Poll: Latin America Catholics steadily leave faith

[Kindness]

Muslim women in Europe rarely have 6 children, more like 2 or 3. I think studies have shown that within one generation immigrants mirror the host community and have the same average number of children. Just like Mexican and Latin American immigrants to the US, their children generally have the same number of children as the average American.

Muslims are about 4.5% of the UK population.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_the_United_Kingdom
Eastern Europeans are having a much bigger demographic impact for their number in the population (Polish, Lithuanians, Estonians etc).

 

[Colorad007]

Nobody has yet pointed out the most stunning bit from the study: 60% of former Catholics left the Church because they wanted MORE emphasis on morals.

How about that!

 

[chero23]

Nobody has yet pointed out the most stunning bit from the study: 60% of former Catholics left the Church because they wanted MORE emphasis on morals.

How about that!

Well that right there is a big stunner. In this sense, if these people leave Catholicism because of morals. Do they consider abortion and contraception as moral? Because if they do, it’s Protestantism as a whole that accepts those things, plus remarriage and even divorce.

Which really, shows you that the person is really well educated when it comes to faith.

 

[Colorad007]

Well that right there is a big stunner. In this sense, if these people leave Catholicism because of morals. Do they consider abortion and contraception as moral? Because if they do, it’s Protestantism as a whole that accepts those things, plus remarriage and even divorce.

Which really, shows you that the person is really well educated when it comes to faith.

I think the point is that, while the Church teaches the truth, there are plenty of Catholic clergy and laity who don’t. That is what we call scandal.

 

[WilT]

I think the point is that, while the Church teaches the truth, there are plenty of Catholic clergy and laity who don’t. That is what we call scandal.

Your on to something ColoradOO7. I believe that many of our clergy really don’t push moral questions because:
-They lack courage on the hard topics
-Raising money means perhaps one cannot stir up controversial topics and need to keep friendly
-Perhaps moral issues aren’t necessarily important topics to some

This has been my experience so others opinions may differ.

 

[graciew]

I think the point is that, while the Church teaches the truth, there are plenty of Catholic clergy and laity who don’t. That is what we call scandal.

Pope Benedict called " poverty and social inequality" a "scandal " in 2009 where nearly 40% of the population in my country where living in poverty.

lanacion.com.ar/m1/1159565-para-el-papa-la-pobreza-en-la-argentina-es-un-escandalo

Excuse my Spanish source for the purpose of backing up this statement. Dont want to mess with translation. You can use google translate if you wish.

 

[Tigg]

It’s been well over a year now, but it was exposed that a group of progressives within the Church made some cartoon videos that mocked the teachings of the church. Although they were in Spanish, some had sub-titles in English and were originally released in Mexico. For a while they were quite popular. I kept the link for some time but don’t now remember the name of the group.

The same sickness afflicting the church in the U.S. has spread to Latin America where the majority who were once devout Catholics are now losing their faith due to a lack of authentic catechesis and an astonishing embrace of moral relativism. (I don’t need the church because I have my OWN truth.) It has been reported a number of times that Mexico has become a nation of religious pluralism, but it’s deeper than that because when asked, many profess no faith at all. Pentecostalism has captured many hearts - quite literally because it appeals to emotion rather than any concrete experience of faith and reason.

 

[graciew]

• quite literally because it appeals to emotion rather than any concrete experience of faith and reason.

I don’t live in México,Tigg,yet as you say emotion plays its role .
I would also dare say that people do have faith,and associate Christian basic principles and prayer,so in this sense,there is a connection.It happens mostly In groups with much simplicity,and probably less education,but they seem to be faithful in the way they express it and this is respectable.
Not that the Catholic Church is not around the corner nor does not take care of them.Not At all. In fact many come to our kids’ group to be helped for school and moms as well,but then…they pray somewhere else.
Sometimes it has to do with the personality of the pastors themselves. And they change.
But it happens.
But yes,I would agree with you that emotion prevails over reason.
I do not mean to be disrespectful to Protestantism,it is just what I have noticed.

