I am not catholic, but yesterday, I had to put my catholic in laws in place about the pope. They were whining that the church would not change now. I told them that's good, it isn't suppose to morph to suit the people's needs, it is to be the solid foundation that doesn't shift to suit day to day needs, if it did, it would surely crumble. They were complaining about birth control and how you can't even use a condom when having sex with a person with aids. I had to break the news to them that the majority of AIDS people were gay and they are falling under many bigger sins that that. Of course there was no response. The kicker is that they don't even go to church, never pray before meals, even the big holiday ones and lied about why they couldn't come to their granddaughter's baptism in February. I am presbyterian and have been thinking about switching to catholicism.
Pray about your decision and God bless you, whatever your decision may be!
You already sound like you have a much better understanding of Catholic teaching than your so-called "Catholic" in-laws!
I'm continually amazed by the argument that the Catholic Church's stance on condoms is contributing to the spread of AIDS. The people who want to be able to have sex in abnormal ways or sleep with whomever they want are NOT dissuaded from their behaviors by Catholic teaching but they ARE dissuaded from using a condom while engaging in this behavior? I think NOT!
I'm the only Catholic in a family chock full of Protestants. I became a Catholic as an adult. Backslider as I may be, I've never regretted the decision.
As another poster noted, I suggest your pray over this and follow the Lord's will.
The Catholic Church is the ONLY world organization that has consistently held the line against the darkness of the 20th and now 21st centuries. For all the lies told about it, it stood tall against Communism... For all the lies told about it, it stood tall against the attacks on the very social fabric of civilization!
I am so sick of listening to every Tom, Dick and Mary bitch about the Church. Every enemy of personal liberty has the Church in its sites... every enemy of human dignity and standards and morality has the church in its sites.
The people of the church are not without fault, but the church has held the line and done so appropriately and humanely, and is the last refuge for those who know secular humanism, communism and moral relevatism are the ways to ruin.
This is what I keep hearing whenever I am subjected to the MSM coverage, even FOX News has only a bare minimum of a clue - nominal "Catholics" whining about how H.H. Benedict XVI won't "reform" the Church
What they mean is that H.H. won't justify them in their sins. The "reforms" they want are either beyond the authority of any Pope (acceptance of birth control, abortion, homosexuality); an theological impossibility (women priests) or doable but exceedingly unwise at this time (married priests)
These people calling for these "reforms" are, in one word, heretics - each of their positions denies some basic truth of the Catholic faith, except for the married priest thing which is just ignorant - not because it is impossible but because they want it for all the wrongs reasons.
It just goes to show how horribly deficient catechesis has been for decades now that these people think that any of what they want is in keeping with Catholic teaching, it staggers the mind.
Someone like you would be a great addition to the Church!