NationStates Jolt Archive

This thread has probablly been done before, but I'm going to do it anyway. Are their any other practicing Roman Catholics here besides me? DO NOT MAKE THIS A SPAM THREAD! IF YOU DONT LIKE THE CHURCH GO POST THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE! Like I said, this thread is mearly to see how many PACTICING RC's there are on this forum.

This thread has probablly been done before, but I'm going to do it anyway. Are their any other practicing Roman Catholics here besides me? DO NOT MAKE THIS A SPAM THREAD! IF YOU DONT LIKE THE CHURCH GO POST THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE! Like I said, this thread is mearly to see how many PACTICING RC's there are on this forum.
So you consider rational debate on the worth of the topic (the RC church and its members) spam? I find that it hardly fits the definition

Anyways I was RC if that counts for anything

So you consider rational debate on the worth of the topic (the RC church and its members) spam? I find that it hardly fits the definition

Anyways I was RC if that counts for anything

No, I don't consider "rational debate" to be spam. However, how many posts can you think of having read on this forum that support the Roman Catholic Church? There are Protestants, Muslims, Buddists, Agnostics, Atheists, fallen-away Catholics, etc., etc., who are always bashing the Church, but rarely does anyone defend it. If I could know that there would be a resonable debate then I would welcome it, however seeing as how most of the people on this forum are 3 year olds when it comes to religion, I'm not going to put up with their spam. Does that answer your question?

I'm a semi-practicing Roman Catholic. I go to church every couple weeks and for the big holidays (Christmas, Easter). I don't necessarily agree with all of the Roman Catholic Church's actions or teachings, but I haven't turned my back on it, either.

Not practising but I was baptised as one

No, I don't consider "rational debate" to be spam. However, how many posts can you think of having read on this forum that support the Roman Catholic Church? There are Protestants, Muslims, Buddists, Agnostics, Atheists, fallen-away Catholics, etc., etc., who are always bashing the Church, but rarely does anyone defend it. If I could know that there would be a resonable debate then I would welcome it, however seeing as how most of the people on this forum are 3 year olds when it comes to religion, I'm not going to put up with their spam. Does that answer your question?
If no one defended it there hardly would be any arguments with only one side to the debate

Plenty of people stand up for it

I don’t but I have issues with the organization in the past but others do

yeah im a tradtional catholic. I attend mass weekly at a fssp. indult tridentine mass, and im up for defending the one true faith also.

Yes im a practising roman catholic.

I'm a practicing RC in the US. I understand how frustrating it can be to be catholic on the internet. Everyone else seems to expect us to be respectfull of their "lifestyle choice", religion, etc., but rarely do we see any respect for our religion. Thats why I mostly prefer not to debate such people.

I just thought I'd let you know I'm RC and online :)

I'm a practicing RC in the US. I understand how frustrating it can be to be catholic on the internet. Everyone else seems to expect us to be respectfull of their "lifestyle choice", religion, etc., but rarely do we see any respect for our religion. Thats why I mostly prefer not to debate such people.

I just thought I'd let you know I'm RC and online :)
We demand the right to speak not the right to respect … you are mis-interpreting

You have the right to believe whatever you wish but you do not have the right to not have that belief questioned and studied critiqued and yes sometimes mocked (but that’s a matter of manners)

oh

practicing

nevermind

im an atheist catholic (or is it a catholic atheist, i can never remember)

I stopped practicing.

If you are suggesting the Chruch doesn't deserve bashing.....be prepared.

No, I don't consider "rational debate" to be spam. However, how many posts can you think of having read on this forum that support the Roman Catholic Church? There are Protestants, Muslims, Buddists, Agnostics, Atheists, fallen-away Catholics, etc., etc., who are always bashing the Church, but rarely does anyone defend it. If I could know that there would be a resonable debate then I would welcome it, however seeing as how most of the people on this forum are 3 year olds when it comes to religion, I'm not going to put up with their spam. Does that answer your question?
i dont think youve been paying attention. i see the church defended whenever she needs to be defended.

