Friday, June 22, 2012

Why Catholics Leave & Where They Go

Why Catholics Leave & Where They Go by MSW.  MGB: Spiritual but not religious is actual code for many people who are in recovery and find the Ignatian Spirituality of Alcoholics Anonymous much more fulfilling than the fixation the Church has for gyno-morality, especially when they get political about it with such exercises as the Fortnight for Religious Freedom (which seems to be more about the religious rights of hierarchy at the expense of those of the faithful and employees who aren't even Catholic) or at election time.


Those who know their ecclesial history can be more easily discouraged, especially from ancient times where the Overseer (better translated as Pastor than Bishop) was elected by the people rather than transfered in or appointed from outside by the Pope through the Papal Nuncio. Don't let anyone tell you that people are not fully indoctrinated in the western world into modern democratic modes of thought. Consider that many who leave to be either spiritual and not religious, or simply religious somewhere else chaif at the arrogance of the hierarchy and their renewed insistence on conformity to the infallible Magisterium based on natural law (which is an inherent contradiction in terms - as natural law is always subject to reason and is the province of anyone who uses it).

As for the music, most modern music is hideous. Sadly, my wife loves the St. Louis Jesuits. Luckily, a neigboring parish has a simple 7 AM Mass with no music at all. Still, the problem with the music is mostly that music ministers spend no time finding hymns the congregation loves and coaching them in them, including practicing the responsorial psalm prior to Mass. If the music is bad, we have ourselves to blame for it. This is one ministry where the laity mostly hold sway and are responsible for the result.

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