A Question for Ex-Roman Catholics

[kenofken]

I left because a lifetime of discernment made it clear that I never really believed in the church’s core dogma and doctrine, from really basic stuff like original sin all the way up to the authority of Rome. I was more or less “sold” into Catholicism as a condition of my father marrying a Lutheran. Neither were devout in their faith to any extent, but my father’s mother and family were, all hardcore second generation Polish Catholics. Based on the bargain that was struck, I was in. Catholic grade school AND high school, the whole nine. Was I “properly” catechized? That’s up for debate I suppose. It was the 70s and 80s, and I guess stuff was more liberal, or as I see it, less rabid than it is now. At any rate, I knew my stuff, was an altar server, won some Boy Scout award for in-depth religious study, you name it. Even felt a priestly vocation of sorts about the time I started to disbelieve the core things, strangely enough. My dear Catholic grandmother used to predict alternatively that I’d be a priest, and a “Cassanova” (they seemed incompatible professions).

By the middle and end of high school, I was effectively done with the church and spent college and a few years after as a confirmed secular humanist, or something like it, but felt called to paganism. Thought it was rubbish for an educated man, a skeptical journalist and decendant of scientists to become a witch, but felt increasingly called to it in my heart.

Around 2004 I pursued that and felt like I had come home. It was a moving conversion experience of the kind people sometimes report at Lourdes or elsewhere. So I did become a priest after all, and to a degree a “Cassanova” although a pretty small time one compared to that old dog…In recent years I learned of the existence of a process of formal defection and sent in my letter last summer finalizing it. I was firm but very civil in my letter and so was the archdiocese. I don’t regret being Catholic and in fact got a rather good education and reasoning skills from them, but it’s not for me, and I think it was the right thing for both sides for me to make a clean break.

A long story and one you may not want to hear, but hey, you asked…

 

[Carlan]

I left because a lifetime of discernment made it clear that I never really believed in the church’s core dogma and doctrine, from really basic stuff like original sin all the way up to the authority of Rome. I was more or less “sold” into Catholicism as a condition of my father marrying a Lutheran. Neither were devout in their faith to any extent, but my father’s mother and family were, all hardcore second generation Polish Catholics. Based on the bargain that was struck, I was in. Catholic grade school AND high school, the whole nine. Was I “properly” catechized? That’s up for debate I suppose. It was the 70s and 80s, and I guess stuff was more liberal, or as I see it, less rabid than it is now. At any rate, I knew my stuff, was an altar server, won some Boy Scout award for in-depth religious study, you name it. Even felt a priestly vocation of sorts about the time I started to disbelieve the core things, strangely enough. My dear Catholic grandmother used to predict alternatively that I’d be a priest, and a “Cassanova” (they seemed incompatible professions).

By the middle and end of high school, I was effectively done with the church and spent college and a few years after as a confirmed secular humanist, or something like it, but felt called to paganism. Thought it was rubbish for an educated man, a skeptical journalist and decendant of scientists to become a witch, but felt increasingly called to it in my heart.

Around 2004 I pursued that and felt like I had come home. It was a moving conversion experience of the kind people sometimes report at Lourdes or elsewhere. So I did become a priest after all, and to a degree a “Cassanova” although a pretty small time one compared to that old dog…In recent years I learned of the existence of a process of formal defection and sent in my letter last summer finalizing it. I was firm but very civil in my letter and so was the archdiocese. I don’t regret being Catholic and in fact got a rather good education and reasoning skills from them, but it’s not for me, and I think it was the right thing for both sides for me to make a clean break.

A long story and one you may not want to hear, but hey, you asked…

OHooooooooooo Ken:sad_bye::bighanky::imsorry:Carlan

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

The money, my church don’t discuss it, our pastors feelings and i concure with him is of you start keeping track on who much who gives you as a human will start to show favoritism to the ones who give more. See some have more than others and can give more andsome can’t. Just like the lady that gave her last little bit of money to the church, she was critized for it but Jesus said she has given more than those who gave a certain amount because they could affore it, she gave the last of what she had, so who gave more?

