How is it that US Catholics are the most liberal in world .......

[Stinky The Clown]

.... yet so many other US Christians of all flavors are so conservative?

Or is it more true that most US Christians, including Catholics are actually liberal with the conservatives being simply the loudest?

[vi5]

1. Where do you get that statement from?

What gives you the idea that US catholics are liberal? Or are you saying just compared to the Catholics in the rest of the world? If American catholics are "liberal" then I shudder to think of how they are in the rest of the world.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Perhaps it means just as compared to otherCcatholics

Just by way of example, back when I was a Catholic (many decades ago) most were pro choice. I also recall hearting from the pulpit so many liberal positions ...... racial harmony ...... caring for the poor ..... and so on.

[Warpy]

13. I heard relatively little of that from priests.

What I did hear from nuns during my brief but abortive years in Catholic school is that one should always pay attention to that "still, small voice inside."

Whether that voice is the voice of god, of your ancestors who have gone before, or just your own gut, it bears listening to and will save you a lot of grief. It's the one teaching I managed to take away with me when I rebelled at the age of ten.

I suspect it's the voice that has most Catholics using birth control and approving of keeping abortion safe, legal, and out of the hands of politicians.

[Bonhomme Richard]

2. The one thing I loved about being catholic is..........

that most of us never seemed to take it so damn seriously. Unlike the conservative christians.

[suziedemocrat]

19. EXACTLY!!! I grew up Catholic and thought most of it was a joke.

I couldn't believe most of my more fundamentalist Protestant Christian friends actually believed EVERYTHING their minister said. All I heard about was how this priest couldn't get along with that bishop, etc. However, I think when I grew up, in the 1960's and 1970's in Indiana, moderately religious people went to church who today probably wouldn't go to church at all. This includes Methodists, Presbyterians, Lutherans, etc.

[HockeyMom]

26. My Dad

would go to the track and meet a couple of the priests there. They would sit together and have a few beers together. lol I can remember after Mass Dad would go meet Father Tom and ask him who he liked in the 4th race. They would stand there ENDLESSLY discussing this horse, that horse. Humiliating for a 10 year old girl.

[K-W]

3. US Catholics = Immigrants = labor movement = middle class = liberal

[kodi]

7. well said

you beat me to it.

[CatholicEdHead]

5. Some may be "liberal"

and even our "conservatives" are quite more "left" of other less-developed countries, but the view of the Catholic church from the 1960's just post-Vatican II is fading into history.

There are still pockets out there, but that generation is for the most party dying off and there are few younger ones taking their place. They have mostly become so secular the power vacuum leaves the pre-Vatican IIers to take control.

I see it and expect to be UCC or ECLA in the next couple decades or sooner if things keep on their current track. I expect to be kicked out rather than leaving by choice.

[Stinky The Clown]

6. "UCC"? ..... "ECLA"? ... 'splain, please? (n/t)

[CatholicEdHead]

8. ELCA Lutheran (misspelled that one)

is the liberal branch of Lutheranism and UCC is the quite progressive United Church of Christ.

This would be my last resort, but all the more moderate pastors are in their late 50's or older and the newer ones almost all breathe fire.

[SharonAnn]

24. We're importing priests into the US now. I've been to parishes with

priests brought here from the Phillipines and from ireland. In the Southwest and other Spanish speaking areas I've seen priests who came here from Spain.

Guess they're "missionaries" to the U.S.

[adigal]

9. Recent Catholics are more hateful

-hating gays, those who have abortions, anyone who disagrees with Bushie. But traditionally, Catholics have always had rebel priests who spoke against the status quo.

I remember right after 9/11, our Church had lost about 5 parishioners and about 5 of us had NYC firemen husbands who were down at the WTC for months, my priest was calling for peace, not invading Afghanistan. He annoyed me then. Now, I think he was so smart and so concerned about our souls that he didn't want us to get involved with revenge killing, because who knows where it will end. We see where it ends.

[megatherium]

18. I'm glad to hear about your priest who had so much wisdom.

When 9/11 happened, I must confess I became very bloodthirsty and mean. I didn't get over my war fever until the following summer -- I wrote my congressmen asking them to vote against the Iraq war resolution (October 2002).

