Posted on 07/25/2010 10:44:46 AM PDT by Gamecock
A new survey shows 34 million Americans, or 15 percent of the population, say they have no religion.
Even more significant is that one-third of those, about 11 million people, are Irish Americans.
The survey by professors at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, does not explain why Irish Catholics are by far the highest number of people who are losing their religion every year in America.
We can only surmise the reasons for this, but I have some definite ideas. Think church sex scandals. Let's look at the timeline first. The number of non-religious or "Nones" has nearly doubled between 1990 and now.
* In 1990, Nones accounted for 8.2 percent of the population
* In 2001 they accounted for 14.2 percent
* As of 2009, they account for 15 percent
The report estimates that the figure will grow to 25 percent in 10 years time — making non-religion the largest "religion" in America.
Why are so many Irish Catholics leaving the faith? The obvious reason to me is the church sex scandals. They disproportionately affected Irish Catholics and most of the abusers we read about were Irish Catholic priests.
Certainly, based on evidence from Ireland where hundreds of thousands have fled the church and vocations have plummeted after the church scandals there, America with a similar experience is unlikely to be any different.
There has been such incredible scrutiny of the church from every angle and the church has responded so poorly since the scandals began that it is hardly surprising that people are leaving.
For instance, the Boston archdiocese, a hub of Irish Catholicism in America, has been riven by deep scandals that surely have turned many parishioners off
It is only my opinion but Irish Catholics had a deep and almost mystical attachment to the church and followed her rules more devoutly than other groups.
"Rome dictates and Ireland takes" was the old saw about how devoutly the Irish followed the signals from the Vatican.
Once that trust was broken — indeed shattered — it was always likely that many would turn away.
We are told that the leavers are "young, male and independent" and that almost all of them were identified as Catholic at age 12.
The loss of faith by Irish Americans has been profound and will require an incredible effort to win the faithful departed back. The church has a massive struggle on its hands.
I believe if you can trace your roots to Ireland then you can call yourself an “Irish American”. That being said, you would also refer to yourself as “orange Irish”. This term simply denotes that you are not Catholic but protestant. I am not sure what percentage can really make you one or not but simply a value of your Irish heritage.
Yeah, we’re much more of the “Scots” in “Scots-Irish.” :-)
Two big factors:
1. The Kennedys.
2. Irish Catholics assimilated.
A lot of people didn’t like Vatican II changes, didn’t like folk Masses, Mass of the Faithful, hand clapping, guitar playing, etc.. They like and miss traditional Mass. Plus secular culture has waged unrelenting war against the Church for most of my adult life, but sooner or later, Catholics who’ve stopped going to Mass will feel that tap on the shoulder from God and they’ll return to the faith.
NAILED IT RIGHT THERE.
My parish in St. Louis counts Claire McCaskill (D-Missouri) as an esteemed parishoner. Pro-abort, but since she donates big bucks, they ignore her VOTES. Further, our archidiocese holds out the local mafia bosses as great Catholics. Again, they donate big bucks, therefore they are granted legitimacy by the Church.
yes, you are right.
I am Catholic born and bred and proud of it. I will die a Catholic born and bred and proud of it. I have my faith and my belief in God.
THAT is what is important. The church has gone over the edge and thank God we have enough strong faith to remain a born and bred Catholic with the church making a mockery of everything. Our faith and love is between us and our God. No one else.
God bless you friend. It IS personal and you feel the way we do. The church itself has been despicable in our eyes for a long, long time. I will not go sit in a church and take part in the circus like atmosphere that goes on in so many parishes. It’s church not an entertainment arena. We pray quietly at home. We see God in the birds, the sky, the rain, the sun, all of nature, the children and the love and goodness we see in many others. THAT’S what religion and faith is all about. Not some building filled with frills. The money wasted in the church and the money wasted in lawsuits is mind boggling and we want no part of it. We carry Jesus in our hearts and always have ... now we do it on our own without a building.
follow the money. It will always show what is really going on.
The Church as an organization used to be really firm in its stated beliefs until the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council. Before Vatican II, bishops played hardball and the threat of excommunication was a lot more potent. It wasn't the wishy-washy automatic kind that everyone just ignores and goes to communion anyway. Back in the day, they used a more dramatic, and publicly declared Rite of Excommunication in which the bishop publicly smashed a candle representing the excommunicant's baptism candle, and then publicly declared him to be damned with the devil unless they repented while a funeral bell tolled, and the Gospel was slammed shut. (This rite was suppressed after the revision of Canon Law in 1983, it was apparently considered to be hurtful of feelings). However, it definitely left no doubt in anyone's mind of whether you could receive communion or not.
In any case, lots of things changed in the years following Vatican II and the laxity of enforcement and teaching that ensued. Most bishops would not enforce/teach the Churches beliefs, and if they did, many wouldn't enforce the teachings anyway. Worse yet, some clergy even worked against Church beliefs outright without fear of punishment. Consequently, there was a loss of the sense of sin in society. It's not that the Church has changed its beliefs, it's that many who are Catholic don't believe the Church's teachings and ignore them and teach what they want to.
I find it hard to imagine a situation in which things will end up badly for someone who believes in God and loves Him. A pure love of God, is definitely a sure sign of saving grace.
Amen.
I don’t see where it should be of concern. After all, God knew this would happen before He even created these people...yet He still created them.
The number of non-religious or “Nones” has nearly doubled between 1990 and now.
* In 1990, Nones accounted for 8.2 percent of the population
* In 2001 they accounted for 14.2 percent
* As of 2009, they account for 15 percent
Some would say the news media has done it’s job. Others would blame the sex abuse victims. I blame Satan. How he loves to destroy the proud.
“Serious question here: What are the criteria for being an “Irish American”? Anyone know? My anscestors on both sides came from Ulster and were Presbyterians. Of course, that was more than two centuries ago. Am I an “Irish American”?”
Given the time frame they came to the U.S. and the fact that they were Ulster Presbyterians, I can say with almost 100% certainty that they were Ulster Scots known here as Scots-Irish.
Too many of the Irish Americans are in NYC and Boston and have been corrupted over the years.
“The survey by professors at Trinity College in Hartford, CT, does not explain why Irish Catholics are by far the highest number of people who are losing their religion every year in America.”
Liberalism. The Irish Catholics - although hated and scorned when they first came here - blended in within two generations. They were white, spoke English, and understood Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture. They became successes and adopted liberalism. Since the 1950s this was increasingly obvious. Most Irish Americans are much more dedicated to the Democratic Party than the Church and have been for two generations already.
Sounds like organized crime.
Incredible.....
Catholics condemn other Catholics for leaving a church which doesn’t hold true to its stated beliefs, whose priests are scandalizing it with pedophilia, mafioso and corrupt, immoral politicians who remain in the church are held in esteem as *good Catholics*, and a blind eye is turned towards their violation of church doctrine by the clergy which participates in immorality itself.
And then lay Catholics can’t figure out why people would want to leave.
Did it ever occur to them that the Catholic church itself is giving people plenty of justification for leaving? If it won’t take its own stated beliefs seriously, why should anyone else?
“We are born spiritually blind, and cannot be restored without a miracle of grace. This is your case, whoever you are, that are not born again.” A.W. Pink
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