachi?

But it is better to have pure faith than those who think they will stubbornly change God.

It is their choice, and if they refuse obedience, there is nothing one can do except teach them the why’s the Church has the doctrines it does.
If they refuse even the history and teachings that have been set up since the beginning of time, perhaps as God always does, He keeps His Church free from the gates of hell.

 

[elgar]

Whether it’s shrinking overall is debatable. It seems to be growing by leaps in countries like Africa.

Highly recommended reading: Dinesh DeSouza’s ‘What’s so Great About Christianity.’

I read a stat after the last election that indicated the Roman Catholic Church in America would actually be shrinking in numbers if not for the influx of Hispanics from the south. This makes sense since we all know of so many fallen and lapsed Catholics and a few recent con/reverts. The article also credited the Hispanic-Catholic vote for making the difference in getting Obama elected.

All Christian faiths are growing leaps and bounds in African, not just Roman Catholicsm.

Regarding Dinesh DeSouza’s “What’s so Great about Christianity,” it was a good read just like ALL of his books. He is truly a well-thought out Christian witness to the Gospel.

 

[Norminha]

I believe faith is not like a cafeteria where I can pick and choose whatever I want. If I fall into the trap of doubting the teachings of the Chruch, I need to honestly ask myself why do I have these questions? It is because the teachings of Jesus Christ are too harsh to endure? or perhaps, I’m an ignorant of such teachings. One way or the other, ultimately, we are responsible for our faithfulness. Mother Teresa used to say that we are not called to be successful but faithful. To get to heaven we don’t need any success in this world as it makes us believe.
When Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers, stating “It is written: ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a den of thieves.” he offended many. Did He care of what their opinion was about Him and retract? I don’t think so. His Church is so “strict,” as many would say because as a good Mother, takes good care of our souls. She desires only our union with God for all eternity. God is not “nice” but adorable. This world wants us to be nice to fit into it.
A good citizen abides with all the rights and responsibilities the government imposes, then, why we don’t accept all the teachings of Holy Mother Church? We’ll not live in this world for ever, therefore let’s do our best, in our way to Heaven, in order to have the beatific vision. Those who went ahead of us did!
This is another reason to pray daily for those fallen away Catholic brothers and sisters for their coming back Home. It is an act of mercy from our part.

 

[WarriorAngel]

Teachings are hard - yes. But with obedience, things are so much easier to persevere.
I agree with you.

To follow Jesus is to pick up our cross.
He picked His up - as heavy as it was, and did it for us.

Its been given to us a smaller cross to follow Him, and we balk and throw tantrums.
Glad He didn’t do that in return.