Any converts from Catholicism who still speak well of Catholicism?

[MarcoPolo]

All too often, I hear people who leave the Catholic faith who can only bash Catholicism. Yet when I hear converts like Scott Hahn, Steve Ray, or Tim Staples, etc., they still speak very well of their non-Catholic upbringing as an important part of their journey.

So are there any converts FROM Catholicism who still speak well of Catholicism? Surely they exist. High profile converts preferred. Thx!

 

[Minnie31]

I converted to agnosticism. I don’t “bash” the catholic faith, although I disagree with much of its teachings. I respect the faith and its followers and hope they would do the same for me.

 

[MarcoPolo]

This thread is frighteningly barren.

 

[Other_Eric]

Presumably the thread is barren because those Catholics who have fallen away and still respect the Church have nothing to lash out against. They remain silent. Thus no one knows of them.

The situation of the typical fallen-away Catholic is different from an evangelical who converts to the Church since the evangelical can look upon the faith tradition he was brought up in as part of the path that brought him to Christ. The fallen-away Catholic, by the very label he chooses, defines himself in opposition to the Church. He must speak out against it as a function of what he is.

 

[Mirdath]

This thread is frighteningly barren.

I didn’t really have much of anything to add to Minnie’s post, and since I don’t keep track of the current faith of various world figures I can’t contribute anything there.

 

[2ndGen]

I’ve posted on this too.

I’ve noticed that when Catholics leave the faith,
they are bitter and nasty.

When Protestants become Catholics,
they are charitable towards their former religion.

Which one acts closer to the ideal Christian?

The one who bashes and slanders their faith?

Or the one who speaks lovingly of his former church?

 

[Mirdath]

I’ve posted on this too.

I’ve noticed that when Catholics leave the faith,
they are bitter and nasty.

When Protestants become Catholics,
they are charitable towards their former religion.

Bit of a perspective bias there – an understandable one, but it should be taken into account. Many Protestants see Scott Hahn et al as having some rather large axes to grind, and if they left the Catholic Church they don’t think of themselves as being particularly bitter. For Catholics, the opposite is true.

 

[MarcoPolo]

Presumably the thread is barren because those Catholics who have fallen away and still respect the Church have nothing to lash out against. They remain silent. Thus no one knows of them.

Perhaps some, but I don’t understand why some of them don’t consider Catholicism “part of their journey” just as those who come TO Catholicism fondly consider their former Christian faiths as part of their journey.

 

[2ndGen]

Bit of a perspective bias there – an understandable one, but it should be taken into account. Many Protestants see Scott Hahn et al as having some rather large axes to grind, and if they left the Catholic Church they don’t think of themselves as being particularly bitter. For Catholics, the opposite is true.

I’m speaking from my own experiences.

What you dont’ know is that not only was I agnostic once, but I was vehemently anti-Catholic.

I too walked on both sides of the fence.

What proved to me that anti-Catholic Protestants were “not” Christians at heart was not only their words, but their actions.

 

[2ndGen]

Perhaps some, but I don’t understand why some of them don’t consider Catholicism “part of their journey” just as those who come TO Catholicism fondly consider their former Christian faiths as part of their journey.

I know a fallen away Catholic who became Pentecostal, then something he never was before…anti-Catholic.

Then, God used me to take that all out of him.

And now, he isn’t anti-Catholic anymore. He saw that he didn’t have to be an anti-Catholic to be a Pentecostal. He and I are very close today.

Now, he defends The Church against anti-Catholics.

I think that this makes God happy, that we can go to two different churches, yet still love each other.

 

[notself]

The fallen-away Catholic, by the very label he chooses, defines himself in opposition to the Church. He must speak out against it as a function of what he is.

This is a vast generalization. I attend family celebrations such as christenings and first communions without any angst. I regularly add to the Catholic upbringing of my nieces and nephews as part of my respect for their parents and for Catholicism.

I can and do look back fondly on my Catholic upbringing because it was a pleasant and loving experience. I did not leave Catholicism because I was threatened or abused or disappointed. I feel no compulsion to speak out against Catholicism. Catholics are just fine with me.

