Catholics torn by issues: Church, faithful don't agree on many social, moral topics, poll shows

Albany Times-Union ^ | 4/17/05 | ROBERT LOPEZ

[I_dmc]

Gee, is there a similar hue and cry to get, say Baptists, to change what they believe? Perhaps there's an agenda here, in the press coverage. One might suspect that something like, "If they're shooting at me, maybe its because I can shoot back."

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"I don't know that you could find any Catholic anywhere who would agree 100 percent with the church," said Michele Dillon, an associate professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire. "One of the reasons Catholics stay faithful is that they put more emphasis on the liturgy and Mass (than on doctrinal matters). And many of those who disagree with the church on contraception or abortion may be strongly in favor of the church's opposition to war or the death penalty."

I'm not a Catholic but this strikes me as quite a statement.

[I_dmc]

"This really is the ME culture." Ahyep, you nailed it.

[finnigan2]

If I were King, the second thing I would do after hanging all the lawyers, would be to ban all the polls.

[RFEngineer]

"That's called Protestantism, and there are plenty of Protestant churches to accommodate your beliefs or non-beliefs."

Many faithful in Eastern Orthodox churches pretty much lump modern day Catholicism with Protestantism......afterall once you split from the mother church, is it no surprise that you would continue to divide?

[RFEngineer]

"......and (Spong) recites the Nicene Creed"

His is not your Fathers Nicene Creed.......

[Proud_texan]

Ain't that the truth! It'd be funny if it weren't so sad but then I guess all God's children tend to go off the rails, some WAY off the rails. Thank God for His infinite patience.

[David]

"You haven't read any of the very early (dating even earlier than the Bible was codified) council documents that we have in existence."

You have no remote idea of what I have read so that is a really dumb thing to say--in addition to being incorrect.

The fact that you have "primative documents" that speculate on what practices might have been among various fringe groups of believers who for the most part did not have ready access to Bibles to study; many of whom could not read; is all very interesting. And throughout the history of the Church, there have always been isolated groups of monks and others who have at least nominally practiced celebacy.

But quite different from the Roman Church dictate in the eleventh century, also before the printing press and widespread reading study capability, mandating without any authority whatsoever, that professional pastors would do it that way.

[Military family member]

aborting people, not aborted people. The aborted souls are in Heaven

[american colleen]

The earliest document that I know of is the document from the council of Elvira @ 302. The council was not made up of a 'fringe group' - these were the same councils who codified the Bible that we use. The same councils who formulated the creeds we use. The same council that you cite in the 11th century.

You don't make any sense when you say that "the Roman Church dictate in the eleventh century...mandating without any authority whatsoever, that professional pastors would do it that way." --- so, who had the authority?

[HamiltonJay]

Elaine Ranc attends Mass every week and describes herself as a faithful disciple of the Catholic Church.

But she also believes in a woman's reproductive rights. She thinks gays should be able to marry. And she has no problem with using contraception.

Just goes to show what people think of, and describe themselves as are often not what they truly are.... Abortion is, was and always will be murder, it has always been and it always will be... Roe V Wade doesn't change absolutely truth, whether this bimbo wants to actually follow the faith or not is irrellevant.. the faith IS... she can ignore it and pretend she's a faithful follower.. or she can dedicate herself to it and learn the truth.