Connecting the dots: Why are Protestants more ‘Catholic’ than Catholics on same-sex marriage?

Calfornia Catholic Daily ^ | August 9, 2010

[Alex Murphy]

What the poll showed is that Protestants are much more in line with Church teaching on the issue of marriage than are Catholics themselves. Those disturbing results beg the question: What is the Church in California teaching its flock?...

....when the pastor speaks out for or against same-sex “marriage,” the congregation listens. So why do Protestants support Catholic teaching on marriage at higher rates than Catholics themselves? The poll found: “Protestants are significantly more likely to hear about the issue than Catholics; this is true both for white Catholics and Latino Catholics”....

....With such public same-sex “marriages” between parishioners who hold important positions at a well-known parish, it should not be such a surprise that a majority of California Catholics don’t take Church teaching on the issue seriously, especially when an archbishop re-appoints the parish’s pastor.

[TheThirdRuffian]

Many self-described Roman Catholics are not Roman Catholics.

Just like many self-described Jewish people are not Jewish.

It’s almost an ethnic idenity, instead of a religion for some.

When a non-Roman Catholic Christian ceases to follow Christ, he or she is decribed as “secular” or “atheist” -— but atheist or secular Roman Catholics still call themselves Roman Catholic.

No idea why.

[TexasFreeper2009]

It might have something to do with the fact that it’s been gays teaching them from the pulpit for a long time now.

[bereanway]

In other words, when the pastor speaks out for or against same-sex “marriage,” the congregation listens. So why do Protestants support Catholic teaching on marriage at higher rates than Catholics themselves?”

Well, I’d say it’s because Protestants don’t view it as specifically Catholic teaching, rather their understanding of marriage is a Biblical mandate (which is a correct view).

[ruthles]

If they listen to Cardinal Mahoney or priests like him, they are not getting Biblical doctrine. They go to mass like robots, and never actually read their Bible. Yes this happens in all denominations.

[glide625]

C’mon.....it’s California; this is a “filler” piece.

[ansel12]

Many self-described Roman Catholics are not Roman Catholics.

Has anyone looked into the number people in America that believe they are Catholic and compared that to the number of Catholics that the Vatican claims are in America?

My guess is that the numbers would match the claims of the Vatican.

[markomalley]

Shockingly (especially to me as a Catholic), Mahony actually said the right thing about this...believe it or not.

[TheThirdRuffian]

“My guess is that the numbers would match the claims of the Vatican.”

That’s not particularly relevant to my point.

Nancy Pelosi was baptised, confirmed, and regularly attends her Roman Catholic Church.

She’s about as Roman Catholic as my Pit Bull, Mohammed.

[ansel12]

That’s just it, Nancy Pelosi is a Catholic whether you agree with her politics are not.

[TheThirdRuffian]

I refuse to define anyone as Roman Catholic who is not a Christian first.

She completely rejects the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and shows no fruits of the spirit.

[ansel12]

This is an adult political site, when we are trying to discuss elections and politicians and strategies, it serves no purpose when some one says childish things like, don’t analyze the Catholic vote because real Catholics only vote my way, so those Catholic voters that you are strategizing about are not Catholics.

The claim is that the Catholic vote is 100% pure and Republican because only Catholics that vote Republican are Catholic, and no, we will not be changing the numbers of claimed Catholics in America by reducing them by the 54% of Catholic voters that voted for Obama.

In other words, there is nothing here to see, so just move on to some other area of voter study and analysis, and your conservative goals be damned in the name of denial of facts related to the Catholic vote in America.

[TheThirdRuffian]

That’s not what I am saying at all.

I am saying that a large number of Roman Catholics treat Roman Catholism as a social club, not a church.

“Social Club” Roman Catholics who reject the teachings of the chuch, but still call themselves Roman Catholic, are not unique to Roman Catholism, but it is more pronounced than, say, Baptists, who cease to identify as Baptists.

[ichabod1]

Same with the Jews.

[battousai]

When a non-Roman Catholic Christian ceases to follow Christ, he or she is decribed as “secular” or “atheist” -— but atheist or secular Roman Catholics still call themselves Roman Catholic.

Exactly, this poll was flawed in that it never took into consideration how many of the respondents were merely CINOs.

So the question is easy to answer, since the respondents who were willing to describe themselves as protestants were more than likely practicing Christians and as such opposed to the sexual deviation being touted as a 'lifestyle choice' these days.

Its funny I caught part of the rerun of Fr. Groeschel's show on EWTN this morning, and he had a good line that ties in with this, paraphrasing; I would rather have good practicing protestants than bad Catholics.

[battousai]

That’s just it, Nancy Pelosi is a Catholic whether you agree with her politics are not.

Technically she has excommunicated herself through her support for abortion, but we need more conservative Bishops and priests to start enforcing it with the politicians.

Support abortion? Kick em out of the church until they repent.

[TheThirdRuffian]

“I would rather have good practicing protestants than bad Catholics.”

No joke.

Serious Christians of all stripes agree on 99.99999 of morality and 98% of theology, the 2% being stuff that will either be right or wrong, but not matter in the end.

[ansel12]

Technically she has excommunicated herself through her support for abortion,

Pelosi is a Catholic in good standing, she has not been excommunicated.

Your politics are in the minority among Catholics, Pelosi is a Democrat and is a leader in the party that represents the majority of Catholic voters. Catholics are a Democrat voting block.

[battousai]

Pelosi is a Catholic in good standing, she has not been excommunicated.

Well what I meant is that those who procure abortions are automatically excommunicated by the very act, so Pelosai as an enabler of the culture of death needs to be considered under this category.

Your politics are in the minority among Catholics, Pelosi is a Democrat and is a leader in the party that represents the majority of Catholic voters. Catholics are a Democrat voting block.

Well this goes back to the original point, that many who call themselves 'catholic' haven't seen the inside of a church in years, so unfortunately yes you are correct that many who label themselves Catholic are liberals, the point is they were always liberals first and happily use the 'catholic' label. However, I suspect the majority of practicing true catholics will be just the opposite, since if you actually abide by what the Church teaches then how could you support many liberal positions.

[ansel12]

Please read post 7, and post 12. This slip sliding around and blatant dishonesty gets tiring.