Posted on 05/17/2012 5:40:57 PM PDT by Gamecock
Any other institution that lost one-third of its members would want to know why.....
The number of people who have left the Catholic church is huge.
We all have heard stories about why people leave. Parents share stories about their children. Academics talk about their students. Everyone has a friend who has left.
While personal experience can be helpful, social science research forces us to look beyond our circle of acquaintances to see what is going on in the whole church.
The U.S. Religious Landscape Survey by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life has put hard numbers on the anecdotal evidence: One out of every 10 Americans is an ex-Catholic. If they were a separate denomination, they would be the third-largest denomination in the United States, after Catholics and Baptists. One of three people who were raised Catholic no longer identifies as Catholic.
Any other institution that lost one-third of its members would want to know why. But the U.S. bishops have never devoted any time at their national meetings to discussing the exodus. Nor have they spent a dime trying to find out why it is happening.
Thankfully, although the U.S. bishops have not supported research on people who have left the church, the Pew Center has.
Pew’s data shows that those leaving the church are not homogenous. They can be divided into two major groups: those who become unaffiliated and those who become Protestant. Almost half of those leaving the church become unaffiliated and almost half become Protestant. Only about 10 percent of ex-Catholics join non-Christian religions. This article will focus on Catholics who have become Protestant. I am not saying that those who become unaffiliated are not important; I am leaving that discussion to another time.
Why do people leave the Catholic church to become Protestant? Liberal Catholics will tell you that Catholics are leaving because they disagree with the church’s teaching on birth control, women priests, divorce, the bishops’ interference in American politics, etc. Conservatives blame Vatican II, liberal priests and nuns, a permissive culture and the church’s social justice agenda.
One of the reasons there is such disagreement is that we tend to think that everyone leaves for the same reason our friends, relatives and acquaintances have left. We fail to recognize that different people leave for different reasons. People who leave to join Protestant churches do so for different reasons than those who become unaffiliated. People who become evangelicals are different from Catholics who become members of mainline churches.
Spiritual needs
The principal reasons given by people who leave the church to become Protestant are that their “spiritual needs were not being met” in the Catholic church (71 percent) and they “found a religion they like more” (70 percent). Eighty-one percent of respondents say they joined their new church because they enjoy the religious service and style of worship of their new faith.
In other words, the Catholic church has failed to deliver what people consider fundamental products of religion: spiritual sustenance and a good worship service. And before conservatives blame the new liturgy, only 11 percent of those leaving complained that Catholicism had drifted too far from traditional practices such as the Latin Mass.
Dissatisfaction with how the church deals with spiritual needs and worship services dwarfs any disagreements over specific doctrines. While half of those who became Protestants say they left because they stopped believing in Catholic teaching, specific questions get much lower responses. Only 23 percent said they left because of the church’s teaching on abortion and homosexuality; only 23 percent because of the church’s teaching on divorce; only 21 percent because of the rule that priests cannot marry; only 16 percent because of the church’s teaching on birth control; only 16 percent because of the way the church treats women; only 11 percent because they were unhappy with the teachings on poverty, war and the death penalty.
The data shows that disagreement over specific doctrines is not the main reason Catholics become Protestants. We also have lots of survey data showing that many Catholics who stay disagree with specific church teachings. Despite what theologians and bishops think, doctrine is not that important either to those who become Protestant or to those who stay Catholic.
People are not becoming Protestants because they disagree with specific Catholic teachings; people are leaving because the church does not meet their spiritual needs and they find Protestant worship service better.
Nor are the people becoming Protestants lazy or lax Christians. In fact, they attend worship services at a higher rate than those who remain Catholic. While 42 percent of Catholics who stay attend services weekly, 63 percent of Catholics who become Protestants go to church every week. That is a 21 percentage-point difference.
Catholics who became Protestant also claim to have a stronger faith now than when they were children or teenagers. Seventy-one percent say their faith is “very strong,” while only 35 percent and 22 percent reported that their faith was very strong when they were children and teenagers, respectively. On the other hand, only 46 percent of those who are still Catholic report their faith as “very strong” today as an adult.