I is a roman catholic

As a practicing Roman Catholic I certainly will not state that the Church on earth is perfect; it is of course made up of imperfect human beings.

However, I find that the same people who will (rightfully) complain about condemming Islam due to the acts of a few terrorists will neverless condem the entire Catholic Church due to the acts of a few members of the priesthood.

I don't ask for agreement, only fairness.

The Seven Darks']As a practicing Roman Catholic I certainly will not state that the Church on earth is perfect; it is of course made up of imperfect human beings.

However, I find that the same people who will (rightfully) complain about condemming Islam due to the acts of a few terrorists will neverless condem the entire Catholic Church due to the acts of a few members of the priesthood.

I don't ask for agreement, only fairness.
And the organization protecting them and then putting them back in a position to recommit … like in the case of my priest where he had been known by the organization since the 1970’s and then was put into a large parish and also in charge of an elementary school … (he did recommit in the 90's)

I'm not catholic, I'm non-demonation but Its also not for me to judge or put down anyother religion weather I agree with it or not. Just putting in my two cents

I'm Roman Catholic. And as a Catholic, I am appalled at many of the actions members of our Church have taken, both in the past (Crusades, religious wars, witch hunts) and in the modern era (cover-ups, molestation).

If you feel like "bashing" my faith, quite frankly, I'm fine with that. There are plenty of instances where you could, many in which you should, and all of which are well-documented.

In truth, I almost welcome anti-Catholic propaganda as a sign that the Church is being persectued and that the Second Coming is at hand. But that's just me.

And I love my faith. I love adoration, Eucharist, the sacraments, the priesthood, and the communion of saints. I love believing in angels and praying for the faithfully departed, as well as attending mass (though not at 8am or midnight) and doing "Church aerobics." (Stand, sit, kneel, stand, kneel, sit, stand, and okaaaaaaay rest! And walk in line, walk in line...Stand, sit, kneel, stand, sit, kneel, sit, kneel...)

Do you want to debate? :rolleyes: Fiiiiiiiiiinnnnne....
But let's make some attempt at achieving mutual enlightenment, versus starting duels of verbage, logic, and syntax, attempting to submit others to our intellect and wit, shall we? :)

Practicing Catholic here, I don't see it as a pain to be Catholic on NS just as long as you respect fellow posters and their views. Don't just come back with "you have sinned you are going to hell!!!!!!!!" and you will be fine :)

Practicing Catholic here, I don't see it as a pain to be Catholic on NS just as long as you respect fellow posters and their views. Don't just come back with "you have sinned you are going to hell!!!!!!!!" and you will be fine :)
Yup we can get along great :) we only really fight when someone tries to use their personal faith to justify things we do not agree with (well us and the constitution and laws and principal of the nation … so on and so forth) you know what I mean

Otherwise I completely respect the religion … I was a catholic myself and can respect the beauty and knowledge of some of the teachings (some not but that’s alright)

Just because I can not share in the faith does not mean I don’t respect it

Yup we can get along great :) we only really fight when someone tries to use their personal faith to justify things we do not agree with (well us and the constitution and laws and principal of the nation … so on and so forth) you know what I mean

Otherwise I completely respect the religion … I was a catholic myself and can respect the beauty and knowledge of some of the teachings (some not but that’s alright)

Just because I can not share in the faith does not mean I don’t respect it

agreed. Many arguments come from when religous people try to make people live to their standards. That sort of atempted conversion annoys me mainly because it will drive people away from said religion.

The Seven Darks']
However, I find that the same people who will (rightfully) complain about condemming Islam due to the acts of a few terrorists will neverless condem the entire Catholic Church due to the acts of a few members of the priesthood.


Ahh but the fact the Church has a policy of hiding these creatures, moving them around, and giving them access to children AGAIN; pretty much earn the right to condem the entire Catholic Church. It's been going on for over 50 years. Canada has an case from the 30s. Ever hear of the Duplessis Orphans?

http://members.tripod.com/~rootsunknown/intro1.htm

Even the new Pope had the balls to say the American Press has made it bigger then it really is.

