Do you think the Catholic Church needs to change the rules to attract more people?

Question

Alot of Catholic's pick and choose things they agree with the church about and most just don't care about the church anymore because of such outdated rules. If you had a chance to tell them what you would change to make a better church, what would it be?

Many people today are divorced, but unless you can have it annuled, which to me is horrible if you have children, you cannot get married in a church again. Or what about the fact that woman can't be priest, we should be equals no what matter our sex. Priest should have life expriences before being able to enter into the priesthood. Just a few modifications might make it a great religion it once was.

Answer 1

To: imacatholic

What does post-modernism mean to you?

The real issue here is not the simple fact that people are starting to pick and choose. And to warn people against heresy (*roll eyes*) is counter-productive.

You warned against people denying certain truths. Well, that's the thing. It's not that they're only downright denying certain aspects of piety, it goes much farther than that. People want to know what's really relevant. Does following one rule and not another make one any less faithful? Faithful to whom? God or the church?

We live in a world that is now starting to step back and reassess what it means to be "truth." And with on-going scientific progress (read: evolution) and constant investigation into the so-called "truths" of the bible's teachings, it's only become harder.

I think it is important to keep our eyes on the ball here. What were Jesus' true goals? What's the big picture here?

Jesus of Nazareth had a knack for picking and choosing which facets of the Jewish religion and culture of his time were relevant. If fundamentalist Catholics truly seek atonement with Jesus Christ and to walk in His foosteps like they say they do, they better prove it.

Because the 21st century isn't buying it.

Answer 2

The Church is not supposed to "change the rules" to adapt to the will of parishioners. The parishioners are supposed to adapt to the Church.

If people leave the Church because they disagree with it's rules, it simply means they are not good enough for the Church, rather than the Church not being good enough for them. The Church will not "change" (by that I think you mean "loosen") it's rules just to attract more members.

A few decades ago, the Church lowered it's qualification for men entering the seminary for priesthood. . . well, we know how that has turned out! What makes you think lowering the standards for lay Catholics work out any better?

Yes, some Catholics are under the impression that it is okay to pick and choose which elements of Doctrine they will follow and which elements to reject. Such a thing is inherently unCatholic. When one professes belief in Catholicism, they are professing belief in ALL the Church's beliefs and practices, not just the ones they like. Whenever I encounter such types, I always remind them, albeit gently, of their obligations as Catholics to embrace all Catholic Doctrine.

Divorce/Annulements: As far as annulments are concerned, annulments are not "divorces". An annumlent is a declaration that, for some reason, no marital bond was consecrated between the couple. A divorce is entirely different. A divorce is a legal recognition of a disolved union - but legal is not spiritual, thus legal divorces do not disolve the marital bond. That is why a legally divorced couple cannot remarry but an annuled couple can.

Women Priests: According to Biblical precedent - started by Jesus Himself, there has never been women priests in the Church. It's not a question if equality, it's a question of women embracing different callings than men.

"Life Experience" - Life experience, whatever you mean by that, is not necessary for priesthood. Faith does not require life experience. besides, the Church is built on the life experiences of it's members starting with Jesus Christ Himself. You can't get more life experience than that.

Answer 3

The majority of catholics take things to the extreme. Example, since God said we were made to multiply, catholics will make you leave the church if the find out you are taking any sort of contraception or have done something to prevent pregnancy such as a vasectomy. The same for divorce, no matter how bad things are or whether abuse is involved or not. This is just nonsense and needs to be stopped. God did give us brains and if we only want 2 children then that is all we should have. The purpose of multiplying was to fill the earth with people, not to overflood it now! I love God, but I despise when people think they are doing him any justice when they just make traditions and ceremonies that take away from his glory and love!!

Answer 4

The problem with the Catholic Church is the aloofness of its officials and priests. The growth of other denominations is simply because they are closer to the common people. Perhaps rules need not be changed but explained by priests that are truly the shepherds of their flock and not merely men doing a "job".

Answer 5

I think that it is very sad when a church feels that it needs to change it's principles simply to appeal to the younger generation. I am not catholic, but it was very sad to me when the new pope was put in and everybody was speculating about the changes he would make to modernize the church.

Now if the leader of the church feels that changing the policies is the will of the Lord, I have no problem with that, but simply changing because people feel that the values are outdated- that is insane.

Someone needs to stand for something. if not the churches of the world, then who?

Answer 6

The Catholic Church has two kinds of rules. Some are dogmatic -- that's the ten commandments. Some are not dogmatic but are church rules. Equivalent to what St Paul says in his Epistles when he says "But I say, and not the Lord..." These are under the body of rules we call canon law.

Okay, we cannot change the dogmatic rules, because these are of God. These, the Church, Pope Benedict, or any other governing body in the Church, will have to tell you, "I'm sorry. You expressed a point there, but God sees otherwise. He has ordained it this way in his teachings and we, as a Church are not free to change His Mind for him. We convey to you what the Lord conveyed to us."

Divorce for remarriage comes under that. Contraception is another. Abortion is definitely murder and is wrong always. Premarital sex is another grave sin.

Other rules which do not constitute sin -- women are not to be ordained priests. Priests are ordained to stand in the shoes of Christ for the people. Women cannot stand for Christ who is a man, sorry.