Thus, both as believers and as worshipers, Catholics who become Protestants are statistically better Christians than those who stay Catholic. We are losing the best, not the worst.
Some of the common explanations of why people leave do not pan out in the data. For example, only 21 percent of those becoming Protestant mention the sex abuse scandal as a reason for leaving. Only 3 percent say they left because they became separated or divorced.
Becoming Protestant
If you believed liberals, most Catholics who leave the church would be joining mainline churches, like the Episcopal church. In fact, almost two-thirds of former Catholics who join a Protestant church join an evangelical church. Catholics who become evangelicals and Catholics who join mainline churches are two very distinct groups. We need to take a closer look at why each leaves the church.
Fifty-four percent of both groups say that they just gradually drifted away from Catholicism. Both groups also had almost equal numbers (82 percent evangelicals, 80 percent mainline) saying they joined their new church because they enjoyed the worship service. But compared to those who became mainline Protestants, a higher percentage of those becoming evangelicals said they left because their spiritual needs were not being met (78 percent versus 57 percent) and that they had stopped believing in Catholic teaching (62 percent versus 20 percent). They also cited the church’s teaching on the Bible (55 percent versus 16 percent) more frequently as a reason for leaving. Forty-six percent of these new evangelicals felt the Catholic church did not view the Bible literally enough. Thus, for those leaving to become evangelicals, spiritual sustenance, worship services and the Bible were key. Only 11 percent were unhappy with the church’s teachings on poverty, war, and the death penalty Ñ the same percentage as said they were unhappy with the church’s treatment of women. Contrary to what conservatives say, ex-Catholics are not flocking to the evangelicals because they think the Catholic church is politically too liberal. They are leaving to get spiritual nourishment from worship services and the Bible.
Looking at the responses of those who join mainline churches also provides some surprising results. For example, few (20 percent) say they left because they stopped believing in Catholic teachings. However, when specific issues were mentioned in the questionnaire, more of those joining mainline churches agreed that these issues influenced their decision to leave the Catholic church. Thirty-one percent cited unhappiness with the church’s teaching on abortion and homosexuality, women, and divorce and remarriage, and 26 percent mentioned birth control as a reason for leaving. Although these numbers are higher than for Catholics who become evangelicals, they are still dwarfed by the number (57 percent) who said their spiritual needs were not met in the Catholic church.
Thus, those becoming evangelicals were more generically unhappy than specifically unhappy with church teaching, while those who became mainline Protestant tended to be more specifically unhappy than generically unhappy with church teaching. The unhappiness with the church’s teaching on poverty, war and the death penalty was equally low for both groups (11 percent for evangelicals; 10 percent for mainline).
What stands out in the data on Catholics who join mainline churches is that they tend to cite personal or familiar reasons for leaving more frequently than do those who become evangelicals. Forty-four percent of the Catholics who join mainline churches say that they married someone of the faith they joined, a number that trumps all doctrinal issues. Only 22 percent of those who join the evangelicals cite this reason.
Perhaps after marrying a mainline Christian and attending his or her church’s services, the Catholic found the mainline services more fulfilling than the Catholic service. And even if they were equally attractive, perhaps the exclusion of the Protestant spouse from Catholic Communion makes the more welcoming mainline church attractive to an ecumenical couple.
Those joining mainline communities also were more likely to cite dissatisfaction of the Catholic clergy (39 percent) than were those who became evangelical (23 percent). Those who join mainline churches are looking for a less clerically dominated church.
Lessons from the data
There are many lessons that we can learn from the Pew data, but I will focus on only three.
First, those who are leaving the church for Protestant churches are more interested in spiritual nourishment than doctrinal issues. Tinkering with the wording of the creed at Mass is not going to help. No one except the Vatican and the bishops cares whether Jesus is “one in being” with the Father or “consubstantial” with the Father. That the hierarchy thinks this is important shows how out of it they are.
While the hierarchy worries about literal translations of the Latin text, people are longing for liturgies that touch the heart and emotions. More creativity with the liturgy is needed, and that means more flexibility must be allowed. If you build it, they will come; if you do not, they will find it elsewhere. The changes that will go into effect this Advent will make matters worse, not better.
