I had a great conversation with an Anglican the other day. We were at the IU Rosary Club and we were talking about faith and belief in the Church. Suprisingly he siad that he is almost in total agreement with the Catholic Church, but there are a few issues that he does not agree with. However, he said that he really liked the Church but didn't believe that he should convert because he did not believe in thing fully. He then said that he believes that one should only profess to believe in a certain faith if they believe in everything the Church teaches.

I was just thinking that I wish there were more Catholics like him. No more cafeteria Catholics that pick and choose what they want to believe and what they don't.

Also, please pray that God will continue to guide him on his journey back home.

-- Scott (papasquat10@hotmail.com), November 19, 2004

Answers

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-- Andy S ("ask3332004@yahoo.com"), November 19, 2004.

Well in one sense that is true Scott. I too wish all Catholics accepted all the teachings of their Church just as Protestants accept all the teachings of their church. On the other hand, the reason Protestants can easily accept all the teachings of their church is that their church was custom designed to their beliefs. It was created by rejecting whatever they didn't want to believe and accepting what they did want to believe, so obviously whatever is left is easy for them to believe. A Catholic who has some problems with some aspects of the fullness of truth as taught by the Church, but still remains faithful to the Church, is in a much better place than a Protestant who has no problems with the partial truth his church teaches.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), November 19, 2004.

What I love about the Catholic Church is the diversity.

The Church is large enough and diverse enough that you can find within it's umbrella all forms of worship:

Approved Tridentine Latin masses, so called charismatic masses. prayer groups of all kinds, personal devotions of all types. It goes on and on.

I have a theory that "cafeteria" catholics pick and choose less than we sometimes realize. It's more diversity.

We all get elistist at times and believe that our way is the best way. Human nature.

God bless,

-- john placette (jplacette@catholic.org), November 19, 2004.

Scott,

Tend to agree with my fellow Anglican. The current Pope preached against cafeteria Catholicism in Denver and gave everyone who does not agree w/the Church 100% a perfect excuse.

Paul,

Yes, shopping for a church were one feels comfortable is part of the protestant experiance. The postitive is that one gets exposed to a wide variety of things: preaching styles, philosophies, etc. The negitive is that one ends up with a preacher that will not often make you reach. Also the tendency is to shop around the Protestant circle, and leave the R. Catholics, the mormans, the scientologists, etc. out of the shopping list. A theme of my contributions is that Protestant attitudes are as bad (but not worse) than Catholic attitudes, just different. And that to the holder of such attitudes, the attitude is invisible.

-- Sean Cleary (seanearlyaug@hotmail.com), November 21, 2004.

Paul, continued,

And shopping for a church does happen within the Anglican/Episcopal communtiy as there are a variety of preaching styles and philosophys in that church.

I remember my parents going to a different Catholic church parish for similar reasons though.

Sean

-- Sean Cleary (seanearlyaug@hotmail.com), November 21, 2004.

Sean,

There is a very wide range of preaching styles, philosophies and spiritualities within the Holy Catholic Church. What is not found there however is a wide variety of conflicting doctrinal beliefs. That is the problem among non-Catholic churches, not preaching styles. Denominations divide and redivide over WHAT should be taught, not over HOW it is taught.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), November 21, 2004.