text: Part 1 of 2
  
  Luciano, I do think how you wrote your question, it was equating the two. Yet, that aside, there are some issues I would have with your defense. 
  
  One is if everyone, who took a position contrary to the official teachings of The Catholic Church the Church would shrink dramatically. With the issue of birth control alone, the membership of the church would shrink 85 to 90 percent. Are you saying all who disagree with the Church's teaching on birth control should not consider themselves Catholic; are hypocrites for doing so and should leave the Church? Would you be OK with the Church shrinking to 15 to 10 percent of what it now is and the loss of power that would result? 
  
  Another problem I have is that over the centuries official teachings of the Church has changed (think of the salvation structure, especially concerning Jews and those of other faiths). Consider where the Church is at this point with it's teaching on Limbo and how different that is from what it once was.