cafeteria Catholic
Pick-and-choose faithful
A cafeteria Catholic is someone who picks and chooses which Catholic doctrines to follow, as if selecting items from a cafeteria line.
The term is usually critical, implying inconsistency or convenience over commitment: She's a cafeteria Catholic—goes to Mass but supports abortion rights.
The pattern extends to other faiths: cafeteria Christian, cafeteria Jew.
- papal infallibilityPontiff's error-free teaching authority
- church teachingDenomination's official beliefs
- CatholicismPapal Christian denomination
- churchPlace of Christian worship
- religionSystem of spiritual belief
dogma · birth control · moral relativism · cherry-pick · canon law · religious pluralism · à la carte · pick and choose · buffet style · encyclical · catechism · spiritual discernment · personal faith · dissent · choice · syncretist · excommunication · liberation theology