The church and a dead shark

There's a post at Pray Tell about a new study telling why people leave the church. The main reasons will surprise no one and they reflect all of my own disagreements with the church ...

1) Issues with Church doctrine, especially among highly educated respondents citing concerns with the Church’s stance on matters such as birth control, women’s ordination, divorce and homosexuality among others.

2) An overall lack of connection to the Church, especially in regards to liturgy and spiritual practice. Many respondents noted that they were “dissatisfied” or “lost interest in going to the Mass.”

3) Ongoing scandals in the Church.

4) A “perceived lack of Christian values at the level of Church, parish or priest.” Many surveyed cited unfriendly or unwelcoming experiences personally or among friends.

What's disturbing is the church's response to the chasm between how Catholics and the hierarchy feel about these issues .... instead of considering the possibility that Catholics have validly discerned the failure of these doctrines, the church is figuring out ways to "re-evangelize" us, starting with the upcoming synod for the family. It won't work. The problem is not that we don't *understand* the doctrines, it's that we believe they are *wrong*. The church will continue to die away because those who lead it would rather be infallible than listen to and learn from its own faithful.

I don't like Woody Allen anymore, but let me quote from one of his early movies ... "A relationship, I think, is like a shark. You know? It has to constantly move forward or it dies. And I think what we got on our hands is a dead shark."