I call it, with no offence to you or your religion, the sit, stand and kneel church. In my church if you want to clap while singing you can, before services start we fellowship, talk and laugh with eachother. Not just kneel or sit there quietly or wisper you don’t do that at your friends house and God’s house is not different.
You asked I gave you my answer. I hope your not offended but that was my experance in the Catholic church since I was old enough to remember and it wasn’t pleasent for me. I felt locked in .

So the Catholic Church has some Catholic rules for a Catholic sacrament…hmmm…how odd…

As far as the money part…I’ve never had that happen in the Catholic Church…have had it happen A LOT in Protestant churches. Therefore if you are sincere in your post above…I would encourage you to keep that attitude!

As far as kneel, sit, and stand…we Catholics like to worship with our WHOLE body:thumbsup:

 

[seeker57]

Thanks Returning Home!
It seems to me that a great many of the Catholics who turn away,(those who have been thoroughly catechized anyway), leave because of the serious sins they involve themselves in. Plainly speaking, those activities that happen below the belt. Not only homosexuality, but adultery, multiple marriage, cohabitation, the so called moral relativity idea and the explosion of it in the 1960’s. Dear God, enlighten us! Carlan

Actually, I didn’t leave because I involved myself in a serious sin “below the belt.” I left because church teaching led me to consider killing myself, and I had attempted to do so.

Or is that the “sin” to which you are referring? I believe suicide is still considered a sin by the Catholic Church, isn’t it?

At the time, I had never had sex with anyone - ever. Which, unless church dogma has changed, is what the church wanted me to do - never have sex with anyone, ever.

Now, I could probably provide a litany of reasons why I and the Catholic Church have parted ways.

So, it is probably a good thing I have found another path to follow.

I hope you are happy with your path as well.

Cheers.

 

[catsrus]

Everything I’ve read on this thread posted by the disgruntled former Cathoics had one continuance song, “me” and “I”.
I’ve read nothing new here. Everyone I have EVER had tell me their “reasons” for leaving began and ended with their personal lives, their personal understanding, and their personal rejection of The Way.
Millions of “reasons” all boil down to one; rejection of the Church established by Christ.

 

[mary_bobo]

As I have shared some time ago, I was away from the Church for many years. A few years ago, after I came back home, I was in a group that met weekly to discuss the Bible and other aspects of Catholicism. The subject of why people leave the Church came up and one of the members of the group, who had also been away for a few years, said something that really hit home with me. He said that people who leave the Church to do in order to live as they want. I thought that was profound.

 

[Priscilla_Ann]

Everything I’ve read on this thread posted by the disgruntled former Cathoics had one continuance song, “me” and “I”.
I’ve read nothing new here. Everyone I have EVER had tell me their “reasons” for leaving began and ended with their personal lives, their personal understanding, and their personal rejection of The Way.
Millions of “reasons” all boil down to one; rejection of the Church established by Christ.

None of us is in a position to judge the motives of others.

I, for one, left the Catholic Church for doctrinal reasons. It wasn’t about “me”; it wasn’t for reasons involving “sexual issues”. It was about truth – even if it was inconvenient at the time. Leaving the Catholic Church is not the easy way out. It’s hard to admit that much of what you have believed for decades is not true.

 

[kenofken]

Everything I’ve read on this thread posted by the disgruntled former Cathoics had one continuance song, “me” and “I”.
I’ve read nothing new here. Everyone I have EVER had tell me their “reasons” for leaving began and ended with their personal lives, their personal understanding, and their personal rejection of The Way.
Millions of “reasons” all boil down to one; rejection of the Church established by Christ.

And your point would be?..

 

[Returning_Home]

Thanks Returning Home!
It seems to me that a great many of the Catholics who turn away,(those who have been thoroughly catechized anyway), leave because of the serious sins they involve themselves in. Plainly speaking, those activities that happen below the belt. Not only homosexuality, but adultery, multiple marriage, cohabitation, the so called moral relativity idea and the explosion of it in the 1960’s. Dear God, enlighten us! Carlan

You bet! That’s one of the problems I have with evangelicals; they seem to be focused on that one topic when, in the eyes of God, it’s all basically the same.

Just because my sins differ from yours, his, or my neighbor, doesn’t mean that I’m better or worse than anyone else. If I had a dump truck, it still wouldn’t be enough to keep all of my sins in. Thus the natural need for a savior. It can’t get much simpler than that, can it?

