Many Catholics Leave Faith Over Dissatisfaction With Teachings On Abortion, Other Issues, Study Finds

Many adults who were raised Roman Catholic and leave the faith do so because of a dissatisfaction with the church's teachings on abortion, birth control and other social issues, according to a report released Monday by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, the Los Angeles Times reports. The report -- titled "Faith in Flux: Changes in Religious Affiliation in the U.S." -- revealed that 10% of American adults who were raised Catholic have left the church (Helfand, Los Angeles Times, 4/27).

The report followed up with 2,800 people who participated in a 2007 survey on religious affiliation that found that 44% of U.S. adults had left their childhood religion. The new study found that about six in 10 former Catholics who reported being unaffiliated said they left the church because of its teachings on abortion and homosexuality, while about half said they left the church because of its teachings on birth control. In addition, four in 10 former Catholics said they left because they were unhappy with Catholicism's treatment of women. The report also found that between 47% and 59% of U.S. adults change religious affiliation at least once in their lifetime. In addition, the report found that Catholics were likely to leave the church because they stopped believing in the church's teachings, while Protestants were more likely to switch from one Protestant denomination to another (Gorski, AP/Google, 4/27).

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops responded to the report, saying that it is pleased that retention rates in the Catholic Church were aligned with other faiths. However, the study's authors said that the number of people leaving the Catholic Church outnumbered converts four to one (Paulson, Boston Globe, 4/28).


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