Second, thanks to Pope Pius XII, Catholic scripture scholars have had decades to produce the best thinking on scripture in the world. That Catholics are leaving to join evangelical churches because of the church teaching on the Bible is a disgrace. Too few homilists explain the scriptures to their people. Few Catholics read the Bible.
The church needs a massive Bible education program. The church needs to acknowledge that understanding the Bible is more important than memorizing the catechism. If we could get Catholics to read the Sunday scripture readings each week before they come to Mass, it would be revolutionary. If you do not read and pray the scriptures, you are not an adult Christian. Catholics who become evangelicals understand this.
Finally, the Pew data shows that two-thirds of Catholics who become Protestants do so before they reach the age of 24. The church must make a preferential option for teenagers and young adults or it will continue to bleed. Programs and liturgies that cater to their needs must take precedence over the complaints of fuddy-duddies and rubrical purists.
Current religious education programs and teen groups appear to have little effect on keeping these folks Catholic, according to the Pew data, although those who attend a Catholic high school do appear to stay at a higher rate. More research is needed to find out what works and what does not.
The Catholic church is hemorrhaging members. It needs to acknowledge this and do more to understand why. Only if we acknowledge the exodus and understand it will we be in a position to do something about it.
“What matters is that the Lord knows who are His; and that those who are His, by His grace and His grace alone, act in a manner according to which they were called so that others may see that He lives.”
Absolutely, and by the time we know who are His we can do nothing about it.
An annulment is a ruling by the Catholic Church that a marriage was never valid TO BEGIN WITH; it has to be rooted in a situation that existed at the time of the wedding. In the former NJ governor’s case, if he was married in the Catholic Church his wife could obtain an annulment by the fact that he was a homosexual AT THE TIME OF THE WEDDING. One of the reasons the Catholic Church stopped pushing young people to “do the right thing” if the woman was pregnant out of wedlock because that was always grounds for an annulment; either party could later claim they married only because she was pregnant at the time of the wedding.
Another example would be someone who was mentally ill at the time of the wedding, or someone who was already married to someone else at the time of the wedding.
People refer to annulment as “Catholic divorce”, but the timing issue is what really distinguishes it from a divorce. A divorce is a legal ruling that a valid marriage is over; an annulment is a decree that a marriage never took place. I believe Ted Kennedy’s wife publicly fought the annulment he sought; she knew there were no valid grounds for it.
There is no Biblical basis for annulment.
God did not recognize it and Jesus never taught it.
It’s strictly a man-made concept to avoid the stigma of a divorce.
You get married and have sex, you’re married, period, and the breaking of the marriage is called divorce.
In the last two Evangelical churches I've attended, I know of members who were removed from the membership rolls- one because of adultery, one because of unethical business practices which the church confronted him about and he did not stop, and one pastor who was removed from the ministry and had his license revoked for garden variety adultery.
Nothing like molesting little boys stuff.....
I find it hypocritical to the extreme that criticism is lobbed at non-Catholcis for how they deal with sin in the congregation considering the inaction on the part of the Catholic church in their OWN house. When priests who homosexually abuse little boys are not dealt with and liberals like Pelosi, Kennedy, etc who basically spit in the face of the church are not only given license to continue their liberal politics, but are permitted to take communion and given Catholic funerals, no Catholic is in any position to legitimately criticize any other denomination for how they handle sin among their members.
I've seen this to be true dozens of time. Ex-Catholics end up mad they were lied to when all they have to do to be saved is believe in Christ as Lord, King,God and Savior.
Who wouldn't be angry they were lied to?
As Jesus insrtucts us -- "Be not afraid; only believe."
Sounds interesting, but what does that mean? Are all of the members and clergy excommunicated from the PCA? If so, what does that mean?
It is not that unusual. I also know several PCA pastors who will not marry couples. I also know of instances where people were not allowed to participate in communion and then asked to leave the church because of sin.
Does that mean that they are unable to participate in any PCA or affiliated services?