I will consider returning if they give a formal apology.

As a 90 year old woman who went to Church whenever possible told my mother-in-law "Why should I confess my sins to them; when they can't even be honest?"

agreed. Many arguments come from when religous people try to make people live to their standards. That sort of atempted conversion annoys me mainly because it will drive people away from said religion.
Defiantly not the best way to go about drawing people in

I'm going to be taking lessons to become Catholic soon. For now, I guess you can say I'm a 'nondemoninational Christian' but I certainly believe the Catholic Church is the right place for me.

Any particular reason why you wanted to know?

I'm going to be taking lessons to become Catholic soon. For now, I guess you can say I'm a 'nondemoninational Christian' but I certainly believe the Catholic Church is the right place for me.

Any particular reason why you wanted to know?

I welcome you to the Catholic church. Can I ask why you have chosen the Catholic church?

Here in Britain (and the catholic community I am part of is quite large, but few actually go to church anymore) it's usually the evangelicals who are more vocal about their Christianity than us. It isn't usually a Catholic telling people that they are going to hell. We recently took a hard-line stance on abortion but that is about it really and it not just a Christian thing. Very few of my friends, as I attend the strictest Church of England School in Britain for admissions know anything about Catholics. My mother is staunchly C of E, which is why I go there, and the fact that it is the best school in our town. My father is Catholic, but lost the argument. We have prayers every morning in school and communion in school once a month. The small number of Catholics we have mostly refuse to take communion with the others, which does not always please the reverends. We have four priests at my school and all are obviously anglican. It does feel very odd as there are only two Catholics in my year group out of 280 people. Does anyone else share similar experiences?

I welcome you to the Catholic church. Can I ask why you have chosen the Catholic church?

Thank you.

Well, I've been a Christian for many years but I never really felt 100% "at home" in any church... Then I went to a Catholic mass with my girlfriend and it totally felt right. I can't describe it any other way. Anyways, I went once without her just to make sure that my feelings for her weren't clouding my judgement. They weren't. I felt very wonderful there.

That's a very summarized account of a much longer story but I suppose it will suffice.

I don't practice Catholicism... I am a Roman Catholic.

I'm a practicing RC who has, regretfully, been in need of more practice...just bought a house, haven't been to church in a couple of weeks.

Anyway, you are not alone. Fight the good fight. ;)

Thank you.

Well, I've been a Christian for many years but I never really felt 100% "at home" in any church... Then I went to a Catholic mass with my girlfriend and it totally felt right. I can't describe it any other way. Anyways, I went once without her just to make sure that my feelings for her weren't clouding my judgement. They weren't. I felt very wonderful there.

That's a very summarized account of a much longer story but I suppose it will suffice.

Well that should be the only reason someone should join a religion in my book. I'm glad you have found a faith that suits you.

I am proudly a RC and attend mass everyday at 6:00AM. Sundays at 7:30AM

I am proudly a RC and attend mass everyday at 6:00AM. Sundays at 7:30AM
Eeek that’s a long time of people attempting to tell me what they get from the bible. Once a week (twice a week in elementary before the incident) was more thank enough for me

Well that should be the only reason someone should join a religion in my book. I'm glad you have found a faith that suits you.

thanks. i appreciate you saying that. : )

I'm a practicing RC and active in my parish. I'm a convert from Judaism and married to a Evangelical Pentecost. Family get togethers are interesting at my house.

yeah im a tradtional catholic. I attend mass weekly at a fssp. indult tridentine mass, and im up for defending the one true faith also.

Wow, now that's a dyed-in-the-wool traditionalist. I've always wanted to see a Tridentine-style Mass, but people in my area are too liberal.

I am RC, for what it's worth. But I'm not much of a practicer since I married a Jewish woman and our children are being raised Jewish.

