Why Isn't The Church More Inclusive?

Yesterday I was listening to the Busted Halo Cast, and was intrigued by something that happened during their "Word on the Street" segment. They went out and asked people what they thought about the future of the Church, and what they would like to see from the Church. The theme that seemed to resonate throughout the answers was that the Catholic Church needed to be more inclusive or it would decline in the future.

I don't know about you, but when I read inclusive, I think tolerant. But as someone once said, "Tolerance is the virtue of a man without conviction." What people want is for the Church to approve of their behavior. They want the Church to tell them it's OK to have sex outside of marriage, contraception isn't really wrong, we're old fashioned and out of touch.

It is not the role of the Church to adapt to the culture, it is supposed to preach the truth. If someone doesn't agree, they are not Catholic. Remember Henry VIII, at least he realized he wasn't Catholic anymore. Perhaps they should try this church described at the Cafeteria is Closed. It's Catholic like, but without all the rules. Please stop pestering my Church to change. I like it the way it is.

I guess what really bothered me was that the gentlemen doing the podcast didn't even mention this. It was kind of glossed over for fear of offending anyone. I agree that we should have respect for all human beings, and love them, regardless of their behavior, but that does not mean we should not tell them what we believe for fear of offending them.