Interesting comment..from a Catholic.
- About 'Catholics/Catholicism'.
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I was in Brazil..years ago.
- I heard.."some Catholics are becoming Protestants."
Well I am a Catholic but I am also a math kind of guy, so I analyze (or over-analyze) when it comes to statistics.
There are defenitely many Catholics becoming Protestants, and I will tell you my opinion as to why. I am not trying to dismiss Protestants, but the main reason why I think Catholics become Protestants is due to their ignorance about Catholicism, in sum: bad catechesis. Not all Catholics become Protestants for that reason, many truly convert for good reasons, but I think most do it because of ignorance about Catholicism, let me explain....
Most Catholics don't know their own faith, don't read the Bible, don't read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, they only know what they hear when they go to Mass (if they ever go to Mass...), they don't even know how they are saved! they don't know what it means that Jesus died for their sins, it is true that we believe that both faith and works are needed, but many just think its only works:
"As long as I don't steal or murder I think I am a good guy and I will go to heaven" or
"God just wants me to do whatever I want to do to be happy" AKA "Lucifer's 1st commandment".
Many just think that Jesus was a very good guy who suffered a horrible death 2000 years ago but they don't know exactly what was the whole purpose of the incanation, they don't even have a concept of the Trinity (not to say that I know exactly how the whole 3 persons-1 God mistery works, but I understand the concept and accept it), also, priests will only tell people what they want to hear so they keep going to church, I don't know when was the last time I heard a priest talking about Satan, hell or damnation, its all about love these days...
There is a lot of what is commonly refered to as "Catholic Witchcraft", for example: many people think that a rosary is some kind of talisman against evil. Recently I took a taxi, I started chatting with the driver, he had a rosary on his rear mirror and an image of the Blessed Mother on the dashboard (I think, I couldn't see it very well), I asked him if he was a Catholic, he answered:
"Not really, well, I think its not really important what you believe in as long as you do it with love", those are the majority of "Catholics" here.
Many think that praying to a saint for a favor is like chanting some magic spell to a deity:
"If you say the correct words during 5 days to St. X and if if you light a candle under his image, he will grant you the money you need". Why do you think some people can be as naive as to call themselves "Catholic" and worship "Santa Muerte"? Ignorance, that is why....
When Protestants, who, like I just previously said, are more devout and informed in general about their faith, come and teach an ignorant Catholic the basics about Christianity and that person realizes that most of his/her beliefs and practices like "Catholic Witchcraft" are completly wrong, they switch and assume that Catholicism is actually about all the wrong ideas they had before their conversion, that all Catholics are as ignorant and in error as they were once before.
Also, the whole sex and abuse scandals in the church don't help much either....
What do you think?