FARK.com: (5711212) If all America's ex-Catholics formed one church, it would constitute the second largest church in America

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(Some ex-Catholic Guy)		If all America's ex-Catholics formed one church, it would constitute the second largest church in America (commonwealmagazine.org)		196
		More: Interesting, Episcopal Church, Catholic Church, religions and spiritual traditions, Ross Douthat, mid-November, Pew Forum, Christian denomination, John Paul II

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Weaver95		2010-10-24 06:49:08 PM

If these ex-Catholics were to form a single church, they would constitute the second largest church in the nation

Catholicticons = merge to form DEVASTATOR!

[transformer noises]

Kirk's_Toupee		2010-10-24 07:13:39 PM

I am not alone?

quickdraw		2010-10-24 07:19:39 PM

I'm sure it's all Satan's fault. And those damn witches getting all naked and hopped up on broomsticks coated with belladonna and whatnot.

Aarontology		2010-10-24 07:20:31 PM

I'm one of those folks, but I wouldn't go to that church either.

Weaver95		2010-10-24 07:24:37 PM

Aarontology: I'm one of those folks, but I wouldn't go to that church either.

i've been thinking of founding a church based around the seven deadly sins. lust and greed seem like good places to start.

Aarontology		2010-10-24 07:25:58 PM

Weaver95: Aarontology: I'm one of those folks, but I wouldn't go to that church either.

i've been thinking of founding a church based around the seven deadly sins. lust and greed seem like good places to start.

You could turn Vegas into the new Holy Land.

Weaver95		2010-10-24 07:27:05 PM

Aarontology: Weaver95: Aarontology: I'm one of those folks, but I wouldn't go to that church either.

i've been thinking of founding a church based around the seven deadly sins. lust and greed seem like good places to start.

You could turn Vegas into the new Holy Land.

I've been playing a lot of fallout: new vegas lately. it's probably skewing my perceptions a bit.

basemetal		2010-10-24 07:27:10 PM

Second largest church, or denomination?

Snarfangel		2010-10-24 07:44:24 PM

There are fewer masses being celebrated in California than ever before, according to the "put the Mass back in masochism" survey. Five thousand ex-Catholics were asked if they would return to weekly Mass if the ceremony took a more masochistic, true to life turn ... ninety-one percent of those polled gave God the nod.

_{/you'd better believe that's obscure, even for Fark.}

Shostie		2010-10-24 08:13:31 PM

Weaver95: If these ex-Catholics were to form a single church, they would constitute the second largest church in the nation

Catholicticons = merge to form ~~DEVASTATOR~~ MOLESTATOR!

[transformer noises]

/ftfy

Indolent		2010-10-24 08:16:01 PM

abb3w		2010-10-24 08:41:12 PM

Note the rise in irreligion is not just a Catholic phenomenon; the "Nones" are a quarter of the 1981-1990 cohort and (if the demographic trend in the GSS continues) will be more than a third of the 1991-2000 cohort and more than half of the 2011-2020 cohort. The logistic s-curve fit suggests this is merely people finally noticing a trend that started around the Silent Generation.

BLIXX		2010-10-24 09:53:27 PM

In my own experience ex-Catholics = goth in the 90's. Anyone else notice it?

/ex-Catholic

Darkwater		2010-10-24 09:54:31 PM

At least they're honest in their apostasy.

URAPNIS		2010-10-24 09:55:41 PM

Catholic or not, I still wouldn't go to church.
Seems pretty pointless.

phurie		2010-10-24 09:56:53 PM

Ummm, all the ex-Catholics DID... we're called Methodists. And Athiests. Okay, so thaz two churches.

Fuller		2010-10-24 09:57:52 PM

Still waaaay way way too many of them though. Way.

D-Liver		2010-10-24 09:58:41 PM

Ex-Catholics are too butthurt to go back to church.

deevo		2010-10-24 09:59:05 PM

person, who once wrote frequently in the Catholic press, said "no longer," though as a conservative he continued to sympathize with the church

For fark sake, this is what I have a problem with more than anything. How can anyone not want to see the Church farking do something and clear house and seriously apologize from every level about all of their wrongs? So many people in the Northeast whose entire families were church-going ten years ago are at best "non-practicing" but mostly "ex-Catholic" and almost entirely because of disgust at how the Church handled the molestation scandals.

