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The Collapse of Cultural Catholicism
Standing on My Head ^ | 1/27/11 | Fr. Dwight Longenecker

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?


TOPICS: Catholic; Ministry/Outreach; Religion & Culture; Theology
KEYWORDS: 376; ec
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To: RegulatorCountry

RegulatorCountry:

Well, nice mix there and again, kudos for the post. Thanks for sharing your background. At least when you post a theological position in a post, I can at least see what theological lens you are posting as I think you will agree, while maybe not explicitly impacting your theology, all of those traditions to some degree have probably implicitly shaped your theological world-view in terms of how you read the scripture, what doctrines you believe and how they are formulated, etc.


321 posted on 01/29/2011 10:02:25 AM PST by CTrent1564
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To: Iscool

PWND


322 posted on 01/29/2011 10:03:05 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Quix

Quix:

You stated that I am quite welcome to avoid your posts. However, it is you that consistently ping me. Again, I don’t have a complete accuounting of my post history but I don’t ping a litany of protestants when I post and tend to stick at a particular point being discussed and thus tend to ping one or two selected posters.

Despite your prior pontifications, it is internet protocol to avoid tons of all Cap posts as I have been told by the Mod that trying to read a posters mind is “a personal attack”

So when I see all caps, it comes across, consistent with internet protocol used in the civilized world, as angy, mean spirited and ok, lets say a “potentially vitriolic post”

And you are correct, I don’t know you and you don’t know me so again, if you ping me in the future, and I can care less if you do or not, I would appreciate you not putting your posts in all caps, or at least have the courtesy of putting a statement in parentheses something to the effect [for emphasis, etc] when doing so. That way, neither you are I have to make assumptions about anything.


323 posted on 01/29/2011 10:11:47 AM PST by CTrent1564
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To: CTrent1564; RegulatorCountry; 1000 silverlings; Alex Murphy; bkaycee; blue-duncan; boatbums; ...

Interestingly, the number of former Catholics who have been born again on this thread have made no secret of it.

And just why do Catholics seem to feel that they have to know the theological lens through which we are posting?

You are certainly not the first Catholic to inquire about that information, which effort has been slapped down by the mods in the past.

Why the seeming obsession to label and pigeon hole and feel that you can’t debate if you don’t know where they’re coming from? That would imply that you have a thorough working knowledge of all the different non-Catholic denominations in existence and that you are presuming that the person with whom you are having the discussion is in lockstep agreement with said denominations theological views.

Now, Catholics on these threads have demonstrated that they by no means follow Vatican teaching lockstep, and yet I don’t any non-Catholics (Protestants, if you will) demanding that Catholics reveal which specific rite or parish they adhere to so that we can know where THEY’RE coming from before engaging in debate with them.

One can find out where the other person is coming from through the debate process. It’s not a requirement for, or necessary to the debate, to know that beforehand.


324 posted on 01/29/2011 10:16:14 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: metmom
You are certainly not the first Catholic to inquire about that information, which effort has been slapped down by the mods in the past.

That is a falsehood. It is perfectly fine to inquire. If you think it isn't, call "the mods."

325 posted on 01/29/2011 10:42:06 AM PST by Judith Anne (Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.)
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To: metmom

It was an innocent enough request, not made in an adversarial manner, and I took no offense.


326 posted on 01/29/2011 10:44:45 AM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: wmfights; RnMomof7; metmom; The Theophilus
The admission of the numbers problem is great news. As RC's have made abundantly clear, they preach a different gospel. As Christians we want as many as possible to leave this church and become Born Again Christians. Unfortunately, of those leaving only 40% become Born Again Christians.

Forty percent of such a large number of exiting Roman Catholics becoming born again Christians is great and glorious evidence of God's continuing sanctification of His growing flock.

Thank you, Jesus Christ.

327 posted on 01/29/2011 10:47:33 AM PST by Dr. Eckleburg ("I don't think they want my respect; I think they want my submission." - Flemming Rose)
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To: Judith Anne; 1000 silverlings; Alex Murphy; bkaycee; blue-duncan; boatbums; caww; ...
mm: You are certainly not the first Catholic to inquire about that information, which effort has been slapped down by the mods in the past.

JA: That is a falsehood. It is perfectly fine to inquire. If you think it isn't, call "the mods."

Would you like me to remind you AGAIN of the mods decision on that issue?

328 posted on 01/29/2011 10:53:08 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: metmom

Go ask them. It is NOT against the rules to inquire.


329 posted on 01/29/2011 10:56:58 AM PST by Judith Anne (Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.)
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To: Judith Anne; metmom

You can ask once. If they don’t answer, don’t ask again - don’t badger. If they say they don’t want to answer or will not answer, don’t keep asking - that is flame-baiting.