[I am a woman. I am an educated woman in charge of seeing to the education of men and boosting their careers. I see no need to try to be equal to the opposite sex when I have this sneaky feeling that in many fields, women are superior. I see it as ridiculous why my own kind want to be priests. As if they cannot find hundreds of other careers to further their need to be equal to men. ;oD ]

Okay, now for the changeable. These are rules that the Church, if they choose to, can change. Priests can get married. You don't have to eat fish on Friday. Fasting days of the year. Going to Mass as a grave matter on Sundays. The form of the Mass (what style of praying and so on) although not the essence (the words of consecration at the deepest moment of the Mass).

On these matters, argue away. Regarding unmarried priests, the rule, when it works, renders the priests for such holiness in the sacrifice that many priests do NOT want to get married. When they first chose to join the priesthood, they made that deliberate choice. It is a promise each one makes to God, so we should stop arguing what the Church should do to help them.

It's like I promise my mother to wash the dishes every day and when a friend looks at me with pity, he might say, "I think they should change the rule in your household of having to do so much dirty work." Hey! I'm the one who promised. Mother did not make me do it!

Do I think the Church should change the rules to attract more people? Nope. The Church is attracting a lot of people because of the rules. I know this elderly couple who read the newspapers and found out that the Catholic Church was still against homosexuality, divorce, abortion and everything they knew deep down in their hearts were wrong. And they jumped up and said, "We want to join this Church! The Voice of Sanity at last!" So they came to my parish church with this story. The Holy Spirit brings in a lot of people because He will lead them to all the Truth. We don't need modern rules.

If I had a chance to tell the Catholic Church to change to make a better church, what would this be?

Go orthodox. They did a survey in the States and found the young are the ones who declare themselves orthodox and traditional. Out with all that nonsense spouted by the older priests who are now in their eighties. They are the ones trying so hard to be with it, who organised clown Masses, who said their own versions of Mass, who changed music to ultrapop, who, at their worst (happened in Europe) threw all the hosts after consecration on the ground, in an open air Mass. The reporter of this article where i read this, asked a woman who was busily picking up Hosts to eat, "Do they always celebrate Mass this way around here?" She said, "I don't know, I'm not a Catholic. I'm just hungry."

One young angry lapsed Catholic student of mine rejoined the Church, became a priest and stated in an e-mail, "When will they learn that we don't want to be liberal or conservative or orthodox or whatever. Only Catholic!"

There's a bunch of young Catholics where I live who are into Gregorian chant, Latin Masses (Novus Ordo and Tridentine of the FSSP -- go google) and strictly correct liturgy. They are passionate about their faith. You go guys!

Answer 7

So then what's next, approve the ordaining of homosexuals to make the homosexuals happy? Approve abortions to make the abortionists happy? Approve same sex-marriages?

This would go on forever. Instead of having a church that sticks by the rules, we'd have a feel-good circus worried about pleasing every little group that comes along.

Here's a link that helps to explain women and the priesthood: http://catholic.com/library/Women_and_the_Priesthood.asp

Here's one about marriage: http://catholic.com/library/Permanence_of_Matrimony.asp

Answer 8

No.

+ Catholic Statistics +

According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, the worldwide population of Catholics is as large as it ever has been and is still growing:

1970 = 653,600,000
1975 = 709,600,000
1980 = 783,700,000
1985 = 852,000,000
1990 = 928,500,000
1995 = 989,400,000
2000 = 1,045,000,000
2004 = 1,114,000,000

And in the U.S.:

1965 = 45,600,000
1975 = 48,700,000
1985 = 52,300,000
1995 = 57,400,000
2000 = 59,900,000
2005 = 64,800,000

http://cara.georgetown.edu/bulletin/index.htm

+ Cafeteria Style Christianity +

Cafeteria style dining means to pick and choose what food to take from a cafeteria line.

The term "Cafeteria Christians" refers to people who view Christianity like a cafeteria where one picks and chooses only those beliefs that appeal to them and reject a genuine interpretation of Christian doctrine and the teachings of Jesus.

The term "Cafeteria Catholics" is similar. It is used to describe people who dissent from certain teachings of the Catholic Church while maintaining an outward identity as Catholics.

In Los Angeles in 1987, Pope John Paul II said: "It has to be noted that there is a tendency on the part of some Catholics to be selective in their adherence to the Church's moral teaching. It is sometimes claimed that dissent from the magisterium is totally compatible with being a "good Catholic," and poses no obstacle to the reception of the Sacraments. This is a grave error that challenges the teaching of the Bishops in the United States and elsewhere."

Heresy is the obstinate denial after Baptism of a truth which must be believed with with divine and Catholic faith.

"Cafeteria Catholics" in denial of certain truths are in danger of committing heresy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafeteria_Christianity
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafeteria_Catholic

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 9

First Jesus says. John14:6 " I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

They have been changing rules throughout history, and a lot of what they teach doesn't line up with the bible (eg. don't eat meat on Friday, boy that's a tough sacrifice, and Mary is the mother of God).
Joining a church isn't about what kind of rules fit my lifestyle, its about total surrender to The Lord Jesus Christ.
If all one is concerned about is living by rules then they don't have a heart to serve God. A real disciple has to be willing to forsake all including his life and set his heart on things above not on earth.

Answer 10

no, i dont think they need to change anything to attract people. people will be attracted either way. I have heard many people say that the current pope is ok with the church shrinking...is that church is a more faithful and true church. i would rather have a smaller church. most people who consider themselves catholic dont even know what the church actually teaches so even if they changed something, most wouldnt realize it.