What's wrong with being a "Cafeteria Catholic"?

[polonius]

Cafeteria Catholic
The term is most often used by conservative Catholics critical of progressive Catholics. It is less frequently applied to the conservatives who dissent from other Catholic moral teaching on issues such as social justice, capital punishment, the care of the environment or just war.

Conservative Catholics argue this is because these areas of Catholic teaching are not definitively dogmatically defined by the Magisterium, and therefore not unchanging infallible (from a Catholic standpoint) dogmata.

The term has been in use since the issuance of Humanae Vitae, an official document that propounded the Church's opposition to the use of artificial birth control and advocates natural family planning.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafeteria_Catholicism.

Question: Are Catholics bound to give assent to a Catholic teaching they believe to be in error

[JLB32168]

Those accused of being “Cafeteria Catholics� are called that because they slice, dice, and julienne the teachings of their Church while inflicting themselves upon their Catholic brethren. Take Charles Anyperson. He is a faithful Catholic who follows all of the teachings of his church but who has “progressive Catholics� in his parish who want female priests. He, of course, has nowhere to go since few churches with priests still have an all-male priesthood. The Progressives, however, have more in common with Episcopalians. Rather than go to the Church that comports with their personal theology, they insist on remaining in the RCC in order to ram reform down everyone else’s throat that is perfectly happy with current RCC teaching.

I respect the “loud and proud� atheist. I have no respect for the Progressive Christian who is a cowardly atheist.

[bjs]

[Replying to polonius.advice]

“A cafeteria Catholic is typically defined as one who picks and chooses what Catholic teaching he wants to believe.�

http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions/ ... a-catholic

The problem with being a “Cafeteria Catholic� is that it is inherently self-centered, regardless if we are talking about progress or conservative Catholics. It means that I choose what I want to believe and how I want to live. Instead of molding my life after Christ, I mold the teachings of Christ to fit my life. The “Cafeteria Catholic� has inverted the selflessness inherent in Catholic teaching (and really all Christian teaching), and made belief to be “all about me.�

[Tired of the Nonsense]

Cafeteria Catholic
The term is most often used by conservative Catholics critical of progressive Catholics. It is less frequently applied to the conservatives who dissent from other Catholic moral teaching on issues such as social justice, capital punishment, the care of the environment or just war.

Conservative Catholics argue this is because these areas of Catholic teaching are not definitively dogmatically defined by the Magisterium, and therefore not unchanging infallible (from a Catholic standpoint) dogmata.

The term has been in use since the issuance of Humanae Vitae, an official document that propounded the Church's opposition to the use of artificial birth control and advocates natural family planning.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafeteria_Catholicism.

Question: Are Catholics bound to give assent to a Catholic teaching they believe to be in error

A "cafeteria Catholic" is one who picks and chooses what to swallow from what is being presented to them, and what to ignore. Conservative Catholics prefer to believe that they are more righteous because they swallow all of it without reservation. Which is of course bogus. When was the last time a good Catholic man sold his daughter into slavery? (Exodus 21:7) When was the last time anyone was put to death for not observing the Sabbath? (Exodus 35.2) When was the last time ANY conservative Catholic refused to wear clothing of mixed materials? (Lev. 19:19) There are prohibitions and commandments in the Bible which are pure nonsense, and they are routinely NOT swallowed.

[JLB32168]

A "cafeteria Catholic" is one who picks and chooses what to swallow from what is being presented to them, and what to ignore.

Oxford defines your usage of the word “swallow� as “to believe unquestioningly (as in a lie or unlikely assertion)�, which is pejorative/disparaging/belittling of those Catholics.

Conservative Catholics prefer to believe that they are more righteous because they swallow all of it without reservation.

I think that when we belittle another group of people as simple-minded bumpkins that we should perhaps refrain from commenting on their alleged self-righteousness.

[marco]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cafeteria_Catholicism.

Question: Are Catholics bound to give assent to a Catholic teaching they believe to be in error

The simple answer is - of course they are. Humans being humans can still align themselves to a group with whom they feel general sympathy. In discussion once with a well-known literary figure, a cafeteria Catholic, I asked if he attended Christmas Mass and he said he did, because he liked the atmosphere and the carol singing.

James Joyce, asked by his mother if he was going to be a Protestant now that he'd lost his Catholic faith, replied that he may have lost his faith but not his mind.

Perhaps it is true to say that once the Jesuits have instructed you, then you are forever a Catholic.

The biggest obstacle to believing in Catholicism, or Christianity, is Yahweh. Who could love him? Jesus tried, dear Lord did he try, but he never succeeded in painting his dad as good. I suspect most thinking Catholics are of the cafeteria variety. There is only so much of Paul you can take without experiencing Sartre's nausea.

[Zzyzx]

.
It appears to me as though ALL Catholics (and Christians in general) are of the "cafeteria" variety. Unless one adheres to ALL the teachings of their religion, they ARE picking and choosing. Some may pick more of the teachings to abide than others (and consider themselves REAL Catholics or Christians), but I have yet to encounter one who did not ignore parts of their religions' teachings / literature / dogma / doctrine.

[JoeyKnothead]

From the OP:

What's wrong with being a "Cafeteria Catholic"?

No sneeze guard.

We're left with the mess of supernatural claims spread all over the buffet of knowledge we've gained since ancient times.

[Tired of the Nonsense]

A "cafeteria Catholic" is one who picks and chooses what to swallow from what is being presented to them, and what to ignore.

Oxford defines your usage of the word “swallow� as “to believe unquestioningly (as in a lie or unlikely assertion)�, which is pejorative/disparaging/belittling of those Catholics.

Conservative Catholics prefer to believe that they are more righteous because they swallow all of it without reservation.

I think that when we belittle another group of people as simple-minded bumpkins that we should perhaps refrain from commenting on their alleged self-righteousness.

I was using the term "swallow," as the action of ingesting something. But your definition is also applicable in my view.

[Elijah John]

.
It appears to me as though ALL Catholics (and Christians in general) are of the "cafeteria" variety. Unless one adheres to ALL the teachings of their religion, they ARE picking and choosing. Some may pick more of the teachings to abide than others (and consider themselves REAL Catholics or Christians), but I have yet to encounter one who did not ignore parts of their religions' teachings / literature / dogma / doctrine.

I agree that all if most Christians do this, Catholics included. And that is a good thing imo, as it shows one thinks for oneself in matters of religion.

There is a tension at work here. There needs to be a uniform standard to dissent from in certain instances, for the purposes of passing on of traditions, as well as community cohesion.

But that standard, by those standards should be somewhat flexible, and answerable to individual conscience before God, as the final arbitor.

In the case of Christianity those standards include the Bible and Church liturgy and tradition. And in The RCC, the Pope.

But it should always be remembered that the Pope can be fallible too, from this heretics perspective anyway.

Yeah, the phrase "cafeteria Catholic", should be changed to "cafeteria Christians imo, as Z points out all Christians cherry pick, even Evangelicals from the Bible. Whether they admit it or not.