Changing Church Teaching

Being Catholic sure isn't easy these days, is it?  So many people are so against the teachings of the Church.  And, granted, to be fair, we haven't always done a great job of promoting, teaching, living or proving our values and beliefs in correct or holy ways.  That is a sad truth that I will admit to having done myself.  I am not proud of the fact that I have been hypocritical.  I have been angry and acted as such.  I have (ACCIDENTALLY and UNKNOWINGLY) said things that go against Church teaching (especially in my younger days).  And, sadly, I will probably do all of these things again.

However, flawed as Catholics are (like any group is perfect), the fact that we are flawed is no reason to change Church teaching.  It frustrates me that people, Catholics included, are so vocal about this topic.

Asking the Pope to change Church teaching is like asking a scientist to change the law of gravity.  "I do't really like gravity," one might say.  "Please go ahead and change the law of gravity, so that I can fly around at will.  I don't really enjoy being tied down to the Earth."  This, of course, is ludicrous.   And yet, asking the Pope and the Bishops to change Church teaching isn't ludicrous to most people.

See, science didn't invent the law of gravity.  It simply recognizes the law.  But we can't change nature.  Nor should we!  Could you imagine the consequences of such an action!  We'd lose our atmosphere and, therefore, all of human life.  All life. And that'd be the smallest consequence of them all!

A misunderstanding that people have regarding the Church is that it contains our laws that we have created.  But that is not the case.  They aren't the Pope's laws.  They are God's laws.  And if any Pope was ever to "change" the laws of the Church, it would be the same thing as a scientist saying, "Ok, I decided to change the law of gravity.  There is no more gravity."  Well, if he said that and you tried to jump off a cliff, you'd still die.  The scientist can make that claim all he wants, but it doesn't change the reality.

The "rules" of the Church are not my rules, or a priest's rules, or the Pope's rules.  They are God's rules.  And those laws are created and taught so that we don't try to jump off a spiritual cliff, which would lead to our inevitable spiritual deaths.