I'm Roman Catholic as well, although rather liberal in my views and always to ask, inspect and critisise anything I find doubtful about the Catholic church.
Mayber that's simply because I was more or less raised in a Jesuit convent.

I don't have any problem with people critisising the church, but I generally don't do well with trolls.
However, I have to say that so far, I got most abuse by fellow-Catholics, accusing me of free thought ;)

I'm a practicing [Irish] Catholic and, as far as I've seen, probably one of the more outspoken ones on the boards, but for once I admit I didn't really read all the replies. I read SOME. I wanted to say, based on some of the things I've seen regarding people talking about the controversies -- if you choose to bash on the actions, please remember -- not ALL Catholics are like that. For every priest that may or may not have touched a little boy or girl, there are SO MANY MORE that have stayed true to their vows, to address the topic most often brought up. Furthermore, it's not fair to judge the contemporary Church on the events of previous centuries (the Crusades, witch hunts, any of the actions that lead to the schism[s], etc). If you honestly believe that a majority of current Catholics would CHOOSE to once again enforce those kinds of actions, that's your perogative; however, be ready to hear an earful from a VERY offended Catholic if you say it around me. Lastly, not all Catholics are at all like the Fundamentalist Christians that seem to be the Christian stereotype, as a matter of fact I've never met a Catholic like that (and I've met plenty of Catholics). There is no box to put us in; some are liberal, some are conservative; some are isolationist, some are more worldly; some are Vatican I and some are Vatican II.

On top of all of that, let me say this: NOBODY likes their beliefs to be called lies. Of COURSE a Catholic is going to get pissed if you say there's no proof of God: a real Catholic requires no proof. If they'rea t all like me, they're more angry at your ignorance and lack of understanding than the actual statement. Be a little considerate when they try to explain their stance.

Beyond that, if anybody ever has any beef with the Church....I'm usually open to discussion. :D

I'm Roman Catholic as well, although rather liberal in my views and always to ask, inspect and critisise anything I find doubtful about the Catholic church.
Mayber that's simply because I was more or less raised in a Jesuit convent.

I don't have any problem with people critisising the church, but I generally don't do well with trolls.
However, I have to say that so far, I got most abuse by fellow-Catholics, accusing me of free thought ;)

You know what I think you just described me aswel. I'm not going to blindly follow rules set. Why would god give us free wiil in the first place?

I get accused of "not being a real catholic" because of my general opinions

thanks. i appreciate you saying that. : )

any time :)

I get accused of "not being a real catholic" because of my general opinions
I think it's sad that you guys get that kind of accusation......we're all great big free-thinking liberal Catholics in my congregation (weird for the Midwest). Move to Boston, they'll like you there.

Yeah, I'm Roman Catholic.

Simonist']I think it's sad that you guys get that kind of accusation......we're all great big free-thinking liberal Catholics in my congregation (weird for the Midwest). Move to Boston, they'll like you there.

I'm a brit so it wouldbe a bit of a way ;)

I'm happy to be different, I don't think I was meant to follow and i don't think god would want me to be unhappy or reserved because of him. My views hurt no-one else so I'm happy :)

I'm not practising, but I was born and raised RC, and still feel that I'm more RC than anything else. Plus you know the saying, born a Roman Catholic, always a Roman Catholic.

My problem with not practising is a) I'm lazy, and b) I think I have too many disagreements to go in good faith. But that might just be a cop out. I think I would feel better if I did go every week instead of every few months.

I'm a brit so it wouldbe a bit of a way ;)

I'm happy to be different, I don't think I was meant to follow and i don't think god would want me to be unhappy or reserved because of him. My views hurt no-one else so I'm happy :)
I thought the Euros were way more tolerant of Catlicks.

Dang. My picturesque ideal of Europe as a whole is shaken at the very foundations....

I'm not practising, but I was born and raised RC, and still feel that I'm more RC than anything else. Plus you know the saying, born a Roman Catholic, always a Roman Catholic.


