Why don’t radical Catholics just leave?
March 19, 2012
Religion reporter Terry Mattingly raises a question that has often been asked by orthodox Catholics: When radical Catholics find themselves thoroughly at odds with Church doctrine, why don’t they leave the Church, rather than continuing to insist that they are Catholics? The answer, it seems, has a great deal to do with public influence.
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: Defender -
Mar. 20, 2012 2:31 AM ET USA
Look at it this way...if "they" left the Church (not that they haven't anyway), then there would be no National Catholic Reporter and all their slanted ways. Instead, it could become the National Episcopalian Reporter or National Sectarian Reporter or whatever. On second thought, they'd probably end up arguing amongst themselves and they'd have to appoint a council to come up with an appropriate name, then they'd argue about the spirit of that council, too.
-
Posted by: -
Mar. 19, 2012 11:49 PM ET USA
Perhaps the answer "why" for some renegade Catholics is more basic than just public influence or good intentions - however delusional, or out of step with Church teachings. Maybe the answer is simply that they have succumbed to the temptations of the Devil and his forces, and not even realizing it, they are now on the Devil’s team, spreading havoc, mayhem, and discord within the ranks of the flock.
-
Posted by: TheJournalist64 -
Mar. 19, 2012 8:12 PM ET USA
There's good news in anything. Look at "If you imagine you can change the church from within — get it to lighten up on birth control, gay rights, marriage equality, embryonic stem-cell research — you are deluding yourself." Finally somebody is getting it--if the Church changes its doctrines, it's no longer the Church. Too bad it has to be an atheist who gets it. . .
-
Posted by: normnuke -
Mar. 19, 2012 7:08 PM ET USA
They don't leave because in their humility they want to stay and serve the truth.
