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WHY ARE OUR CATHOLIC LAITY SO ILLITERATE WHEN IT COMES TO THE CATHOLIC FAITH
Southern Orders ^ | May 31, 2013 | Fr. Allan J. McDonald

Posted on 05/31/2013 2:44:05 PM PDT by NYer

WHY ARE OUR CATHOLIC LAITY SO ILLITERATE WHEN IT COMES TO THE CATHOLIC FAITH--BLAME THE TEXT BOOKS, BLAME THE TEACHING METHODS AND BLAME THE PARENTS, BUT BLAME THE BISHOPS, PRIESTS AND CATECHISTS TOO, BLAME EVERYONE INCLUDING SATAN, EXCEPT NO ONE TEACHES ABOUT HIM ANYMORE OTHER THAN POPE FRANCIS, DON'T BLAME HIM!

Do our Catholic children and most adults know what these images teach?

All of us know one of the elephants in the room of the Catholic Church. Our religious education programs are not handing on the essence of our Catholic Faith, our parents are befuddled about their role in handing on the faith and the materials we use are vapid or if good do not make an impression on young minds. We are afraid of asking for memorization and thus most don't remember anything they've learned about God and Church other than some niceties and feel good emotions.

I teach each class of our grades 1-6 (we don't have 7th or 8th) each Thursday, rotating classes from week to week. For the last two years I have used Baltimore Catechism #1 as my text book. It is wonderful to use with children and it is so simple yet has so much content. If Catholics, all Catholics, simply studied Baltimore Catechism #1, we would have very knowledgeable Catholics.

These past two years I've used Baltimore Catechism #2 with our adult religious program which we call Coffee and Conversation following our 9:30 AM Sunday Mass, which coincides with our CCD program which we call PREP (Parish Religious Education Program).

This #2 book has more content and is for middle school, but upper elementary school children must have been more capable of more serious content back when this book was formulated and used through the mid 1960's because it is a great book to use with adults and not childish at all. We all use this same book as a supplemental book for the RCIA because it is so clear, nobly simple and chocked full of content!

Yes, there are some adjustments that need to be made to some chapters, but not that many, in light of Vatican II and the new emphasis we have on certain aspects of Church that are not present in the Baltimore Catechism. But these are really minor.

What is more important though is that when the Baltimore Catechism was used through the mid 1960's it was basically the only book that was used for children in elementary and junior high school. It was used across the board in the USA thus uniting all Catholics in learning the same content. There was not, in other words, a cottage industry of competing publishing houses selling new books and different content each year.

The same thing has occurred with liturgical music, a cottage industry of big bucks has developed around the sale of new hymnals, missalettes and new music put on the open market for parishes to purchase. It is a money making scheme.

Why do our bishop allow this to happen in both liturgical music and parish catechesis? The business of selling stuff to parishes and making mega bucks off of it is a scandal that has not be addressed.

In the meantime, our liturgies suffer and become fragmented because every parish uses a different resource for liturgical music and the same is true of religious formation, everyone uses something different of differing quality or no quality at all.

Isn't it time to wake up and move forward with tried and true practices that were tossed out in favor of a consumerist's approach to our faith that has weakened our liturgies, our parishes and our individual Catholics?


TOPICS: Apologetics; Catholic; Ministry/Outreach; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: catechism; catholic; catholicsects; ignorantprotestants; papalpromotion; traditionalcatholic
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To: daniel1212
John 6:54 "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day."

NOW we realize where the phrase "Bite me!" came from!

961 posted on 06/02/2013 1:11:29 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: JCBreckenridge
Man, that yopios cereals really stings doesn’t it.

It must...

962 posted on 06/02/2013 1:12:11 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: MarkBsnr
How did Adam know better than Eve.

She wasn't around to hear the command GOD gave him?


15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

963 posted on 06/02/2013 1:14:08 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: JCBreckenridge

Did you read my posts, Breckenridge? NT specific, Acts of the Apostles specific. Mary is mentioned only once in Acts, and then only in a, “oh, yeah, Mary, she was there too with the others seeking God,” sense. No exaltation of Mary in Acts, she is just like everybody else. Luke, who wrote Acts, obviously wasn’t a Maryolator.


964 posted on 06/02/2013 1:14:59 PM PDT by sasportas
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To: Natural Law
So I guess that's why everyone agrees with you on all matters of interpretation.

Just like ALL Catholics are in lockstep with what their church tells them.

965 posted on 06/02/2013 1:15:24 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: sasportas
Where’s the Mariolatry in Acts?

It's in the post script of the Letter - written in chapter 15.

966 posted on 06/02/2013 1:16:35 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: Tennessee Nana

Hurry Nana - you might get it!


967 posted on 06/02/2013 1:19:18 PM PDT by Elsie (Heck is where people, who don't believe in Gosh, think they are not going...)
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To: JCBreckenridge
Well ok. Good luck with being a Jew. :)

As said, that is a fitting conclusion, according to Rome's model.

968 posted on 06/02/2013 1:21:42 PM PDT by daniel1212 (Come to the Lord Jesus as a contrite damned+destitute sinner, trust Him to save you, then live 4 Him)
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To: sasportas; BipolarBob; LearnsFromMistakes; Greetings_Puny_Humans; MeganC; Natural Law
Once the Bible became available to the common man, the Romanist game was over. They’ve been de-fanged. Going up against people armed with their Bibles, the Romanists haven’t a leg to stand on.

