The Different Breeds of Catholicism

I have been meaning to write this blog for a while, now. It's amazing how group-oriented human beings are, and human beings of faith are no different. People of faith are grouped into different religions, and each of those religions are grouped into different denominations. I thought that it would be interesting (and humorous) to take a look at the denomination I know the most - Catholicism. There are so many different types of Catholics out there - one that I think they should all fall into and that the Church intends they fall into, and other types that I feel should not be considered Christianity, let alone Catholicism, at all. I also know that a lot of different Christian denominations contain some of these "breeds" as well.

So, without further ado, here is a bird's eye view of the species of Catholicism. Please keep in mind that I do not mean to offend anyone. I simply am expressing my opinion based on my experiences and what I've seen.


Catholic Christians

Catholic Christianity is the "true" branch of the Catholicism. Catholic Christians identify themselves as Christians who follow the Catholic denomination. Yes, they believe that Catholicism is the denomination that has most Christian truth, but they also see truth in all Christian denominations. While they believe there are some denominations that are more "true" than others, the important thing is that they all have truth in them. I sincerely believe that the current pope falls into this category, though I was once skeptical about it.

Santeria Catholics

A lot of Hispanic Catholics fall into this category. And when I say a lot - I mean the overwhelming majority. Santeria Catholics are those who put emphasis on Saints and the Virgin Mary more than they do on Christ. You can identify these people easily whenever you see God working in their lives. However, instead of thanking God for His grace, they thank San Lazaro, or St. Teresa of Little Flower, or Mary for their work. They believe the saints to be like the League of Justice. Whenever someone prays, they answer the call to save the day. There is a historical reasoning for Hispanic culture's saint-emphasized culture. When the Spaniards first introduced the faith to the Native Americans, they helped the natives understand this new religion by comparing it to their gods. Unfortunately, over time, Christianity got intertwined with spirits, ghosts, and ancestors, leading to this Santeria Catholicism.

I only pray that they learn that to pray to a saint, or to pray to Mary for that matter, is heretical. They are simply twisting what the Catholic Church teaches to fit a cultural need, which leads to the next group of Catholics.


Cultural Catholics

A cultural Catholic is someone who observes the Catholic practices as a cultural tradition rather than a spiritual exercise. Cultural Catholics may not fully understand the theology that informs the religion's rituals, or may reject part or most of the theology as outdated or irrelevant to modern life. Cultural Catholics may attend Mass less than several times a year, or may not practice their religion at all, but still regard their association with the Catholic Church as a defining aspect of their identity, much like how non-practicing Jews still consider themselves Jewish. It becomes more of a racial, rather than spiritual, aspect of society. Cultural Catholics regard the sacraments of the Catholic Church (such as baptism, first communion, confirmation and a wedding in a Catholic Church) as important milestones in life, without necessarily attaching much spiritual significance to the events. A lot of American and European Catholics fall into this category. Dane Cook is a famous example of this kind of Catholic, not necessarily because of what he says about the Catholic mass (I actually find it hilarious), but mainly because some of his other jokes in regards to sexual promiscuity.

These are also the same people who may say things like "I'm a Catholic, but I'm not a good Catholic." Since when are there different levels of Christianity? Isn't it that you are a Christian, or you aren't? They also say things like "I'm a good person. I haven't killed anyone or stole anything." Their assumption is right. They may be a good person. That's how God created them to be - good. The problem is that God calls us to be more than good. He calls us to be holy.

Cultural Catholic is a term generally synonymous with Cafeteria Catholic.


Cafeteria Catholics

The term "cafeteria Catholic" (also CINO = "Catholic In Name Only") is applied to those who pick and choose which doctrines and dogmas they want to believe in. Sometimes they may be theological (for example, they may believe that Jesus was the Messiah but that he was not free from sin) or political/social issues (like dissenting from Roman Catholic moral teaching on issues such as abortion, contraception, premarital sex, masturbation, and homosexuality). The term has no status in official Catholic teachings.

On April 18, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI preached about this in a homily:
"Being an adult means having a faith which does not follow the waves of today's fashions or the latest novelties. A faith which is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ is adult and mature."

In a similar vein, Pope John Paul II stated in his talk to the Bishops in Los Angeles in 1987:
"It is sometimes reported that a large number of Catholics today do not adhere to the teaching of the Catholic Church on a number of questions, notably sexual and conjugal morality, divorce and remarriage. Some are reported as not accepting the clear position on abortion. It has to be noted that there is a tendency on the part of some Catholics to be selective in their adherence to the Church's moral teaching. 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."


Traditionalist Catholics

Traditionalist Catholics believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical forms, public and private devotions and presentations of Catholic teachings which prevailed in the Catholic Church before the Vatican II (1962-1965). They are usually angry with the current Church in regards to many of their new teachings, such as the following:

1) They believe that the Catholic Church is the only true Church devoted to Christ and that all non-Catholic churches that are not in full communion with the Vatican are not true Christian churches. The Catholic Church now teaches what I wrote before in the "Catholic Christian" section - that all Christian churches have truth to them. The Catholic Church also teaches that one not need to convert to Catholicism to gain salvation while Traditionalists believe that one must be Catholic.

2) They believe that the Catholic mass should always be in Latin. Why? I'm not so sure. I mean, Latin is great, but I think that each parish should decide what they want to do.

3) They believe that the Church has enemies and disagree with the modern Church's efforts to seek peace with people of all faiths, including the secular world.

Mel Gibson and Pat Buchanan are prime examples of Traditionalist Catholics.


Anti-Protestant Catholics

Anti-Protestant Catholics are the exact inverse of Anti-Catholic Protestants. They believe in all the spiritual Christian truths, but feel that Protestant groups of Christians are not really Christians (just like those Protestants who believe Catholics to not be Christians). These kinds of Catholics, regardless of how devotedly they believe in Jesus, cannot be 100% Christian in my book - just like the Anti-Catholic Protestants. I feel that in order to be 100% Christian, one has to look past all the doctrinal differences between denominations and realize that as one church, they could get a lot more done. Instead of preaching the gospel to the secular worlds, they thrive on fighting amongst themselves.

Sunday Morning Catholic

A Sunday Catholic or Sunday morning Catholic (also Once-a-weeker) is someone who typically goes to church on Sundays but does not strictly adhere to the doctrines or rules of Catholic Christianity.

The term is most often used to describe someone who is lukewarm in the Christian faith. From some people's perspective, a "Sunday Christian" is attempting to cheat God by taking only those parts of the religion which are appealing or convenient without having to commit to anything. They believe the "Sunday Christian" is attempting to buy his/her way into heaven with a minimal amount of effort.

From another perspective, the person being labeled a Sunday Catholic may simply adhere to another interpretation of Christianity, one which may include greater emphasis on actions, attitudes and good will rather than dogma. The person might also being simply paying lip service, attending church for familial or reputation purposes while otherwise not carrying the beliefs of the church as their own.

The term may also be used to describe people who apply double-standards to non-Christians, such as a person who justifies their political beliefs through the Bible but only attends church so that their hypocrisies are not noticed. This also ties into the idea of lip service.

It is also worth noting that there is a large number of people who only attend Christian church service on Christmas and Easter. They are sometimes called Twice-a-years or C & E Christians, or Submarine Christians (so-named because they surface in Church only twice a year).


While there are many, many more breeds of Catholics, that's all I can muster up for now. Hope you had a good chuckle when you read this and thought to yourself: "I know someone like that."