By Eric Sammons, Crisis Magazine, March 18, 2024
Eric Sammons is the editor-in-chief of Crisis Magazine.
In an effort to be more “welcoming,” many Church leaders are looking to fallen-away Catholics to lead the way.
A well-known tactic in political circles is to release a “survey” that supports a predetermined conclusion. For example, a Republican PAC might send out a survey to its base asking “Do you think Joe Biden is right about the 2nd amendment?” Or the Democrats might ask if Trump is the next Hitler. Then the results will be touted as proof of massive support for the forgone conclusion.
This doesn’t just happen in political circles, though, as is clear from a recently released research survey commissioned by the Diocese of Brentwood, England, titled “Believing, Not Belonging: A research into why Catholics no longer come to Church: Ecclesial drift, estrangement, and disaffiliation.” The study’s stated purpose is to find out why fallen-away Catholics fell away. …