 

[FollowChrist34]

Well that right there is a big stunner. In this sense, if these people leave Catholicism because of morals. Do they consider abortion and contraception as moral? Because if they do, it’s Protestantism as a whole that accepts those things, plus remarriage and even divorce.

Which really, shows you that the person is really well educated when it comes to faith.

Careful with the Protestant stereotyping - where does Hobby Lobby fit into this? There are as many different Protestant viewpoints as there are Protestant denominations. NOT saying that is a good thing - but I do think it’s important to recognize that. I know Protestants who really stick out marriages for the sake of the kids - they think divorce is the end of the world.

 

[graciew]

I would also say that generalizing too many answers in Latin America might not be assertive.
Apart from having our own characteristics as individual countries,situation may vary within blocks away in neighborhoods.

Also ,according to local problems,we tend to see more what brings us together that what brings us apart. We would wish people had remained catholic,and in fact some come and go,but when you have big issues as poverty,crime,teen pregnancy,lack of proper housing or jobs, at least you know that from a social perspective,people are being helped in very basic principles.
Principles are not propriety of any social class in particular,we simply help each other as families,so that our communities grow as peacefully as we possibly can. And we do not always succeed,but we try.

I guess we are looking at different scenes as we narrate,and it it sometimes difficult to explain diversity of situations.

 

[Phil502]

Sometimes I wonder if people just want something new. I feel way too at home in the Catholic Church to leave but not everybody is like that.

 

[FollowChrist34]

Sometimes I wonder if people just want something new. I feel way too at home in the Catholic Church to leave but not everybody is like that.

Wow, sounds a little bit like restaurant hopping. Adds a whole new dimension to “cafeteria Catholic,” not to mention the “newness” of the Holy Spirit…you may be onto something big here…

 

[7_Sorrows]

Protestants have dumped a lot of resources in Latin America. It’s simply easier for them to go there than say China or the Middle East.

I wonder how they would feel if we openly sent massive numbers of missionaries to their poor members Texas, the Carolinas, Alabama, the UK, Scandinavia and Lutheran Germany.

Mission trips such as the one you are on is a start.

Christianity Today has an article more or less bragging that Catholics are losing members in Latin America in spite of Pope Francis being from Argentina. The article had several graphs and the protestant churches definitely seem to be winning over the Catholics. Many of USA hispanics are also leaving the Catholic church.
I guess the next question is will they remain in the protestant churches? Will protestant churches have to continue to reinvent themsrlves. The main reason people gave for leaving the Catholic church in Latin America was to have a more personal relationship in Jesus Christ. Could this be a reason Benedict XVI stepped down and a Latin American was named Pope?

 

[ProVobis]

Could this be a reason Benedict XVI stepped down and a Latin American was named Pope?

I was thinking the same thing.

And what happens if tomorrow the Pope resigns? A Pope can’t be expected to be Pope forever. That’s the danger in the selection of a Pope for his nationality. Or because he’s a Jesuit, for that matter. Continuity must be achieved somehow, I would think.

 

[graciew]

Christianity Today has an article more or less bragging that Catholics are losing members in Latin America in spite of Pope Francis being from Argentina. The article had several graphs and the protestant churches definitely seem to be winning over the Catholics. Many of USA hispanics are also leaving the Catholic church.
I guess the next question is will they remain in the protestant churches? Will protestant churches have to continue to reinvent themsrlves. The main reason people gave for leaving the Catholic church in Latin America was to have a more personal relationship in Jesus Christ. Could this be a reason Benedict XVI stepped down and a Latin American was named Pope?

I do not have the faintest idea , 7 Sorrows , What I know is what Benedict said his reasons were and that there.were too many Cardinals who voted to think that it was not discerned. I am all for the Holy Spirit.
If one thinks of it , there is a " logical " explanation to have chosen.a.pope from other places,for one reason or another.
Here and now , it is Pope Francis. And I am glad.And I am also glad Benedict is having the.rest this good man deserved.

