Why are Catholics often this way?

[MarcoPolo]

HOW can so many Catholics be so ignorant of not only the faiths of others, but esp. their own?

Satan.

 

[JRKH]

Satan.

Elaborate

 

[THurifer2]

Sorry, I don’t think you can blame Vatican II for this.

I think most churchs’ religious education departments need a real evaluation of what they are doing.

Yes like use a compendum which resembles the BC

Pre-Vatican II - one was simply taught to memorize lines from the Baltimore Catichism (sp?) and it was never explained what any of it meant.

This is a myth invented by progressives who don’t like the Baltimore Catechism due to the fact that it bothered their consciences.

Immediately after Vatican II, students were simply taught warm, fuzzy stuff. Talked to result Catholic high school graduate who said he learned nothing in religion class because it was so mind-deadingly boring that he couldn’t pay attention.

Right after the council???thats news to me I was born in 1967 and recieved the Baltimore Catechism until the new garbage came along in about 4th or 5th grade.

Immediately after Vatican II, students were simply taught warm, fuzzy stuff.

But you said vatican II is not to blame?

Actually, I find most Catholics who know much about their Faith have done through independent study.

The baltimore catechism worked this way. The BC was and still is rock solid for foundation of the faith. When children grow up and start to discover their faith they have a foundational reference point in the BC.

People like Bill Huebsch, Thomas Gromme, Kathleen Chesto have taken the “spirit” of vatican II and destroyed Catholic religious education. Their hands along with many others have blood on them for the countless souls that are lost due to their mission…that is their mission to make the church in their own image…poison I say aboslute poison.

 

[Lapell]

As a religious Jew, I have spent my entire life studying other religions, as well as my own.
HOW can so many Catholics be so ignorant of not only the faiths of others, but esp. their own?

HashemEchad, were all your classmates interested very much in studying their own faith before you turned 12 years old? And later?
If they lacked interest, would they learn much about their faith or would they put it on the back burner, so to speak?

 

[whizkid43]

I dunno, my story is very similar to rstegeman. I’m 43, walked away from the faith, rediscovered Christianity about 6 ot 7 years ago in an Evangelical Church. But when I started, really started, trying to figure this stuff out I ended up coming home to the Catholic Church.

Something happened at the time of VII. I don’t want to blame VII, I’m certainly in no postion to do that and I haven’t read the VII documents yet but something definately happened in that timeframe.

But to point out something somebody else said on this thread. While in the Evangelical Church I came up to speed and quickly surpassed the knowledge of some of the lifelong Evangelical folk so It’s NOT a Catholic only problem.

All I can say is I’m glad to be home and am hoping to get involved in my parish so the next generation doesn’t have “the long strange trip” I’ve had to get back to square one.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Elaborate

Satan’s influence in having the faith taught properly. I went to a Catholic school and I didn’t learn a fraction of what I know now, even about basic stuff. I think the last decade or so has shown much improvement thanks to ministries like Catholic Answers. Father Corapi in his talks on the Catechism mentioned how amazing it was to him that he had no competition for such a series of talks!!

 

[distracted]

Ibut one thing I have observed time and again: many Catholics not only are totally ignorant of the religions of others, but also of their own. WHY is this?

I can only speak for myself. I was baptized as a baby & raised Catholic but was never taught my faith. I went to catechism classes but all i remember about that is singing songs and being given prayer cards, etc. True, maybe i wasn’t paying much attention, but i know that that is not all of the problem. I know that i was not taught, because i would remember certain things had they been explained.

The Real Presence is the best example of what i mean. I always felt the Real Presence & was influenced by it (HIm) but never knew the teaching about that… a priest told me about sitting b4 the Blessed Sacrament… otherwise, i would have missed out on that…

I used to tell people that this is the biggest gripe i have against the Church (the people in it, i should say)… Still is. . they don’t teach their own people the true faith, so how can any of us expect others outside the church to get things right? We get angry @ Protestants for getting us wrong, yet it is not their fault (usually)…

I think the fault lies with Vatican II… Too many radical changes were made there… i think many in the Church wanted to protestant-ize the Church… Did they think it would make the Church more attractive to non-Cathlolics?? I don’t know… but i think it irritated many of their members… myself included…

What do you think about Vatican II?

