Don't you hate the term "Practicing Catholic"? I think we should stop practicing and step up to the plate?

Question

and be the real thing. It seems to me that everytime I hear a story about some goofball with some faulty theology behind him they say he is a Practicing Catholic. They aren't.

Answer 1

Amen! You are so right! That also applies to us Protestants!

Answer 2

Well maybe i can give you some insite to the term "practicing Catholic". I have grown up in a Catholic family as did my mother, grandmother, great-grandfather and so on. I was truely the first one of our family to step down from the plate and find my own belief system. I am now a southern baptist and am very happy here. Here is where the "practicing" part comes in. Many of my family members dont agree with the Catholic church but feel they cannot break away from family tradition, or grandma :O) , and so they stay but dont believe. They are i guess, " un-practicing catholics", and just go on holidays and funerals and such. They have made all the sacraments such as baptizim , confessions, communion, and such and still take communion when in town or whatever. Do they truely feel God in there hearts there and believe in the catholic church?? No, they dont. Practicing catholics are what i consider a catholic who "practices" the religion faithfully and does not go against the church or pope or bishop and is fine with that and very happy and proud to be a Catholic. They attend rosary and confessions and church very regularly. Everyone has different feelings about their religion and i believe god knows our hearts and not others. It is hard to not be judgemental of others who make our beliefs look horrible and not real. Just pray for them all and have peace in your heart.

Answer 3

Nah there's no high quality line between scripted and pretend, its basically a nicer way of asserting its pretend. however the godzilla movies have been guess what..... SCRIPTED YAY SCRIPTED, and that needless to say ain't actual. nicely in 30 years who is familiar with of in step with threat with progression in technologies Godzilla must be actual yet in all probability not. look while human beings confer with wrestling as pretend, they don't seem to be asserting the injuries are pretend yet in basic terms the universal way professional wrestling works is pretend. There are nevertheless pretend storylines and pretend characters that each and each indulges in so i don't see the could attempt and set up it as "actual" anymore. Its not extremely unquestionably worth the time in basic terms enable the trolls blast it. You asked if there is a very good line between scripted and pretend, yet there is not. Scripted in basic terms is going with the end results of the tournament and the storyline positioned around it, which you comprehend needless to say you comprehend they're scripting a pretend ending and a pretend storyline. yet they don't seem to be scripting the finished tournament. because of the fact for the main section maximum suits are not completely planned or scripted its 2 wrestlers who go obtainable improvise a tournament until finally they are in a position to get it to the ending that became planned. So whats scripted is obviously scripted to ensue so its not a real actual ending its pretend. You even pronounced it your self the injuries are not scripted and additionally you opt to comprehend why the injuries are not scripted because of the fact injuries are actual not pretend(those that are actually not "faked and scripted besides). You relatively spoke back your self on the top of what you positioned down on the question.

Answer 4

I love you, Midge - you know that! BUT!! You miss the point. The etymology of the word "practice" is actually rooted in a good theological source.

Practice: "to do, act, or perform habitually,"

That is the cornerstone of our Catholic Religious life - especially those of us in Holy Orders or in monastic life! Habit. Rule of Life. Practice. All these are important Catholic ideas!!

Answer 5

Same thing with a practicing physician. I don't want a doctor who's practicing. . .I want one who already got it right!

Seriously, I understand your humor and agree with you. We belong to a church with centuries of solid theology and spiritual experience behind it. I think we all need to study what our church teaches in more depth so we can strengthen our own faith and clearly explain what we believe to others.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Catholics out there. We can clear up those wrong ideas, but only if we're strong in our own knowledge of theology.

Answer 6

Yes, an idiot preaches something stupid and justifies by saying he is a practicing Catholic. He is making the rest of us Catholics look bad. We should just call ourselves Catholic.

Answer 7

Doctor and Lawyers also practice, or work at, their professions.

The word "practice" has several meanings. When associated with religion it means "to carry out in action" or "observe."

The term "practicing" Catholic is not bad if we practice what we preach.

With love in Christ.

Answer 8

I have been Catholic all my life. And I am still "practicing" in hopes of learning how to improve. Judging by the number of mistakes I make every day, I expect to continue practicing all my life, until eventually I learn how to get it right.
Practice is what helps us get better at anything. Even great musicians like Jascha Heifitz and Vladimir Horowitz practiced their scales and finger exercises as long as they lived. Even Anna Pavlova did her warmups and practice positions daily. We mustn't think that we'll ever get to a point in life where we can sit back and say, "Whew! Made it! I'm perfect! I can stop practicing and just perform!" Even saints were sinners all their lives, and had to keep practicing up to their last day. I expect a lot of folks must look at me and say, "I wish she'd stop calling herself Catholic; -- It drags down the 'tone' of Catholicism for the rest of us." I know that I'm not ready for sainthood by a long shot. It's the daily practice which is, hopefully, going to get me there eventually.

It's funny, but reading this particular question, and the tone of some of the answers, has made me realize something. I am bothered by the temptation of this whole "Answers" set-up. It insidiously encourages us to fall into a "holier-than-thou" attitude, as we presume we are qualified to instruct, correct, inform, and in general show that we are "smarter" than other people. I realize that I am finding it too easy to adopt a tone of "I'm right -- you're wrong" in my responses. And I'm also finding that the power to pass judgment on other people's answers, thumbs-up-thumbs-down, is subtly fostering a smidgen of smugness in me.
I am distressed at the idea that, if I keep this up, I may become a person who writes out of pride rather than humility, a person who criticizes other struggling Christians, casting out their motes while ignoring my own beam. That's why I have decided that this is going to be my last entry in this "Answers" Game. I need to get out of this before it tempts me the wrong way. I'd rather remember that I am still a Practicing Catholic, and not start thinking of myself as a Performing Catholic.

I'm not sorry that I discovered this "Answers" thing, because I think God led me here for awhile for a particular reason. He brought me here to connect me with one Asker, who shares my own phobia of sacraments, so that we two could pray for each other. So, to "aivilo", if you are reading this: Thank you so much for your promise to pray for me. I have prayed for you these past couple of days, and I am so glad to read that you have gotten past that hurdle. Now it's my turn to try the jump. Keep me in your prayers, and maybe by the end of Lent, I'll have managed it, too. Just to know that you managed it is a great encouragement to me.

Sorry this is so long, but this question really made me realize something important, and I needed to say it. Now I'll shut up and quit "Answering" once and for all.

Answer 9

As a former Catholic, I understand the term to mean one who actively, and on a regular basis, attends church. It had nothing to do with how devout a follower's beliefs were.

Answer 10

Love the Lord God with all of your heart hate sin pray to the Lord and ask for his guiding head on your life and you can't go wrong and don't worry about things that you have no control over.

Answer 11

Says who?

And who are you? Some haughty miss Nonsense?
The Catholic faith is the same always and open for all, no room for pride here.