Catholic Poll: . for Those of You Who Are Catholic (I'm Not). Do You Think:

I can wish til the cows come home that the Catholic Church would allow 1-2-and 3, but then, they would be Episcopals, wouldn't they? I won't even bother thinking up a #4...

It took until the 1960's to come out and say that the Earth is not the center of the universe. They aren't going to change these three major tenets of the Catholic faith.

It's important to distinguish church disciplines from church dogmas. Many of the church disciplines, like having the mass said in Latin, have indeed changed with time. But dogmas don't change.
http://www.saintaquinas.com/controversial.html

1. Some (conservative) Anglican and some Lutheran priests/ministers that decided to leave the (increasingly liberal) Anglican church and become catholic priests were married (as anglican priests) and some had children. So now, they are indeed married catholic priests with children. They have a lot of responsibility. It's very hard to serve both your congregation and your family. A catholic priest is "in persona Christi", representing Christ, they are asked to identify with Christ by being celibate (and being male). They are considered to be married to the church.

But priestly celibacy is not a church dogma, it's a discipline. That's why exceptions were made for the anglican priests. Technically, it can change, but the church believes as St. Paul does, that it's better not to have divided commitments.

2. No. Again, it's because a priest represents Christ to us. He is acting in persona Christi. It's not because the church wants to exclude women. In fact, young women are joining the more orthodox religious orders in record numbers these days.

Here's some light reading to learn more about points 1 and 2:
http://www.ewtn.com/library/PRIESTS/ORDAINED.TXT
In it, it states that the church has no authority to ordain women as priests because of the example of Christ and the constant teaching and tradition of the church.

3. No. Because marriage is meant to be both unitive and procreative. Birth control blocks those purposes. Plus, it is possible to have break through ovulation on hormonal birth control, leading to a chemical abortion when a fertilized egg meets a uterine lining that has been artifically thinned, making it unable to sustain a pregnancy.

4. I think they need to do a much better job at cathecizing. We need better RCIA programs. I'd like to see adult cathecism classes for those of us who survived catholic schools in the 70s and 80s and their poor level of instruction in the faith. Better sermons, too. Priests should preach what we need to hear, not just what we want to hear. They also need to foster more of a sense of community at church, especially the larger parishes.

I was raised Catholic and am now Unitarian. My answers are:
1 / 2 / 3 - yes
4 - not sure - but I would like the powers that be to turn over accused pedofiles to the police so they could be appropriately punished. There is NO excuse.

Then, we would have chosen to be Episcopals....

hahahaha. I am Episcopalian and when I read your questions I thought.... well, if you add a couple more things to #4 you'd just have more Espicopalians!!!! Then I read Dawn's answer.

I am not RC.

But change 1) and some tweaks in the number 4, and you have LCMS Lutheran. :)

dawn, that's funny.
i am catholic, a liberal one, and while i don't agree with many of the things re: catholic church, it is not up to me to change things. as a society we can change. i don't go around saying i am catholic therefore gay couples shouldn't adopt. i am all pro-adoption, gay or otherwise (just an example).
so
1. i wish they would
2. no (we have nuns)
3. it's not up to catholic church to decide whether i take bc or not.
4. hmmm

1. A celibate priesthood is not a TEACHING of the Church--it is merely a discipline for the Roman Rite priests. Eastern Rite Catholics have always had married priests. This is something that CAN be changed, and I don't have a problem with it changing.
2. Impossible
3. Impossible
4. Sure, I'd like to see the Church hold "Catholic" universities to their name and call them out when they are undermining the teachings of the Church. Other than that, I'm happy with the state of most things, save for minor pastoral improvements that can be made.

1-2-3 are the reasons I left the Catholic Church...4 is a whole novel!

I am not confirmed Catholic however I am going to a Catholic church.

1. This one I am mixed on. The reason I say no is because this is a way that has been known and lived for sooo long. However I say yes because they have a right to human love as well.
2. I say yes. However I do believe that as tradition states priesthood is all the farther it should go.
3. I actually say no to this. Catholics are amazing in the fact that birth control is chastity/ abstaining. I feel if a few more people would believe in this way of life we would be more considerate of our partners. However Birth control in the form of medical help such as PMS or PCOS should be allowed.
4. The changes I feel the Catholic faith should make, or any faith should make, is believing that we all pray to the same God. We need to stop judging other faiths because they read things differently. I am accepted into the Church I am in today (granit I was confirmed Luthern which is so similar its really not funny) so I think we are getting there.