Psychology (Not Philosophy this time) of Dissent

[cpayne]

I was thinking about something today and on another thread Guanophore asked it well: “Why would anyone want to be a part of something that they publicly and obstinately disagreed with?”

Even as a Protestant with no thoughts of joining the CC, I always used to wonder: Why would people very openly disagree with basic Catholic teachings (usually on social issues, but sometimes on basic doctrine) and still regard themselves as Catholic? I mean, why would they want to be Catholic if they dissent from a great deal of what the CC teaches?

This came up again today on yet another thread. A poster was “thinking about converting” to Catholicism, but disagreed with huge parts of Catholic teaching. I realize this thread could go a lot of different ways, but I hope it stays with this question: Why? What is the psychology behind this? After all, I have no desire to convert to Hinduism–nor would I post on websites explaining to Hindus why I am thinking about Hinduism even though I think they are “all wrong.” So what gives here? Why would dissenters remain in Catholicism, or, being out, desire to be in?

 

[Ani_Ibi]

From inside:
I know some Catholics who fly into rages over Catholic teaching. It inevitably boils down to not having the foggiest idea what Catholic teaching is about. And not the slightest desire to learn.

From outside:
I know some anti-Catholics who also fly into rages over Catholic teaching. It also inevitably boils down to not having the foggiest idea what Catholic teaching is about. And not the slightest desire to learn.

I just don’t get it. Why the need to fly into rages? I am coming to the conclusion that some folks just can’t get through a day without having something on which they can vent their rage. Plain and simple.

They have no use for reason; no use for reference; no use even for discussion; and oddly enough seem to make no bones about violating the commandment regarding false witness in order to promulgate their own personal individual empire of ideas.

But here I will invoke the Motto. I did ask a similar question in the Ask-an-Apologist Forum. I guess we have the same difficulty on our minds. I would like to know what the boundaries of evangelism are with such people.

Are we required to evangelize them at all? If we are, then how do we reason a person out of a position they have not reasoned themselves into?

 

[Ani_Ibi]

Why would dissenters remain in Catholicism, or, being out, desire to be in?

It doesn’t make sense to me.

 

[jmcrae]

I was thinking about something today and on another thread Guanophore asked it well: “Why would anyone want to be a part of something that they publicly and obstinately disagreed with?”

Even as a Protestant with no thoughts of joining the CC, I always used to wonder: Why would people very openly disagree with basic Catholic teachings (usually on social issues, but sometimes on basic doctrine) and still regard themselves as Catholic? I mean, why would they want to be Catholic if they dissent from a great deal of what the CC teaches?

I wondered that, too, when I was Protestant. I lived with a girl who hated being Catholic, but she wouldn’t convert to anything else - she was horrified when I brought up the idea.

I also once attended a talk that was given by a priest who at one point started whining because he can’t get married. I just shouted out, “Why don’t you become Anglican, then?” I was rapidly hustled out the back door by two big burly men, and never did hear whether he had an answer for that, but it just seemed so strange to me that he would complain about something that, to me, at the time, seemed so easy to fix.

Now that I’m Catholic, of course I understand that one simply does not leave the Church that Christ founded. But I still don’t understand why one would feel free to disagree with Christ’s Church, either.

And I’m with you on not understanding why someone would want to convert to something that they neither agree with, nor think is Christ’s Church. That one just makes no sense.