My mother was protestant and my father was catholic. They said that I could go to church with either or not at all until I was an age to decide. It was a very good experience of both ways of Christianity.

Simonist']I thought the Euros were way more tolerant of Catlicks.

Dang. My picturesque ideal of Europe as a whole is shaken at the very foundations....

Oh they are. The problem they have with me is that I don't fit the typical Catholic, for instants I think that people who decide to be homosexual should not be lectured for that choice based on our moral stance.

I'm a practising RC. Went to confession (reconciliation) this morning actually. But I DO NOT aggree with many church doctrines.

Oh they are. The problem they have with me is that I don't fit the typical Catholic, for instants I think that people who decide to be homosexual should not be lectured for that choice based on our moral stance.
Oh, I gotcha. Yeah, I'm more in that boat.....I push the liberal boundaries of even the most liberal of ours. My priest says I'm the regional activist. And then I call him stodgy and make him pay for coffee when we go out together.

I'm Roman Catholic too! I do practice it...but I am a bit irregular in attendence...but I always try my best considering how lazy I am.

Simonist']I thought the Euros were way more tolerant of Catlicks.

Dang. My picturesque ideal of Europe as a whole is shaken at the very foundations....

Personally, I never had any problems being a Catholic in Europe. The people who accused me of not being a real Catholic at all if I don't agree 100% with church doctrines were Americans...

I just remembered one incident that I think highlights the difference between American Catholics and European Catholics (although, really, it may have been an exception still. What do I know?)
Anyway, a friend of mine (practising Catholic herself) and I had been to visit New York a few years back. We got a guided tour around Manhattan, in a rather mixed group. There were a few teenagers from Texas, one of them a girl who lost no time telling everybody in earshot that she was Catholic. When somebody in the group asked the guide if the set for "Seinfeld" could be seen anywhere in town, she gave him a lecture on how that was "a show about mean people doing mean things to others" and that she feels no person of Catholic or even just Christian faith should watch that.
When we passed St. Patrick's Catherdral, she got excited and kept shouting at her friends that they ab-so-lut-ly HAD to get a mass schedule for later on.
A little later, we came by a house, rather on the small side, and our guide pointed out that in this house, the first America-born saint had been born (I can't remember the name, sorry). She ran up and kissed the wall. I didn't so much see her doing that, but I heard her yelling at her friends that she did...

Overall, if anybody had asked me that day or during the following week if I was Catholic, I think I would have denied all accusation for sheer embarassement.
The thing is, in my experience, in Europe at least, Catholics don't really evangelise or are overly talkative about their faith. They are Catholic, if you have a specific question we are willing to answer, but otherwise, faith is a private matter.
That, and you will find very few people who would really accept any bit of faith without questioning it first.

Five words: witch burners and child molesters.

I was baptised Catholic, but am generally non-practicing. Seems like the church does exactly the opposite of what Christianity is intended to do: seems to promote hate sometimes rather than completely shunning it.

Five words: witch burners and child molesters.

Yeah, 'cause no other confessions ever did that... :rolleyes:

Five words: witch burners and child molesters.


One word : Troll

This thread has probablly been done before, but I'm going to do it anyway. Are their any other practicing Roman Catholics here besides me? DO NOT MAKE THIS A SPAM THREAD! IF YOU DONT LIKE THE CHURCH GO POST THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE! Like I said, this thread is mearly to see how many PACTICING RC's there are on this forum.

Well I'm not Catholic but I am Christian... are you interested in that aswell? And this would probably work better as a poll :)

Oh they are. The problem they have with me is that I don't fit the typical Catholic, for instants I think that people who decide to be homosexual should not be lectured for that choice based on our moral stance.
What on earth do you mean chose!

Catholic
Well Baptised but nothing else.No saint name for me. :(
I used to go to Church but i stoped when i was 9 or 10 using the theory that Cartoons were more important.
so Because my Mother(Dad didnt go-well as far as i can remember) got lax or didnt want to force me to go i stopped going.