[MichiganVote]

10. If US Catholics are liberal why did the majority of them vote Bush?

[K-W]

12. Because a liberal catholic isnt all that liberal.

The comparison is to catholics around the world not the us general public.

[ultraist]

16. True. A liberal Catholic is less liberal than most Episcopalians, Quakers,

as well as many other religions.

[nonconformist]

14. Abortion. Most powerful wedge issue in US political history. nt

[K-W]

15. Slavery was bigger. EOM

[nonconformist]

20. Touche'. nt

[ultraist]

17. Abortion, stem cell research, the advice of their church leaders

birth control, creationism, etc...Oh! And the pope told them to vote for Bush.

http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/special_packages/election2004/10122797.htm

PHILADELPHIA - Alongside President Bush's overwhelming support from his evangelical Christian base Tuesday came another dramatic election result: Bush reversed his 2000 showing and convincingly captured the Roman Catholic vote

The results are a repudiation of Kerry, the first Catholic nominated for president since 1960. Kerry's support of abortion rights and embryonic stem-cell research raised the ire of some bishops and Catholic conservatives, and resulted in 56 percent of weekly Mass attendees voting for Bush, according to the exit polls.

"Churchgoing people saved the election for Bush as practicing Catholics and evangelicals moved much more strongly for him," said George Marlin, author of "The American Catholic Voter: 200 Years of Political Impact."

The results are a repudiation of Kerry, the first Catholic nominated for president since 1960. Kerry's support of abortion rights and embryonic stem-cell research raised the ire of some bishops and Catholic conservatives, and resulted in 56 percent of weekly Mass attendees voting for Bush, according to the exit polls.

[alcuno]

23. Catholics in blue states voted for Kerry. Red-staters voted *.

We don't agree on a lot of things.

[nonconformist]

11. There are a lot of differences between Protestants and Catholics

The Protestants are often able to bring the Catholics over on the issue of abortion and that alone.

But within the Protestant faith, there are many demoninations of varying conservatism - some more extreme than others. Baptists, and especially Southern Baptists, are quite extreme and quite vocal.

I think that the media circus surrounding Terri Schiavo spoke volumes in that a small loud minority that has support from the White House gets a load of media attention.

So in essence, I think it boils down to what so much does these days - the media.

[More Than A Feeling]

21. My Baptist church is so liberal they make me look like Barry Goldwater

The vocal and extreme Baptists are largely the Southern ones. Mainline Baptists have the Separation of Church and State as part of their official doctrine. My church has a woman pastor and she and all the elders of the church are as liberal as one could ask for.

[nonconformist]

22. That's refreshing

I always love to hear about liberal churches out there, especially ones in typically conservative denominations.

Good for you - sounds like you've found a wonderful church that follows the teachings of Jesus.

[seabeyond]

25. catholics were hijacked with the abortion issue, that simple

they use to be the fun ones. you know, priest drinking wine, smoking cigars, at retreats. lol lol

decided abortion and gays was what their religion was about, go figure

my mother and father in law, lifetime catholics, practicing catholics, have two gay sons. found out about a deacde ago. eventually could no longer reconcile being a catholic with two gay sons, and they walked away from a church they loved and participated in forever

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

27. My wife was a very liberal Catholic.

After more than 60 years of going through the whole education system, attending mass weekly, not being allowed to take communion because she was divorced, and all of the other things that mother church demands, she finally came to see the sheer corruption of the institution and left the church. She is now a happy UU'er who has something worthy of believing in.

I abandoned the church at age 12 because I just couldn't believe the nonsense.

[foreigncorrespondent]

28. Oh please!

I remember the reports coming out of Boston about the Catholic community not supporting gay marriage. Yet I know of several people who are life long Catholics and a more liberal than that.

You base your "U.S. Catholics are the most liberal in the world" argument in the same damn manner the Evangelicals claim their religion to be the begin all end all of religion. It is false. And it is insulting to the Catholic community around the world (for which I am not a member of, BTW.)

There are many conservative Catholics the world over, and there are many progressive Catholics the world over.