Reach Out and Touch FaithIt is clear that the Catholic Church is under attack: In addition to the damage caused by the sex abuse scandal, American churches face a consistent dwindling number of priests as well as members. A recent study by Georgetown University found that a third of the 64 million US Catholics never attend mass. Additionally, the divide between the church's teachings and people's beliefs is growing. Closer to home, the grammar school that my entire family attended in Greenwich Village closed this past year as did several others across New York City.
One would have to believe that the church is aware of these alarming statistics. A great deal of the Pope's time during his visit to the US was spent addressing and apologizing for certain abuses by the Catholic Church. "it is a great suffering for the church in the United States, for the church in general and for me personally that this could happen', Benedict said. So now what? The Pope and his entourage will fly back to Rome, to Vatican City and do what?
Let me start off by saying that I am Catholic and have decided to raise my family in the same tradition but I continue to question that decision every time another sacrament is on the schedule for my children. It's a shame, my upbringing in the Catholic religion has been rewarding for many reasons. However, the church's ignorance and unwillingness to evolve with the times and environment is creating an unsure future. Sure, we're always going to debate the Church's stance on abortion, the morality of birth control or the ordination or women but these are big issues and cornerstones of the religion. However, the church can start to leverage the strength of contemporary communication to better reach its flock, create dialogue - reconnect and rebuild these relationships as well as its numbers.
Google 'Catholic Church' and you get a wikipedia definition and other history links. What you should get is a link to the Church's interactive web site with a wealth of resources as broad and as geo-targeted as the Church could afford to build (and after being to the Vatican a few years back, I can tell you the church most definitely has the financial means to create the most definitive resource for its members in the world.) Think about it, connecting Catholics all over the world, daily personalized communication for members, weekly webcasts from different churches around the world, community links and specialized blogs. There could be newsgroups and other social networking communities, a Faithbook or PiousSpace (you get the idea). Podcasts could incorporate music as well as encyclicals and other rich church teachings. While we're at it, regular communication from the Pope himself would be nice. No worries either - there could be a virtual collection box so the church continues to bring in revenue.
Pope Benedict, we were so happy to have you visit - please come back anytime but we need you to be a true leader of this faith and start thinking critically and modernize your approach to your Church. I'm pretty sure if Jesus Christ was alive today (in human form), he would have a gmail account.
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I agree with you on as far as questioning the Catholic church. I was raised Catholic and my parents a very relgious. Aside from weddngs and baptism's I have not gone to church in years. I do at time's feel guilty about it, being that there is a church right on my corner. I just feel that they always as for donations and they don't do much for the community or parish. I would much rather give directley to charities. I think the Catholis church as lost it's sense of comrodory. Things we different, I my oponion when I was younger and attended Catholic school. You knew most of the people attending church. You knew who the priest's were. You knew which families were in need and what the parish did to help them out. I just feel that all that has changed. You're right, with all the Church's resource why havn't the done something to stop the decline in people being committed to them? Why now? I don't have children yet and I'm not sure how I will raise them when I do. My wife is a relgious and still beleives in the Church so maybe I will leave that up to her.
I agree as well. I was brought up catholic and enjoy my "home" church (which is the one i went to with my parents as a child) but have fallen away from regular attendance since I moved to the city. The sour taste I developed began with my wedding experience. I married outside of a catholic church in a lutheran church (my wife is lutheran) and before doing so, I had to get permission and sign a waiver to baptise our first born as catholic!? The second phase was arranging to baptise my son. According to the catholic chruch, you can not have godparents of the same sex, that are gay or jewish. I find this extremely narrow minded for today's society. We definitely believe in having religion in our children's life, but what religion that is is still undecided.
Well Rob,this is a tough one.Not because of the subject but because I do not want to offend anyone.However,let me take a shot at it.
Like everything else,things chnage with each generation.Sometimes for the better...sometimes not.Trust me on this,be it Easter,Passover or any other religious gathering where dinner is involved,no one cooks like their grandmother did and very few practice their religions customs like their grandparents did. Things change ! The way you practice your faith and the amount of reliance on it has been altered with time.
I personally do not practice organized religion.It was never my way but I do have a sort of faith. I try to be practical about it and not expect too much. This way of thinking helps me when I pray not to get sunburned while walking shirtless at noon in Aruba. That would be asking for a lot and it is not really God's job to provide me with sunscreen.
Seriously...
Rob,you know my work and my habits.At this stage of the game it is not for me to ask God to make me a better person.That is my job! But I will say this...whether someone is very religious or not,an avid worshiper or not it doesn't matter. When people are in their temple of choice and are praying for whatever they might need help with this week remember this...