330 posted on 01/29/2011 11:03:29 AM PST by Religion Moderator
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To: wmfights
The admission of the numbers problem is great news. As RC's have made abundantly clear, they preach a different gospel. As Christians we want as many as possible to leave this church and become Born Again Christians. Unfortunately, of those leaving only 40% become Born Again Christians.

Yea, most leave for other reasons.. but there remains a large segment that God calls out for His Glory..

I know several former Catholics that are now in liberal /mainline Protestant churches, but are unsaved.

331 posted on 01/29/2011 11:11:35 AM PST by RnMomof7
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To: metmom; RegulatorCountry

metmom:

My post was to regulator country, not you. You and I have been through this already and I don’t care to engage you in this discussion again. You had stated you do not wish to state whether you are a pentcostal [and what type], Reformed, Presbyterian, Bapist [of whatever stripe]. And thus, I will not ask you again.

I asked regulatorcountry a question, and it was answered. If he stated he wished not to answer it, then that would be the end of it. He answered the question and I thanked him for it.

As for Catholics there is the Catholic Faith taught period. Whether individual Catholics choose or not choose to follow 100% Catholic teachings [Dogma and Doctrine] means that those individuals are in some form or another dissenting.

As for Different Rites, that does not equat to Different Doctrine or Dogma so you are grossly mistaken. Different Rites means different ways of celebrating Liturgy and different disciplines with respect to “non-dogmatic or doctrinal issues” such as the canons for Lenten fasting, celibacy, fasting before Holy Communion, etc.

Again, you have made it clear in several post a few weeks ago that you do not wish to clarify whether you are a Calvinist who is in a Presbterian community [and which one among the several of those], a Baptist [and which one among the several of those] or any other protestant group or sect that comes to mind.

There is no need for you and I to discuss that particular issue as you have made your views known in a public forum here. However, I wonder why you had to ping all of those other people when the only 2 relevant to your ping was regulatorcountry and me.

As for why I want to know which type of Protestant I am dealing with, because if the issue is dealing with for example Eucharistic theology, the doctrine on the Eucharist of the Catholic Church, and the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is consistent with ours, is well known and thus the parameters from where the Catholic Church is coming from are well known.

If one posts his or her views on the Eucharist and is a confessional Lutheran, then I can easily ascertain Lutheran writings on the Eucharist which might help me better understand and grasp the respective Lutherans post. If the person is a Traditional Anglican, who worships in a more High-Church style Anglican community, then I know where that person is coming from.

If one states they go to an Independent Baptist church in some rural backwoods part of the South, or Alaksa, or Idaho, or Kasnas or whereever, then that tells me what I am getting is the posters own views and probably the particular views of his or her local pastor, and that is it.

So for me, the next time I am in a post with regulatorcountry, I have a better basis for discussion on points where he and I [assuming he is a he] agree, and where we differ.


332 posted on 01/29/2011 11:17:03 AM PST by CTrent1564
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To: Judith Anne

I don’t need to ask them. They’ve already spoken on it.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2503880/posts?page=1471#1471


333 posted on 01/29/2011 11:27:25 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Religion Moderator; metmom

Oh, for the love of God! It’s been more than 6 months ago, and I have not broken the “badger” rule since you made it.

Please tell metmom that it is OKAY TO ASK ONCE! She keeps saying NO ONE can even ASK! She says that over and over and over again, every time ANY Catholic asks another person’s church.


334 posted on 01/29/2011 11:33:53 AM PST by Judith Anne (Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.)
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To: Judith Anne; metmom
I was not warning you - I was explaining the guideline.
335 posted on 01/29/2011 11:39:29 AM PST by Religion Moderator
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To: Religion Moderator

Metmom is badgering Catholics with her interpretation of the rule.


336 posted on 01/29/2011 11:39:49 AM PST by Judith Anne (Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.)
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To: Judith Anne

*sigh*...


337 posted on 01/29/2011 11:40:14 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: Judith Anne

I suppose that next time I will not preemptively defend by statement but rather will wait until asked (or challenged more than likely) to back it up.


338 posted on 01/29/2011 11:47:17 AM PST by metmom (Welfare was never meant to be a career choice.)
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To: metmom

Quit badgering Catholics with your private interpretation of the rules.


339 posted on 01/29/2011 11:49:08 AM PST by Judith Anne (Holy Mary, Mother of God, please pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death.)
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To: Judith Anne; metmom
The guidelines have been posted. The issue on this thread is a dead horse so it's time to move away from the ad hominems.

Discuss the issues all you want, but do not make it personal.

340 posted on 01/29/2011 11:50:57 AM PST by Religion Moderator
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