 

[7_Sorrows]

A priest once mentioned a certain country in central america that had such a shortage of priests that there were some small towns and villages that only could have Mass celebrated once every two or three months. I worked with a young woman who was writing her senior paper on the rise of pentacostalism in Brazil. I didn’t realize what was happening in Latin America. She was a sweet young woman but once she found out I was Catholic she related to me differently.
The Christianity Today article was very good. I don’t subscribe to the magazine, but I get free online articles to my email somehow.
I wonder why they feel the need to win Catholics?

I read the other day about how well Pope Emeritus Benedict looked and how he sounded. I am happy to hear that but more befuddled as to why he resigned. I am a convert of only 6 years and I really miss Benedict. I like Pope Francis to and have enjoyed his trips to the middle east and south korea and look forward to him coming to the u.s.next year.

 

[FollowChrist34]

Christianity Today has an article more or less bragging that Catholics are losing members in Latin America in spite of Pope Francis being from Argentina. The article had several graphs and the protestant churches definitely seem to be winning over the Catholics. Many of USA hispanics are also leaving the Catholic church.
I guess the next question is will they remain in the protestant churches? Will protestant churches have to continue to reinvent themsrlves. The main reason people gave for leaving the Catholic church in Latin America was to have a more personal relationship in Jesus Christ. Could this be a reason Benedict XVI stepped down and a Latin American was named Pope?

It’s possible that the Catholic Church has a lot of cultural and social baggage in Latin America, undesirable political and/or social connections/history. (Unless we hear from someone knowledgeable in Latin or South America on this thread, we are obviously just speculating…) But, for example, in Ireland, you are seeing a pretty intense rejection of the Church going on for, what, 20, 30 years now? In Ireland, they are not going to Protestant Churches so much as embracing European secularization. I think a variety of scandals there (sex, money) hurt the Church tremendously over time, especially when corruption is unchecked. Also, while many of those who join a Church suffering neglect and corruption are not actually committing scandal themselves, they often are still in the Church for the wrong reasons - using it as a vehicle for social and/or secular change, for example. A general lack of vitality attracts weaker candidates who seek their own ends while living off of the Church - the faithful perceive that very easily and it does incredible damage to the Church. So they leave for something healthier and more suited to their own needs. Some lose their faith; some take it elsewhere.

 

[adawgj]

Looks like the Jesuits and the FSSP should start to focus missionaries to Mexico and South America.

 

[ProVobis]

Looks like the Jesuits and the FSSP should start to focus missionaries to Mexico and South America.

And who would think 50 years ago they’d be sending missionaries to supposedly Catholic countries 50 years later.

I like the idea of FSSP priests though. The Latin Mass has saved (in many cases) quite a few parishes from closing, at least in the U.S.

 

[7_Sorrows]

It’s possible that the Catholic Church has a lot of cultural and social baggage in Latin America, undesirable political and/or social connections/history. (Unless we hear from someone knowledgeable in Latin or South America on this thread, we are obviously just speculating…) But, for example, in Ireland, you are seeing a pretty intense rejection of the Church going on for, what, 20, 30 years now? In Ireland, they are not going to Protestant Churches so much as embracing European secularization. I think a variety of scandals there (sex, money) hurt the Church tremendously over time, especially when corruption is unchecked. Also, while many of those who join a Church suffering neglect and corruption are not actually committing scandal themselves, they often are still in the Church for the wrong reasons - using it as a vehicle for social and/or secular change, for example. A general lack of vitality attracts weaker candidates who seek their own ends while living off of the Church - the faithful perceive that very easily and it does incredible damage to the Church. So they leave for something healthier and more suited to their own needs. Some lose their faith; some take it elsewhere.

You could be right about cultural and social baggage.
Also politics. There have been a lot of political upheavals in latin america the past 50 years.