SOMETIMES THE ANSWER IS NO !!!
As a practicing Catholic and a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, my friends are always giving me the business about how backward the Church is. And of course they are right. That said, it is not easy for a worldwide, 2000 year old institution to adapt readily to evolving cultural mores. The papacy itself is a throwback to the era of monarchs.
For me, the real question in religion is whether it helps me to live my life better. And the real question in a religious leader is whether he or she speaks to the fundamental moral issues of the day. JPII was a terrific Pope for the first half of his papacy because he was uniquely situated to address the most important moral question of the Cold War: whether the US and the USSR were going to destroy the world. The second half of his papacy was not as successful in my opinion because, after the wall came down, he was an outdated reactionary preaching nostalgia for old-time values.
Unfortunately in B16 we have a guy who is not speaking to the central moral issues of today's world -- how can the Christian/secular West make peace with its increasingly fundamentalist Islamic neighbors and how can we address the moral inequity between the rich (countries) and the poor. To make matters worse, B16 is also hopelessly ill-equipped to modernize the Church and its thinking, whether on social issues or even something as basic as putting up a web site. If we are going to have an old-fashioned backward-looking conservative, please find one from the streets of Beirut or Damascus who can make peace between the faiths or one from Brazil or Africa who can reconcile the haves and the have-nots. And if we can't have that, at least give us a modernist in the mold of John the 23rd. B16 might be a nice old man but he does not fit either bill.
Hi Rob,
I read your article and I agree with much of it. As you know, I go to Church every Sunday. I don't agree with everything the Church has to say but we can't just pick and choose what fits our schedule and lifestyle. I think many Catholics do just that. The sex abuse is horrific and Cardinal Law, who is from my state, is in Italy, saying Mass and apparently has no consequences for his actions or should I say lack of...I still go to Church. I'm the only one in the whole family that goes. Too many things have happened in my life that proves to me that God exists. Both the bad and good stuff. I just can't imagine never going to Church and never praying. There is a Supreme Being and it's not us. Hey Rob, this blog is a milestone for me:)
Mima
Mima
Hi Rob,
I read your article and I agree with much of it. As you know, I go to Church every Sunday. I don't agree with everything the Church has to say but we can't just pick and choose what fits our schedule and lifestyle. I think many Catholics do just that. The sex abuse is horrific and Cardinal Law, who is from my state, is in Italy, saying Mass and apparently has no consequences for his actions or should I say lack of...I still go to Church. I'm the only one in the whole family that goes. Too many things have happened in my life that proves to me that God exists. Both the bad and good stuff. I just can't imagine never going to Church and never praying. There is a Supreme Being and it's not us. Hey Rob, this blog is a milestone for me:)
Mima
Mima
What you all are stating echoes the feelings of many Catholics. And much of what you said I can agree with. More needs to be done concerning the sex abuse scandels than just mere words. So we are in 100% agreement there as well.
But we must be careful in our interpretation of modernizing the church. If you mean to keep up with and use technology, such as the website etc mentioned... I agree 100%. If you want to change the worship style slightly... traditional vs contemporary... go for it; as well as other similar examples. But lets not forget that on the tough moral issues, the church is supposed to change the culture rather than the culture changing the church. There are certain biblical principals and lines that we should NEVER cross; no matter what the cultural trends are. God does not change. His principals do not change. His Word does not change even though we do. Does the church have some improvements to make. Absolutely! But be careful in how far we take those changes.
It saddens me to see so many Catholic friends and relatives loose interest in church. They've all got good reason. But they are also falling prey to becoming more vulnerable to the evil one in doing so. We can not loose sight that we are in spiritual warfare every day. God forbid my suggesting this...but before giving up on church entirely, go and find another bible believing church to go to until things settle down and are resolved. You need to hear the Word of God. It is your spiritual nourishment.
And this doesn't apply to everyone in this post... but it seems that the people that want the most change are those that really aren't going to church at all and working to make that changes happen. Do you really think change is going to happen if you aren't in there fighting for it? In all areas of life... Nothing changes unless YOU do something different than what you are currently doing. Stop waiting for change to magically happen or for other people to do it and then use that as an excuse to not go to church.
Do you really want to see your faith take off? Start going to bible studies and get to know God through them. Bible studies have been HUGE in my life. Ask him to change your heart as well as the things in the church that frustrate you. God knows what you are thinking... tell Him and pray and talk to Him continually while working, driving wherever. I promise you... you'll never be the same if you make the choice to seek Him. You will find Him. And it will give you the strength to fight for the changes you are seeking as well.