Now imagine, for another moment, that when the corporation stepped in and said "No" that the new franchisee said, "it's still Burger King, it's just a bit different." How much different can you be and still be the original item? I could not answer that question (in spite of the fact that when I was a kid I worked at Burger King for years), but there definitely is a point that is "too different" and that is determined by those in charge of the corporation, not by the employees (or even the customers for that matter).
Did you know that the same situation exists for the Church? There is a point at which things can become "too different". No, I am not referring to the Church herself (for Jesus promises that she will never lose the faith), but to Catholics. There are some today who continue to say "I'm Catholic" while denying major truths that the Church teaches. Yet, Catholicism is definitive. It is not a mish-mash of various opinions that are up for grabs.
Now it is certainly true that "once a Catholic, always a Catholic". Contrary to the opinion of many, you cannot wipe away a baptism (or ignore it, or replace it, or erase it). If someone has been baptized, then he is a Catholic, but that does not mean that he will necessarily live like it. Many who have been baptized live exactly like the world, and they think little of it. They are genuine Catholics, but they are living in contradiction to their identity. For those who do this, to say "I am a Catholic" as though there is nothing wrong with their behavior is a lie. It is comparable to those who imagine that socialism is compatible with the American Constitution.
I deeply appreciate those who will make comments like "I am a Catholic, but I do not agree with the Church on [fill in dogma here]". No, I do not want them to disagree with the Church, but at least they are acknowledging that it is a disagreement. To pretend that certain practices like, defending abortion, refusing to go to confession (ever), divorcing and remarrying without an annulment, or any other grave sin is an allowable part of one's faith is to call God a liar. God has revealed His truth through the Church, and truth does not change. An immoral act is always immoral and we cannot expect that some things will just get forgotten over time. It was Chesterton who once said, "we do not need a Church that moves with the world, we need a Church that moves the world."
Integrity is something of a lost art, but it always was, and always will be, a virtue. To hold to the faith "once delivered to the saints" is a matter of our integrity. If you have a different opinion than the Church on any issue, then make sure that you are clear that it is your personal opinion and not a position of the Church. Then spend some serious time pondering why you are at odds with the Church. If you disagree with the Church on an issue of dogma (the trinity, the sacraments, redemption, etc.) then you are in eternal peril. If, however, you disagree with the Church on a custom, then that is a different issue. Customs may change (and they may not!), but your response to them must be humble and submissive. You do not have special permission from God to disobey because you imagine that you are smarter than 2000 years of Saints!
I believe it was Bishop Robert Morlino who once said
"If one is called to be Catholic, one follows what the Church teaches; that is the correct understanding of conscience (as upheld also by Vatican II). And if one really cannot follow what the Church teaches, then one's conscience requires that one leave the Church. That is the adult decision. One's conscience does not require that one makes up one's own personal religion and then pretend that it is Catholic."
