Lots of Catholics ignore various parts of Church instructions. Many practice birth control. Lots of Catholics miss Mass on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligations. Some have had, or encouraged, abortions. Many Catholic legislators have passed laws contradicting Church doctrine. As they go through life, picking and choosing what they want to believe, they grow farther from The Church and the salvation She provides. Being a “Cafeteria Catholic” often leads to not being Catholic at all.
It’s one thing for a person who’s never been Catholic to fall into sin. But, the fall from Grace when a Catholic prefers sin to obedience is an especially long one, with a very hard landing. We may remind lapsed Catholics that “You are only one Confession away from Salvation.” They know that, and, surprisingly, they rarely resent being reminded of it.
Many Fundamentalists, similarly, pick out parts of the Bible that they’ll believe and others that they ignore. Most will studiously ignore the passages in John, quoted in the last two days’ columns. This is because there is often a “cash flow consideration”. Institutions rely on cash flows. Expenses must be met, salaries paid, and pensions provided. Few who are dependent on institutional cash flows based on theologies other than John, 6;52: “Whoever eats my Flesh and drinks my Blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” are enthusiastic about having contributors transfer their allegiance and donations to The Church that recognizes John’s teachings in every Mass and continues to provide the specific means of attaining eternal life that He explicitly describes.
Is it better to be a Catholic who’s not a Fundamentalist or a Fundamentalist who’s not a Catholic? The safest is to be both.
That, after all, is what Catholic Fundamentalism’s all about.
