VladimirPee

Unfortunately Catholics in the USA and Europe have abandoned the Church. Hispanic and African nations are the ones still attending church services and are the future for them. That's why they chose an Argentinian Pope of Italian ancestry.

AuntiE Loc: 45th Least Free State

I will have to take a small exception to the sweeping verbiage, "have abandoned". Certainly there are not as many active practitioners on a weekly/monthly basis; however, many still define themselves as Catholic. It has been my experience many still raise their children with Catholic precepts and practices. Many may not attend mass as required; however, (odd example coming) still buy their Christmas Tree from their parish or another parish lot. They still (another odd example) actively participate in "fruit purchase" during holidays from their parish. When choosing athletic "leagues" for their younger children, it is still the parish teams their younger children participate in. Catholic schools continue to have waiting lists for entrance, even among Catholic students.

The above commentary is based solely upon my knowledge of the area where I reside. I have no knowledge of other areas.

VladimirPee

Auntie

New York's Bishop Dolan announced Church Closures in NYC. They are only reaching 11% of Catholics. Churches are closing all over America. Europe has also seen a decline.

AuntiE Loc: 45th Least Free State

DennisDee, please excuse the upcoming sarcasm. It is NY! Do you really expect the Sodom of the NE to have practicing Catholics? S O R R Y :|

It is true the more metropolitan areas are losing practitioners. Every faith is seeing a loss in such areas. I did say my thoughts were from only my perception and area of living.

Daniel R. Loc: Northern Michigan

It's sad to see people in hardship positions. Although as one that grew up poor, without a father. I remember surplus food and no insurance.

There has always been help outside of what we would call health insurance. We went to the Health Department for vaxcines, emergency rooms are still available in emergency conditions. Until last year we had our own doctor that we paid with cash when we didn't have insurance. What I think is outragous is the hoax that we can't exist without insurance. This program has manipulated many people out of their own insurance because of cost. Caused many struggling small businesses to cut back their employees hours who really needed the income. These are friends of mine not statistics in a file on some webpage.

VladimirPee

SCHIP was created for low income children

Daniel R. Loc: Northern Michigan

Low income children was never in jeopardy. Like I said for many years there have been programs for poor children, women pregnant with child and breastfeeding. Thats one of the biggest lies of all. This was never instituted to help children, it was instituted to control yours amd mine income, and take away our personal freedoms, aka liberty.

jonhatfield Loc: Green Bay, WI

Here in Green Bay I would say the Catholic Church is holding its own compared to other denominations. The basic problem in terms of participation is that work and activity schedules just don't give time. Economic reality: 24/7 operations are more and more the norm & younger (new) workers tend to get the evening, night, & weekend assignments. In the post office sorting centers, many "middle class" mothers choose the night shift so they can be home when their children wake up to go to school and when they come home from school. Little time for church. One of my daughters has "flexible" schedule (flexible to the employer, not the employee) & husband evening schedule. The 4 children have activity schedules hard to get to. Little time for church which, like many or most, have almost become old folks social clubs. The other daughter & husband have traditional day jobs, larger children's activity schedules, extended family obligations, and participate in Catholicism mainly through the parochial schooling their children receive. In theory I consider parochial and private schools a takeaway from a balanced social public school population, an elitist option, but in practice I am thankful the parochial school provides the family with a real church family like we had when I was growing up (even if it's Catholic rather Southern Baptist like we had) and am saddened my other daughter's family has less direct participation in church family. Terribly saddened that "modern" economic life circumstances crowd out the foundations of belief and standards of decency for so many. Some churches are looking toward 24/7 ministries and auxilliary programming but it's quite different from my childhood when Mom didn't work (not for wages, anyway) and Dad worked 40 hours 5 days a week, and we attended Sunday School, church, Training Union, and night service (but not the Wednesday night prayer service). It's a changed world--and it's economics, not some commie conspiracy or decline in public morality...except that modern economic circumstances are affecting ordinary middle class family life, crowding out the church and thus potentially affecting public morality. I consider faith, even if not practiced particularly "faithfully," as the security that every individual needs and that society needs...not zealotry, just common belief and faith to see us through.

