Well, it's been a hell of a ride, laying rubber all over the road for the past decade. But it's time to call it a day and park the Rogue in the garage. Effective today, I am shutting down my blog to focus my attention on other endeavours. My thanks to the more than 2.7 million people who regularly joined me on these sojourns through news stories over the years that dealt with the places with issues of religion and faith intersecting with public affairs. May God bless you with a continuing desire to learn about and help disseminate the issues of faith throughout the public square. Happy trails in your continuing travels! Fr. Tim Moyle, p.p. Diocese of Pembroke
Reflections from the pastoral ministry of an Evangelical Catholic Priest.
I would also warrant that many Catholics stopped going to mass because they disliked being told what to believe and they needed to accept it all unquestioningly. With greater education in this generation, more and more people are taught to question, to think for themselves, are exposed to many cultures and traditions and have knowledge of science. While these things don't necessarily exclude faith, they do make the old authoritarian model less palatable to many Catholics.
ReplyDeleteThere was a British Catholic bishop a few years ago that lamented just this, especially the fact that education has made Catholic less willing to accept beliefs. I wish I could find the reference as I think he probably captured what is the essence of much of the discontent.
Rationalist1
Itis not those that no longer participate in church life that should be examined. It's those that still do.
ReplyDeleteChristianity is very believable, besides which the overwhelming majority of individuals already believe and freely, even proudly admit to being Christian. The Church is full of very smart and very persuasive professionals.It isn't atheists turning people away from religion. They don't have the numbers, skills or inclination.
ReplyDeletePeople just can't live the way the church wants. They believe they have a right to their own happiness, a new concept. They believe women deserve equal and autonomous lives. They can no longer persecute and ostracize homosexuals. Indeed, their own emerging sexuality is almost as foreign from what the church teaches as that of their LBGT brothers and sisters.Their political philosophies are diverse, informed by their own conscience and will not be dictated by some appointed bishop over them.
Atheists in comm boxes indeed. Better check under your bed and in the closet. Bogeyman in their!