There are no "bad Catholics." There are folks CLAIMING something that is not true (and they likely know it). One is either Catholic or not. A Catholic just swallows whole whatever the RC Denomination itself exclusively says (officially, AT LEAST) because the RC Denomination does. And parrots that. True or false, right or wrong. If they do that, they are Catholic. If they don't, they aren't (although they may falsely CLAIM otherwise). See CCC 87.
In my Catholic education, our Catholic Deacon stressed,
in the pews of Catholic parishes we find 3 groups of people:
CATHOLICS. They acknowledge and accept that the [Roman Catholic] Church is (in official matters) the Voice of God - infallible, Authoritative. When IT speaks (exclusively, singularly, institutionally, officially) God Himself therefore speaks. They do NOT ask "is it true?" They ask, "Do I accept?" He admitted these are very rare, even among the "religious." I have met a few of these (nearly all online).
CAFETERIA "Catholics" These are not Catholics at all, although they likely embrace most of the teachings of the specific, singular [Roman Catholic] Church. But they accept them because
THEY have concluded these things are good or right,
NOT because the Church says so. Thus, by definition, they are
not Catholic, not at all. They TEND to accept things, perhaps strongly and passionately - until they conclude such is weak or wrong, when they simply ignore them. They regard the [Roman Catholic] Church as potentially errant (in matters of formal doctrine), they look to some authority (or authorities) other than the [Roman Catholic] Church, they appoint self as the final arbiter. He stated that most in the pews fall into this group. I did. All my Catholic family members are in this group, too.
PROTESTANTS HIDING IN THE [Roman Catholic] CHURCH. Similar to above, but they work in the opposite direction: Cafeteria Catholic tend to accept until shown lacking whereas Protestants Hiding tend to not accept until shown to be of merit. RCIA Classes target this group and produce this kind of pew warmer (who are by no means Catholics). This third group of folks in the pews often accept MORE teachings than Cafeteria Catholics but they've accepted them because they've ruled them as true - in a deliberate way that they know defies the authority and rule of the [Roman Catholic] Church. They treat the RCC as just another denomination - the one they choose because they agree most with it. They'll leave if they change their minds on that. Cafeteria Catholics tend to be cradle Catholics or spouses of such whereas Protestants Hiding tend to be converts and products of RCIA classes. Our Deacon called this group, "the greatest threat to Catholicism since Gnosticism" and note that it is by far the fastest growing group in Catholicism. He complained too that much of Catholic education these days actually "feeds" this dangerous heresy.
Here is Catholicism. The exclusive, singular, individual, particular, RC Denomination speaks - and we jump. NOT because it's true or sound or right but because the RC Denomination is the AUTHORITY, the Vicar of God, the Mouth of God. It has EVERYTHING to do with unmitigated, unaccountable POWER (which the RCC likes to label "Authority") which is why the (very unhistorical) stress on the connection to Jesus and the (irrational) jump - if you accept Jesus as Lord you MUST accept the RCC as Lord. I recall a Catholic teacher speaking on some Catholic distinctive doctrine (I don't recall which) and I raised the issue of truth (I EVENTUALLY learned this is.... troubling to Catholics). The response I got was stern and very, very, very Catholic: "Josiah. If Jesus HIMSELF stood before you and told you something, would you ask Him if that was true? Of course not! So, how in the world can you even THINK to ask that of something the [Roman Catholic] Church tells you is true?"
Ah. That teacher was Catholic. They are precious few of them. Catholicism began to dawn on this rather pious, good "Catholic" boy. And my journey out began - not because I willed it, not because anything was pulling me.... but because I was being pushed.
When I realized I was not a Catholic, I finally concluded that it was a matter of honestly, integrity, character to not lie or knowingly deceive. I stopped labeling myself Catholic. And stopped regularly worshiping there. To me, it was a matter of honesty.... truth..... integrity.
MoreCoffee said:
Lizzie says that Orthodox teach Transubstantiation
You use this as a way of showing Lizzie is wrong.... interesting because nearly all Catholic teachers insist that the Dogma of Transubstantiation was "always taught" and is the teaching of the EOC; glad to know you are one of the few Catholics who realize this is a late, medieval INVENTION of Roman Catholic Scholasticism, made dogma AFTER Luther's death and NOT accepted by the EOC (or by Roman Catholicism for most of its history). Trouble is: Catholics are to swallow whole whatever their Catholic teachers tell them BECAUSE their Catholic teachers are telling it to them (it specifically states that in your Catechism) and those teachers are going to tell you that Transubstantiation was always taught and believed, and that the Orthodox Churches teach it, too. I know. It's what I was taught and what all my Catholic family was taught.
- Josiah
.
