Which religion is grabbing the most Catholics?

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I would say it depends on where you live. I have a Mormon coworker who claims that the Mormon church is the fastest growing church in Brazil and maintains that’s because God is blessing its growth. (I don’t buy that, of course.)

I voted “New Age” but I would put politically correct Secular Humanism first – undifferentiated, non-threatening personal “spirituality.” “I’m a spiritual person, but don’t believe in churches.”

What is especially sad, I think, is that someone with a robust faith, is looked upon as brain-washed or mentally weak, and those managing their own spirituality as enlightened and intelligent. J+M+J
 
Im mostly speaking concerning the catholic church in India…its in a pathetic state; although there are a lot of drifting towards the evangelical churches,there is greater destruction within due to the New Age…
The Catholic Health Association of India (CHAI) is one of the major promoters of the new age through Reiki and pranic healing.
There are very few who speak out against it and those who do are not listened to and persecuted at all levels - from the bishops,the laity and everyone.
A number of religious sisters are involved in this, esp alternative medicine and yoga - some of them are senior instructors!! And they want to introduce this in schools and what not…they have been quite successful too!
There are churches in north india which carry the OM(symbols of hinduism) and the crescent and so on…
I could go on…its horrible. While theres revival also in some places,there is hardly anyone in the hierarchy you could turn to…and those who have an experience of Christ usually leave…
If you can, pls keep the church in India in prayer…
Blessings,
Leo
 
That’s too bad about the Catholic Church in India. Indeed, this whole thread is depressing. What the Church needs is a worldwide house cleaning: a new Counter Reformation against all forces against it.
 
Out here in So California, they’re building non-demominational churches like no tomorrow…

There’s a new Calvary church in our area that went up not too long ago that reminds me of a giant Costco or Wal-Mart (It’s huge). The strange thing is right next store are two other non-dem churches…

How do they decide? :confused:

Unfortunately many of my family member are going for the one’s where the music concerts are numerous. They follow the concert circuit like groupees. :cool:
tim +<><
 
The way I see it, the only thing Christ specifically gave wherein we are to “remember” Him is the Eucharist. “Do this in memory of me.”

Those who would give-up the Eucharist for anything else are in the same position as those St. Paul chastized for turning the Eucharist into a festive food/wine fest. 1 Cor. 11.

Now, some of these things might not be too bad by themselves. After Mass, those who wish can fall out to the Parish Hall for their “concerts.” But these other things cannot replace the Eucharist on any level. Turning away from the Mass for a Christian rock concert is to turn away from Christ.
 
I’d have to say Evangelical, mostly because they almost got me, then i stopped, and started reading up on what i actually believed. and decided to stick around. When i tried to Convert My girlfreind (ya’ll saw that one coming right?), her parents (an evangelical Pastor), sent her to a Bible College in Melbourne Aus.
 
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trobles:
Out here in So California, they’re building non-demominational churches like no tomorrow…

There’s a new Calvary church in our area that went up not too long ago that reminds me of a giant Costco or Wal-Mart (It’s huge). The strange thing is right next store are two other non-dem churches…

How do they decide? :confused:

Unfortunately many of my family member are going for the one’s where the music concerts are numerous. They follow the concert circuit like groupees. :cool:
tim +<><
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yeah, i’ve noticed that about non-denom churchs. they seem more interested in christian music than anything else, and sometimes don’t even know if they believe in transubstantiation or not. Personally, i have nothing against christian pop music, but, for the most part, they’re trying to convert the converted. the music really doesn’t have much of a point, and sometimes has severe liturtigical deficieancies. (i apologize in advance for all the spelling errors)
 
Tim Hayes:
Look at Birth control, basically all Protestant Churches teach that artificial birth control is not wrong in th eyes of God.

We as catholics are taught that it is a mortal sin, and if we die in a state of mortal sin, then generally speaking we will not be saved.

However according to Catholic teaching just about all protestants who practice artifical birth control must die in mortal sin and therefor must be damned.
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Here’s the rouble with your statement as I see it, Tim.

Actually according to Catholic moral teaching, such Protestants are in grave sin, not necessarily mortal sin. The difference is significant, since only mortal sin cuts us off absolutely from the grace which saves us.

For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must exist.

  1. *]Grave matter
    *]Knowledge that the act committed is gravely sinful
    *]Full consent of the will to the act

    Now, let’s look at a hypothetical Protestant woman who takes birth control pills. Is she in mortal sin?

    1. *]Grave matter. I think we must all agree this is serious sin. The pill often actually works as abortifacient, not simply contraceptive.
      *]Knowledge that the act committed is gravely sinful. This, I think, is the point on which she is acquitted of mortal sin. Most Protestants have not been taught the significance of the marital act being fully open to life. It is utterly unknown to them as a great truth.
      *]Full consent of the will to the act. In the specific example given, this may also not be fully present. Many women are unaware they are actually aborting early pregnancies with the pill, not simply preventing them.

      Of course, this is not algebra. Only God knows the weight of each factor, and only God can ultimately judge souls…

      I think I can hear you already objecting, “Well, then! I guess we shouldn’t teach the truth of the Faith to ANYBODY, because they’re better off ignorant.”

      Well, no.

      I’m now going to use a (necessarily faulty) analogy.

      My brother and I both want to cross the Pacific Ocean. I’ve booked a stateroom on a luxury ocean liner. My brother has selected a 40-foot power boat stocked with gallons of bottled fresh water and a selection of military rations.

