Would that be because your foresee that the cessation of Catholic drinking would lead to a Catholic reformation of manners and theology, or because you perceive that the main stumbling block for Protestants is the imbibing of drink?
Either way, I don’t believe that you’re correct. For me as a Protestant Radical, the real stumbling blocks with the Catholic church, from a moral point of view, lie in more serious issues such as the emancipation of women within Catholicism as seen in the the recent abolition of the biblical requirement for head-coverings, such as the engagement with apostate politicians by Catholics, who seem to be unconcerned with voting for politicians who owe almost no perceptible allegiance to biblical morals, such as the toleration of homosexuality and homosexuals and others sinners and the failure to excommunicate the immoral etc.
Here in the UK, we have a so-called ‘Catholic’ newspaper, the Daily Telegraph, that is staffed by all manner of social liberals, feminists, homosexuals, people ambivalent to homosexuality, many of whom are Catholics. It is this kind of thing that puts people like me right off Catholicism and makes me think that the real problem is that Catholics really don’t mind if their religion is diluted by politics.
The article that I posted a link to summarizes quite well Evangelical Protestant repugnance to alcohol use by Christians. I really hope you will read it and gain a better understanding of the Evangelical Catholic objection to alcohol use by Christians.
I don’t know much about the state of Catholicism in other countries. In the U.S., certainly there are liberal Catholics, bishops, and Catholic parachurch organizations.
But from what I have seen, Catholicism in the U.S. upholds the righteous doctrines taught by Christ and His Church from the very beginning of Christianity. I am proud to be a Catholic in the United States–not proud in a “haughty” way, but proud that my Church is truly the Church of Jesus Christ and HIS Word!
Our parish faced down the homosexual agenda and was subjected to a massive outpouring of hatred and scorn from the local community and the media. For ten years, we were blacklisted by a national music organization, and most of the “good” musicians departed from our parish, after first demonstrating visibly their support of the freedom of homosexuals to practice what pleases them.
Yes, we lost people from the parish who decided that supporting homosexuals was more important than obeying Christ.
But we also gained people, including Catholic families who had left the Church decades earlier because they perceived the encroachment of theological and political liberalism. They came back, rejoicing that the Church was standing for righteousness and truth.
My father-in-law has never been pro-Catholic, but because his church (United Methodist) is liberal, and our parish is conservative theologically and politically, he has spent more time in our parish than his church!
Because of my Evangelical Protestant past (47 years), I continue to follow Evangelical news by reading Evangelical magazines and books, and staying in touch with a few Evangelical friends. I have seen an amazing amount of interest in and support for the Catholic Church by Evangelical Protestants.
I truly believe that in the next decade, we could see a huge insurgence of Evangelical Protestants into the Catholic Church, because Evangelical Protestants truly hunger for righteousness, and truly love, trust, and obey Jesus Christ. I believe they will follow Him if He beckons them into the Catholic Church.
But because of their view of alcohol use, I believe that they will become confused if they walk into the Catholic Church and see…alcohol use. I believe they will tell Jesus, “I’m not sure if this is really You or not, and because I believe alcohol use by Christians is a sin, I cannot go where sin is practiced and called ‘right’ and ‘good.’ I will leave this place unless you give me guidance that is unmistakably from the Holy Spirit. If I am wrong, forgive me.”
As I said to another poster, Catholics need to be careful not to minimize or ridicule or scorn Evangelical Protestant objections to alcohol use. Evangelical Protestants are among the most joyful people in the world, and they cannot comprehend why someone who knows Jesus Christ needs or wants to take a drug to be happier. There is a total lack of comprehension or sympathy for alcohol use, and it’s not going to change easily. I have been Catholic for ten years now, and I have seen NOTHING that has changed my mind about alcohol use. On the contrary, I’m even more opposed.
After all, Jesus turned the water into wine (not soda pop), and Paul even told Timothy to have a glass of wine for his stomach’s sake. Once again, moderation is the key, although if a Christian struggles in this area, they probably shouldn’t drink at all to help themselves and to help be a witness to others. Just my two cents.