Most Catholics not fazed by 'Code' talk

[rodeodance]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20060426/ts_usatoday/mostcatholicsnotfazedbycodetalk;_ylt=AjLE5N6ocqncR55HNv6QfO2s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3b2NibDltBHNlYwM3MTY-
Most Catholics not fazed by 'Code' talk

By Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY 1 hour, 48 minutes ago

Author Dan Brown may be surprised by a new survey on Catholics' view of his best-selling novel and upcoming film The Da Vinci Code- a tale of a murderous Catholic conspiracy to hide that Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene.

Brown told a New Hampshire audience Sunday that he delights in all the clergy and scholars "debunking" his story of church fathers suppressing "the sacred feminine" in Christianity. Debate, he says, helps spirituality "evolve."

But most Catholics view the brouhaha with a big yawn, according to the survey released Tuesday by Catholic Digest, the 70-year-old monthly magazine.

Most (73%) say The Da Vinci Code has had "no effect on their faith.".....lots more........

[KitchenWitch]

1. If only they could be as tolerant of gays, women clergy

and birth control....

:mad:

[TexasProgresive]

2. Are you judging all Catholics as being intolerant?

The official stance of the Church is not necessarily the view of the average Catholic in the pew. Don't confuse the two.

[trotsky]

18. Of course not.

But you do realize that by supporting the church with your time and funds, you're contributing to their enormous political power.

[Klukie]

29. You make a great point..

it really needs to be considered.

[KitchenWitch]

28. I meant the church, sorry about the confusion.

[TriMetFan]

3. I'm a Gay/Lesbian Catholic and I can say this...

Not all Catholics follow what the Pope/Church has to say. I go to Church every Sunday and as a matter a fact I'm a Sunday school teacher. This past Sunday we taught our kids about different families. But then again this is Portland OR. I'm talking about.

[etherealtruth]

5. The Catholic Hierarchy is one thing ...

My understanding is that U.S. Catholics pretty much mirror US values (%'s r/t abortion, party affiliation...)

Anecdotally, the most progressive people I know/have known are RC.

[Pirate Smile]

10. Right. If Catholics actually followed what the Pope said we would

still be having 12 kids per family. That sure isn't happening.

[cap]

19. your understanding is wrong....

doesnt explain the most Catholic, the most Democratic, the most liberal states in the union: Massachussets and RI...

we Catholics have endured the Spanish Inquisition and we will endure these bozos...

only thing, dear God, how long before your kingdom shall come and deliver us from these fools?

[deaniac21]

6. I've never heard of Sunday School at a Catholic Church.

[rhino47]

9. Welcome to DU deaniac21

They hold CCD classes.Akin to sunday school.

[deaniac21]

23. You mean the classes that are for children who aren't in

Catholic Schools?

[Dorian Gray]

33. Really?

It's the same thing as CCD. When I had CCD on Sunday's, after Mass, we'd call it Sunday School. If it was on Monday, after school, we'd call it CCD.

[BlackHeart]

14. But are you

openly gay/lesbian? (BTW what is a gay/lesbian?)

[TriMetFan]

32. Yes very open! As a matter of fact

my spouse and I have 2 kids and both been baptized at our Church and both kids go to Catholic school. We are one of the most active families in the school. But again this is Portland OR. Also like some-one else posted we Catholics don't follow everything the Pope says. Oh just one more thing I'm not a Roman Catholic but a Franciscan Catholic. To me the Pope is just a man " The President" of the Catholic Church and nothing more.

[Warpy]

13. Uh, most Catholics ARE tolerant of women and gays and most use

birth control, and when that fails, abortion services.

Catholics tend to be much more liberal and tolerant than their Protestant counterparts.

You see, the church teaches its members to pay attention to "that still, small voice within," and that voice tells them the Pope is full of crap. Thinking Catholics walk in lockstep with Rome's dictates is foolish.

You want families with 8 kids, look at Mormons. Catholics have been there and done that and use the pill.

[madmom]

4. I don't understand all the commotion anyway the book was said to

be fiction right from the get-go,why all the attention? Haven't they heard the phrase " Me thinks they doth protest to much?"

[etherealtruth]

7. I think that's the point ...

"They're" not protesting, they're yawning.

[madmom]

17. No I'm talking about all the coverage from the media and the

higher ups in the church. They've managed to make it a quite popular book, with all the publicity.

[Tracer]

8. As a Roman Catholic, I think the real question ought to be ...

... why such a poorly-written, hunk 'o junk potboiler ever got to the best-seller list.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

12. I think that ought to be everyone's question.

But then again, Harry Potter is read by far more adults than children, and it's a kid's book, so you do the math there.

[gratuitous]

11. Shocker! Most Catholics able to distinguish fact from fiction

May not apply to certain loud-mouthed presidents of the the Catholic League.

[One Honest Guy]

15. Catholicism is in trouble.

As is Christianity worldwide, more or less. Few months ago there was a segment on BBC International about dropping church attendance rates in Europe. They mentioned a place in France (I forget if it was a city or a province) where 40+ Churches have or will be forced to close doors, not only because of poor attendance but because there is a lack of properly trained clergy to staff the said churches. The problem is greatest when it comes to the young. This "Code" talk is nothing more than some clever marketing and propaganda directed at youngsters and adolescents. (OR just weak minded people laking the basic benefits of a healthy common sense) Science fiction, nothing more, but it will probably boost attendance rates. For short period of time anyhow.

