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Pope Francis' new 'Joy of Love' exhortation won't resolve Catholic tensions on marriage and sex
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-sweas-pope-joy-of-love-catholic--20160412-story.html...the pope also insists on traditional gender roles and admonishes against sex, birth control and same-sex marriage. That approach may not be enough to stem the decline in the church membership.
...
Not coincidentally, since 2007, the Catholic share of the U.S. population has declined from 24% to 21%. The Pew Research Center reports that 9% of Americans are former Catholics, and another 9% are “cultural Catholics.” The church is growing in Africa and Asia, but in Latin America, many Catholics have moved to evangelical and Pentecostal churches, which preach forgiveness without all the legalisms.
In contrast to his evidence-based and science-driven encyclical on the environment, Amoris Laetitia ignores empirical research on gender and sexuality. A growing body of evidence, for instance, suggests that transgender identity is biological, but Francis dismisses it as “ideology.” “Human identity becomes the choice of the individual, one which can also change over time,” he writes.
This creates a disconnect. As Father Joseph Palacios, a sociologist and fellow with the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture explains, “If the Catholic Church says we have a faith based on reason, the reason isn't there anymore for 90% of the population.”
...
Not coincidentally, since 2007, the Catholic share of the U.S. population has declined from 24% to 21%. The Pew Research Center reports that 9% of Americans are former Catholics, and another 9% are “cultural Catholics.” The church is growing in Africa and Asia, but in Latin America, many Catholics have moved to evangelical and Pentecostal churches, which preach forgiveness without all the legalisms.
In contrast to his evidence-based and science-driven encyclical on the environment, Amoris Laetitia ignores empirical research on gender and sexuality. A growing body of evidence, for instance, suggests that transgender identity is biological, but Francis dismisses it as “ideology.” “Human identity becomes the choice of the individual, one which can also change over time,” he writes.
This creates a disconnect. As Father Joseph Palacios, a sociologist and fellow with the USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture explains, “If the Catholic Church says we have a faith based on reason, the reason isn't there anymore for 90% of the population.”
Let the RCC kill itself by insisting its antiquated views on human sexuality, gender, and relationships are the One True Way. Hopefully the individual Catholics who actually care about other people more than they do about church rules and defending pedophiles will find other institutions to make them happy. Then it will only be a tiny group of bigots left to call themselves the Catholic Church.
3 replies
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= new reply since forum marked as read
He wrote this with the help of lots of old unmarried, celibate men. So there were many widely-varied perspectives that went into it. 