I mean it's frustrating to see the willfully ignorant continue to support the Church when it was more likely to be blind followers like them who had children become altar boys become victims, but for someone who has left the faith to defend them is to me unexplainable.

Fuller		2010-10-24 10:02:35 PM

BuckTurgidson		2010-10-24 10:03:26 PM

The franchise rights alone will make us millions!

jmr61		2010-10-24 10:05:10 PM

I have no comprehension of religious people.

Why?

Jonathan Hohensee		2010-10-24 10:06:13 PM

/incredibly not amused

A Gentile in Boca		2010-10-24 10:07:16 PM

I left the church but kept the guilt.

Braindeath		2010-10-24 10:09:05 PM

I don't consider myself an ex-Catholic because it was never at any time my choice to be attending the church, school, CCD classes, and other crap. I did not get confirmed, and I stopped taking communion as soon as I could get my mother to shut up. I've never believed in god.

Do I still count as one or not? Everyone tells me I do, but I'm not going to do through the crap required to removed from their rolls or whatever, since I never consented to be there.

odinsposse		2010-10-24 10:09:11 PM

A large chunk of the reason churches used to be so central to people's lives is that they were the major center of socialization. They were where most people met and where club/social activities were organized. Anecdotally, everyone of my grandparent's generation and most of the people of my parent's generation met their spouses through a church organized activity. Regardless of their specific beliefs all holy buildings are social centers.

Now that we have more ways to connect to people than ever and more people live in cities where local communities are significantly less valued that role for churches is seriously diminished. That doesn't necessarily mean that people will automatically become atheists but the need for a central religious organization isn't very strong. We just don't need them. All that's left is creating a coherent religious doctrine and most people, especially Americans, prefer to work that out on their own.

DigitalCoffee		2010-10-24 10:09:39 PM

Maybe the problem is too many long winded speeches (like tfa)?

/just a guess

rosonowski		2010-10-24 10:10:17 PM

Snarfangel: There are fewer masses being celebrated in California than ever before, according to the "put the Mass back in masochism" survey. Five thousand ex-Catholics were asked if they would return to weekly Mass if the ceremony took a more masochistic, true to life turn ... ninety-one percent of those polled gave God the nod.

/you'd better believe that's obscure, even for Fark.

Page 35 of the 1972 Temple University yearbook.

jamesgsu		2010-10-24 10:10:49 PM

As a recovering catholic, I'm getting a kick out of my lack of surprise.

vudukungfu		2010-10-24 10:11:08 PM

babby butfarkers if they give to thaat church. The lot of them.

TwowheelinTim		2010-10-24 10:11:14 PM

A Gentile in Boca: I left the church but kept the guilt.

Roger that.

/recovering catholic

Joe Blowme		2010-10-24 10:11:35 PM

If only we could get enough exmuslims to do this. Imagine the reformation that could take place.

sokolnikov		2010-10-24 10:12:06 PM

I resemble this

JoJay		2010-10-24 10:13:27 PM

It seems the RCC recently changed Canon Law so that you can't just officially leave the church. You may consider yourself an ex-catholic, you might not ever go to mass again, etc... but you stay on their books. Its a way to keep the numbers up.

Link

arethusa		2010-10-24 10:14:01 PM

taurusowner		2010-10-24 10:15:49 PM

Catholic Church = Pharisees

UsikFark		2010-10-24 10:19:35 PM

JoJay: It seems the RCC recently changed Canon Law so that you can't just officially leave the church. You may consider yourself an ex-catholic, you might not ever go to mass again, etc... but you stay on their books. Its a way to keep the numbers up.

Link

Scientologists do something like that, unless they kick you out you are still tallied each year... In fact, one of the unofficial public listings notes that many members without recent activity probably abandoned Scientology, so don't hate on them.

lenfromak		2010-10-24 10:19:45 PM

TwowheelinTim		2010-10-24 10:21:30 PM

DigitalCoffee: Maybe the problem is too many long winded speeches (like tfa)?