First of all, thank God for the Catholic Church. Guided by the Holy Spirit, we compiled the Bible. With God‟s grace, we started hospitals to care for the sick. We establish orphanages, and help the poor. We are the largest charitable organization on the planet, bringing relief and comfort to those in need. We educate more children than any other scholarly or religious institution. We developed the scientific method. We founded the college (university) system. We defend the dignity of all human life, and uphold marriage and family. Ours is one family united in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Earlier, I posed a question to several others on this thread but have not yet received a response. Perhaps you can provide it. Please show me what the Bible says about in-vitro fertilization, contraception and divorce ... what does it say about two people living together outside of marriage. What does your church teach on these topics and which biblical source do they use? Thank you!

How many hospitals has your church built? What ranking does your church old on the charitable organization list? How many schools has your church built? How does your church publicly defend the dignity of all human life, or uphold marriage and the family? I am seriously interested in learning more about your respective churches and their contributions to society.

969 posted on 06/02/2013 1:39:12 PM PDT by NYer ( "Run from places of sin as from the plague."--St John Climacus)
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To: metmom
"You’re then presuming that it will be a human being.

ROTFLMAO . . . . !!!!!!!

Wait, now. Someone who says they KNOW that Jesus Christ Himself, God from God . . . ABSOLUTELY CANNOT put even a trace of His blood in a Eucharist Host or of His blood would somehow change human DNA into something else?

As usual, people who one minute deny that God can do something man can not detect, turn around and when it suits their lame brained garbage fantasies insist that He can indeed do things man cannot detect.

Lame brained theology created from the Pharisee Approved Luther Subset of Scripture. Funny.

Making the flat statement that God CANNOT do something. Disgusting.

Blatant, obvious, hypocrisies. Priceless !!


970 posted on 06/02/2013 1:40:58 PM PDT by Rashputin (Jesus Christ doesn't evacuate His troops, He leads them to victory.)
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To: metmom
I was laughing too hard and didn't post that entire comment in #970. This is the entire post :

"You’re then presuming that it will be a human being.

ROTFLMAO . . . . !!!!!!!

Wait, now. Someone who says they KNOW that Jesus Christ Himself, God from God . . . ABSOLUTELY CANNOT put even a trace of His body DNA in a Eucharist Host or of His blood in Eucharist wine, would change human DNA into something else in spite of IVF doing the very same thing every day with no change taking place?

As usual, people who one minute deny that God can do something man can not detect, turn around and when it suits their lame brained garbage fantasies insist that He can indeed do things man cannot detect.

Lame brained theology created from the Pharisee Approved Luther Subset of Scripture. Funny.

Making the flat statement that God CANNOT do something. Disgusting.

Blatant, obvious, hypocrisies. Priceless !!


971 posted on 06/02/2013 1:45:14 PM PDT by Rashputin (Jesus Christ doesn't evacuate His troops, He leads them to victory.)
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To: RPTMS; metmom

Oh my! Are you out and out calling metmom a liar? She posts scripture to show that Jesus called it “the fruit of the vine” and you call her a liar? Wow! Just wow!


972 posted on 06/02/2013 1:47:49 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: RPTMS; sasportas
Jesus disagreed with the words spoken about Mary and said those who believed were the ones who were blessed.

Luke 11:27And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked. 28 But he said, Nay rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.

The words spoken to Mary were no different then were spoken to Jael in Judges. In fact, Jael was called blessed above women. Mary was called blessed among women.

Luke 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

Judges 5:24 Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be,

Those words were also spoken of Noah, Moses, and David.

973 posted on 06/02/2013 1:54:29 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: NYer

“Earlier, I posed a question to several others on this thread but have not yet received a response. Perhaps you can provide it. Please show me what the Bible says about in-vitro fertilization, contraception and divorce ... “


What I’m actually surprised about is that you are unaware that Christ and the Bible teach on marriage and divorce. Contraception is not named, but it is a logical conclusion that one of the purposes of marriage is childbirth. Then again, the other purpose is mutual help because “it is not good that man should be alone.” Evidently a command ignored by the RCC in their establishment of a celibate Priesthood. Obviously a plan that backfired, considering all the molester Priests working in all those charitable organizations setup by the RCC.


974 posted on 06/02/2013 2:06:46 PM PDT by Greetings_Puny_Humans
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Comment #975 Removed by Moderator

To: RPTMS

Do NOT accuse anyone of lying on the Religion Forum, that is personal and attributes motive.

Read the rules at the following link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/~religionmoderator/

This is an open thread.


976 posted on 06/02/2013 2:09:06 PM PDT by Admin Moderator
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To: NYer

Your claim, oft repeated here on the RF, that the RCC “gave us the Bible,” has been answered repeatedly, no need for me to go there.

I do acknowledge and respect the charitable things you mentioned, hospitals and orphanages. You do know, however, that Freemasonry makes the same sort of claims?

However many hospitals and orphanages an organization may build has nothing to do with the rightness or wrongness of such things as Masonic secret orders, or in the case of the RCC, Mariolatry, celibacy, rosary beads, etc.


977 posted on 06/02/2013 2:09:58 PM PDT by sasportas
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To: MarkBsnr; Iscool
>> We'll see if it corresponds with Christian Scripture.<<

You should start by showing him where in scripture it teaches of the assumption of Mary so that you can definitively show that Catholics can prove all of their beliefs by scripture.

978 posted on 06/02/2013 2:15:43 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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To: MarkBsnr
>>They consider themselves double 0 - naught. Licence to sin.<<

Would you please show from posts by non Catholics that they have stated that belief please. As a courtesy to you I’ll save this question so I don’t miss your answer. Surely you wouldn’t make such a scurrilous claim if you couldn’t show definitively where someone made that claim.

979 posted on 06/02/2013 2:20:54 PM PDT by CynicalBear (For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ)
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Comment #980 Removed by Moderator


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