Posted on 01/28/2011 9:32:34 AM PST by marshmallow
Shery Weddell at the St Catherine of Siena Institute reports that 32% of Americans raised Catholic abandon the identity altogether by their mid twenties. An additional 38% retain the identity but rarely practice their faith. 30% of those who call themselves Catholic attend Mass only once a month. On a given Sunday only about 15.6% of American Catholics attend Mass.
What is the reason for these disastrous statistics? Basically because for the last forty years Catholics themselves have not taught Catholicism to their children. They've taught 'American Catholicism' which is a watered down blend of sentimentalism, political correctness, community activism and utilitarianism. In other words, "Catholicism is about feeling good about yourself, being just to others and trying to change the world." The next generation have drawn the obvious conclusion that you don't need to go to Mass to do all that. You can feel good about yourself much more effectively with a good book from the self help shelf, or by attending a personal development seminar. You can be involved in making the world a better place without going to church.
If only 15% of Catholics go to Mass on a given Sunday, look around and see how many of them are old. Even the 15% who are there won't be there for very long.
The solution is simple: we must return to the supernatural realities of the historic faith and evangelize like the Apostles of old. The big difference is that the Apostles knew their targets were pagans and the pagans knew they weren't Christians. We're dealing with a huge population of Americans (Catholics and Protestants alike) who are pagan but who think they're 'good Christians.' It is very difficult to evangelize people who already think they're fine just as they are. We don't know what we don't know, and the vast majority of poorly catechized, lazy and worldly Catholics aren't aware that there's anything wrong.
What will it take for us to wake up?
Don’t loose your time with YOPIOS. They can’t even agree among themselves if Saturday or Sunday is the Lord’s Day, or if Jesus Christ is God 100% equal to the Father.
We will all be spoken of in the past tense one day.. the question is where will we spend that future past??
I don’t know. He went a number of places for training, four in all I think, maybe 5 including a year in Monterrey, CA;
I don’t know what he did, and I don’t know where all he went. I do know that he got a lot of things to pin on his shirt, and a lot of really nice letters from people I’ve never heard of, and I know he had a wonderful time. He did send some pictures of him hanging out of a two man helo by his feet. I asked him where his parachute was and he said they don’t give them to people in a helicopter. I said that does it I’m calling the freaking president! He said, please Mom, don’t call the president.
About a year after he left, the CIA was calling our house asking me where he was, they wanted to talk to him. I said, “Who is this?” and the woman said, “It’s the government, ma’am.” I said “Who governement?” She said, “CIA” but she had the kind of voice you can’t believe. I know the NSA and the DIA both tried to recruit him, and he declined because he didn’t want to live in DC.
As far as what he did, I KNOW that Elint was part of it, along with translating, but he didn’t want to kill me, so he didn’t tell me. Or his wife.
Agreed.
Don't Catholic churchs have Mass on Saturday to "fulfill" your Sabbath" obligation"?
So who is confused here?
or if Jesus Christ is God 100% equal to the Father.
Really?
The "mirror" allusion was regarding our good works or our condemnation, remember? It is just plain sad that Roman Catholics believe their good works are their own when they are actually Jesus Christ within them and they in Him.
"To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" -- Colossians 1:27
"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." -- 1 Corinthians 15:10 "That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." -- Philemon 1:6
If you do not perceive Christ in you, you should return to your Bible and look for Him.
I pray that you return to the Church.
All Protestants believe in the Trinity.
You have ceased to make sense.
The cross alone?
God’s grace alone?
Through faith alone?
Come on. Straighten out your brain. Quit looking in the mirror. You WILL answer for any hate.
ROTFL since when does an open thread become "ours" or "yours"?
I pray she doesn't. LOL! IF she thinks she is saved now, and IF she thinks that allows her to preach to others and tell them they're in danger of hellfire for being Catholic, then I do NOT want her back. That's some kind of personality.
How Christian of you :)
All men love their own music and prefer to believe they're playing all the instruments themselves.
True peace comes from loathing our sin and loving Christ's covering of it.
Exactly..
LOL. YOU brought up the mirror, Judith. Is your memory that faulty?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/2664899/posts?page=128#128
Yes, men are saved BY God’s grace alone THROUGH faith alone IN Jesus Christ alone.
It’s part of Rome’s shame that it doesn’t believe nor teach that simple Scriptural fact.
lol. Since they capitalized the “c” in “catholic.”
I'm debating posting about the last time someone said that to me...
Biblical truth has always been offensive to some.
Losing that one, too?
YUP.
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