I do go on Christmas Eve.

I also noticed a lot of Foriegn exchange Students that went to my College(Highschool) were Catholic.

My Political Compass was/is niegh on identical to Pope John Paul II's..

What on earth do you mean chose!


I sorry i don't understand your question

he was asking about your comment of people deciding to be homosexual

he was asking about your comment of people deciding to be homosexual
Yes did i spell choose wrong?
Oh i did...
I know what your saying Gataway_D-it was sarcasam.

Yes did i spell choose wrong?
Oh i did...
I know what your saying Gataway_D-it was sarcasam.

ok cool.You never know ith this place sometimes

My mother is a practising roman catholic, I haven't been to church in years so I guess I'm not really practising.

Five words: witch burners and child molesters.

I hope you're not American....

1) No witches were EVER burned in North America. Drown, hung, pressed, stoned and starved? Yes.

2) All North American witch hunts were by the colonists of New England... of which almost NONE were Catholic. The two biggest "hotspots" -- Salem, MA and Stratford/Fairfield, CT -- were just about entirely non-Catholic at the time.

I am Roman Catholic, my mother is RC (Polish) and my dad is Chaldean Catholic (Iraqi). I was baptized Chaldean but confirmed Roman Catholic and I go to a RC church. I'm real web-connected with all the RC blogs and I love all the debates. It's great how so many people think they've got these awesome refutations of Church teachings when they've been shot down for 2000 years already.

BTW Markreich, you're absolutely right. The witch scares were products of Puritanism. There were witch burnings in Europe too, during the middle ages, but those were Protestant as well as Catholic.

Plus you know the saying, born a Roman Catholic, always a Roman Catholic.

Too true ;)

I am a Roman Catholic, too.
Mother a teacher for catholic religious education, went to a catholic school, was an altar boy from 8 - 18, lost faith completely aged 14, have since then regained faith, but would describe my faith in terms of planetary movement round the sun, sometimes closer, sometimes further away.

I go to mass more or less regularly every week. Haven't been to confession in over 20 years, because some things i don't consider sins, others I don't regret, so no use in confessing them. Would go if I committed something I considered a sin which I also repented, because I think the principle of RC confession is actually great.

By chance my wife's also catholic, more so than I, but still liberal. Most of my close friends are either (lutheran) protestants or atheists, but I also have some friends who studied RC theology (including two priests). I don't care what religion a person follows (if any) as long as they don't shove it down my throat and are generally sensible.

I belive it doesn't matter what we believe in as we'll be judged by our deeds.

I'm surprised, enlightened and regularly amused by religious discussions on this board, as I'm exposed to (for me) strange concepts like creationism, rapture, the notion of hell to all unbelievers and jediism :)

What a wonderfully diverse crowd of people :D

Long story, short answer. Non-practicing Roman Catholic.

I left the church after 50 years and became a Methodist. I am very happy.

Personally, I never had any problems being a Catholic in Europe. The people who accused me of not being a real Catholic at all if I don't agree 100% with church doctrines were Americans...
<snip>
Hmmmm. Texas is a bit of a religious extreme all by itself, you can't judge somebody from TEXAS as a representative of America. G.W.'s from Texas, but do you think we're ALL like that? I would hope not......same goes for Catholics. Personally, I'd tell people they shouldn't watch Seinfeld because it's a poorly written show that recycles the same pseudo-witty jokes over and over, but that's just me. I am willing to bet that the Texan broad was doing it more for show than anything else, especially if she's so accustomed to having to be so outspoken about her religion. She's probably one that has it questioned all the time, in truth.

That said, I'm going to go watch me some TV. My court shows are on.