 

[VWcrazy]

This is a myth invented by progressives who don’t like the Baltimore Catechism due to the fact that it bothered their consciences.

Absolutely no myth at all. To claim it is being dishonest.

I think we need to remember that the religion teachers are NOT being blamed whatsoever! Their tireless work in itself was a wonderful lesson.

 

[distracted]

ISomething happened at the time of VII. …something definately happened in that timeframe.

I totally agree… I was only a young child when the Church started changing things in how the Mass was celebrated. Yet even then, I knew… I could SENSE something was wrong…

You know waht they say about children being able to sense things adults are not always sensitive to… I remember having almost a violent reaction to the changes… And i didn’t know one thing about theology… (@ least not in an academic kind of way)…
I didn’t even know the catechism… You would think that as a child, I wouldn’t be concerned w/ such things, but i was… i was disturbed…

:hypno: uch:

 

[THurifer2]

Absolutely no myth at all. To claim it is being dishonest.

I think we need to remember that the religion teachers are NOT being blamed whatsoever! Their tireless work in itself was a wonderful lesson.

I had the BC I teach the BC to my kids I can GUARANTEE you that they (even the 4 year old ) would put most under 40 year old catholics to shame in their understanding of the faith.

To say the BC was for memorization only is a demonstration of being ignorant of what the BC is.

Have you ever seen the BC? you do realize that BC III explains every point and doctrine in great detail with examples.

 

[THurifer2]

I think we need to remember that the religion teachers are NOT being blamed whatsoever! Their tireless work in itself was a wonderful lesson.

When did I blame a religion teacher. Do you realize how much money was made by people like Bill Huebsch for their wreckovation of Catholic education?

I have heard CCD teacher (oh I am sorry I mean Faith Formation) criticise and demonize the BC and then admitting not even really know what the BC was or even laid eyes on it.

 

[Alexius]

I personally have studied other religions–at times even more in depth than my own. I believe one problem to be that most Catholics (at least in America) are more along the lines of “cafeteria” or “cultural” Catholics. They do not follow Catholicism as the way to have a lasting relationship with GOD, but rather as a religion with lots of rules. Many (for one of a better term) do not care/think about “truth” because of the vast materialism and constant worries in this society. If they are unwilling/unable to learn their own faith, then why would they learn another persons’ faith? It is sad, but there is still hope…

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

 

[VWcrazy]

Have I seen the BC? Absolutely - pre-Vatican II days. We used it in religion class. Sat in class and had to memorize answers to questions.

[When did I blame a religion teacher/QUOTE]

Huh? Who said you did? I know I certainly didn’t!

 

[kristie_m]

I have been a Catholic my entire life (41 years), although I fell away after high school. It’s only been within the past 3 years that I came back with great zeal and am learning my faith and I now realize that many of the things I thought I knew were completely wrong. I really believe that in the next generations of Catholics, you will see a much stronger and more knowledgeable group.

I’m in much the same boat. Part of my issue was that while those well meaning teachers were trying to instill a knowledge of the faith in me, I couldn’t have cared less. Now, though, I’m learning sooooooo much. And even though I’m far from being an expert, I’m at least excited about my faith, and ready to learn.

 

[whizkid43]

. If they are unwilling/unable to learn their own faith, then why would they learn another persons’ faith? It is sad, but there is still hope…

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius

So let’s go with this (hope) and perhaps this should be another thread.

Is it me or are people started to get reawakened to the Catholic faith?

 

[Alexius]

So let’s go with this (hope) and perhaps this should be another thread.

Is it me or are people started to get reawakened to the Catholic faith?