 

[VetA]

There were some things I din’t agree with. Back in 2000 my 2nd son was born. We wanted him and my 5 year old to be Baptized and we wanted my cousin to be his Godfather. He is Catholic, he went to Catholic school {same school I went to}. The church denied him because he wasn’t a member of a catholic church. He was a good man, my second son and him were tight and loved eachother very much. I disagreed with the churches decission because how can a man who never had children tell me that my cousin wasn’t good enough to raise my son. How can a church tell you what is best for your kids. I believe the parents know best not the church. They don’t know what kind of relationship people have so who are to judge. Then there is the part about telling the priest your sins. That is private information between me and God. The only one who can forgive sin is God not a priest. I don’t need a middle man to ask for forgiveness. Then there is praying to different saints. Nowere in the Bible does it say to pray to anyone eles except to God. Once again I don’t need a middle man to talk to God for me. Then when you go into the church, there is no fellowship, you can’t talk openly, you must be quiet because you are in God’s house. When you go to a friends house do you stay quiet? No. I felt out of place. The children under a certain age must go into what they call the cry room. I believe you shouldn’t seperate the children from the main church. Then there is a problen with tithing, they keep track of what you give to the church and if you don’t give enough they let you know. In order for my son to attent the catholic school I went to you must give the church a certain amout of your money to the church or he could not go to th eschool. I like to worship openly and freely and my church offers that. Before services start people are talking, laughting, fellowshiping with eachother. Sometimes we have plays in the sancturary during services. After services people hang around and talk to eachother in the sancturary. The pastor and his associate pastors laugh with you, talk with you like you are a person, all in all they make you feel wanted and loved. I didn’t get that in the Catholic church setting. Well that is my reason for leaving the Catholic church.
There is more but I think you see where I’m coming from.

if this has already been addressed i am sorry (and i know i am going to be bashed for lack of charity) but here goes… godparents are not meant t raise children if the parents die (common misconception) the role of the godparent is to help teach the child about the faith. the priest acts in persona Christi. here is biblical proof from a website i found

CONFESSION

ONE

The Bible teaches that the confessing of sins is a usual requisite for obtaining forgiveness.

Numbers 5, 6-7: Speak unto the children of Israel. When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit . .
. Then they shall confess their sin which they have done, etc.

Proverbs 28, 13: He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have
mercy.

II Samuel 12, 13: After David confessed his sins to the prophet Nathan he was given assurance of pardon.

Luke 23, 43: When the thief on the cross confessed, our Lord promised him paradise.

I John 1, 9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness, etc.

Matt. 3, 5-6: Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan. And were
baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

Acts 19, 18: And many that believed came (to the Apostles), and confessed, and shewed their deeds.

COMMENT: Private confession is necessarily contained in the double power which Christ gave to the Church-the
power to forgive or retain sins as the circumstances require. To do so prudently-the “minister of reconciliation”
must have the required information, which the penitent supplies by confession.

Two
The Bible teaches that Christ gave to the validly ordained ministers of his own Church the power to forgive sins.

2 Cor. 5, 20: Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us; we pray you in
Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

John 20-21: Then said Jesus to them again. Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so I send you.
23, Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them: And whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Matt. 18, 18: Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth,
shall be loosed in heaven.

2 Cor. 5, 18, 20: And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us
the Ministry of reconciliation.

COMMENT: All purely spiritual powers which Christ conferred upon his Church were given to it perpetually except
where no need of such a power remained. But who will say there is no longer any need of the power to forgive sin,
that sin is no longer a live problem upon earth?
traditionalromancatholicism.org/Biblicalproofforthesevensacraments.html

you do not pray to the saints in the sense you speak of you ask the saints to pray for you to God.

Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of death.
Amen.

 

[VetA]

do you see anything in the Hail Mary there that is indicative of Marian WORSHIP. the answer is no, no there isnt. and th last two lines prove exactly what i said. i challenge you to provide me with any [orthodox non heretical or schismatic] prayer to a saint that implies that catholics worship them. and you have never EVER asked anyone else to pray for you.