Just because you haven’t heard of it does not mean it doesn’t happen. It happens a lot more in evengelical churches than in the Roman church, IMO.
It sounds more encouraging than I thought, but can you explain exactly what this process means?
Very good, but what does that mean? Are they unable to attend other Evangelical churches and receive whatever sacraments they have? What does this pastor do after this point - does he get to go elsewhere?
I find it hypocritical to the extreme that criticism is lobbed at non-Catholcis for how they deal with sin in the congregation considering the inaction on the part of the Catholic church in their OWN house. When priests who homosexually abuse little boys are not dealt with and liberals like Pelosi, Kennedy, etc who basically spit in the face of the church are not only given license to continue their liberal politics, but are permitted to take communion and given Catholic funerals, no Catholic is in any position to legitimately criticize any other denomination for how they handle sin among their members.
What does your particular group do about child molesters? And what does that mean to their practice of worship - assuming that they have any.
I've seen this to be true dozens of time. Ex-Catholics end up mad they were lied to when all they have to do to be saved is believe in Christ as Lord, King,God and Savior. Who wouldn't be angry they were lied to?
Your failboat has just arrived. Mormons believe in Christ as Lord, King, God and Saviour. So do Oneness Pentecostals and Jehovah's Witnesses. Thanks for once again pointing out the errors of Calvin.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one. (John 10:27-30)
I knew as soon as I read those words of Jesus that I was in the wrong church. I never had any desire to go back but rejoice that there are many local Christian churches that teach the true gospel and I am free to fellowship where ever the Lord leads me.
You are 100% correct! For some, it is impossible to believe that anyone could leave the Catholic Church for legitimate reasons like doctrine. Yet we are here and have no reason to lie about it. I am grateful for the genuine Christians who, though Catholic, fully accept that others can receive the Lord Jesus Christ as savior, live for him, and be saved outside of their church.
He DID give the source. I clicked on it and was redirected to: http://ncronline.org/news/hidden-exodus-catholics-becoming-protestants, just like it was posted here. Funny, but it seems you like to repeat posts from years ago, ones that provoke a lot of comments from non-Catholics. Are you accusing Gamecock of something you do all the time? Is the topic too hard to dispute that you seek to have it removed?
The link was broken. I fixed it.
AMEN!!!
Amen!!! Man looks at the outward appearance (labels), God looks at the heart!
What do you think it means? It means what it says - "they are not allowed to particpate in communion and then asked to leave the church if the sin continues with no repentance". I should have added the part about the repentance.
It sounds more encouraging than I thought, but can you explain exactly what this process means?
The process is exactly as described in scripture. Please refer to Matthew 18:15-20:
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
There's a world of difference between being angry about being lied to and being bitter.
We are told not to sin in our anger, not that anger is necessarily the sin. There is a place for righteous anger at wrongs done. But that does not necessarily have to lead to bitterness and doesn't always. I don't know any ex-Catholics who are bitter.
There are a lot of accusations against former Catholics of bitterness, usually hurled at former Catholics by presently practicing Catholics. It seems to make them feel better, like they're better than everyone else. Or that it's the reason that the former Catholics are speaking out against the errors they see in Catholic church doctrine when compared to Scripture.
But it is untrue in what I'd say are the vast majority of the cases.
I am not Metmom, but I know of a solid local Baptist congregation who had an elder who was found to be a child molester. They Matthew 18 and confronted him. They prayed with him. He did repent, but he is no longer an elder and they immediately reported him to the authorities and obviously is never again allowed to be alone with children. This is standard proceedure in biblical churches, and has always been. What is the history of your church on child molesters?
Ex-communication means nothing when you recognize the fact that salvation is through by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.
If you believe that ex-communication affects your salvation, then you are placing your trust in the church to save you and not Jesus.
Churches don't save and churches can't save.
Peter speaking here..... Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Likely turn them in to the police in addition to revoking their membership.
The history recently (since the 80s) has been similar to what yours has been. Yes, there were serious mistakes in the 60s and 70s and yes, more should have been done like kicking out the monsters who did those horrendous acts.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.