Should "Cafeteria Catholics" just become Protestant?

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He certainly did, not unlike many others in power in Europe over time. They were all ruthless, including many of the popes. I am reading a biography of Alexander VI right now, one of the Borgia popes. Unbelievable. Would curl your hair.
We’ve had a few idiots in the 265. Luckily, they didn’t found our Church.
 
There you have the crux of why you are catholic and I am not. I do not agree with your interpretation of scripture and you do not accept mine.
We cannot agree, or disagree, until we have some scriptures to begin to discern. You inferred that scriptures teach a liberty of choices in worshiping Him. That is something I sincerely would like to see, even if I disagree with the interpretation.

There is no liberty expressed in being of the same mind and judgment, but I’d be interested in your ‘interpretation’ of how it might be?

I’ve also included a direct writing teaching obeying which, again in my opinion, excludes any liberty of ‘choices’.
**1Co 1:10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no schisms among you: but that you be perfect in the same mind and in the same judgment.
Heb 13:17 Obey your prelates and be subject to them. For they watch as being to render an account of your souls: that they may do this with joy and not with grief. For this is not expedient for you.
**
Please share those scriptures you believe that give man the right to choose how he will worship Him.
 
I don’t want this to start getting “un-nice,” not to mention we have gotten off topic.
There we have it. The discussion ventured into the deep end and claims were made, based on an interpretation. Now, when it’s been called on, we need to get back on topic. Seems to be an avoidance of showing the documentation and explanation for what’s being espoused here…:rolleyes:
 
98% of Catholic women use ABC. Many Catholics are not anti gay marriage. Many Catholics do not agree with the teachings of the CC, but b/c they were raised Catholic, they remain Catholic.

Shouldn’t they just become Protestant instead? Or should they remain Catholic despite their belief that the CC is outdated.

btw…I am not talking about abortion here. Please don’t bring this up. Every woman I know that fits the description of Cafeteria Catholic is very anti-abortion.
👍

Very interesting, the way the question is framed.

It begs one to ask the converse: should cafeteria Protestants become Catholic?

But, a wider more meaningful question follows: what is to be, with cafeteria Christians?

Introspectively, we might meditate on areas within our Christian lives where we are less diligent or less involved in evangelization or prayer or charity than should be the case.

Certainly few among us are without some cafeteria catering, in certain respects of our actions.

🙂
 
I don’t want this to start getting “un-nice,” not to mention we have gotten off topic.
No, no, not in that manner, sorry. I meant by degree of translation. Protestantism vs. Catholicism is inevitable due to deuterocanonical texts… It’s like finding out what came first, the chicken or the egg.
 
These kinds of threads make me so sad. I used to be a cafeteria Catholic. I am so glad there was no internet access at the time; I might have read threads like this and decided it was time to leave the Church.

As another poster mentioned, there is a currently running thread on this topic. I participated a couple of times on that thread. At one point it turned to discussion of a passage in Corinthians that talks about purging the evil one. This was my response:
If I had been thrown out when I was one of them, I wouldn’t be the passionate Catholic I am today. And since I changed, I have helped my protestant friends understand the Church. And I have helped my mother-in-law, who, at age 85, was very recently received into the Church. And I have helped a family friend, who was agnostic a couple of years ago but will be received into the Church at Easter Vigil.
So yes, purge evil. Many translations use the word “wicked” instead. But as I said in an earlier post, when I was a cafeteria Catholic, I loved God with all my heart. So was I wicked or evil just because I didn’t understand things the way I do now?
Had I been “purged” from the Church, neither of the two I mentioned would now be part of the Church. And my wonderful, lovely daughter, a hardcore Catholic who is also responsible for the conversion of another, would not be in the Church. Is that really what you want?
Remember that we are nothing without God. All good comes from God. All of it. That includes your ability to understand the Church, to enjoy the beauty of the Church. Praise Him for that.
And allow Him to work in you to bring Cafeteria Catholics to a better understanding of the truth, to share in the gift you have been given. Because they don’t understand or don’t agree does not make them evil any more than it makes all Protestants evil. And understand that they are also not all rebels as well.
Do not be the person who causes somebody to leave the Church. Instead, bring them home.
 
There we have it. The discussion ventured into the deep end and claims were made, based on an interpretation. Now, when it’s been called on, we need to get back on topic. Seems to be an avoidance of showing the documentation and explanation for what’s being espoused here…:rolleyes:
What it come down to is that, and I should add that I have been a student of scripture for years and have read the bible through several times, I don’t believe the New Testament to be all that it should be. There are gaps, what appears to be missing verses, and outright changes that were made, books discarded, all to make the New Testament “fit” with the Christian religion at that time. It had been diverted away from what Christ actually taught. The bible then became of political tool. Yes, the Roman church did this to fit with what they were teaching at the time.

I have copies of some of the discarded books and it makes it all so questionable. And it makes me wonder what the Vatican has hidden in its vast basements.

It will be interesting to see what comes from these new discoveries, the lead books that have been found in the Near East in the recent past.

