New survey: Only one-third of Catholics believe in Real Presence

Which is why most Catholics now go to independent churches ... if they go at all.

 

I actually expected lower numbers. Maybe quarter of church goers. And maybe 1 out 10 of non-goers.

 

If true, it seems to me that these people are in the wrong faith tradition and should be worshipping elsewhere.

 

They do!

 

Then why are the numbers of ALL Christian churches dwindling, hmmmm?

What is happening in the Catholic Church is not exclusively a "Catholic" problem - but a problem of people becoming more secular.

 

Sincerely.... most modern churches suck. You can read many archived threads on here that will explain it in detail. Seriously though, there aren’t enough “Born Again” people to move it forward. Do Catholics take being born again seriously?

 

Of course we take being born again seriously.
We are born again at Baptism, as Christ prescribes in John 3:5.

 

No, that is NOT what Christ describes in John 3:5

Is Baptism Part of Salvation?

 

Yes, it absolutely is.
Explain to me what He meant in John 3:5 - if not Baptism.

 

Our baptism are not symbolic an fake.

As the Eucharist.

We take what God says as the law. So like if he says eating a particular fruit is forbidden.....you might think that is symbolic and the fruit actually doesn't do anything, We'd say you are wrong Cause GOD CAN DO WHAT HE WANTS , HOW HE WANTS.

You have a lack of respect of God's ORDINARY power. God says the gospel converts people, you say no, that god is required to intervene. Silly view of God's power.

You can set your sprinkler to water a lawn.......but God can't save a person with a gospel.

 

Jn 3 was not speaking of Christian baptism. There was no Christian baptism until after the day of Pentecost.

 

I was asked about whether or not Catholics take being born again seriously and I responded with the Catholic answer.
I don't mind staying on topic - but my response was challenged by somebody who didn't like it, so I let him know what the Bible had to say about it.

 

There was no Eucharist until the Last Supper either - but the Bread of Life Discourse in John 6 is ALL about the Eucharist.

 

Hello MS,

John six is all about Jesus as the true Manna yes indeed.
The wafer does not transform into the real body,the roof of your mouth.
We are to feed on Jesus and His word spiritually.

Jesus did not expect Nicodemus who was "thee teacher in Israel" to know about something new, but rather to understand OT. teaching.
The unbiblical NT. priest does not consecrate a wafer to change into anything, but the thin wafer that sticks to the roof of your mouth.

 

Tie for a Bible lesson . . .

In John 6:53, Jesus stated in no uncertain terms: “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.”

It is interesting to note that the usual Greek word used for human eating is “phagon”, however, this is not the word used in these passages. St. John uses the word, “trogon”, which means, "to munch or to gnaw" - like an animal eats. John using hyperbole to drive his point across so that the crowd would understand that he was not speaking metaphorically. Jesus meant what he said.

Just as the Paschal Lamb was to be eaten, it is also true for the Lamb of God.

In verse 60, his disciples said, "This saying is hard; who can accept it?"

Did Jesus explain what he "really" meant? No, he said: "Does this shock you?" He knew that some would not believe because they didn't have true faith from the Father.

This is why his followers abandoned him and returned to their former way of life in verse 66. This verse says, “As a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.”

This marks the only time in Scripture where Jesus' disciples left him for doctrinal reasons. They simply couldn't handle what Jesus was telling them.

It is also important to note what happened AFTER this. Did Jesus plead with them or explain that he was speaking “metaphorically” or “symbolically”? NO. He turned to the Apostles and said, "Do you also want to leave?" He didn't explain to them either - like He ALWAYS did.
Here it is completely evident - except to those who refuse to see - that Jesus meant what he said.

 

Maybe you should be aware these are self-participating members of Pew's own panel group. "The American Trends Panel (ATP), created by Pew Research Center, is a nationally representative panel of randomly selected U.S. adults. Panelists participate via self-administered web surveys. Panelists who do not have internet access at home are provided with a tablet and wireless internet connection."

This is not a survey or a survey sample of the Catholic community or for that matter other religious communities. You need to review some of, what should be embarrassing, conclusions about Protestantism. Pew has never been a friend of Catholicism in particular nor has it been a friend of Protestantism in particular.

Like all the rest of Pew's reports on Catholicism, I find them quite meaningless and not indicative of my community or Parish.

JoeT

 

No, actually it wasn't.