Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Where have all the people in the Pews Gone
Old SF Examiner ^ | 1978 | Kevin Starr

Posted on 03/07/2005 10:01:29 AM PST by Cato1

click here to read article


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 221-232 next last
To: Rocketman
"Doctors of the Church"

Gotta run, off to work!

61 posted on 03/07/2005 12:32:22 PM PST by american colleen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 58 | View Replies]

To: Rocketman

How do you figure that this story of yours suggests that apostolic succession was broken? The Romans would have had to have killed every bishop in the world, before any of them could secretly consecrate a successor.


62 posted on 03/07/2005 12:33:21 PM PST by dangus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 40 | View Replies]

To: XR7
The Catholic Church is growing:

Catholic Parishes Flourish in Southern U.S.

Bible-belt Catholics

Number of Catholics Rises by 15 Million (Diocesan Priests Increase; Religious Decrease)

Spanish Catholicism still very robust (3 shrines and The Sagrada Familia)

Catholics outsource praying to India

Catholic Priests in India 'Outsourced' to Meet Clergy Shortage in West

Christian Coalition head (in Ala.) becomes Catholic

Church growth continues for Catholic and Pentecostals; six mainline denominations decline

Young people turn against their parents' 'church lite'

Pope calls US Church to repentance and renewal

A father for the 11th time - Widower becomes Catholic priest

Number of Adults Who Don't Attend Church Service Doubles

Huge Christian growth shocks China's leaders

Church Attendance Increased : Protestants have now clearly overtaken Catholics in church attendance

Catholics Trail Protestants in Church Attendance [Gallup]

Church Attendance Linked to Longer Life

Church Growth and Eveangelism

Dozens of Episcopalians Follow Leader into Catholic Church

Thousands prepare to join U.S. Catholic Church this Easter

Where Have All the People in the Pews Gone?

63 posted on 03/07/2005 12:33:28 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Rocketman

You realize these people were made saints because they won, don't you? The church, as it stands now, sided with these men, and eventually the heresies these saints were railing against were dispelled.


64 posted on 03/07/2005 12:35:14 PM PST by dangus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: HitmanNY

No, there are two more. Do a search for malachy


65 posted on 03/07/2005 12:37:05 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 56 | View Replies]

To: Rocketman
There's a St. Constantine in the Catholic Church - but not the Constantine you are referring to.

I believe the Orthodox Church has Constantine as a saint and also has sometimes referred to him as the '13th apostle' - I dunno, you'd have to ask an Orthodox about that.

66 posted on 03/07/2005 12:37:54 PM PST by american colleen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: Salvation

I said the next pope would be 'next-to-last' according to Malachy. That means there are two left after the current pope.

I was unaware that the list was purported to be eshaustive, though. I think that aspect had been 'read into' the list by commentators, but nowhere does Malachy say (or even suggest) that it's a complete list.

I could be wrong, though. I will look it up.


67 posted on 03/07/2005 12:40:12 PM PST by HitmanLV
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 65 | View Replies]

To: totherightofu

Yeah, Latin, that'll solve all of our spiritual problems.


68 posted on 03/07/2005 12:40:37 PM PST by biblewonk (Neither was the man created for woman but the woman for the man.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Rocketman

What Catholic sites did you find that in? A brief googling of "St. Constantine" yields a few DIFFERENT Constantines from Catholic sites, and many references from Orthodox sites. Catholic sites do not refer to the Roman Emporer as a Saint.

Now, I thought you were citing someone else's work, when I called it shameless. Someone who published his work should have done their homework to know that edits were perverting the text. Since you're not a scholar, I will rescind the comment about "shameless," and simply recommend you do a lot more learning about Catholic church history from a lot better sources before you see fit to edit the writings of a saint, and tell you that those citations do not refer to what you think they refer to at all.

As for other postings I've seen, your conclusion that hyperbole=lie is incorrect. St. Basil is using very strong language to address what is is a very grave problem. And yes! The Catholic Church agreed and stomped out the heresies St. Basil is addressing! What is meant by hyperbole is not a lie: When he says, "the bishops..." he is not meaning every bishop, as one might infer. Therein lies the hyperbole. Rather, he means many bishops, but not all. From the fact that their heresies were eventually suppressed, you can historically deduce that many bishops did not fall for the heresy.