The Holy Sacrafice of the Mass is not meant for man, it is meant for man to worship God that argument does not hold weight with a faithful catholic.

as for the tithing thing idk about that they dont send you letters in my diocese… and it is called tuition about going to a private school, if you go to a private school you pay tuition…

as i said church is for God it is not for man, so if you want to talk before mass do it outside or in the parish hall.

for me it seems like you left the faith because of arbitrary reasons and it seems like you bought in to the propaganda promulgated by your baptist ecclesial community. none of your “reasons” hold any weight.

sorry about not being charitable. but my understanding of true charity is teaching people when they are wrong and doing what i can to help bring them to Christ… that doesnt mean accepting people when they are wrong in the name of ‘charity’

 

[eucharisteo]

Can you pass some to me.

 

[eucharisteo]

I left because a priest did something to me that he should not have done. I was asleep and didn’t realize he had tendencies to do such things. In my shock I woke up jumped up and stared at the wall until morning. I left the next morning very shocked and broken over the new found lost trust in clergy. I had big issues after that because the bishop or one of his representative never came to my aid to talk to me one on one. This situation should have been dealt with straight from the bishop and I never received an apology from him nor reassurance that it would never happen again. Many years later, after summing up all of my bad experiences with vile priests I decided to return to the seminary to become the best priest I could become. But the Lord led me to a different vocation where I ended up realizing what I learned growing up did not jibe with Catholic teaching from my reading VCII documents. I had been lied to over and over and told that the Church’s teaching had changed on this or that. I came to believe, rightfully so, that if a church changes a teaching then it couldn’t be to real Church founded by Christ. I joined another Church that claimed to be the one true Church founded by Christ and there was no other, which made perfectly good sense to me. I had issues with infant baptism and wasn’t sure many other doctrines. I didn’t understand sacred tradition compared to man’s tradition. I believe that it was really man’s tradition and Christ condemned it. So with all of these discrepancies I thought to myself that I’m not even Catholic and that all of my beliefs are based on what I understood in scripture and felt that I had to find the real Church by searching for the real church. I went to various faiths trying to find it, including Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalian, Pentecostal, Assembly of God and Church of Christ. I decided that the Church of Christ had to be the right one because of their teachings. I married a women in her church outside of the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church.

I should elaborate just a bit. I thought "how could a Church be the real Church if the leaders allowed their lower level leaders to commit such vile perverted sins and cover it up. I also thought “how could that be the real church if what I read was true wasn’t backed and pushed and corrected by the bishops”? I felt that no body really truly believed in the Catholic Teaching, not even the most knowledgeable Catholics, the bishops, priests, etc. Why would they allow people to go without correction that taught heresy? It made no sense and that is how I determined it could not be the real church. founded by Christ. I came to believe if they could lie about all of the other things that weren’t true then What else have they taught me that was a lie. It broke my faith in the Catholic Church.

 

[VetA]

I left because a priest did something to me that he should not have done. I was asleep and didn’t realize he had tendencies to do such things. In my shock I woke up jumped up and stared at the wall until morning. I left the next morning very shocked and broken over the new found lost trust in clergy. I had big issues after that because the bishop or one of his representative never came to my aid to talk to me one on one. This situation should have been dealt with straight from the bishop and I never received an apology from him nor reassurance that it would never happen again. Many years later, after summing up all of my bad experiences with vile priests I decided to return to the seminary to become the best priest I could become. But the Lord led me to a different vocation where I ended up realizing what I learned growing up did not jibe with Catholic teaching from my reading VCII documents. I had been lied to over and over and told that the Church’s teaching had changed on this or that. I came to believe, rightfully so, that if a church changes a teaching then it couldn’t be to real Church founded by Christ. I joined another Church that claimed to be the one true Church founded by Christ and there was no other, which made perfectly good sense to me. I had issues with infant baptism and wasn’t sure many other doctrines. I didn’t understand sacred tradition compared to man’s tradition. I believe that it was really man’s tradition and Christ condemned it. So with all of these discrepancies I thought to myself that I’m not even Catholic and that all of my beliefs are based on what I understood in scripture and felt that I had to find the real Church by searching for the real church. I went to various faiths trying to find it, including Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalian, Pentecostal, Assembly of God and Church of Christ. I decided that the Church of Christ had to be the right one because of their teachings. I married a women in her church outside of the jurisdiction of the Catholic Church.