I feel sorry for those who hate their former religion and speak out against it. I think is shows a certain lack of confidence in their current beliefs when they refer to Catholicism in a hateful manner. Or perhaps they were so injured by the Catholics they were in contact with that these former Catholics cannot get rid of their anger. Very sad.

 

[YADA]

Perhaps the reason there are few posts to this thread is the absence of “Former Catholics with no ax to grind” here at the forums …

My Guess -

Most posters here are Catholic and interested in their faith [either because they want to learn more about the faith or who are eager to share their faith and those who like to converse with fellow catholics and others about matters of faith and a varety of topics].

Followed by “seekers” perhaps - those who are searching for faith and/or about faith…

then there are those [generally and broadly speaking] for whom theology is a topic of interest …

next we have those who lurk here [non-catholic and former catholic] to bring enlightenment to those still lost to the error that is Catholicism - hence they do not speak well of any thing catholic …

I do not see former catholics who have good feelings for the faith having a reason to “hang out” at CAF …

but perhaps I am wrong …

 

[2ndGen]

This is a vast generalization. I attend family celebrations such as christenings and first communions without any angst. I regularly add to the Catholic upbringing of my nieces and nephews as part of my respect for their parents and for Catholicism.

I can and do look back fondly on my Catholic upbringing because it was a pleasant and loving experience. I did not leave Catholicism because I was threatened or abused or disappointed. I feel no compulsion to speak out against Catholicism. Catholics are just fine with me.

I feel sorry for those who hate their former religion and speak out against it. I think is shows a certain lack of confidence in their current beliefs when they refer to Catholicism in a hateful manner. Or perhaps they were so injured by the Catholics they were in contact with that these former Catholics cannot get rid of their anger. Very sad.

Agreed.

Some base their newfound faith in a new religion because of a traumatic experience in their former religion, and not on the truthfulness or spirituality of their new religion.

It’s the whole Cain & Abel thing.

Family jealousy.

 

[Mirdath]

I feel sorry for those who hate their former religion and speak out against it. I think is shows a certain lack of confidence in their current beliefs when they refer to Catholicism in a hateful manner. Or perhaps they were so injured by the Catholics they were in contact with that these former Catholics cannot get rid of their anger. Very sad.

Interestingly, Other Eric is a self-described lapsed – or ‘fallen away’ – Catholic.

 

[dolphinlove]

I’ve posted on this too.

I’ve noticed that when Catholics leave the faith,
they are bitter and nasty.

When Protestants become Catholics,
they are charitable towards their former religion.

Which one acts closer to the ideal Christian?

The one who bashes and slanders their faith?

Or the one who speaks lovingly of his former church?

In my opinion…

I think those who leave Jesus’ faith and fall away from it get all bitter and twistered because they were in the true faith that God has given us, and to fall away from that love and protection you have, there is no other way to feel other than bitter.
Those who come to the faith are free from hate and slander because they finally find the church Jesus had originally intended for them to be a part of, and they find there way here, and are VERY happy about it, and being a protestant etc does believe in Jesus and that is half the journey, finding the true faith makes them feel complete.

 

[notself]

I do not see former catholics who have good feelings for the faith having a reason to “hang out” at CAF …

but perhaps I am wrong …

I think one of the reasons non Catholics participate in this board is to understand the thought process of people who are Catholic.

I tried to participate in a Fundamentalist Evangelical Board but I had to where a label under my avatar, “Unbeliever”. And although I only posted in the section reserved for non Christians, every time I posted and quoted from a non Christian source, my post was deleted. It made it difficult to communicate, but it told me something about how the people on that board approached life.

On this Board there are rollicking discussions, which tell me something about how Catholics think. Over all, I have formed a conclusion that Catholics have more confidence in their beliefs and are not threatened nearly as much by differing opinions and beliefs.

Now, some of the Fundamentalist Christians were very open to me when my posts were left up long enough. I have also observed very fearful behavior from members of this board. So my general statement is nothing more than a general observation and is not specific to any one belief system.

 

[DylanO]

I know a fallen away Catholic who became Pentecostal, then something he never was before…anti-Catholic.

Same here. My former friend, whom I helped convert to Christianity in general and not just Catholicism, has now become a Calvinist and vehemently anti-Catholic. He’s been brainwashed by some really strange people, too; he seems to be very gullible and constantly changing his beliefs…who knows what religion he will be next month.