I really don’t want to get into is the bible the word of God argument here and now. It really is off topic.
 
What it come down to is that, and I should add that I have been a student of scripture for years and have read the bible through several times, I don’t believe the New Testament to be all that it should be. There are gaps, what appears to be missing verses, and outright changes that were made, books discarded, all to make the New Testament “fit” with the Christian religion at that time. It had been diverted away from what Christ actually taught. The bible then became of political tool. Yes, the Roman church did this to fit with what they were teaching at the time.

I have copies of some of the discarded books and it makes it all so questionable. And it makes me wonder what the Vatican has hidden in its vast basements.

It will be interesting to see what comes from these new discoveries, the lead books that have been found in the Near East in the recent past.

I really don’t want to get into is the bible the word of God argument here and now. It really is off topic.
It’s not off topic. We’re discussing ‘cafeteria’, or picking and choosing as it’s also referred too. You inferred that scriptures teach a ‘liberty of choices’ in how one can choose to worship Him. Now, if it pleases you, please feel free to use scriptures or those writings you feel might should have been a part of the canon. :rolleyes:

So far, you’ve provided many excuses as to why we cannot continue with the discussion, that you yourself raised, as well as the fact that you have not missed an opportunity to place an accusation against the Catholic Church with your innuendos.

Now please share with us, your study of scriptures, that shows that liberty of choice in worshiping Him?
 
says who? I know that is the position of the conservative Catholic, but who says that they are right?

but the CC does evolve/develop…maybe these Cafeteria Catholics are just ahead of the curve (and are the one’s with the fuller understanding)?

well, if you want claim that to remain Catholic one must adhere to the official teachings of the Church as stated in the CCC then I would add:

a) no official w/i the CC and no conservative Catholic here should ever claim that there are 1.1 billion + Catholics in the world…rather they should say that there is probably somewhere between 100-200 million Catholics in the world…to include those who don’t follow the CCC would be disingenuous (if you have made that claim).

b) until the CC officially tells all those Catholics who don’t toe-the-line to get lost no official w/i the CC and no conservative Catholic here should ever ridicule Protestants for having many denominations…b/c, after all, those numerous denominations arise b/c Protestants tend to leave when they don’t believe as their leaders believe…in contrast, it seems that the CC says believe one thing and then tolerates all sorts of variations.
I just love it when Protestants explain our Faith to us…
 
We cannot agree, or disagree, until we have some scriptures to begin to discern. You inferred that scriptures teach a liberty of choices in worshiping Him. That is something I sincerely would like to see, even if I disagree with the interpretation.

There is no liberty expressed in being of the same mind and judgment, but I’d be interested in your ‘interpretation’ of how it might be?

I’ve also included a direct writing teaching obeying which, again in my opinion, excludes any liberty of ‘choices’.

Please share those scriptures you believe that give man the right to choose how he will worship Him.
There sure are a lot of schisms in Christianity. The first major one happened when Rome broke off from the Eastern Church in 1054. If you have chosen the Roman Church over Orthodox Catholicism why did you make that choice?
 
It’s not off topic. We’re discussing ‘cafeteria’, or picking and choosing as it’s also referred too. You inferred that scriptures teach a ‘liberty of choices’ in how one can choose to worship Him. Now, if it pleases you, please feel free to use scriptures or those writings you feel might should have been a part of the canon. :
Does scripture teach about:

a) Jews (like the apostles) still going to the temple…and Gentiles not?

b) varying attitudes WRT to days being sacred or not (Romans 14:5)?

c)varying attitudes as to what can and cannot be eaten (Romans 14)?

d) …or generally a set of rules for Jewish Christians and another set for Gentile Christians?

e) …or generally a set of rules for mature Christians and another set for immature Christians?

f) the freedom of the believer (1 Cor 10)?
 
*I am sorry if people were offended at what I said. That was not my intent. I don’t want to offend people, but I want those Catholics who believe in Liberation Theology/Collective Salvation that our Pope has condemned as a false teaching that leads to hell, to repent and come back to the Catholic church and embrace the teachings of our church. We are reproved by God because he loves us, and we must reprove our Catholic brothers/sisters because we love them and want them to be saved in Christ. When the Amish shun and I am not suggesting we shun them; they do that out of love and wanting them to do right. Our church is very clear about abortion being murder and those Catholics in public office who vote for abortion should be denied Holy Communion. As Catholics we are to respect all life from conception to natural death. That is why we are Pro life and oppose abortion and the death penality. Catholics who belong to a political party that is pro abortion need to think if they can remain Catholics in good standing and vote for and support people who are for abortion. Abortion is a very big issue.

I had one cafeteria Catholic tell me that the Bible is not the word of God, but fiction stories. This person thinks they are a devout Catholic, but they don’t believe that the readings in church are the word of God or that Catholics believe in the Bible. He and others like him think that any Catholic who believes the Bible is the word of God are loons. We have Catholics who think it is ok to live together outside of marriage and that they are not committing any sin and can still take Holy communion.