I should elaborate just a bit. I thought "how could a Church be the real Church if the leaders allowed their lower level leaders to commit such vile perverted sins and cover it up. I also thought “how could that be the real church if what I read was true wasn’t backed and pushed and corrected by the bishops”? I felt that no body really truly believed in the Catholic Teaching, not even the most knowledgeable Catholics, the bishops, priests, etc. Why would they allow people to go without correction that taught heresy? It made no sense and that is how I determined it could not be the real church. founded by Christ. I came to believe if they could lie about all of the other things that weren’t true then What else have they taught me that was a lie. It broke my faith in the Catholic Church.

so, are you Catholic, or ‘church’ of Christ

 

[eucharisteo]

so, are you catholic, or ‘church’ of christ

καθολικος

 

[eucharisteo]

so, are you Catholic, or ‘church’ of Christ

καθολικος
This is the Greek word St. Ignatius of Antioch used to describe the Church of Jesus Christ. This is the KATHOLIKOS or Catholic. I am a revert. Though I was raised in a mixed faith family, most of my family, including my Catholic family members, are anti-Catholic. My dad, with whom I moved at that age of 11 didn’t start raising me Catholic until I was 14. Months after my first communion I moved to Southern Baptist country where the confusion of it all continued to baffle me. I went to the seminary and describe very brief what happened to me. It was studying the ancient church fathers that changed me life and I realized I needed to come back home to the Catholic Church, though I did it kicking and screaming in deep pain for what had happened to me many years before. I’m purposefully leaving out a tremendous about of information. It tested my faith in the foundation of the religion and nearly caused me to lose faith in God altogether. I was exposed to this one group in my elementary school age and it stuck. Much of it is very close to Catholicism. Long story that deserves a better media one day.

 

[VetA]

καθολικος
This is the Greek word St. Ignatius of Antioch used to describe the Church of Jesus Christ. This is the KATHOLIKOS or Catholic. I am a revert. Though I was raised in a mixed faith family, most of my family, including my Catholic family members, are anti-Catholic. My dad, with whom I moved at that age of 11 didn’t start raising me Catholic until I was 14. Months after my first communion I moved to Southern Baptist country where the confusion of it all continued to baffle me. I went to the seminary and describe very brief what happened to me. It was studying the ancient church fathers that changed me life and I realized I needed to come back home to the Catholic Church, though I did it kicking and screaming in deep pain for what had happened to me many years before. I’m purposefully leaving out a tremendous about of information. It tested my faith in the foundation of the religion and nearly caused me to lose faith in God altogether. I was exposed to this one group in my elementary school age and it stuck. Much of it is very close to Catholicism. Long story that deserves a better media one day.

i would be willing to listen if you would be able and willing to tell me in a PM or e-mail if you would oblige me.

 

[cheese_sdc]

What made you decide to leave the Roman Catholic Church?

I was raised by parents who taught me that the Christian God is angry, spiteful, judgmental, divisive, petty, and intolerant. Four years of seminary education taught me that the Church is run by power hungry, angry, petty, and judgmental people.

Sometimes I wonder why I waited so long to leave.

 

[VetA]

I was raised by parents who taught me that the Christian God is angry, spiteful, judgmental, divisive, petty, and intolerant. Four years of seminary education taught me that the Church is run by power hungry, angry, petty, and judgmental people.

Sometimes I wonder why I waited so long to leave.

cute , care to provide any evidence?

 

[Michael_Francis]

Your cooperation and courtesy in not reopening old/dormant threads is requested:

-1. the issues that spurred them are often no longer “hot” or current topics, explaining why thread activity ceased originally

-2. posters originally involved in the discussion are sometimes no longer active on the forum and, therefore, unavailable to reply to comments added to the thread

Our experience suggests that, when a topic merits revival, it is best accomplished by initiating a new thread that draws on recent events and can be posted to contemporaneously. This eliminates the baggage of folks being frustrated by asking and not receiving responses to issues raised in early posts (because the new poster didn’t notice that the post he is quoting was made a year ago).