jonhatfield Loc: Green Bay, WI

Low income children never in jeopardy???! The great crisis of Western Civ in our day is the declining birth rate among middle class population and resulting disportionate size of children living in poverty circumstances...not sure any govt. program can help that entirely & don't know of the program referred to or even the specific subject. The govt. program that has been most effective for middle class young families has been the revision of the tax code providing child tax credit &, with collection of taxes before the credit, a "savings account" of sorts refunded at the beginning of the year. Idiot govt. at one point was allowing option to pay taxes in at the reduced credit rate & thus no "savings account." You don't want to subsidize middle class life for beginning families with your tax dollars? Think again--that's how in these days of megaeconomics we finance the foundation (underpinning) of our society. But what about really low income children who may or may not (I don't trust interpretation of stats) be becoming a bigger majority of coming generation...how do we ensure more or most of them become workers and positive participants in American society? No govt. program I know of effective for that...maybe education, preschool, etc. if we could put it together.

By happenstance I know the circumstances of a segment of the immigrant poor (illegal, of course) who will aspire & achieve the American dream as those in our history have. The American dream is not wealth but a happy and secure life of work and family and individual choices. Yah, we can't bring in the whole world to America, but we can bring America to the whole world...and in fact have done a pretty good job of that if you watch TV's occasional snapshots of ordinary streets & people around the world. Have you watched Mexican TV? Sometimes ordinary Mexicans are more American in manner than we are. ha.

I guess I've gotten off subject...from the old poor to the new poor. Maybe the difference is that the old poor are demoralized, feel deprived, and often give up...whereas the immigrant poor are poor in circumstances and living standards but are hopeful and believe and aspire to the ordinary matter-of-fact American dream. So they're illegal. So were my ancestors who came before immigration laws were necessary. So they're here and the underpinning of our work force. Outlaws! Yes, that's us real Americans...we're all "outlaw" individuals who make our own decisions somewhat regardless of the law. At the same time we are the most law-abiding people in the world. That may seem a contradiction, but that's what America is. We have federal and state and county and district and various corporations and organizations and individuals--each with its own sphere of decision and action, often coordinated, often separate, often different, often conforming--and it works like no other civilization before...although we may have to invent new ways for individuals to remain individuals in this big big new world of big corporateness, big governmentS, big "standards" of living.

Jonathan Livingston Pigeon Loc: Mildew, Ohio

Conservatives Republicans claim to be Christians. They call themselves Christ like but do not live their faith. They talk their faith and use it as a tool to seek advantage, not to provide help to others. Of all things under heaven that God detest, it is the hypocrite.

Jonathan Livingston Pigeon Loc: Mildew, Ohio

Mormon is junk Christianity.

Constitutional libertarian Loc: St Croix National Scenic River Way

You know if it weren't for abortion we would have the 30 million American citizens we need to pay the taxes to run the programs that were forced down the throats of every single us citizen. We wouldn't need to give law breaking illegal immigrants amnesty.

VladimirPee

Jonathan and how do you come to this conclusion? Please post a coherent response.

nancyjess

ohh since reading your message about republicans... i think i will turn liberal democrat.. quit my job,, go on food stamps.. and obama care or. medicaid.. get pregnant and have it aborted in the third trimester.. or keep it and get another 500.00 a month per child i have , which i do not know who the fathers are to the children i do carry to birth.
i won't have to buy a phone , i can get one through obama phone,
i will get my rent paid for and utilities - i can get free food from all the tax payers that get up and work every day.!!!! hey why have i been working all my life and never took a dime., supported my children, sometimes working two jobs to make ends meet. ??????? i now get it.... thank you
now i have more and do not have to get up to go to work every day. thank you

nancyjess

why are you judging a christian.??? are you not a christian?