Catholics: How do you still justify going to church or being a part of the church?

[Anonymous]

How are you just now realizing that the Catholic Church is filled with corruption? Were you sleeping through your World History classes?
I find it hard to believe that you got all of the way through 12 grades of Catholic education without ever once thinking about how people remain faithful despite corruption and scandals within the church.

[Anonymous]

I’m not Catholic, but I would guess that many Catholics see the church, flawed as it may be, as the way to God.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not Catholic, but I would guess that many Catholics see the church, flawed as it may be, as the way to God.

Even so, it wouldn't mean that the Catholic church is the only way to God.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not Catholic, but I would guess that many Catholics see the church, flawed as it may be, as the way to God.

Even so, it wouldn't mean that the Catholic church is the only way to God.

If you are Catholic, then by definition it is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not Catholic, but I would guess that many Catholics see the church, flawed as it may be, as the way to God.

Even so, it wouldn't mean that the Catholic church is the only way to God.

If you are Catholic, then by definition it is.

Not really -- people leave the Catholic church to follow other paths all the time. Some people stay in the Catholic church despite the pedophilia scandals because they feel at home there and because they have found ways to overlook the scandals and justify their position.

[Anonymous]

We left and became Presbyterians.

Feel much closer to God now. No church hierarchy to get in the way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I am an ex catholic for many of the reasons you mention. Also their stance on birth control, abortion, women as priests, etc. However I don't hate Catholics or the church.

Just like other large bodies, say the USA, have done horrible things, and has horrible individuals, but that doesn't make everybody guilty by association. Do you think all Germans should leave Germany because of the Holocaust?

It's not an individual, faithful Catholic's fault that there are pedos and other horrors in the church and the church's history. They can remain a faithful member and work to change the corporation from the inside.

Agree. There is literally no institution in the world made up of humans that has no sin, crime, and corruption. Not one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I am an ex catholic for many of the reasons you mention. Also their stance on birth control, abortion, women as priests, etc. However I don't hate Catholics or the church.

Just like other large bodies, say the USA, have done horrible things, and has horrible individuals, but that doesn't make everybody guilty by association. Do you think all Germans should leave Germany because of the Holocaust?

It's not an individual, faithful Catholic's fault that there are pedos and other horrors in the church and the church's history. They can remain a faithful member and work to change the corporation from the inside.

Agree. There is literally no institution in the world made up of humans that has no sin, crime, and corruption. Not one.

Germany is not a good comparison. They lost a world war because of their misdeeds; the perpetrators were hunted down and executed. They have changed their government completely from a dictatorship to a democracy and are still occupied by forces that were victorious over them more than 75 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I am an ex catholic for many of the reasons you mention. Also their stance on birth control, abortion, women as priests, etc. However I don't hate Catholics or the church.

Just like other large bodies, say the USA, have done horrible things, and has horrible individuals, but that doesn't make everybody guilty by association. Do you think all Germans should leave Germany because of the Holocaust?

It's not an individual, faithful Catholic's fault that there are pedos and other horrors in the church and the church's history. They can remain a faithful member and work to change the corporation from the inside.

Agree. There is literally no institution in the world made up of humans that has no sin, crime, and corruption. Not one.

Who's talking about NO crime, et.? The Catholic Church is riddled with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m not Catholic, but I would guess that many Catholics see the church, flawed as it may be, as the way to God.

I’m Catholic, and this didn’t sit right with me. I have been thinking about this off and on today, and I think what isn’t right is that this sounds like I am on a journey toward God, and I will get there at some distant point in the future. The reality is that I feel close to God right now, here on earth. I am part of the church that He started. I take part of His body into my body. It’s not about getting into heaven. It’s about having a relationship right now. Whatever flaws the Church has (and there are many), I don’t want to give that up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not Catholic, but I would guess that many Catholics see the church, flawed as it may be, as the way to God.

Even so, it wouldn't mean that the Catholic church is the only way to God.

If you are Catholic, then by definition it is.

Not really -- people leave the Catholic church to follow other paths all the time. Some people stay in the Catholic church despite the pedophilia scandals because they feel at home there and because they have found ways to overlook the scandals and justify their position.