/just a guess

No it's not. In a word, hypocrisy.

Snarcoleptic_Hoosier		2010-10-24 10:22:07 PM

arethusa: Weaver95: Aarontology: I'm one of those folks, but I wouldn't go to that church either.

i've been thinking of founding a church based around the seven deadly sins. lust and greed seem like good places to start.

And gluttony. It's soooo easy to see.

Sloth + Lust + Gluttony = Sluttony

The greatest and most fun of all sins!

McManus_brothers		2010-10-24 10:22:36 PM

Plant Rights Activist		2010-10-24 10:26:04 PM

deevo:
I mean it's frustrating to see the willfully ignorant continue to support the Church when it was more likely to be blind followers like them who had children become altar boys become victims, but for someone who has left the faith to defend them is to me unexplainable.

My father calls himself a catholic. He goes to mass most Sundays. He doesn't believe the pope speaks for him and doesn't want his money going to support the Vatican. I pointed out there are several other branches of Christianity that share his view but he refuses to consider anything but Roman Catholicism.

liquid_love		2010-10-24 10:27:06 PM

I haven't been to mass in years. I don't have a problem with the Church per se, I'm just not religious in general.

also, tl;dr

fearthebunnyman		2010-10-24 10:27:26 PM

It's a common claim that people leave the Church b/c of it's, for lack of a better word, non-liberal attitudes, but I recall reading that the number of attendees and vocations have dropped drastically from the time of Vatican II, and that was when the Church became slightly more liberal and individual parishes even more so.
More hardline Catholics blame the "modernization" of the Church for the lack of followers, and in my experience those Catholics raised the most old-school and hardcore tend to still be practicing and raising their kids to be hardcore old-school and practicing, more-so than those that were raised in the more liberal or lax (religiously) households. Most of my peers and my own family fall into the former category, although I myself don't really identify as Catholic anymore.

odinsposse: A large chunk of the reason churches used to be so central to people's lives is that they were the major center of socialization. They were where most people met and where club/social activities were organized. Anecdotally, everyone of my grandparent's generation and most of the people of my parent's generation met their spouses through a church organized activity. Regardless of their specific beliefs all holy buildings are social centers.

Now that we have more ways to connect to people than ever and more people live in cities where local communities are significantly less valued that role for churches is seriously diminished. That doesn't necessarily mean that people will automatically become atheists but the need for a central religious organization isn't very strong. We just don't need them. All that's left is creating a coherent religious doctrine and most people, especially Americans, prefer to work that out on their own.

I think there's a ton of truth to this

BLIXX: In my own experience ex-Catholics = goth in the 90's. Anyone else notice it?

/ex-Catholic

LOL I think you're on to something too!

/never goth, had to wear a uniform.

Egalitarian		2010-10-24 10:28:44 PM

A Gentile in Boca: I left the church but kept the guilt.

My parents were both raised Catholic, but became atheists when they were young. Even though I am 2nd gen atheist, I still have all the guilt of a Catholic. It's like a cultural gene that gets passed down from generation to generation.

historycat		2010-10-24 10:30:21 PM

It took working for the church for me to finally leave.

If you want to see how bad the hypocrisy goes, work for them for a year.

I worked for them for 8.

TwowheelinTim		2010-10-24 10:30:47 PM

D-Liver: Ex-Catholics are too butthurt to go back to church.

What's to be butthurt about? I couldn't have made a better choice for my sanity, dignity, and self respect.

/feeding the troll

Gangway Fathead		2010-10-24 10:30:48 PM

After a childhood of regular church, CCD and and catholic school I decided against continuing with the church. I have kids and haven't introduced them to any of it either - but I do honestly miss the sense of community the church provided.

Mind you, the priest who confirmed me is in jail for life for you-know-what, so there's that.

Syphilis_Smile		2010-10-24 10:30:49 PM

I both read the bible and studied the external forms of gospel, and in the end i determined that Catholics were the scum of the earth. Imagine the egg on my face when i realized the anti-catholicism plank is generally used in a national socialist platform. Goebbels was a douchebag, pure and simple.