What If I Disagree With Church Teaching?

The Catholic Church has a lot of rules and teachings, some of which are hard to accept for some people. What happens if someone disagrees? Does every Catholic have to follow every teaching? It depends on what type of teaching it is.

SOCIAL MEDIA:

INTERESTED IN BECOMING A FRIAR?

SUPPORT THE MISSION

[nbenefiel]

When I was a kid, the nuns who educated me told me that if I disagreed with some thing the church taught (aside from the creed) I was required to study the issue, to pray about it, to meditate on it, and to do what my conscience demanded. It has worked for me.

[joyceffc]

I really appreciate how you tackle and teach these Catholic issues (how u tackle the hard questions) and answer them as succinctly and as honestly and directly as you do. Thank you for this and may God bless your ministry!

[eugexplondon]

Gosh! Fr. Casey. The title of your video drag me here. The times we're going through make people think about these things. Let's hope we all keep loving God and following the main teachings that Jesus told us. At the end of the day, we are all mortals. When we meet God, He will tell us what did we miss. God bless us all. Keep healthy.

[st.mephisto]

Father you're a very eloquent, concise and clear speaker.
It's always a treat to hear you and this cleared up a lot of confusion. 🙂

[christianmajor]

I can’t put my finger on it exactly but I’m thinking there’s a renewed clarity and punchiness in your videos post-break, which is great. I hope and am sure you’ll keep taking risks (and flak) with the controversial contemporary stuff - there’s a desperate need for a clear perspective anchored with God and not bogged down in the current ideological mire. The yoke is light etc. Sincerely, from London

[phynnlessimaging]

This isn't spoken on nearly enough. I've been fighting a pull to the church for 15 years because no one talks about this stuff. Thank you.

[SilasMcfarlaneJustNumbers]

Thanks! As a new catholic this was quite informative and has cleared up much confusion!

[OldScot-xp]

It is the long-established teaching of the Church that, in matters of faith and morals, the ultimate authority for the individual is his or her "informed conscience." I learned about the authority of informed conscience from Saint John Paul II who dealt with the issue of the supremacy of the 'informed conscience' in one part of his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1994; p 190-191).
In his book, John Paul II wrote “If a man is admonished by his conscience – even an erroneous conscience, but one whose voice appears to him as unquestioningly true – he must always listen to it. What is not permissible is that he culpably indulge in error without trying to reach the truth. If [Cardinal] Newman places conscience above authority he is not proclaiming anything new with respect to the constant teaching of the Church. The conscience, as the [Second Vatican] Council teaches, “is man's sanctuary and most secret core, where he finds himself alone with God, whose voice resounds within him."
It is to be noted that the importance of 'informing' one's conscience requires on-going effort. Prayer and meditation on Scripture and Church teaching is the ‘cornerstone’ of the process which also includes the consultation of a variety of relevant and reliable sources on any given issue. It is NOT simply a matter of personal preference, but the making of a decision based on careful consideration and study of all the factors/evidence and sources available to one viewed through the ‘lens’ of prayer and meditation.
As John Paul II explains, what is not permitted is to ‘stifle’ one’s "informed conscience” for any reason, including Catholic doctrine. As John Paul II puts it, neither the Church, nor the instruction of Catholic doctrine, can or should or could replace “informed conscience.” Putting ‘Catholic doctrine’ ahead of the teachings of the Messiah, who must be the root or basis and inspiration of ‘true teaching’ would be a classic case of putting the cart before the horse.
To declare the supremacy of conscience in matters of faith and morals presupposes that one has sincerely searched for the moral truth pertaining to the issue at hand. One would do this by consulting sources of moral wisdom, including, but not limited to, Scripture, Church teachings, theologians, philosophers, relevant scientific authorities and so on. The process must take place in the context of prayer and meditation while listening attentively for the voice of God speaking in what Catholics call the "inner forum, " that is, that place where God speaks to us through our conscience. The most authoritative source of all is, of course, the teachings and deeds of Jesus.
One starts from the presumption that the Church’s teaching, based on the work of many capable minds considering a given issue, is most likely to be correct, but that ‘default’ position is not carved in stone or a ‘blank check’ when other data seems to contradict what the Church teaches. When a Church teaching seems questionable to a believer, that person must take great care to inform his or her conscience as best he or she can.
For example, having done my best to study and discern the relationship between the individual and the Church’s teaching authority, I very much agree with the Church position that the failure to follow one’s informed conscience is a sin. By the same token, having done my best to inform my conscience on another issue of concern to many in the Church, , I find that I conscientiously disagree with my Church on this issue. That does not mean I quit the Church or go home and pout; rather, I continue to walk with my faith community for it is my eternal family.
“...you  are not to be called rabbi, for  you  have  one  teacher, and  you  are all students.
(Matthew 23:8)

[susans]

I appreciate your time and effort to help educate us with your videos. Feeling blessed that I can watch your videos from another country and during a pandemic!🙏🏻. Thank you!

[AshishBenedetto]

Hii, I really appreciate and follow your videos. They are indeed very intelligible. I just want to ask you if you could explain the concepts of eschatology like life, death and resurrection.

[toinfinityatleast]

Thank you, Father. Your videos are so much more important than you know!

[rollyantonio]

Thank you Fr Casey for this video. Very informative. This is what I have requested also last time.

And boy was I wrong... I thought it would be less controversial but based on the comments, your video seems to be controversial again.

[Denvercoder]

The way it was explained to me is that the Pope says, “Jesus was married” then I have to agree with that but if the Pope says, “Blue is the best color” then I can tell him he’s wrong. 🤷‍♂️

[jgrobichaud]

thankyou ....we need this to unit all Catholics, Christians etc...

[DoingItTheHardWayAgain]

As an ex grunt it's easy for me to understand this.
I don't have to agree with orders as an individual, but as a soldier I have a duty to do my best to follow through with the orders. If I don't, then my brothers or I may die.

"Onward Christian soldiers".

Deus Vult
Ave Maria
Tenete Traditiones
God bless

[jeremyrhizor]

What the Church teaches through its documents can be quite different from what it teaches through its actions. For example, if the Church on paper is supposed to be evangelical yet there are no institutional efforts on the parish level in most places to regularly witness to the Gospel in the greater community, then how is anyone supposed to recognize the Church in the world as the Church on paper?

[jgrobichaud]

I like this ...very nice. Can I use/share this video in the future? God bless you

[mg]

Every great follower of Christ was disruptive and disobeyed. Christs life was a life of extremism and civil disobedience. Every church has domesticated Christs teachings. Especially the church fathers who alined Christs teachings with the needs of Roman rule have been part of this process. That doesn't mean that there aren't sound teachings within the Church. But in the end it is up to us to find out the nature of God and his plans for us and the world through prayer, study of historical and theological texts, listening to scholars and priests and discussion with friends, family, members of the congregation and the community.

[bradkay]

Some rules can be changed. But if everyone follows them without protest how do any ever get changed?

[billbolthouse]

There’s a word for people who don’t agree with everything the Roman Catholic Church teaches: protestant.