If pedophilia (but really more often like whatever that similar abuse is called when applied to adolescents), then we should also be getting kids out of organized sports and public schools too. Those are supposed to be safe havens for children too, and were often a means for getting/keeping them off the street. Hypocrites are everywhere you look.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not Catholic, but I would guess that many Catholics see the church, flawed as it may be, as the way to God.

I’m Catholic, and this didn’t sit right with me. I have been thinking about this off and on today, and I think what isn’t right is that this sounds like I am on a journey toward God, and I will get there at some distant point in the future. The reality is that I feel close to God right now, here on earth. I am part of the church that He started. I take part of His body into my body. It’s not about getting into heaven. It’s about having a relationship right now. Whatever flaws the Church has (and there are many), I don’t want to give that up.

PP here, and I think we’re talking about the same thing. I just didn’t want to get into a discussion about paths to God today, the role of priests in this, and so on.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not Catholic, but I would guess that many Catholics see the church, flawed as it may be, as the way to God.

Even so, it wouldn't mean that the Catholic church is the only way to God.

If you are Catholic, then by definition it is.

Not really -- people leave the Catholic church to follow other paths all the time. Some people stay in the Catholic church despite the pedophilia scandals because they feel at home there and because they have found ways to overlook the scandals and justify their position.

If pedophilia (but really more often like whatever that similar abuse is called when applied to adolescents), then we should also be getting kids out of organized sports and public schools too. Those are supposed to be safe havens for children too, and were often a means for getting/keeping them off the street. Hypocrites are everywhere you look.

+1. Do we give up our citizenship because of the United States’ genocide against the Native Americans? Or the enslavement of Africans? Or more recently the immoral wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, etc. that led to millions of deaths of innocents? No. You work to repair and reform what went wrong. People are flawed, sometimes immensely so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not Catholic, but I would guess that many Catholics see the church, flawed as it may be, as the way to God.

Even so, it wouldn't mean that the Catholic church is the only way to God.

If you are Catholic, then by definition it is.

Not really -- people leave the Catholic church to follow other paths all the time. Some people stay in the Catholic church despite the pedophilia scandals because they feel at home there and because they have found ways to overlook the scandals and justify their position.

If pedophilia (but really more often like whatever that similar abuse is called when applied to adolescents), then we should also be getting kids out of organized sports and public schools too. Those are supposed to be safe havens for children too, and were often a means for getting/keeping them off the street. Hypocrites are everywhere you look.

+1. Do we give up our citizenship because of the United States’ genocide against the Native Americans? Or the enslavement of Africans? Or more recently the immoral wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, etc. that led to millions of deaths of innocents? No. You work to repair and reform what went wrong. People are flawed, sometimes immensely so.

This is a terrible comparison -- leaving a country vs leaving a church. It's incredibly simple to leave a church and find another, very similar one, without uprooting yourself.

In both cases , you can continue to work to reform the offending institution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not Catholic, but I would guess that many Catholics see the church, flawed as it may be, as the way to God.

Even so, it wouldn't mean that the Catholic church is the only way to God.

If you are Catholic, then by definition it is.

Not really -- people leave the Catholic church to follow other paths all the time. Some people stay in the Catholic church despite the pedophilia scandals because they feel at home there and because they have found ways to overlook the scandals and justify their position.

If pedophilia (but really more often like whatever that similar abuse is called when applied to adolescents), then we should also be getting kids out of organized sports and public schools too. Those are supposed to be safe havens for children too, and were often a means for getting/keeping them off the street. Hypocrites are everywhere you look.

+1. Do we give up our citizenship because of the United States’ genocide against the Native Americans? Or the enslavement of Africans? Or more recently the immoral wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, etc. that led to millions of deaths of innocents? No. You work to repair and reform what went wrong. People are flawed, sometimes immensely so.

This is a terrible comparison -- leaving a country vs leaving a church. It's incredibly simple to leave a church and find another, very similar one, without uprooting yourself.

In both cases , you can continue to work to reform the offending institution.

NP. For some people, church is very important.