69 posted on 03/07/2005 12:51:16 PM PST by dangus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: viaveritasvita

Church attendance collapsed within five years of the institution of the New Mass, dropping from 80%+ to somewhere around 22%. This was before the scandals broke. But the scandals themselves, together with a general loosening of morals, coincided with the Vatican Council.


70 posted on 03/07/2005 12:52:21 PM PST by ultima ratio
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: HitmanNY

My mistake -- I thought you said last.


71 posted on 03/07/2005 12:56:43 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: dangus

Hearing about more Churches with standing room only at mass is great.We must continue to pray. It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.About 5 years ago we began perpetual adoration.Our Church is open every minute of every day of the year.


72 posted on 03/07/2005 12:57:15 PM PST by ardara
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 53 | View Replies]

To: HitmanNY
Prophecy of St Malachy (with list of Popes)
73 posted on 03/07/2005 12:59:03 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 67 | View Replies]

To: biblewonk

When did you recognize the errors of your ways and convert to Catholicism?


74 posted on 03/07/2005 12:59:34 PM PST by american colleen
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: ardara

**We must continue to pray. It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.About 5 years ago we began perpetual adoration.Our Church is open every minute of every day of the year.**

Agree withall three of your points here. Praying, look at the positive and perpetual adoration.


75 posted on 03/07/2005 1:01:05 PM PST by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 72 | View Replies]

To: ultima ratio

Your assertion that three out of four Catholics quit attending church is simply false.

80%+ of able-bodied, prime-of-their-life Catholics attended Church, perhaps. Few received Eucharist regularly however. Today, according to surveys, about 40% of all Catholics, including the aged and infirmed, attend mass. The surveys I've seen show the drop-off at stopping about the mid-80's, until the priest scandals. THen the # dropped to 27%, before rebounding back to over 40%.

Personally I suspect this is the greatest reason for the drop-off that did occur: It used to be that the "unworthy" attended mass weekly, and skipped just communion. But so did most everyone else. Then, after Vatican 2 made communion more acceptable (less fasting, more masses scheduled, big push on everyone should receive who can, etc.), those who did not feel worthy felt singled out. The expectation was that if you showed up, you should receive communion, and if you couldn't, then you were an outcast.

Then came Humanae Vita (sp?), and millions of people who had expected that the Church's position against the birth control pill was obsolete, were stunned to find that the church considered them to be in mortal sin.


76 posted on 03/07/2005 1:03:17 PM PST by dangus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: Salvation
It has been noticed concerning Petrus Romanus, who according to St. Malachy's list is to be the last pope, that the prophecy does not say that no popes will intervene between him and his predecessor designated Gloria olivoe. It merely says that he is to be the last, so that we may suppose as many popes as we please before "Peter the Roman".

Exactly my point - the list doesn't purport to be exhaustive. There are two more popes on the list (after JP2). That's not to say there are only two more popes - there could be popes in between the last two Malachy put on the list.

77 posted on 03/07/2005 1:04:09 PM PST by HitmanLV
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: ultima ratio

>> But the scandals themselves, together with a general loosening of morals, coincided with the Vatican Council. <<

That is factually false. The scandals were underway by 1963.


78 posted on 03/07/2005 1:04:40 PM PST by dangus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 70 | View Replies]

To: american colleen
When did you recognize the errors of your ways and convert to Catholicism?

LOL, that's a good one.

My daughter is engaged to a Catholic. He was talking about Lent and said "I can't eat meat on Fridays during lent...I don't know if I'll go to hell if I do or what". I asked further and he said "That's the thing about Catholics, you never know if you're going to hell or not".

I'd say that is true and quite a sad testimony.

79 posted on 03/07/2005 1:08:44 PM PST by biblewonk (Neither was the man created for woman but the woman for the man.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 74 | View Replies]

To: XR7

The idea that the Novus Ordo, concocted by a committee of humanists a few years ago, is an improvement in any way, shape, or form over the ancient Mass guided by the Holy Spirit over the course of over fifteen hundred years, is a myth that needs some demythologizing badly. It's repeated over and over by Novus Ordo churchladies to influence the gullible young who cannot remember when liturgies were focused on God and not on themselves, and who wouldn't know the difference between a sacred liturgy and a particularly boring movie.


80 posted on 03/07/2005 1:12:07 PM PST by ultima ratio
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 221-232 next last

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson