These statistics are (not) born out by the Pew Report.
The Pew Forum
Words are one thing. Action is another.
Thank you for making my point! The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a Sacrament from which springs forth new life. As for artificial contraception, what does the Catholic Church teach?
HUMANAE VITAE
Neither is it valid to argue, as a justification for sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive, that a lesser evil is to be preferred to a greater one, or that such intercourse would merge with procreative acts of past and future to form a single entity, and so be qualified by exactly the same moral goodness as these. Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good," it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it (18)—in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general. Consequently, it is a serious error to think that a whole married life of otherwise normal relations can justify sexual intercourse which is deliberately contraceptive and so intrinsically wrong.
HUMANAE VITAE
As I have repeatedly pointed out, it is so much easier for a pew Catholic to leave and follow a Bible toting protestant minister who will tell him this teaching is wrong.
The influx of protestants to the Catholic Church are theologians who have studied Scripture, read the Early Church Fathers and recognize how God works through His Church to ensure the future and Salvation of mankind.
Words are one thing. Action is another.
= =
Interesting.
Kind of like words that
sound like worship
waddle like worship
quack like worship
fly like worship
tail waggle like worship
lay eggs like worship;
swim like worship
bob like worship
accompanied with a host of such behaviors that
BEHAVE like worship.
Yet we are supposed to be . . . since we’re Prottys after all . . .
we are supposed to gullible enough to think that 0.000000% worship is involved in every last individual case of over a billion very human souls.
I’m not that stupid.
I think it's time to ring some changes:
(1)The above is stated with a link to the Pew Report, that bastion of liberal truth, to argue against the contention that some Catholics leave the Church for denominations which are pro-choice on ABC and other reproductive issues.
The argument appears to be, there are Catholics who remain nominally Catholic while doing something the Church says they ought not to do. So none leave for denomination which do not forbid what they are doing.
I think the mere articulation shows that the argument doesn't work. But for those who don't get it, a sin does not mean that one has lost ALL virtue. So a Catholic who disagrees with the Church's teaching may find in himself enough integrity finally to quit "living a lie" and seek a denomination which suits his preconceptions. But there must be some who lack that integrity, and others who have it but are still screwing their courage to the sticking point, and are, thus, in process.
In other words, that some Catholics defy the Magisterium while remaining Catholic has nothing to do with the proposition that some Catholics become Protestants so that they are relieved of the obvious hypocrisy of calling themselves Catholic while disobeying Catholic teaching.
Anecdote related to point (1)
A friend was a devout and involved Episcopalian, but a former Catholic. He was divorced from the woman he married in the Catholic Church and then married a divorced woman who was a Methodist, and they both became Episcopalians.Then, and his first wife is still living, he married again.
Is the Church to be judged by his actions?
end of anecdote
(2) Now presumably, Protestants would consider that when Catholics disobey Church teaching on ABC they do so in spite of the Church. Such cases are a sign of the weakness of the Church, and are not attributed or blamed on the Church, as such.
But when other Catholics disobey the Church by making more of Mary than the Church teaches her to be, THAT is the fault of the Church.
So if there is a principle, it is when Catholics disobey that Church in a way Protestants like, that is THEIR virtue and cannot be attributed to the Church. BUT when Catholics disobey that Church in a way Protestants do NOT like, that is the Church's fault and she can under no circumstances dodge dodge blame for it.
Let me say it again. From our adversaries' point of view, if a Catholic does something which they like but against Church teaching , that is all about the individual. When A Catholic does something which they do not like but against Church teaching, that is the fault of the Church and the teaching. Disobedience absolve the one from the influence of the Church, but confirms the other to sort of hyper-obedience to the Church, and the distinguishing factor is whether that action is one Protestants think good or not. (3) [which is really (2) warmed over] (a) Protestants claim that Catholics fear to do anything without making sure that the Magisterium approves.
(3b) Therefore, the Church is to blame for mariolatry.
(3c)But Protestants (and other anti-Catholics) trumpet, using data from an organization known to be liberal, the alleged massive defiance of the Magisterium by Catholics who use ABC or are pro-choice or what have you. (3d)The Magisterium is thus shown to be far too powerful, except for when it's impotent.