Post by homeschooldad on Apr 13, 2024 16:02:56 GMT
www.npr.org/2024/04/12/1244156165/abortion-catholics-pope-francis-church-pew-research
Of course, aside from the objection of "how do you define 'Catholic' in such a poll?" (a valid point), there is also the objection, used when someone doesn't like what a poll has to say, of "you couldn't know that unless you asked each and every Catholic". Pollsters are not stupid, and they are very expert at extrapolating mass attitudes from samples. Carried to its logical conclusion, you could have no such thing as quality control in factories, because you didn't test each and every product that came down the assembly line, you just took samples based upon certain criteria. I think we can view a poll from such an entity as Pew Research, who specializes in such a thing, as pretty accurate.
Anyhow, some thoughts:
Of course, aside from the objection of "how do you define 'Catholic' in such a poll?" (a valid point), there is also the objection, used when someone doesn't like what a poll has to say, of "you couldn't know that unless you asked each and every Catholic". Pollsters are not stupid, and they are very expert at extrapolating mass attitudes from samples. Carried to its logical conclusion, you could have no such thing as quality control in factories, because you didn't test each and every product that came down the assembly line, you just took samples based upon certain criteria. I think we can view a poll from such an entity as Pew Research, who specializes in such a thing, as pretty accurate.
Anyhow, some thoughts:
- I was actually very inspired by this poll, as it said that 83% approved of contraception. That means there are 17 percent who do not. I would never have thought that the figure was that high. 17 percent is a long way from "almost nobody". There is hope.
- And there's one interesting discrepancy here. You have 83% who approve of contraception, and 69% who say priests should be allowed to be married. Putting aside the exceptions of which people generally aren't aware (such as Eastern Rite priests and those priests who have been married ministers in Protestant sects, convert, and are permitted to be ordained as Catholic priests while retaining their wives and families), and assuming that no one who opposes contraception would approve of married priests (they're usually the most fervent and devout of Catholics in the first place), then you have 14 percent of Catholics favoring contraception and wanting their priests to be celibate. Let me get this straight --- you want consequence-free marital relations on demand, but you want your priests to be celibate, is that right? Sounds kind of like that passage from Scripture about laying up burdens too heavy to be borne, yet not being willing to take on the burden themselves. In my almost five decades of navigating the Catholic waters, I've noticed that from many a Catholic in the pew --- "we want holy priests, but we don't want to have to be all that holy ourselves". You won't be saved by someone else being holy, no, friend, that burden falls entirely upon you.