Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: Sec'n 2: Leaving Catholicism

[Muttonchops88]

pewforum.org/uploadedfiles/Orphan_Migrated_Content/Catholic.pdf

This made for some interesting reading especially since, to my knowledge, it is the first study of its kind. The sample size is fairly large (10K+). Based on their review, one in ten Americans are former Catholics, while one 2.6% of Americans are current Catholics raised in a different religion. Half do not practice any religion, while half are Protestant/other religion. Of these, roughly half are Evangelical, and half are Mainline Protestant/Historically Black Church Protestant.

Would love to read what folks think about this study and its implication

 

[Roman_Catholic_1]

Implications? America as a whole is becoming less religious especially in it’s young. The article indicated that most of the people who left did so before the age of 18.

edit I just read the reasons cited for leaving; abortion, homosexuality and contraception. Yea the problem here isn’t the Church.

God bless

 

[hn160]

Implications? America as a whole is becoming less religious especially in it’s young. The article indicated that most of the people who left did so before the age of 18.

edit I just read the reasons cited for leaving; abortion, homosexuality and contraception. Yea the problem here isn’t the Church.

God bless

If they are leaving the Catholic Church because of abortion, homosexuality or even contraception, they certainly are not going to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

 

[exnihilo]

Implications? America as a whole is becoming less religious especially in it’s young. The article indicated that most of the people who left did so before the age of 18.

I would say America is becoming less culturally religious. Much of the religiousness of folks in the past was cultural rather than true faith. This is always going to be true so long as you aren’t running a big risk of being martyred for your faith.

I just read the reasons cited for leaving; abortion, homosexuality and contraception. Yea the problem here isn’t the Church.

The Church might not save everyone. But maybe the Church is not doing a very good job in teaching or in maintaining standards. I have seen this in Protestant churches. They have essentially conveyed the message, sometimes in words but most often without, that the church is not really necessary or important. And the people have listened and believed. They have found God at home on Sunday morning. They have found that their sins really aren’t that bad, certainly not bad enough to compel confessing and repentance. They have found that a properly ordered government can solve man’s problems better than the Church.

I say this because it seems to me that churches are often struggling to find out how to make the Church relevant to the modern world. It will lose this battle. The attempts to make Church relevant seem like sad gasps from a dying institution. If the Church is not different from everything else in the world then it is nothing special and will be quickly dropped when something more immediately fulfilling comes along. The Christian way is not easy and never has been. In making it easy the Church has made it irrelevant.

 

[Roman_Catholic_1]

If they are leaving the Catholic Church because of abortion, homosexuality or even contraception, they certainly are not going to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.

That would be my guess as well. The survey said that most who left Catholicism for another Church left for “Evangelicalism” and even though the Lutheran Church considers itself evangelical, the term screams non-denominational to me in surveys such as this. That would be my educated guess where they are going.

God bless

 

[elgar]

pewforum.org/uploadedfiles/Orphan_Migrated_Content/Catholic.pdf

This made for some interesting reading especially since, to my knowledge, it is the first study of its kind. The sample size is fairly large (10K+). Based on their review, one in ten Americans are former Catholics, while one 2.6% of Americans are current Catholics raised in a different religion. Half do not practice any religion, while half are Protestant/other religion. Of these, roughly half are Evangelical, and half are Mainline Protestant/Historically Black Church Protestant.

Would love to read what folks think about this study and its implication

Looks like former Catholics and teetering Catholics are in search for “flavor of the day,” by the looks of their list of complaints. What I found most interesting is how this poll dispelled (what we frequently hear anyway) the large numbers who have left over the Clergy Sexual Scandal. I was also surprised that divorce/re-marriage ranked very low as a reason to leave as I know large percentages of former Catholics who left for that reason solely.

 

[vsedriver]

Implications? America as a whole is becoming less religious especially in it’s young. The article indicated that most of the people who left did so before the age of 18.

edit I just read the reasons cited for leaving; abortion, homosexuality and contraception. Yea the problem here isn’t the Church.

God bless

once again people put feelings ahead of the Truth.

 

[Tyuiop411]

Looks like former Catholics and teetering Catholics are in search for “flavor of the day,” by the looks of their list of complaints. What I found most interesting is how this poll dispelled (what we frequently hear anyway) the large numbers who have left over the Clergy Sexual Scandal. I was also surprised that divorce/re-marriage ranked very low as a reason to leave as I know large percentages of former Catholics who left for that reason solely.

What I’m wondering is if they are leaving the Church because of the moral teachings on contraception, abortion, and homosexuality; then why are they becoming Evangelicals? Evangelicals teach that the second two are wrong so becoming an Evangelical would only solve the first problem.