Posted on 10/22/2014 9:22:19 AM PDT by marshmallow
A new poll shows the Catholic "faithful" are far from it
The Catholic Church does not settle doctrinal questions by majority vote. And since surveys of Catholic opinion usually record the answers of any respondents who identify themselves as Catholics, we don’t have many reliable indications of what faithful, practicing Catholics think, anyway.
Nevertheless, sometimes a poll provides results that are interesting in themselves, even if they don’t offer an accurate measure of authentic Catholic opinion. This survey from the Saint Leo College Polling Institute is one example.
According to the Saint Leo poll, Catholic Americans believe, by a whopping 68-18% margin (with 14% undecided) that Catholics who are divorced and remarried should be admitted to Communion. At a similarly overwhelming rate (66-21) they think the Church should accept artificial contraception. A solid voting majority (50-33) would drop the ban on extra-marital sex as well. And by a slight plurality, they would accept same-sex marriages, too.
I know, I know. You’ve seen this sort of poll before. No doubt you’ll see many more such surveys in the coming year. You could (and should) wonder how the questions were worded and how the results were recorded. Above all you should wonder about the sample. If the same questions were addressed to practicing Catholics, the results would be very different. But you know all that; these are familiar arguments.
What makes this particular St. Leo survey so interesting is the fact that the answers are broken into two categories: the responses from Catholics and those from non-Catholics. In every case, the answers from non-Catholics are substantially closer to the teachings of the Catholic Church.
(Excerpt) Read more at aleteia.org ...
The Church needs to shrink, not grow, as +Francis keeps insisting, and persecution will be the means to do it.
I don’t think people answer surveys honestly anymore. To much political correctness. I also think it does not matter a wit. God will protect his Church either way with more of us or with less of us.
wow, is this Catholic hour? 5 of the last 10 postings here are about Catholic topics.
“The Church needs to shrink, not grow, as +Francis keeps insisting, and persecution will be the means to do it. “
I so much agree with that. I’ve seen my Lutheran church have “growth” turn into their religion.
Whatever it takes to bring in more and more people. There is no concern if these people who must be brought in by having offers of coffee and popular music might eventually start having a voice in the future direction of the church.
Different thread, different polls, similar results:
....on social issues, especially homosexuality, Catholics are far more likely to be liberal than other Christians, and even Americans in general....the Pew Center finds that an overwhelming number of US Catholics aged 18 to 29 accept homosexuality (85 percent) and support same-sex marriage (75 percent). More worryingly for conservative Catholics, when the question is asked of weekly massgoers, who are by definition more likely to be involved in the faith and in their parish, the number of overall pro-SSM Catholics is an astonishing 45 percent. Only 44 percent of weekly massgoers support the Church’s teaching, which is to oppose same-sex marriage. The last 11 percent presumably don’t know how they feel. Given the strong cultural currents moving toward full acceptance of gay marriage, there is no reason to believe that when they do make their minds up, that all, or even most, of those undecided Catholics will break for the Church’s position. In fact, given that Pew’s analysis doesn’t break out the weekly massgoers by age group, it is likely that the opposition to SSM is heavily weighted toward the seniors, a group that is literally dying out........In general, the higher a share of a country’s residents are Catholic, the higher percentage of residents express tolerance toward divorce and towards gays. The effect isn’t huge, but it’s consistent.
-- from the thread Catholics, the Real Liberals
I am so sick of having this discussion with libs in my Church. Stop trying to change that which cannot be changed. I had this argument with a Dominican "Sister", Frequently. She drove me up a wall! I was always told that I had to be opened minded. Believe me, it took all that is Catholic within me, not to strangle her with my bare hands. The Bishop finally after years and years of complaints banished her from the Diocese. The good monsignor at that parish was scared to death of her. I could go on but you get the picture! She was a Universalist at best. Not a Catholic, all that new age psychological mumbo jumbo. OMG!
Exactly! We can't expect kids raised in the 60s-80s to keep their faith when they were taught it so poorly.
There is a big reason for this result.
The Catholic church in the USA is by and large affiliated with the Democratic party. As the Dem’s jumped to apostasy, many Catholics followed suite because it was part of their identity.
My late father in law was a life long Catholic and always (till I came into the family) voted Democrat. He also had views that paralleled what the poll said because he viewed the Democratic party as so heavily influenced by the Church, that if they believed it it must be ok.
The same is true for the Evangelicals, only on the flip side. Many of the views held by Evangelicals are not based in their theology but their party affiliation .
I have run into that also.
The pressure to go along to get along is very strong. Even in my (very orthodox) LCMS parish.
Really......
Got any evidence to back that up? Because it would seem counter-intuitive that someone would let their political affiliation influence their theology.
For the record, my party affiliation is only for the purpose of being able to vote in the primaries.
I vote moral position over party affiliation every time.
For people who are devout in their religious beliefs, it isn’t as big of a factor. But in the case of Catholics supporting anti Catholic causes look no farther than Biden.
You know full well what I mean, I am guessing that is why you left the Church. What a thing to say! Catholics require more then singing "Jesus Loves Me", great for the pre-K set. Older ones need to know more. I am sure you know that.
It's irrelevant that he can't be in every classroom.
It's a given that those in authority are responsible for what those under their authority are doing.
And aren't there levels of clergy between the bishop and those teaching the catechism classes? Like the priests of the parish?
And shouldn't the liberal leaning voting patterns and the poll results alerted someone, somewhere, that thorough teaching of the CCC wasn't happening?
They can't possible be that out of touch with reality.
And if they are, then they don't belong in the positions they're in.
Making sure Catholics are being properly catechized ought to be part of their job if it isn't, and I highly doubt that it really isn't.
Besides, you never answered the question.
*Jesus loves me "crap"*???? Really?
I observed some time ago, that two of the biggest problems facing the RC Church are the number of Europeans who don't attend mass, and the number of Americans who do...
Here’s an idea for you. You worry about your church and we will take care of ours. I know it’s a stretch, but try minding your own business.
:) Yes, I have.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.