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mgupta
Guest
Hi. I’m just wondering what makes a person Catholic. I was raised Catholic and still consider myself Catholic, however, I cant say I agree with everything the Church says. Does that mean I’m not a Catholic anymore?
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eliasaph99
Guest
No. You’re stil Catholic.
But you should reexamine your beliefs. If they conflict with the Church’s official teaching, then they are not compatible with Catholicism. It is required that you seek to reconcile yourself to the beliefs and teachings of the Church after being corrected.
If you find that you can’t agree with something that the Church teaches, it is time to do some real work with a priest and/or spiritual counselor of some kind. It is also important that you not publicly contradict the Church on a matter on which it has taught officially. To do so is called “giving scandal” and should be frowned upon by all Catholics.
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dolphinlove
Guest
Hey there,
Of course you are still catholic, but what type of teachings go against what you believe in? If you tell us what they are, we might be able to help you on your path to be all you can be as a catholic
Dolphy
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Gerry_Hunter
Guest
Fr. Richard John Neuhaus puts it this way: One is a member of the Catholic Church if one is in communion with a Bishop who is himself in communion with the Bishop of Rome.
Blessings,
Gerry
Blessings,
Gerry
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Deidre
Guest
Not agreeing with everything the Church says MAY just be because you don’t have a full understanding of WHY the Church teaches what She teaches.
For years, I rejected Church teachings on contraception and divorce/remarraige. But I rejected them based on the feeling that if it was okay for other Christians, it should be okay for Catholics. A couple of years ago I started researching WHY the Church taught these things, and I was surprised to learn that the reasons were very biblical, beautiful and Godly.
I then actually fell in love with the only Church that has protected God’s word faithfully rather than bow to the pressure of society.
For years, I rejected Church teachings on contraception and divorce/remarraige. But I rejected them based on the feeling that if it was okay for other Christians, it should be okay for Catholics. A couple of years ago I started researching WHY the Church taught these things, and I was surprised to learn that the reasons were very biblical, beautiful and Godly.
I then actually fell in love with the only Church that has protected God’s word faithfully rather than bow to the pressure of society.
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puzzleannie
Guest
do you even know everything the Church says? I don’t and I teach this stuff for a living. The best attitude would be to continue to seek education in the faith, what the Church actually teaches and why, rather than relying on our own opinion, what others have said, what is in popular media etc. When we come to a teaching that presents problems, we acknowledge that the Church, not ourselves, was given authority from Christ to interpret his teachings and to hand them on, and that the Church, not ourselves, has the final word. We just keep on studying, praying, learning and hoping to one day understand that area of difficulty. It is much more likely that the Church, with the accumulated wisdom of hundreds of popes, thousands of saints and theologians is teaching the truth, than that I through my intellect, have alone arrived at the truth.
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itsjustdave1988
Guest
The grace of baptism makes a person Catholic. What doctrines are you having trouble assenting to? Are you seeking to resolve your difficulties?
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Atemi
Guest
Over on other forums they say that if you do not believe everything the Catholic Church teaches, then you are not a Catholic.
I hear a different message here, except for one or two.
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thomasf
Guest
Coming from my own experience, when someone says they don’t agree with everything the church teaches it just means they don’t understand why the church teaches it. The more I understand, the more I find myself agreeing.
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Atemi
Guest
You honestly believe that?
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Eileen_T
Guest
I believe it too.
For years I accepted the prohibition on artificial contraception even though I didn’t understand it. Then one day I was asked to explain it to a non-Catholic and had to research it. Then I understood it and it made sense.
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Penny_Plain
Guest
So if one disagrees with Church teaching, that means one is either evil or ignorant?
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Church_Militant
Guest
Sometimes the former…most often the latter.
It is our responsibility to have a correctly formed conscience.
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Gottle_of_Geer
Guest
Not if you’ve received the sacrament of Baptism.
Baptism “imprints” something called a character on the soul, which is indelible - it’s like stamping one’s initials on sealing wax as a sign of ownership. As a result, the baptised person is “stamped” by God as His own; for the real minister of all sacraments is, first & foremost, Christ Himself; all sacramental actions, are His actions. That’s why there are obligations arising from baptism - if we are God’s, & as we are, a certain sort of response is required from us, leading to a certain kind of life (character = “stamp”).And God’s acts can’t be undone by us - so we remain baptised, no matter what. Our belief or unbelief or our other behaviours don’t & can’t & won’t “disbaptise” us; this may (or may not) be a comfort. Whether we are orthodox or not does not change whether or not we are Catholic - for once we are baptised, we can’t stop being Catholic, or become less Catholic or more Catholic: we can only become more, or less, fully Catholic - but once Catholic at all, then Catholic for ever; just as one is either pregnant, or not. Just as one is human - or not. Our being as Catholics isn’t affected - our well being as Catholics, can be.
Confirmation & priestly ordination also “print” a “character”, FWIW. ##
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Deidre
Guest
The sad truth of the matter is that most Catholics aren’t really even taught why the Church teaches what it does on most issues. About the only ones who can explain what the Church teaches are the ones who take their time to research and learn on their own.
I sponsored a candidate in RCIA last year and one night a deacon was teaching the class. One of the candidates brought up something about contraception and the Deacon actually just laughed and said after his 4th child, his wife said they were either going to contracept or he was going to do without. They chose to contracept. He laughed and said for years, he was afraid they’d go to Hell.
The same night something was brought up about divorce and remarriage before getting an annulment and he said he doesn’t refuse Communion to anyone in any situation. He feels like it’s just a matter of paperwork and he let’s God take care of that!
So instead of teaching these new Catholics the Church’s position, he just gave them his opinion, which was in opposition to the Church’s opinion.
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puzzleannie
Guest
no it usually means whoever was responsible for that person’s education in the faith did not do the best job.
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catsrus
Guest
If anyone calling themselves a Catholic is having difficulty with any Church teaching, I suggest he/she pick up a copy of the Catechism ASAP at any Catholic bookstore or parish gift shop and begin reading it yesterday…
We are responsible for our own understanding if we are adults who do not understand.
If you understand and continue to reject Church teaching, then you are a cafeteria catholic and may as well begin attending your local protestant church.
We are responsible for our own understanding if we are adults who do not understand.
If you understand and continue to reject Church teaching, then you are a cafeteria catholic and may as well begin attending your local protestant church.
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TheApologist
Guest
I would say that if you are in open opposition(voluntary doubt) to the teachings of the Catholic Church then I wouldn’t consider you Catholic. Those who understand the teachings and why they are taught…if they still reject it then I wouldn’t term them Catholic anymore.
If you don’t completely understand a Church teaching and you are quietly opposed to it and you seek to understand it, I would still consider you a Catholic. If you were plagued with involuntary doubt and didn’t tell others that the teaching you had doubt about was wrong, I would still consider you Catholic.
Even if you have involuntary doubt and didn’t exactly seek to learn more about the teaching…I would probably still consider you Catholic…just really confused.
Please please please don’t take this as complete truth…just listen to the other posters on this thread.
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Atemi
Guest
So you take your personal situation (misunderstanding of a particular Catholic doctrine) and apply that to everyone else?
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Atemi
Guest
I think many must convince themselves of this to feel more comfortable with why so many leave.
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