For Catholics...?

Question

I want to preface this question. This is not a judgement, just a question from an ex catholic. I grew up in the 70's after Vatican II passed. I did eventually leave the church in my teens. My question is, why almost universally are there so many who identify with Catholicism, yet do not embrace their dogma? I have good friends and even my husband are Catholics who havent stepped foot in mass in 15-20 years and disagree with just about everything they teach, yet they are calling themselves Catholic, they want to baptize their babies, and put holy water on dying relatives. I know only one person who is a Catholic who attends and embraces it all out of soo many. It makes me feel that the catholic church is one of the most legalistic, yet the most liberal; which seems like a contradiction to me. Can any Catholics weigh in? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

After the Council of Vatican II in the 50's there was a great falling away in the faith (due to modernists and liberals invading the Church) and Catholics from that point until recently were poorly taught.

So many Catholics simply don't KNOW their own Faith. Though you can't blame it all on poor teaching, people should go out and study on their own as well!

Answer 2

Well ask most Catholic families and any Priest and they will tell you that it is the norm for a lot of Catholics to stray from the church until they get somewhere in their 40's and 50's.
I don't know why, maybe they are just to busy or they just don't care till they think " Hey I better start trying to save my soul before I drop dead, I'm getting old now ".

I haven't been to church in a long time either since I turned 16 and I still think about going back all the time, I haven't lost faith at all just don't feel like going I guess.

I send in donations sometimes but that's about it.
I had the ashes this year because a nice lady brings mass to my brother and Mom and I was there so I said yes.

I really do miss it all to be honest, I love the mass and I like to see all the people.
Do you ever miss it all?

Answer 3

Dear, there are many types of Catholics:

- non-practicing Catholics who were baptized and confirmed, and thus are nominally still Catholic, but do not live out or practice their faith in any way. They identify themselves as Catholic out of habit (if you'll pardon the expression).
- cultural Catholics, for whom the Church sacraments and sacramentals are an integral part of their culture but often only superficially. They go through the motions but in many cases have no idea of the significance of what they're doing, in some cases are almost superstitious about it, and on the whole have not been well-taught in their faith.
- cafeteria Catholics, who pick and choose which doctrines of the Church they agree with and which they do not. They are the most vocal about what's "wrong" with the Church -- usually asserting that the Church needs to change with the times and reflect contemporary culture -- yet still insist upon their "right" to call themselves Catholic and receive the sacraments.
- orthodox (small "o") Catholics who are knowledgable about the Church and its doctrines, accept apostolic authority, and practice their faith wholeheartedly.

Those you have mentioned seem to be either non-practicing or of the "cafeteria" variety. It has nothing to do with the Church being legalistic, but rather the degree to which people accept the Church's authority -- and the relationship they have with Christ. As such, it's a very individual and personal faith (or not, in some cases).

Unfortunately, Catholics in your generation were fairly poorly catechized in the flurry of sweeping changes that followed Vatican II, many of them going way off the track and resulting in widespread confusion. After the dust settled, most of the extremely liberal applications of Vatican II began to be reined in. Catechesis is improving, and many of the young Catholics we are seeing now have a much clearer understanding of their faith.

Answer 4

The work, worship, sacraments, and devotions of the Catholic Church remain as the most powerful and hopeful forces in the universe, courtesy of the grace and majesty of Jesus Christ.

When it comes to life's pivotal moments, when nothing seems certain, or when all appears to be lost, even the lazy, the faithless, and the misinformed seem to be able to understand this most basic of truths.

Let's all hope that God's mercy exceeds his sense of divine justice.

Answer 5

Catholic Dogma is a hard thing to shake... Even for those people who do not attend Mass anymore. The fear that the Catholics are ingrained with precludes any change to tradition. I myself had my children Baptized... but I asked myself why. I sense that the people who call themselves Catholic are attempting to make sense of the world through their own perspective... wrong or right. It is the only way they know.

Answer 6

Unfortunately that's a really sad reality these days. But you should note that even if one would really live a life of a true Catholic, and not just one devoted to tradition, they tend to touch a lot of people. Take Mother Teresa for example, look at what she has done.

Also, I don't know much about legalism in the Catholic Church but I think it's best that it's being highly liberal these days cuz a lot of Christians are going to the fundamental side (and trust me, they don't seem to be making us look good)

Answer 7

Its true that many call themselves catholic. But they are only catholic in name. It's our choice if we want to embrace God or not. One can be a devoted catholic if one wants to. If they understand the real meaning of being a catholic, of how the Lord loves us, then its easy to love the Lord back. Faith is the key word. If you have faith and trust in the Lord, then whatever trials that comes into your life, you have a weapon to fight it. Because you know you're not alone.
Everytime we have a problem, we suddenly remember God. When you have nobody to understands you, you turn to God. So, in your subconcious mind, you know that God is there to listen. We just have to pray for him to strengthen our faith, so we can see things at a catholic perspective.
Again, it is our choice if we will accept Jesus Christ or not. If you want to be with him in his kingdom or suffer the consequences.

Answer 8

I am a Christian Baptist. There are many here where I live who have in their obituary in the newspaper that they were of the Baptist faith. But many of them never went to church or joined a church during their life. To be a Baptist one must join the church. I've always wondered about that. It's like me saying I'm an actress, but I never auditioned or got the part.

Answer 9

I was raised Catholic, though I do not identify with any religion, and I believe it has to do with tradition and culture. When you have family with a long history of faith in a particular church, one feels drawn to maintain those connections. I've seen the same with a lot of Jewish families. I'd say ninety-nine percent of my Jewish friends do not believe in God, observe shabbat, or live a kosher lifestyle, yet they keep ties with Judaism because of their family history.

Answer 10

the church sucks plain and simple. if it was like the gospel churches then maybe, otherwise we can thank him for staying alive on our own time instead of listening to somebody whos probably having sex with the kid standing next to him