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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, I'm a Catholic (baptized, confirmed, married in the church, and still attend mass almost weekly) that also supports gay rights and the use of birth control.  I sometimes remind myself that the Church is 2000 years old and reaches across the globe, so it may not be fair to expect it to be a leader in social change -- it's moves are glacial (slow but big and earth-changing).  I've thought over the years about joining a Protestant church, but have never really been able to pull the trigger on leaving.  I agree with what others have said, that the Catholic church has long had a tradition of reasonable minds disagreeing on certain issues.  (I'm no theologian, but I think some of the saints disagreed about even fundamental things like whether animals have souls.  Someone that actually knows church history and theology could probably come up with better examples.)  There are certain things about Catholicism I really like, and don't really find in any of the Protestant churches -- particularly the universal nature of the church, and the way the church has evolved and incorporated different cultural traditions from different parts of the world.  If you find a Protestant church that feels right to you, good for you -- no judgment here.  But you may want to ask around about Catholic churches in your area, and find one that has some nice priests, then just go talk to one of the priests about your experience and your beliefs.  A good priest can really be so insightful about things like this.  And, to respond to a PP that asked something like who said it makes you a good Catholic to question -- I definitely have heard that in homilies from Catholic priests.  If you're not struggling with your faith, it may well be sign that it's not real or important to you.  Mother Theresa had well-publicized (after her death) periods of doubt, and even Jesus had his agony in the garden where he questioned God's plan for him.
If you're willing to provide your general location, some one might be willing to suggest a specific priests.  In general, a Jesuit is usually good for a questioning mind...
At any rate, best of luck to you in your search.[/quote]

+1  Very nicely done.

Questioning one's faith and its tenets means you are not complacent. The Catholic church does not teach that the faith is easy, and many of the saints struggled with it.  There are those who do not struggle as much--some have blind faith, others have a very strong faith.  None of these are things for anyone to judge except the individual concerned.

To the cynical PP who insinuated that this was a conspiracy to keep doubters in the church, of course it is possible to question to a degree that the best solution for you may be to leave the church.  And that's fine too.[/quote]

I’ll believe that when I hear the Catholic church – or any church – actively telling its members who are firm in their faith that they ought to doubt – that only “complacent,” mediocre adherents to the faith don’t doubt and that if they want to among the “best” they should challenge their faith more diligently.[/quote]

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