I am not perfect and never will be. There were many years I was angry at the Catholic church and I stayed away for many years. I got angry of the double standard of some Catholics who are rich getting away with annulling marriages that were valid marriages so they could marry someone else and still receive communion while others who were poor and didn’t sin were told that they just had to let the sin that the rich Catholic did toward them go. I was mad that there was a double standard. I finally realized that God believes in free will and God is not going to force someone to do the right thing. I came back to the Lord and I pray my rosary everyday, chaplet of Divine Mercy everyday and read the daily reading in the missal everyday. I have a strong relationship with the Blessed Mother Mary who I love and adore. She is helping me and every year I see that I am making progress in my Catholic/Christian walk. The most powerful weapon we have in reaching our Catholic brothers/sisters who are Catholic in name only is to pray for them. That is what I do. I pray for their conversion. One can’t be a true Catholic and not believe and follow the teachings of the Catholic church. You might be able to deceive yourselves and think you are, but if you throw out some of the teachings because you don’t want to be unpopular with the world then the world is your master and not Christ. We are told to love Christ with all our heart,mind, and soul. Jesus is to be our master and not the world. Jesus also said the world would hate us as it hated him and we must bear our cross. Yet there are to many Catholics who because they want to be loved by the world support gay marriage which perverts the marriage sacrament of the Catholic church, abortion, birth control, and join with unbelievers in mocking Catholics who do believe the Bible is the Word of God as crazy loons. They mock anyone who believes in Christ and tries to love by the teachings of Christ and stand up for Christ in the world.

I have friends that are non Catholics and they get confused because I am pro life and they know other Catholics who are pro choice and are for funding planned parenthood so that they can continue their murder of the unborn child. They want to know if there are two different Catholic churches. How do I say there is only one Catholic church, and the other Catholic who is pro abortion and pro funding for planned parenthood is outside the teachings of the church and could be denied Holy Communion?

I pray for those Catholics who have chosen the world over their church and Christ. I want them to repent and come home and follow the teachings of Christ and the Catholic church. I have the courage to tell them the truth. I have the courage to pray for them and to stand up to them and say you are wrong to say that the Bible is not the word of God, etc. I would be guilty of hate if I was just silent and allowed them to disobey and pretend that they were right and in good standing with the church when they are guilty of supporting abortion, gay marriage, and other issues that go against the teachings of our church. It is called loving the sinner but hating the sin. I do love the sinner because I pray for them daily. I hate the sin because I am not afaid to tell him that I worry about the condition of their soul.

Our road that we must walk is a narrow road. It is not an easy road. We must keep our eyes on Christ and the true teachings of the Catholic church.

Love Christ with all your heart, mind and soul. Pray your rosary everyday. Read the message of Fatima and take that message to heart. God is beginning to judge this country and it will only get worst. We are not the ones that tell the church what they must believe to make it popular with the world, but the church tells us what to believe so that we can be right with Christ. It is for us to listen to the Pope and not for us to dictate to the Pope that he must support abortion, gay marriage, birth control, etc.

Chrisy

/I*
 
I personally think the term is unhelpful. In any case, I don’t think Catholics of any stripe should agitate further to get certain groups to leave the church. The church has already lost very large numbers of its members (and not necessarily because they disagree with church teachings). In my own country, the rate of Mass attendance is between 9 and 15% of all baptised Catholics, and there is also a severe priest shortage. What leader of an organisation or business would in this situation want even more people to leave? The church is already very small and just making it even smaller will turn it into an eccentric fringe sect on the margins of society, rather than an organisation worth listening to and respecting.
 
Object all you want to doctrine (bang your head against that rock) but don’t receive Eucharist. At the end of life, personal opinion on a matter - doesn’t matter.
Great line, Barbkw.
 
There sure are a lot of schisms in Christianity. The first major one happened when Rome broke off from the Eastern Church in 1054. If you have chosen the Roman Church over Orthodox Catholicism why did you make that choice?
Why are you completely changing the topic? Does this mean you can’t produce any documentation to support your statements that everyone is at liberty to choose how they wish to worship?

I notice you chose to present the great schism as Rome being the one to 'break away. There appears to be a certain bias to how you choose to word your posts. It seems to confirm a resentment towards the Catholic Church.

It’s not unusual for someone to use the great schism on these forums. We often see Protestants use the ‘Orthodox card’ against Catholics. It begs the question, ‘if you see the great schism as a ‘breaking’ of the ONE Church, why don’t you belong to one or the other?’

One thing I know for sure, and can readily produce if you disagree, according to scriptures, the Church was meant to be ONE. Of course, this returns us to the discussion you raised and are now avoiding, specifically where is the documentation in scriptures that supports the view you presented that everyone is at liberty to choose the way they wish to worship?
 
well thanks for sharing that unrelated tidbit…allow me to reciprocate: I like cake.
It’s not really unrelated, because the fact is cafeteria catholics might not have left if they TRULY KNEW Catholicism. And it’s often that protestants think they’re learning what Catholics believe but they’re not being objective in that learning, they go in with the bias of wanting/needing to find something wrong with it.
 
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