Simonist']Hmmmm. Texas is a bit of a religious extreme all by itself, you can't judge somebody from TEXAS as a representative of America. G.W.'s from Texas, but do you think we're ALL like that? I would hope not......same goes for Catholics. Personally, I'd tell people they shouldn't watch Seinfeld because it's a poorly written show that recycles the same pseudo-witty jokes over and over, but that's just me. I am willing to bet that the Texan broad was doing it more for show than anything else, especially if she's so accustomed to having to be so outspoken about her religion. She's probably one that has it questioned all the time, in truth.

That said, I'm going to go watch me some TV. My court shows are on.

Oh, don't you worry, I didn't regard her as representative of anything. I just gave her as an example, as she did represent the traits of an incredibly large number of American Christians/Catholics, that will never fail to alienate Europeans, especially Protestant or better still Atheist ones.
On the whole, I don't have a problem being Catholic, as long as people don't automatically assume that I agree with everything the church does/says/teaches/proclaims.
I'm a bit of a Jesuit at heart myself, I'll keep my own judgement, thank you ;)

Oh, don't you worry, I didn't regard her as representative of anything. I just gave her as an example, as she did represent the traits of an incredibly large number of American Christians/Catholics, that will never fail to alienate Europeans, especially Protestant or better still Atheist ones.
On the whole, I don't have a problem being Catholic, as long as people don't automatically assume that I agree with everything the church does/says/teaches/proclaims.
I'm a bit of a Jesuit at heart myself, I'll keep my own judgement, thank you ;)
I imagine that would alienate many Americans. At least I hope so.

Jesuit "at heart" or in teachings? I mean, geez, I'M a Jesuit at heart, but a Benedictine by grace.......or......something.

A quick question to anybody else still reading this -- if any of you have been to any convents, IM or email me (painted.morning@gmail.com), especially if you live in America, but feel free if you don't.....I've been toying with the idea of studying for a few years at a convent for a long time now, though maybe not going all the way to being a Sister, and I really only know of two in my area. I was wondering if anybody had any information or referrals. Who knows, maybe God even offers a referral bonus program these days.....

This is just something I've noticed within my own group of friends. But has anyone else noticed Catholics tend to be more liberal than other christian groups?

This is just something I've noticed within my own group of friends. But has anyone else noticed Catholics tend to be more liberal than other christian groups?

I have noticed that, actually. I'm a traditional, practicing Roman Catholic, and I think a lot of it has to do with the influence of the Society of Jesus. I think that the Jesuit's more liberally-minded views have helped the Catholic Church to prosper. They promote exploration of the faith, really, and that allows members to question the Church without feeling outcast, like they might in some other denominations (that's not meant to offend anyone, by the way). A lot of times, when Catholics question their faith, they eventually arrive at an answer that basically confirms that Roman Catholicism is the best fit for them (as I have), and that strengthens their faith significantly. At least that's what seems to be the case for everyone I've spoken to about it.

This is just something I've noticed within my own group of friends. But has anyone else noticed Catholics tend to be more liberal than other christian groups?
Not really where I come from, a city with a 50:50 percentage of catholics and Lutheran protestants in the middle of a mostly catholic German state.
My friends where, by chance, mostly protestant and I attended a lot of protestant services as a member of a gospel choir, which had its root in a protestant parish's youth center. In fact, during my agnostic years I probably spent more time in protestant churches than in catholic ones.

But I digress. All the people I encountered where, religiously, very liberal. Although there were (and probably are) lots of prejudices against catholic rites and creeds, I never encountered any of that "My god/church/religion is better than you".

But perhaps it is the history of the place. As the city officials didn't actually sign the peace treaty named after it, the result was that everything in the city was split evenly between catholics and protestants, they got half the catholic churches (which resulted in the only protestant church - AFAIK - where a catholic mass is being held once a year and the building of a protestant annex to a catholic church, in order to get the same amount of churches), if the first mayor was catholic, the second had to be protestant and vice versa (long abolished). This resulted in peace and understanding between the confessions and has been like that now for 450 years!

Put your 'and up if you're Catholic!! (Oi'm actually Protestant, but, wahey!) After awll, it were the oryginal purpose of thess thread, were it not?