A Thought on Cafeteria Catholics or Who ever heard of a Cafeteria Baptist?

[Lujack]

This is a rough thought, not too polished yet, but I think we do a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth over fallen-away, lapsed, and cafeteria Catholics, instead of taking advantage of what is actually an advantage to the Church.

Like the title says, who ever heard of a cafeteria baptist? No one has, because they leave the church they belong to and become atheists or start a new one, or find another one. But Catholics are a different breed. They will identify as Catholic a long time after they are no longer practicing ones.

We focus too much on the fact that their ties to the Church are getting thin, rather than trying to take advantage of the fact that they still have ties at all. Once a baptist leaves their church, it would be hard for that church to reclaim him, but when a Catholic starts to leave the Church, there is still a ready tether for evangelization.

Just an optimistic thought.

[mapleoak]

Originally Posted by Lujack

This is a rough thought, not too polished yet, but I think we do a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth over fallen-away, lapsed, and cafeteria Catholics, instead of taking advantage of what is actually an advantage to the Church.

Like the title says, who ever heard of a cafeteria baptist? No one has, because they leave the church they belong to and become atheists or start a new one, or find another one. But Catholics are a different breed. They will identify as Catholic a long time after they are no longer practicing ones.

We focus too much on the fact that their ties to the Church are getting thin, rather than trying to take advantage of the fact that they still have ties at all. Once a baptist leaves their church, it would be hard for that church to reclaim him, but when a Catholic starts to leave the Church, there is still a ready tether for evangelization.

Just an optimistic thought.

The term 'cafeteria baptist' is redundant. It is all open to personal interpretation of scripture. Personal interpretation implies that the Holy Spirit is deceptive, guiding each down contradictory paths.

[Lead Me Home]

Originally Posted by Lujack

We focus too much on the fact that their ties to the Church are getting thin, rather than trying to take advantage of the fact that they still have ties at all. Once a baptist leaves their church, it would be hard for that church to reclaim him, but when a Catholic starts to leave the Church, there is still a ready tether for evangelization.

Just an optimistic thought.

Amen brother!

[kesa82]

The Catholic church is vast, not just in physical size, but in, well, everything. Even if one is on top of and in agreement with all current directives from the Vatican....... Well, is what Leo X says in the 15th century irrelevant or unimportant now then?
I can't memorize all the Coats of Arms of all the Popes. To read and digest ALL of their encyclicals......I simply won't live that long.
It seems to me that the church is like a university library. Have you ever seen one of those huge university libraries? The university I grew up next to had a library that had two basement levels, and 12 stories rising into the air. we may study in it, even live in it and work as a librarian in it, but we will never know it all.

[Jermosh]

Its like being sorta pregnant. Either you are, or you are not pregnant. Now you may not be happy that you are, or you may do horrible things while you are pregnant, you are still pregnant.

[Paul1961]

Originally Posted by Lujack

Like the title says, who ever heard of a cafeteria baptist? No one has, because they leave the church they belong to and become atheists or start a new one, or find another one. But Catholics are a different breed. They will identify as Catholic a long time after they are no longer practicing ones.

We focus too much on the fact that their ties to the Church are getting thin, rather than trying to take advantage of the fact that they still have ties at all. Once a baptist leaves their church, it would be hard for that church to reclaim him, but when a Catholic starts to leave the Church, there is still a ready tether for evangelization.

Just an optimistic thought.

While I agree with you to some degree, it applies more to lapsed Catholics. Their are many former Catholics who left for a destination.

In my own case...I have one brother and two sisters. My younger sister and I are still church going Catholics(albeit cafeteria on a couple of issues). My brother and his wife were married Catholic but joined a non-denominational church. My sister and her husband married in a Catholic church but practice as Episcopalians. They are not lost wandering Catholics to be brought home. They have found their homes. BTW we are late 40/early 50s.

I don't know how representative we are of late baby-boomer Catholics. In our case, 50% left the church to never return.(Other than for special occasions like a niece or nephews sacraments).

[Newbie2]

Interesting thoughts by the OP.

I guess it begs the question as to what really constitutes a Catholic...i.e. are such "Cafeteria Catholics" or those who, say, accept less than 100% of Catholic teaching are "really Catholic".

Perhaps thats why we sometimes struggle with what's acceptable as dissent, or better said, what's acceptable dissent and what is not.