Pew Research: U.S. Catholics Open to Non-Traditional Families

When Pope Francis arrives in the U.S. for the World Meeting of Families later this month, he will find a Catholic public that is remarkably accepting of a variety of non-traditional families, according to a new Pew Research Center survey that provides an in-depth look at American Catholics’ views on family life, sexuality and Catholic identity.

Nine-in-ten U.S. Catholics say a household headed by a married mother and father is an ideal situation for bringing up children. But the survey shows that large majorities think other kinds of families – those headed by parents who are single, divorced, unmarried or gay – are OK for raising children, too.

This may be in part because Francis’ American flock is experiencing life in all its modern complexity. According to the survey, one-in-four Catholics have gone through a divorce. One-in-ten have not only divorced but also remarried. One-in-ten are living with a romantic partner, sans wedding, and more than four-in-ten have done so at some point in their lives.

When it comes to matters of sexuality, there are a number of issues on which Catholics either mostly disagree with the church (e.g., on the question of whether Catholics should be permitted to use birth control) or are divided (e.g., on the question of whether the church should recognize the marriages of gay and lesbian couples).

RE: From what I understand, if someone is baptized as a Catholic as a baby, they are considered Catholics until they regardless of their beliefs. So this is basically a poll of those who were baptized as Catholics as babies rather than those who go to church, correct?

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I would tend to believe you but for one caveat -— I am certain that those whoa re polled will be asked — are you Roman Catholic?

If the answer is ‘Yes’, then they will be asked the questions asked in this poll. I don’t think the researchers will bother with those who answered ‘No’.

So, let’s say that a person was baptized Catholic as an infant but is now a member of the Southern Baptists or is now a Buddhist or Atheist. My feeling is they will answer ‘No’ to the question and hence, be EXCLUDED from the survey.

this raises a question I’ve had for years....

there is a big difference between tolerance/compassion/respect for others including a willingness to let them take their own decisions in life

versus

saying all of their possible decisions are just about as good or morally acceptable as any others

Stated differently,
there’s a big difference between peacefully letting homosexuals live together without any harm coming to them (and certainly not inflicting any harm), one the one hand.

............ and

approving of/wanting Church and state to sanction “gay marriage” ...on the other.

I am concerned that so many people apparently cannot draw this simple kind of distinction?

polls conducted in the san francisco area

elsewhere in the country, the *vast* majority are opposed to homos in just about everything they do

we’re just forced to tolerate it by the fedgov

I really wish questions were asked not using euphemisms like "gay couples, non-traditional couples, or co-habiting" instead of the truth "men who have anal sex with men living together," "shaking-up," "fornicators," etc.

Whitewashing what this is all about only paints immoral debauchery in nice terms rather than what they are - abominations hated by God!

Both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, the pagan society practiced these and all other kinds of sexual immorality but it was never considered anything but an abomination in the eyes of God, lest we find them offensive today.

We don't need polls to tell us, sinful man has never changed and neither has God.

Those who practice them are headed not to heaven with God but to an eternity in hell with the father of all lies!

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