Bronte - there will always be different levels of faith/belief/zeal among followers of all religions, why you think this is such a RC problem, or such an issue at all, is puzzling to me. Some believe harder, that's life, move on.
I don't think it's just a RC problem. It applies to all religions. I just happen to be Irish ergo, in general, that's what I'd know must about (ie no choice but to know) and it's what most other Irish people can relate to.
Personally I don't get people telling me they are Catholics but they use contraception (nobody has more than 2 or 3 kids any more and there's no way I'm believing that's down to the Church's method of contraception) they don't go to Church (Sunday attendance is mostly the elderly now) they do the big services (communion and confirmation - and some of the carry on there has to be seen to be believed), they want to get married in a Church even though they don't attend, (ever in some cases) they don't go to confession, they don't believe priests should be celibate, thousands have had abortions, most right thinking people think condoms are a good thing in say Africa (both to prevent Aids and as a contraception). And that's without all the belief stuff (transubstantiation and rising from the dead etc).....
I'd sincerly like to understand why people say they are Catholics when so many of them, those I know wouldn't go along with 90% of what I've just listed.
BTW I didn't bring religion into the discussion on threesomes. The athesist did. And I'm sure that no matter what I threw at him about his atheism he wouldn't mind a bit. Why do Catholics mind if we discuss them. It's kind of hard not to when one is Irish.
Why is it every discussion on sex leads to a discussion on Catholicism, I don't know, but it must be something to do with our upbringing. Even John Waters is at it today, he's hankering for old Ireland, pre female emancipation (a dirty word to him it looks like) and linked that to the Spun Out teenage awareness website. Bring back the 1960's anyone?