At the risk of again infuriating Catholics (let 'er rip, CED), I must comment on the poll of Catholics released in conjunction with the pope's visit to America. This caught my eye:
Yet, few parishioners overall said they go to confession, and most believed they could be good Roman Catholics without going to Mass.
I recently heard a comedian describe himself as "an Olive Garden Italian," which I took to mean "that identity is still important to me, but I've lost touch with the culture." I don't understand the language anymore, but I sitll like the food.
Can the church survive with all these Olive Garden Catholics? Can any institution thrive if the people who say they still believe in it no longer follow its rituals? The rituals represent organized religions' teachings on matters metaphysical. What else separates them?