 

[Cat]

I was evangelical Protestant for over 40 years before converting to Catholicism.

I heard a lot of testimonies over the years, including testimonies from “high-profile” Protestant Christians.

I honestly can’t think of anyone “famous” in the evangelical world who looks fondly upon their Catholic past. I can’t even think of that many “famous” evangelicals who were former Catholics. Hmmm…

The siblings who were the old Christian rock band, 2nd Chapter of Acts, were raised Catholic, but I didn’t know this until just recently. They never, ever mentioned this in any interviews or articles. So at least they didn’t bash their childhood Church (that I know of).

I think…this is JMO…I think that it’s rather difficult to break into evangelical circles at the “higher-up level.” So perhaps those who were raised Catholic and convert to evangelical Protestant denominations simply keep quiet about their past so that they will be able to “fit in” with their new crowd and make their way to the “top” where they will be able to have more influence, do speaking engagements, get book contracts, etc…

Also, I honestly don’t think too many Catholics convert to evangelical Protestantism. In the past, evangelical denominations were rather strict and many of the churches had “No Alcohol” policies written into their terms for membership. I realize that there are Catholics who don’t drink, but most Catholics that I know enjoy drinking alcohol and wouldn’t be willing to give this up.

There are other rules in evangelical Protestantism, too, many of which induce a “separation” of evangelicals from other folks (which is kind of ironic, since “evangelicals” are supposed to be reaching out to evangelize the world!). I personally think Catholics, who tend to be rather sociable and mix a lot in society, would find these “rules” and “separations” rather confining.

But evangelical Protestantism is changing like lightening these days and a lot of those old “rules” are going out the door. So perhaps nowadays, more Catholics are converting to evangelical Protestantism.

Maybe in the mainline denominations, there are some “famous” ex-Catholics who speak well of their childhood Church. ?? I don’t know of many famous people from these denoms, but maybe some other posters do.

The one thing that I’ve heard evangelical Protestants say over and over again in praise of Catholicism is that they appreciate the beauty and reverence in a Catholic church.

 

[2ndGen]

I think one of the reasons non Catholics participate in this board is to understand the thought process of people who are Catholic.

I tried to participate in a Fundamentalist Evangelical Board but I had to where a label under my avatar, “Unbeliever”. And although I only posted in the section reserved for non Christians, every time I posted and quoted from a non Christian source, my post was deleted. It made it difficult to communicate, but it told me something about how the people on that board approached life.

On this Board there are rollicking discussions, which tell me something about how Catholics think. Over all, I have formed a conclusion that Catholics have more confidence in their beliefs and are not threatened nearly as much by differing opinions and beliefs.

Now, some of the Fundamentalist Christians were very open to me when my posts were left up long enough. I have also observed very fearful behavior from members of this board. So my general statement is nothing more than a general observation and is not specific to any one belief system.

I went through the same treatment on a non-Catholic Christian board. I would post perfectly theological topics, and they’d get deleted.

When I’d answer their posts, my answers would get deleted until finally, my account was terminated.

I always used protestant bibles to quote from.

Hey, I’m super Catholic and I was sent to the corner for a time out after some people who disagreed with me reported me to the board here.

 

[2ndGen]

But evangelical Protestantism is changing like lightening these days and a lot of those old “rules” are going out the door. So perhaps nowadays, more Catholics are converting to evangelical Protestantism.

Maybe in the mainline denominations, there are some “famous” ex-Catholics who speak well of their childhood Church. ?? I don’t know of many famous people from these denoms, but maybe some other posters do.

The one thing that I’ve heard evangelical Protestants say over and over again in praise of Catholicism is that they appreciate the beauty and reverence in a Catholic church.

What’s happening even more than Catholics converting to Pentecostalism is Catholics switiching gears into Charismatic Catholicism where they get the same worship experience that the more liberal Christian sects offer and they get to keep the traditioins of the Sacraments and they don’t have to “dump” The Blessed Mother Mary in order to be accepted by a new faith.

In other words, these particular Christians (Charismatic Catholics) get to have their cake and eat it too!