I believe they are being reawakened. I read an article in the latest Weekly World News about the American Catholic Church. According to them, the Catholic Church retains the most members (third after Mormonism and Judaism)–many are lapsed, but they are returning. I also believe that there is a strong bond to the faith, especially in my generation. Just watching the Pro-Life rally in Washington, DC, it seemed as if the vast majority–like 80% (mostly Catholic)–were under 30 years old…

 

[newbetx]

OK. So is there an on-line version of the BC? Or is it relegated to the used book stores?

 

[kalt]

I didn’t know where else to post this, and I TRULY DO NOT wish to offend anyone, but I have made an observation over the last 48 years of my life that puzzles and saddens me.

As a religious Jew, I have spent my entire life studying other religions, as well as my own. I have met with many religious authorities, studied many religions, all in an effort not to be like a few Catholic girls who beat me up as a child, saying to me, “You killed Our Lord”. I never wanted to be as ignorant of the religions of others as they evidently were of not only mine, but their own.

I have met many knowledgeable Protestants, Catholics, Jews, Buddhists, Hindus and others in my life, but one thing I have observed time and again: many Catholics not only are totally ignorant of the religions of others, but also of their own. WHY is this?

To give one example, a woman I knew years ago in the pro-life movement insisted to me that the immaculate conception was the Catholic belief that when Mary conceived Jesus, she was a virgin.

I explained to her that that belief is called the virgin birth. I told her that the belief of the immaculate conception is the belief that when MARY was conceived in HER mother’s womb, she was free of original sin. I then explained that that is what the meaning is of the words on the miraculous medal seen in a vision by Catherine Laboure.

She insisted she was right and I was wrong. I finally told her to ask her priest. She called a few days later to apologize, that I was right.

HOW can so many Catholics be so ignorant of not only the faiths of others, but esp. their own?

I realize not everyone can be a religious scholar, but I thought the Catholic church had catechism classes, parochial schools, etc

My own mother was a convert to Orthodox Judaism from Catholicism, and she had attended Catholic school as a child as well. Yet she misled me for many years, telling me that Catholics do not believe Jesus is god, but SON of God. I didn’t learn what Catholics actually believed on that until I was a teenager, and began studying all religions (I went on to get a degree in comparative religion as well.)

Can anyone explain this to me?

You know the answer–lack of education.

But glad this forum gave you a chance to brag about how much you know. That was your point, right?

 

[kalt]

It is important to realize that every single Christian denomination has this problem. As a former Lutheran, I can assure you that Catholics are not the most ignorant of their own faith. Most Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Baptists, and Anglicans of my age that I conversed with didn’t know enough of their own theology to even carry a spiritual conversation. The Catholic Church has more history, theology, and philosophy then any other Christian denomination, due to its obvious long history, and its spiritual committment to define the many aspects of life in accordance with Holy Scripture. Most Protestant denominations to not dare to do this, mainly because they do not have the heirarchal system we have, and also because they give too much power to lay people and congregational counsels to put their own authority on matters. Currently, the Lutherans, for example, are extremely divided on matters of abortion and homosexuality, while the Catholic Church has had a consistent definiton since the early church fathers. There is much to learn and explore in Catholic theology, that is the reason for one’s ignorance. But it does not compare to the disunity in Protestant faiths.

I love it when non-Catholic Xians accuse Catholics of being ignorant of their religion. When you ask them to tell you about their religion, their answer is usually, “We believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior.”

Well, if that’s all we Catholics had to know, to know our religion, we would be as smart as all other Christians.

Let’s face it, Catholics have a lot to know. Getting even a basic education in Catholicism takes time and commitment. Think of how many times we’ve explained the Eucharist, concepts about Mary, Papal infallibility, etc. We state the facts, and the people asking still don’t get it.

I think they can stop calling us ignorant.

 

[Lapell]

I can’t say I learned much Catholic when I was a kid! Maybe they did taught it but I understood only half the things that were said.
I certain am grateful that the challenges from people of other denominations forced me to get better informed about my own faith. And now that we have the Catechism of the Catholic Church, well, I am even more grateful. I can read it, I have used it in our Charismatic prayer group… it’s great!!