Why I think many are not Catholic...

[authenticity]

A lack of heart.

I haven’t taken a poll or anything. Just an observation as someone who left the Church for many years and came back.

The fact of the matter is that you can pray all the prayers, show up to Mass every Sunday, confess yours sins, dress modestly, vote for the anti-abortion candidate, invite father over for poker night and never have one ounce of love in your heart. In fact, I think it’s real easy to think you are something special because you are so squeaky clean. This is hypocrisy of the worst kind. I’m not saying this problem is exclusive to Catholicism. It’s just a lot easier to pin on us.

There is a point where if you took away all the various objective signs of the Church-- the Tradition, the Sacraments, the Mass-- that faith becomes so subjective it is no longer divine. This is true. However, you can also make faith into a form of legalism where there is no subjectivity at all. That is also not divine.

I came back to the Church because I recognize there is objective Truth with a Law not defined by me that transcends my personal feelings and speculations. I also came back because I wanted to relate to that Truth as a human being. That part is defined by my feelings, thoughts, and experiences. It requires heart. That is, love.

Just something to consider.

 

[Louie1983]

A lack of heart.

I haven’t taken a poll or anything. Just an observation as someone who left the Church for many years and came back.

The fact of the matter is that you can pray all the prayers, show up to Mass every Sunday, confess yours sins, dress modestly, vote for the anti-abortion candidate, invite father over for poker night and never have one ounce of love in your heart. In fact, I think it’s real easy to think you are something special because you are so squeaky clean. This is hypocrisy of the worst kind. I’m not saying this problem is exclusive to Catholicism. It’s just a lot easier to pin on us.

There is a point where if you took away all the various objective signs of the Church-- the Tradition, the Sacraments, the Mass-- that faith becomes so subjective it is no longer divine. This is true. However, you can also make faith into a form of legalism where there is no subjectivity at all. That is also not divine.

I came back to the Church because I recognize there is objective Truth with a Law not defined by me that transcends my personal feelings and speculations. I also came back because I wanted to relate to that Truth as a human being. That part is defined by my feelings, thoughts, and experiences. It requires heart. That is, love.

Just something to consider.

100% agree here, i would also add a possible lack of knowledge and faith also.

But lack of heart is definately a big player here!

Glad to see you back in the loving arms of mother church!

 

[LilyM]

I’m doubtful that there’s much room to be proud when our every Mass begins (after the opening greeting) with prayers beseeching God for His mercy on our sins!

And let’s not knock the active ‘doing’ part of our faith - did not Jesus say of the two sons that the one who DID what their father asked, albeit having grumbled beforehand, was better than the one who said he would but didn’t? And did He not commission the Apostles, as well as baptising, to teach their converts to DO ‘all that I have commanded’?

 

[Guyonthestreet]

I’m not sure what the OP is saying? Is it a lack of heart on the part of catholics as observed by non catholics that is putting people of becomming catholic or a lack of heart on the part of non catholics.

If it’s the latter - I don’t agree.

 

[Kalos]

i think i don’t understand what is meant by lack of heart? One might become disheartened with a church for varius reasons. It might be that a church is so stuck in its own traditions that it cannot move with the Holy Spirit. Or maybe the church has become lukewarm because it thinks it has it all together and needeth nothing. When i was in the RC Church no one seemed to care very much about spiritual things. No one ever spoke about how i could be saved, but that was what i needed even tho i didn’t know it. i found that the pastor was against salvation by faith. eventually i foud many other unbiblical things that bothered me. Many years later i went to a friend’s pentecostal church where i had experiences of the Holy Spirit for the first time. I don’t think it was a lack of heart but rather being true to convictions.