      Which of us is more likely to arrive safe and whole? Me, right? That’s how I see my spiritual situation as compared to my brother’s. He may well make it to heaven through God’s mercy and grace, which my brother responds to in faith and obedient good works. But the channels of grace he has are far fewer than I have, and it will be much harder for him to reach sanctification. I have a certain obligation to try to get him aboard with me, where he will be safer and “richer.”

      On the other hand, I have to watch myself, that I’m not smug, as do all Catholics. “To whom much has been given, much will be required.” How much more could I have been given than the opportunity to receive Christ at least weekly, if not daily?

      Whew! That was kind of a large soapbox for a newbie… perhaps I should go back to listening for a while. :twocents:
 
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ZoeTheodora:
Worldwide I’d say Pentecostals. I know they’re a form of fundamentalism/evangelicalism, but they’re a very distinctive form, and IMHO they have much more appeal in the Third World than more conventional evangelical protestants do.
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I agree, and Catholic author, Ralph Martin, supports this view is his book The Catholic Church at the End of an Age (Ignatius Press, 1994).

Interestingly enough, Martin provides dozens of polls and statistics in his book concerning the issue of conversions from the RCC. A good read IMO.

Aug
 
Richard Lamb:
They are all going willingly…We should not blame other non-catholic religions for taking Catholics away,we should look to ourselves for the lack of cathechesis that is allowing this to happen…No one is snatched away, they go because we have failed them…
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Richard, I agree with you.
Look at the age range of those who are leaving. I am sure it are those who are in my age range (30-55),
In this age group, are those affected with the failure to decipher the Vatican 2 changes correctly. (Actually it takes over 40+ years to really see the fruits of any unique changes to Church requirements).

I recently renewed a friendship from someone from high school, and he left the Catholic Church due to his geographical change, AND that the fellowship he experience was greater than that in his Catholic Parish he grew up in.
Today, he has returned to his geographical home and I am trying to get his ‘spiritual foundation rebuilt’.

Another observation:
As a Byzantine Catholic, we have a MORE difficult time finding those to be a part of ‘the other lung’ of the Catholic Church. We lose parishners to Roman Rite (sorry to say that but it’s true), and Orthodox Christianity. The Byzantine Catholic Churches have become Latinized and lost a rich heritage that really makes the Catholic Church, on a whole, MORE Catholic!

Let us be one,holy, catholic, and apolstolic Church!
Go with God!
Edwin
 
Although not organized, my answer would be “Secular humanism.”

But I voted Evangelical, most people I know who converted to Evangelical Christianity were Catholics (usually non-practicing).
 
My personal experience has been the evangelicals, The Feel Good grouup or the," one religion is as good as another.’ I’ had both in my family. One went for the emotionally charged once saved always saved. The other, “What’s the difference, we all believe in God anyway.”
 
After being married Catholic for over 30 years, my father is leaving leaving the Church for the polytheistic Mormon cult.

My mother is in constant anguish over his decision, and I fear our family of seven will be forever split. His sisters (my aunts) have been persistantly prosylitizing and after 20-some years, they’ve finally convinced him to leave Catholicism.

Of course through the years, they knew better than to call him at home, where my mother would hear their discussions, so they’ve been calling him at work and emailing! I guess that’s what pagan women in a purely secondary role, and who are precluded from godhood, need to do to find relevance in their pitifully unfulfilled lives.

Yes, I’m angry, and have probably shared too much. I pray God will lead him back to us.

Peter
 
Karl Keating:
In your estimation, which religion has been most successful in inducing one-time Catholics to join it?
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Looking at the results it looks like the evangelicals had it. While that may certainly be true for the USA, In Zambia, where I come from, the major challenge to the Catholics are the fundamentalists.
 
I remember reading recently, and I can’t remember where, that the Catholics who were leaving the Church were the ones who were poorly catechized, while the Protestants who were coming into the Catholic Church were the better (religiously) educated people. We need to do a better job with catechesis! I sure don’t understand how people can say that they are “not being fed” when we have the Eucharist which is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus! Or how they can say we are not “scriptural”. Scott Hahn talks in Rome, Sweet Home about attending a Catholic Mass and being amazed at the amount of Scripture he was hearing.

Peace,
Linda
 
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havok:
I’d have to say Evangelical, mostly because they almost got me, then i stopped, and started reading up on what i actually believed. and decided to stick around. When i tried to Convert My girlfreind (ya’ll saw that one coming right?), her parents (an evangelical Pastor), sent her to a Bible College in Melbourne Aus.
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You must have really scared her parents for them to send her half way around the world. Good thing there isn’t a colony on the moon yet.
 
From listening to those who are leaving, it would seem that they are going for ‘touchy feely’ stuff like New Age not Evangelicalism; that would be just as hard to live up to.
 
I’d have to say that relativism, or post-modernism, while not religions per se, steal more Catholics away. When pressed on certain issues, they’ll fall into some sort of gooey “let’s just get along” philosophy. I’d say most Catholics, and people int he western world, aren’t irrational, or anti-rational, but are instead a-rational. They just don’t see a need for such divisive things as “truth.”
 
In this part of the world, I’d say that most Catholics sadly are at best deists or at worst, new agers - including the large and beautiful Franciscan convent up on the hill.

However, the Catholics I know who have become Evangelical Protestants haven’t understood Catholic teaching and hadn’t previously truly converted to Christ. The Protestants I see on Marc Grodi’s show seem not to have understood their tradition, either. Including the Chem prof from Concordia, Seward.

Can we say together, “catechesis”?

Young people today are beginning to look for the ancient and the true, not the trendier-than-thou. The congregations and parishes getting on the Willow Creek bandwagon are missing the boat (if I may mix metaphors, as I often do)
 
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