NEW Poll Shows Most Irish Catholics Ignore Church Teachings, Skip Mass

By James O'Shea
Irish Central
November 30, 2012

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/New-poll-shows-most-Irish-Catholics-ignore-church-teachings-skip-mass-181519041.html

Latest poll shows 7 per cent of Catholics do not even believe in God

Over one in five Irish who say they are Catholics do not believe in the resurrection, or that God created the universe, an Irish Times poll has shown.

It also showed that seven per cent of Irish Catholics do not even believe in God. 84 per cent believe priests should marry, while 80 per cent believe women should be priests.

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The survey reveals ala carte Catholicism is very much in fashion in Ireland, with 78 per cent saying they do not follow church teaching but their own individual conscience on issues.

Meanwhile 45 per cent do not believe in hell and 18 per cent do not believe that God created man.

On some issues however they are traditional. 92 per cent believe in God, 82 per cent believe in heaven and 84 per cent believe Jesus was the son of God.

Read More: How Catholic are you? The five questions you must answer to qualify

Mass attendance is also under pressure with 34 per cent saying they go weekly and 16 per cent saying they very rarely attended. When that question was asked in 1998 the percentage of mass goers was 55 per cent.

90 per cent of the poll described themselves as Catholic and only 2 per cent Protestant.