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Was wondering what people's opinions are on the Eastern Rites, particularly in light of the current crisis of the Church.  

Was wondering what people's opinions are on the Eastern Rites, particularly in light of the current crisis of the Church.  

My opinion on the Eastern rites is the same as my opinion of other cultures.

1. I'm largely ignorant about them, and I prefer to only open my mouth when I'm an authority or an expert on something: when I know what I'm talking about.

2. Even in the cases where a Liturgy or culture is well and good from a Catholic standpoint, it's still "not for me". I'm an American born and raised Traditional (Roman) Catholic in the Midwest, USA. English is my first language. My culture and outlook in all things is 100% Western. I am a Roman Rite Catholic, for better or worse. I could just as easily change my skin color, ethnicity, heritage, or primary language as I could join up with an Eastern Rite church and feel even 5% "at home".

3. I believe that, all things being equal, God prefers us to stay where we're planted. Americans are all too rootless these days. If God meant for me to live and breathe in the Eastern Rite, he would have created me in an Eastern Rite family, and/or had me be born in a different country. It's simple, really.

Well, Matthew, the Eastern Liturgy was a little strange to me the first time I attended, but once you get used to it a little you start to see its own beauty.

Many Ruthenian communities are very much Americanized, with no use of any language other than English.  In fact, the Ruthenians were never like that since they actually sprawl across multiple languages and cultures, so there's no built-in culture.

Even if your preference is for the Latin, Catholics may attend any approved Catholic Rite to fulfill their obligation.  So I think the question is, were there no Tridentine Masses available, would attending an available Eastern Rite Liturgy (with a group that hasn't been Novus Ordized like the Maronites) be --

1) obligatory
2) yellow light
3) red light

I honestly don't know about your question at the end.

I'll say this: I don't know if you told me where you're from, but between other things you've said ("all my daughters' friends wear makeup", hostility experienced towards large families, and speaking of a variety of Eastern Rites being in your area, I'm thinking you're not in Texas, much less rural Texas)

Even in the 2nd largest city in Abraham Lincoln's home state, the Eastern Rites were a complete non-issue my whole life. If there were any, then no one I know was aware of them or even mentioned them -- pro, con or anything in-between.