Posted on 01/28/2011 9:32:34 AM PST by marshmallow
Shery Weddell at the St Catherine of Siena Institute reports that 32% of Americans raised Catholic abandon the identity altogether by their mid twenties. An additional 38% retain the identity but rarely practice their faith. 30% of those who call themselves Catholic attend Mass only once a month. On a given Sunday only about 15.6% of American Catholics attend Mass.
What is the reason for these disastrous statistics? Basically because for the last forty years Catholics themselves have not taught Catholicism to their children. They've taught 'American Catholicism' which is a watered down blend of sentimentalism, political correctness, community activism and utilitarianism. In other words, "Catholicism is about feeling good about yourself, being just to others and trying to change the world." The next generation have drawn the obvious conclusion that you don't need to go to Mass to do all that. You can feel good about yourself much more effectively with a good book from the self help shelf, or by attending a personal development seminar. You can be involved in making the world a better place without going to church.
If only 15% of Catholics go to Mass on a given Sunday, look around and see how many of them are old. Even the 15% who are there won't be there for very long.
The solution is simple: we must return to the supernatural realities of the historic faith and evangelize like the Apostles of old. The big difference is that the Apostles knew their targets were pagans and the pagans knew they weren't Christians. We're dealing with a huge population of Americans (Catholics and Protestants alike) who are pagan but who think they're 'good Christians.' It is very difficult to evangelize people who already think they're fine just as they are. We don't know what we don't know, and the vast majority of poorly catechized, lazy and worldly Catholics aren't aware that there's anything wrong.
What will it take for us to wake up?
placemarker
Ooops, sorry.
I was just catching up and hadn’t got to your post 245 yet.
You can go ahead and delete that post if you want, and I won’t ping him again.
That’s not the point.
Editing out part of an article to remove references to other religions that are in it so that it can receive a *Caucus* designation, is deceitful, especially when someone can go to the link and see the reference there in black and white.
It boggles the mind that you would suggest doing something like that.
“Well I see there’s a battlefield here.....some things just never change. This thread is like a street fight!”
I think a convention of sadists and masochists is more accurate.
A thread like this serves no purpose. It also shines light on the dark hearts that abound. Evil in the name of Satan is strong among we church goers.
Awwww shucks.
I thought water fights and food fights were supposed to be fun!
“What is the reason for these disastrous statistics? Basically because for the last forty years Catholics themselves have not taught Catholicism to their children. They’ve taught ‘American Catholicism’ which is a watered down blend of sentimentalism, political correctness, community activism and utilitarianism.”
Is not “American Catholicism” what the hierarchy has provided to the laity? When the wolves entered into their flocks where were the shepherds? If those who practice or support what the Catholic Church says are mortal sins are welcomed and treated the same as the faithful sheep who are the sheep going to rely upon for their feeding and care?
The Catholic shepherds seem to be taking the side of the wolves against their own flocks.
SERIOUSLY,
Christ was most fiercely harsh
re PRISSY, SELF-RIGHTEOUS, SELF-IMPORTANT, BRITTLE, PRICKLY, ARROGANT, SMUG,HAUGHTY, PUNITIVE, LAW-FOCUSED RELIGIOSITY, ORGANIZATIONS, LEADERS.
He shredded such without mercy.
Some folks still fail to get the hint. And it was much bolder than a hint.
It is a most vital, crucial, critical, eternal life priority.
That sort of attitude resulted in satan’s removal from Heaven.
God’s NOT ABOUT to allow it back in Heaven.
Extremely well put.
The Catholic shepherds seem to be taking the side of the wolves against their own flocks.
Indeed, it's disingenuous to blame the sheep for more being properly shepherded, as if it's their fault that the shepherd is not doing his job.
The sheep can't be blamed for not properly caring for themselves. If they could, they wouldn't need a shepherd.
The fault of where Catholicism has gone wrong lies SQUARELY in the laps of the Catholic clergy. Nowhere else.
Any other finger pointing is blame shifting, pure and simple.
Maybe you aren’t up on history much, or maybe you think 230 years is a long time, but autocracy or despotism is pretty much the default for humanity whether it’s been under paganism, Catholicism, Protestantism, Orthodoxy, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc., etc.
Despotism is pretty much the default for humanity because pretty much humanity refuses to obey God and live by his rules instead of their worldly traditions.
The Constitution of the United States was written specifically for a moral God fearing people by wise men under the inspiration of God. We are losing our freedoms today because people don’t love and fear God instead they love the worldly traditions.
Protestant work ethic built America - personal responsibility as in you are responsible for taking care of yourself and you are personally responsible in helping take care of others around you that can’t (not the typical worldly let government take care of mentality while we siphon off our share while pretending to do God’s will )
ABSOLUTELY INDEED.
ABSOLUTELY INDEED.
Right on.
These other countries you mention have historically been pagan countries . They also pretty much chased Protestants out. Even though they still have some Protestants these churches are controlled by the government such as in England.(btw it was Protestants leaving all these countries because of religious persecution that founded this country and gave us the freedoms we are no losing today)
Did you know that in Germany under Hitler one of the first things he did was gather up all the Protestant Pastors and shoot the ones who would not go along with him because they actually preached God’s WORD ? Did you know that he spent years re-educating the youth into paganism ?
Did you know that Hitler himself was educated by Jesuits ... that’s right his education came from a ROMAN CATHOLIC background along with many of his closest conspirators.
(please do not have a cow and think that I am saying he was a practicing Roman Catholic because I am not saying that and there were many Catholics and Protestants that knew he was doing wrong and were killed because of either speaking against it or working against it )
BTW the reason I chose to point out only Spain and France was since the topic on this thread mentioned American Catholics being influenced by Protestants and these two countries are basically pure Roman Catholic
But if you want more examples look at Cuba - pretty much almost entirely Roman Catholic and now in slavery , Haiti - a former French territory where the Roman Catholic church has been pretty much in control , Mexico - Roman Catholic control .... the rest of South America - pretty much under Roman Catholic control too etc etc etc
I agree and found this collection of scriptural verses re: judging others:
” Matthew 7:1-5
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Luke 6:37
“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
John 7:24
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”
Romans 2:1-3
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?
James 4:11-12
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Matthew 7:5
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Matthew 7:1
“Judge not, that you be not judged.
James 4:12
There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Romans 14:1-13
As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand. One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. ...
Matthew 7:1-2
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
Luke 6:31
And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
John 8:7
And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Matthew 7:1-29
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. ...
Galatians 5:14
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 6:14-15
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
“Christ was most fiercely harsh”
To make even the slightest comparison between Christ’s actions and this thread is aburd. Christ would want no part of this or the blasphemy that is on the thread.
To make even the slightest comparison between Christ’s actions and this thread is aburd. Christ would want no part of this or the blasphemy that is on the thread.
Maybe if the Roman Catholic Church in America actually preached the Gospel things in their communities would be different.
Just look at Father Michael Pfleger and the bunk he preaches . Heck he even advocates for women priest that pretty much goes against what Rome teaches and still they sign his pay check.
In scholastic philosophy a rule that is exercised like that of a tyrant, either for the sake of the ruler or at least arbitrarily and without due regard for the rights of those governed. (Etym. Latin despoticus, imperious, despotic; from Greek despot_s, a master.)
I know what it means.
You need to post that to all the Catholics that don’t know what it means and voted for the horror their blue districts elected because they wanted free medical care that will now result in more babies being put to death before they even take a breath of life and more elderly receiving heavy sedating pain medication instead of treatment
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