For John, BLUF: If a religion isn't serious about its beliefs, its doctrines, it will whither and die. Nothing to see here; just move along.
Here is some happy little news from The Pew Trust, the number of Roman Catholics identifying themselves as "strong Catholics" has decline.
And this right after the election of a new Pope, Francis I.
From the article lede:
The percentage of U.S. Catholics who consider themselves “strong” members of the Roman Catholic Church has never been lower than it was in 2012, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of new data from the General Social Survey (GSS). About a quarter (27%) of American Catholics called themselves “strong” Catholics last year, down more than 15 points since the mid-1980s and among the lowest levels seen in the 38 years since strength of religious identity was first measured in the GSS, a long-running national survey carried out by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago.The thing missing from this study is the fact that a too liberal religion tends to lose members, but one that is more "conservative" or "fundamentalist", while it may lose members overall, tends to increase the percentage who strongly identify with that religion. Remember, the two Pentecostal Churches East of Lowell, one on 133 and the other on 110, didn't come over with the folks on the Mayflower. They represent faiths that are only about 100 years old. So, their members came from other faiths. Why? Because the members were not being nourished by their original Faiths.
Even within the Roman Catholic Church in the United States, the more "conservative" dioceses are thriving and the more "liberal" are declining.
Regards — Cliff
A few weeks ago, I commented that Jesuits got a bad reputation for being liberal. When in fact they are not politically liberal, but liberals want them to be politically liberal.
ReplyDeletein the comment section of the America (Jesuit Magazine) article...
the comment....
"In this time of decreased opportunity and ground lost economically, it would be nice to see the Bishops be as vigorous in fighting for the middle class as they are at avoiding talking about priestly pedophilia, making abortion illegal, and "defending society against" gay marriage. Maybe more people would be in the pews if they thought the Bishops actually cared about their lot in life "
It isn't about the poor, the abandoned pregnant woman, the fatherless, the Catholic Church should be about making it relevant for the middle class! Because how else could we fill up those pews.
The Church isn't an entertainment venue, ladies and gentlemen.