"Un-Catholics"

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joyfulseraph

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Since I’ve been learning about catholicism and catholics, I’ve come to think that catholics are more biblical than protestants make them out to be and they can be considered christians. But one thing still bothers me (well its several things but goes into one category). The fact that LOTS of people who are catholic, don’t seem like it. They don’t seem like christians. They make it seem like all you have to do is be good…nothing else. And thats nothing like what I’ve learned and known. Its not just about being good or just following rituals (or traditions) just because.

Plus theres those catholics that are born catholic and not actual believers yet they still call themselves catholic, which to me looks bad.

Also, all the catholics I’ve known/seen are so worldly! It disturbs me. So, for all those observations, its led me to think that theres just something wrong about catholicism in that way too (other reasons being some teachings I don’t yet agree with). But still, after learning more about it, it seems like those who are serious about their faith and are catholic, even if there are few, are great. They truly are follower’s of Christ.

Is this true, that most catholics seem to be uncatholic/unchristian? [or did I just run into and see many who are this way?]

If anyone has any thoughts they would like to share, please do.
 
I don’t think Catholics are challenged as much as some Protestant groups to know their faith, let alone follow it. It’s probably easier to be “nominal” within Catholicism, especially if one doesn’t spend much time exploring the faith on their own.
 
I think that this is a common misperception about Catholics. That we are somehow “not Christian”. My understanding of this misperception… is that it is based on the fact, that many Catholics are not as well versed in Scripture as our Protestant brothers and sisters? (please correct me, if I’m wrong). And I guess, that there has been some truth in this… in the past. But, I feel that it is now changing.

More and more Catholics are becoming committed to reading Sacred Scripture in their personal time. And I think there are many Catholics… who actually know more Scripture… than even they themselves are aware of (the entire first half of a Catholic Mass is called “The Liturgy of the Word”; we hear it from the time we can see over the tops of the pews! 😉 ).

But indeed, we are Christians. Through and through. Because the very Center of our worship… is Our dear Lord, Jesus Christ!❤️ God bless.
 
My understanding of this misperception… is that it is based on the fact, that many Catholics are not as well versed in Scripture as our Protestant brothers and sisters?

I’ve been divebombed by pop-evangelicals and their proof-texts (and I know them very well; I used to be one myself), but when you ask them what the NEXT verse says (as an introduction to seeing it in context) they invariably give blank looks.
 
I’ve also heard some people say that one reason Catholics today don’t seem to know their faith very well is that after Vatican II to there was a lot of confusion which led to several years of poor catechesis. Mind you, I’m only 21 so I don’t have any experience myself, but I have noticed among people my own age that we’re beginning to take ourselves more seriously.
 
joyfulseraph said:
Is this true, that most catholics seem to be uncatholic/unchristian? [or did I just run into and see many who are this way?]
Click to expand...
Yes, it’s true. The Church is not a museum of saints, but a hospital for sinners. On top of that, the Church in America lost it’s ability to teach and so there’s a generation or two of poorly catechised Catholics. But, on the upswing, the youngest demographic (the under 20 crowd) is the best catechised group outside of the 65+ crowd.

So sure, on the surface there’s all these dead looking Catholics mumbling inane truisms. But if you wait a little longer, or dig a little deeper, you’re going to see the Church spring back to life. Don’t be scared, charge right into the heart of the Church.
 
Well I took a bit of a look around my neighborhood and this is what I found:
Neighbor #1 Catholic: quiet take good care of children look to be very happy. I don’t know what they do in thier free time.
Neighbor #2: Quiet don’t appear to be of any faith. Seem to be lazy and unwilling to be neighborly.
Neighbor #3 Very nice worldly home. Methodist. Willing to be neighborly in small amounts. Seen praying from time to time.
Neighbor #4 Buddists. Very happy. very neat and tidy. Very neighborly and willing to lend a hand when in need.
Neighbor #5 Worldly, unknown faith but not catholic. Nice people.
Neighbor #6 Buddist? not very freindly or neighborly. very worldly.
Neighbor #7 Baptist nice but not willing to be neighborly unless it is really neccessary. take good care of children seem worldly.
Neighbor #8 Baptist not neighborly, want nothing to do with the neighbors, wild children that are disrespectful. Send children to religious protestant school for higher education.
Neighbor #9 methodist. kind and willing to help and loving.
Neighbor #10 ???

All of these people are good people but I do not know their spirituality and don’t expect them to tell me. They could all be very holy people. I know I frighten some with my statue of the Blessed Mother in the yard.🤷 Why is it that Catholics are expected to be any different than these people?
some of these people appear to be one thing but that is only what I see, maybe not what they are. Seems amoung all faiths there are those that follow God and do good and those that don’t.
 
My pastor discussed this issue in his sermon today. The Gospel reading was from John 10. He mentioned that we need to practice our faith by following Jesus through the gate, not picking and choosing what we want to believe. My pastor said that Jesus gave us the Church to guide us, and we need to follow His Commandments and His Church. My pastor also mentioned that the top denomination in the USA is those who do not go to any church. He encouraged us to try to bring our family members and friends who are non-practicing Catholics back to church. He also gave examples of how rules are good for us and exist everywhere, not just in the Church (i.e. school rules, work rules, government rules). It was a great sermon.
 
joyfulseraph, maybe you need to look again at what you think it means to be Catholic. What you seem to want is a kind of “ultra-Protestant,” with a few extra Catholic beliefs thrown in. More bible reading, more separation from the world, more difficult moral commands. Do you want us to be Amish, perhaps?

I like this little verse from Catholic poet Hillaire Belloc:
Wherever the Catholic sun doth shine
Is music and laughter and good red wine.
At least I have always found it so…
Benedicamus domino! (Let us bless the Lord!)
As others have pointed out, there are “bad” members of all religions whose behavior is not an indicator of what the faith stands for, and you have surely encountered some of those as well. We’re all human. No one’s perfect; that’s why we go to Confession. And Catholics are not uber-Protestants.

Betsy
 
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