John I wholeheartedly agree with this particular Catholic and he nails one difference between "Cradle Catholics" and Converts to Rome. I grew up in a Catholic City and in a Catholic Family. You will find no such "Romantic Nostalgia" in either of them or in any run-of-the-mill-average Catholic. Real Catholicism on the ground is nothing like what "Catholic Answers" or the "Called To Communion" crowd espouse. These are the same folks who call the everyday real Catholics "cafeteria Catholics". But they forget that if these "real world Catholics" follow the advice of the Converts; CTC, Catholic Answers, Catholic apologists etc and leave the Catholic Church then most Parishes would have to close because funds would dry up. Most Catholics I know disagree with and don't believe one or more Catholic Dogmas, few I knew believe in Papal Infallibility, many don't believe in Purgatory or Indulgences and a good many are in reality Evangelical Christians.
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"a good many are in reality Evangelical Christians."
ReplyDeleteHence, the reason why Protestants say that there are Heaven-bound believers in the RCC.
;-)
I would have to say that this pattern is present in the Protestant camp as well albeit to a notably lesser degree. Interestingly, the reason it is to a lesser degree is, I believe, a result of denominational distinctives. They tend to draw our attention to the importance of theology. Where we see the pattern among Protestants is most often in insular enclaves of one denomination or another.
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