What are cafeteria Catholics?

Cafeteria Catholics are people who say they are Catholic, but aren't.

That's it. As Peter Kreeft said "There is no such thing as a Cafeteria Catholic. You're either Catholic or you're not."

I stand by that 100%!

Well our Bishop sure uses the term.And we pray for there return to full acceptance.Now what is a Cafeteria Catholic well they pick and chose the parts of the Churches teachings they are willing to follow and disregard the rest. So a Catholic who is pro choice would be for example a cafeteria Catholic and because of there belief should not receive the Eucharist. It has been estimated that possibly 50% of Catholics fall into the Cafeteria class.We still claim them and only pray and hope for there return to full communion with the Church. Orchidmg the Church is not against the Death Penalty but do require it be used with very limited use and only for the greater good.

Cradle Catholics are Catholics that have been in that religion since they were baptized as an infant, their whole life.

Cateteria Catholics are ones that pick and choose what they like about the Church and the Bible and ignore the rest. They may only read from the NT and ignore the OT. They may believe in all things that Jesus taught us but are pro-choice. They may be anti-abortion but pro-death penalty. They obey the laws that suits their lifestyle and leave the rest of the laws alone. (at a cafe you can pick and choose what foods you want to eat and leave the rest)

I agree that if you declare you are a Catholic, you need to be Catholic all the way. Many Catholics in my family are cradle Catholics, they say they are Catholic because they wer baptized and even married in the Church but only go to Mass on Christmas and Easter and don't do anything else to show that they are Catholics. It's a shame.

Cafeteria Catholics are so because they lack humility and faith.

Suffering from an overabundance of pride, they are either too ignorant or too lazy to inquire as to precisely what and why the Catholic Church authoritatively teaches on various issues, even though the information has always been readily available, for free.

Not much different than protestants in that regard, although Catholics will likely be judged to a higher standard.

We have an abundant supply of Cafeteria Catholic Bishops, as well.

May God have mercy on their souls.

A cafeteria Catholic picks and chooses which Catholic doctrine to believe in and which to not believe in, like a cafeteria buffet.

Catholics--like everyone else-- are human and have free will. We are not perfect and some of us (most of us) WILL pick and choose doctrine.

On the whole, however, we agree with most of what the Church teaches. That is what makes us Catholic-- catholic meaning universal, applying to all.

Remember, Christ started the Church, but then he left it in human hands and humans have a way of meddling in things and putting their 'human' touch on it.

There are Catholics in full communion with the Pope and the Catholic Church and there are "cafeteria Catholics" who pick and choose what they want to believe and practice. A couple of examples are "liberal Catholics" who are pro-abortion or "conservative or traditional Catholics" who refuse to accept the teachings of Vatican II.

The term "Cafeteria Christians" refers to people who view Christianity like a cafeteria where one picks and chooses only those beliefs that appeal to them and reject a genuine interpretation of Christian doctrine and the teachings of Jesus.

The term "Cafeteria Catholics" is similar. It is used to describe people who dissent from certain teachings of the Catholic Church while maintaining an outward identity as Catholics.

In Los Angeles in 1987, Pope John Paul II said: "It is sometimes claimed that dissent from the magisterium is totally compatible with being a "good Catholic," and poses no obstacle to the reception of the Sacraments. This is a grave error that challenges the teaching of the Bishops in the United States and elsewhere."

Heresy is the obstinate denial after Baptism of a truth which must be believed with divine and Catholic faith.

"Cafeteria Catholics" in denial of certain truths are in danger of committing heresy.

With love in Christ.

Yes and that is why the term cafeteria Catholic came into being. In the US we have so many freedoms that we start believing that it is OK to pick and choose which aspects of the faith to believe in. The Holy Catholic Church, the Church that Christ established is not a smorgasbord to pick and choose, it is an all or nothing thing...

You can't be OK with gay unions or marriage when God established the family unit based on a marriage between a man and a woman.

You can't be OK with abortion because God said thou shalt not murder.

We can't choose to dishonor the mother of Christ, we can't choose to reject the authority Christ established when he told Peter he was the ROCK that he was going to establish the Church on.

The truth is that Christ didn't come to give us a Bible... he came to establish a Church. Either we can choose to believe that Christ had the authority to do this or we can make up our own religion like the descendants of Moses did.

Even back in Biblical times, they knew that you couldn't read scripture and fully understand, you needed the teaching authority to explain it to you... check out Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying: Arise, go towards the south, to the way that goeth down from Jerusalem into Gaza: this is desert. 27 And rising up, he went. And behold a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch, of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge over all her treasures, had come to Jerusalem to adore. 28 And he was returning, sitting in his chariot, and reading Isaias the prophet. 29 And the Spirit said to Philip: Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip running thither, heard him reading the prophet Isaias. And he said: Thinkest thou that thou understandest what thou readest?

31 Who said: And how can I, unless some man show me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. 32 And the place of the scripture which he was reading was this: He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb without voice before his shearer, so openeth he not his mouth. 33 In humility his judgment was taken away. His generation who shall declare, for his life shall be taken from the earth? 34 And the eunuch answering Philip, said: I beseech thee, of whom doth the prophet speak this? of himself, or of some other man? 35 Then Philip, opening his mouth, and beginning at this scripture, preached unto him Jesus.

It refers to a person who choose to believe some of the Catholic teaching and ignore the other

I never heard of a cafeteria catholic.

To me a cafeteria Catholic would be those that pick and choose what they believe and only attend twice a year, Easter and Christmas