[cap]

20. catholicism is in trouble in europe but not in

the africa, asia and latin america where the growth in population is occurring

[One Honest Guy]

21. Europe is just little bit ahead of everybody else.

What's happening in Europe will happen elsewhere, as populations get more urbanized. My guesstimate is probably a decade or two. Future of Catholicism and Christianity in general will be something of a cross between a bad sci-fi B movie (theologically and dogmatically) and corporatism (marketing and command). Just think Scientology.

[cap]

34. nope...think paganism...

catholic church has survived by syncretism ....taking local customs into catholicism.

Church is actually growing overall... increased evangelism in the 3rd world.

[One Honest Guy]

35. Exactly.

That is not Catholicism anymore. Like I said above, in a decade or two Catholicism and Christianity in general will be unrecognizable.

Look at all the Mega-Churches, Christian Neo-Millenarian movements sprouting all over Africa, rise of the Agnostic Christian, resurgence of the 19th Century Zionist Evangelicals, etc. Like I said, future of Catholicism and Christianity in general will be something of a cross between a bad sci-fi B movie and corporatism. Almost certainly there will be lot of ideological fracturing. Primary reasons being sexual orientation of the clergy and wakening of the central unified dogma with cheap science fiction, like all this "Code" talk. Hey, what about Gospel of Judas? I bet that confused lot of Christians. Vatican may be giddy with all this newfound attention, and like I mentioned before, all this "Code" talk will undoubtedly boost church attendance rates, but in the long run, they are all digging their own graves.

Fracturing and idealogical infighting has already begun. It will get worse as time progresses. Christianity will go the way of communism, for the same reasons. Ideological fracturing. Look at the history of Judaism. It wouldn't have survived thousands of years if it allowed idealogical fracturing, the kind that has been happening within Christianity for the past two hundred years.

[cap]

37. Catholicism has changed even from 1800 to 2000 in the Western world

it's just that the change comes slowly.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

30. Religion in general is in trouble.

I'd put a big grinning smilie up here, but that'd get me jumped....

;)

[Bridget Burke]

16. As many noted, most Catholics aren't concerned about this silly novel.

Ironically, if the Church "suppresses the Feminine"--why do so many Catholics venerate Our Lady (or Nuestra Senora, or Notre Dame)?

[RaleighNCDUer]

22. The idea is that the cult of Mary worship was promulgated to

supplant the true female - Jesus' wife Mary Magdalene - with an eternally virginal anti-female Mother Mary. The wife brings sexuality into the equation, while the eternal virgin expressly removes sexuality. It's all because Paul was a freak, and the Roman Empire adopted Paulism instead of Christianity as its official religion.

[deaniac21]

24. Mary isn't worshiped.

[RaleighNCDUer]

25. So she's venerated. Semantics.

A spider isn't an insect, but it's still a bug.

Paul the Freak said if men could they should castrate themselves, but if they weren't strong enough for that they should get married to avoid sin. (This suggests to me he did so himself, and thought his insanity was proper course. Marshall Applethwaite, anyone?) The people who took that crap to heart came to control the RC church (orthodox have no such silly notions, and allow their priests to marry). The 'born of a virgin' myth has appeared in dozens of Middle Eastern and West Asian religions, all of which were promulgated at the time of the overthow of the Goddess worship that once held sway. In Mother Mary's case they were so afraid of the taint of sex that they eventually came to claim she remained a virgin her entire life, and not only that but she was herself a virgin birth.

At the same time, Mary Magdalene is transformed from the 'most beloved' of the disciples to a whore.

[hedgehog]

26. Who "they"?

From what little I know, a lot of what you describe happened when the hierarchy was co-opted by a failing Roman Empire. Up to then , priests and bishops were selected by the local people. I would suggest that the attitudes you describe (women are inferior, sex is dirty, only "bad" women enjoy sex, sex is fun but should be saved for procreation, etc.) were transplanted directly from notions circulating in the civil power structure at the time. We are seeing a similar situation today . Back then the fear was of the invading barbarians. Now some Europeans are all upset that their birth rate is lower than that of Moslem immigrants.

All in all, what I am suggesting is that the attitudes you describe are poorly grafted on from society's attitudes rather than integral to the Christian experience. The people in the pew have a better understanding of this than many of the hierarchy who were indoctrinated with medieval attitudes in seminary.

[Bridget Burke]

27. Most current Magdalene scholarship emphasizes her place...

As an important disciple. Her role was minimized for centuries. But thinking she's important only because she may have been "Mrs Jesus" diminishes her importance.

The "Marys" venerated throughout the world have more connection to the ethnic roots of their communities than what the old guys in Rome decree. And to the goddesses worshiped before Christianity arrived. The Virgin Birth was originally adapted from the pagan cults so widespread when Christianity was young; heroes were usually fathered by Gods.

I do share your scorn for Paul. It's a shame that some Protestant churches tossed out so much of Catholicism but held onto Paul.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

31. They venerate a Virgin.

Expressly suprresssing sexuality. The question is why Magdalene was reduced to little more than a whore in the church's eyes.

Why do religions get so hung up on sex? What on earth is the problem with it?

:shrug:

[JerseygirlCT]

36. It's the usual disconnect

between the official hierarchy and a small number of laity, and the vast world of Roman Catholics, especially American RCs.

I'm not in the least surprised that most find this a whole lot of fuss about nothing.

Has anyone told those who are making such a fuss about it that it happens to be a work of FICTION?