jo kus: Well, here, I will agree with Harley. However, I will point out that Catholics ALSO do not place memorization of the catechism as important, above practice.
I suppose our catechisis is a la little more rigorous than either of yours' — the Orthodox Divine Liturgy still has the Litany of Catechumens, and a lengthy catechumization ("learning") period before baptism/chrismation that involves a lot of questions and asnwers and therefore is not based on rote memory.
I doubt it. We have a period of learning, as well, called "RCIA", (Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults) which usually lasts about 9-12 months. The catechumens learn the catechism, but it is not in a "rote memorization" background. We try to give objective teachings to ground their subjective experiences of the Risen Lord in the sacraments, scripture, prayer, liturgy, and daily life. Personally, I don't think memorizing the Baltimore Catechism is conducive to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
My agreement with Harley is based on that, not on the content, of course. Knowledge puffs up, love builds up, so Paul wrote. I think it is easy to fall into a trap when we have too much knowledge and not enough prayer in our lives...
Regards