Atheist Catholic

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mpeterdc

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I think I’m in quite a contradictory situation. My close family is agnostic and my mother is nominally Catholic. I have been raised in the Church insofar as I have been baptised and received Holy Communion. I enjoy going to Church and do go most weeks and I try to live like a Christian. I even go to confession once or twice a year, which is more than the nominal Catholics in my family.

But I guess that’s just going through the motions, since I don’t believe in God, not because I’ve lost someone dear to me or anything like that, but because I’ve never had much faith and have over the years lost what little faith I had. I am therefore not Catholic or even vaguely Christian. I do these things either because I believe they help me become a better person, or because I enjoy them. I do not believe in the Eucharist, and thus never receive Holy Communion. I admire the Church and its wisdom, and I envy the faithful, though I am essentially atheist, and have been for a long time.

So, I have a few questions:

Ex-atheists/agnostics, how did you do it?
I’m probably excommunicated; is it wrong for me to go to confession?
Should I cease “going through the motions,” even though I think it is beneficial to me?
 
Peter (I’m guessing that is your name, first or last) -

I am a practicing Catholic, so I cannot address your first question. As to the second, I may be wrong, but I believe that you must do something that is completely at odds with church teaching to be excommunicated. Unless you have done such a thing, it seems to me you are not excommunicated but one among many non-practicing Catholics.

About continuing your practice of attending Mass and going to confession (what you call ‘going through the motions’), I would encourage you to continue those habits. Both are opportunities to receive grace, and the Bible teaches that faith is the fruit of grace (i.e., a gift from God). I also encourage you to not take communion, but to approach the priest with arms folded at communion time in order to receive his blessing, another opportunity for grace. You are in my prayers; may God grant you faith in Him and in Jesus, His Son.

Chuck
 
P.S. another thought occurred to me after my first reply: consider attending the RCIA program at your church. There is no obligation, and you will learn what the church teaches and believes, as well as why it teaches and believes those things -

Chuck
 
“Atheist” translated literally means one who is “without God.”

In your head you seem to be without God. But I think that God is in your heart. Your head should follow your heart’s lead.
 
Gilbert_Keith said:
“Atheist” translated literally means one who is “without God.”

In your head you seem to be without God. But I think that God is in your heart. Your head should follow your heart’s lead.
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I second the motion. Somebody who does not receive the Eucharist because he does not believe it is the Body of Christ has more faith than a lot of people who DO receive it!

The OP is not an “atheist” – he just hasnn’t found his faith.

“Lord, if you’re there – if you even exist – help my unbelief!”
 
mpeterdc said:
I think I’m in quite a contradictory situation. My close family is agnostic and my mother is nominally Catholic. I have been raised in the Church insofar as I have been baptised and received Holy Communion. I enjoy going to Church and do go most weeks and I try to live like a Christian. I even go to confession once or twice a year, which is more than the nominal Catholics in my family.

But I guess that’s just going through the motions, since I don’t believe in God, not because I’ve lost someone dear to me or anything like that, but because I’ve never had much faith and have over the years lost what little faith I had. I am therefore not Catholic or even vaguely Christian. I do these things either because I believe they help me become a better person, or because I enjoy them. I do not believe in the Eucharist, and thus never receive Holy Communion. I admire the Church and its wisdom, and I envy the faithful, though I am essentially atheist, and have been for a long time.

So, I have a few questions:

Ex-atheists/agnostics, how did you do it?
I’m probably excommunicated; is it wrong for me to go to confession?
Should I cease “going through the motions,” even though I think it is beneficial to me?
Click to expand...
Like MountainMan, I too am a practicing Catholic and have never been through what you have described. I hope that you can get some good answers from a few who have. That being said, the rest of us will continue to be here for your encouragement and will also pray that God continues to provide His grace to you on your journey. If we could get every person on earth to “go through the motions” then the the whole world would be better off. Please don’t give up. I agree with mercygate, only believe as much as you can and the Lord will make up the difference.

I’m not sure how much it will apply but you might try reading “The Dark Night of the Soul” by St. John of the Cross.

Peace,
+Nathan
 
Definitely keep “going through the motions”, you aren’t excommunicated, and the Sacrament of confession is always open to you.

As far as faith, no matter how many books you read you cannot be taught faith. You can be taught “the faith” (but I assume you already know most of that). They don’t call it a “leap of faith” for nothing.

Faith especially in todays world of evolution, we’ve mapped the human genome, cloning is a very real possibility etc… It seems that faith in what the Church teaches goes in direct contradiction to what modern science teaches us.

Its tough God bless you on your journey.
 
Saint_Michael said:
As far as faith, no matter how many books you read you cannot be taught faith. You can be taught “the faith” (but I assume you already know most of that). They don’t call it a “leap of faith” for nothing.
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While a book may not be able to teach faith, they can lead to faith. As C.S. Lewis said: “A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading. There are traps everywhere–‘Bibles laid open, millions of surprises,’ as Herbert says, ‘fine nets and stratagems.’ God is, if I may say it, very unscrupulous.”

In that vein, I suggest Mr. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity” and his personal journey from Atheism “Surprised by Joy.”
 
mpeterdc said:
Should I cease “going through the motions,” even though I think it is beneficial to me?
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No, not at all. You’re doing fine.

Some day, the lights will come on - and by staying in the habits of faith, you’ll be ready for them when they do. 🙂
 
I grew up in similar circumstances. I have a nominally Catholic mother and an agnostic father (a self-described “cultural Catholic”), and was raised Catholic insofar as I went to CCD until I was Confirmed. A few months after that, I became a militant atheist. I was quite comfortable with that for a few years, but at some point, I decided that I wanted some sort of spirituality in my life. I never really bought into the whole “spirituality without religion” nonsense, so I shopped around for religions that would mesh with my atheistic, perhaps vaguely pantheistic, attitude.

I became very keen on the idea of Buddhism, and did a lot of reading on the subject. One day, I was reading posts on a Buddhist group online, and this pagan fellow who frequented the group in order to antagonize the members, made a comment about Buddhism being an attractive religion for Western atheists, because they don’t have to deal with any “pesky gods.” That made me stop and take stock of my situation, and I realized that in all my searching for religion without God, I had never felt satisfied. So, I conceded to theism and decided to let that take me where it may.

Coming back to the Church wasn’t easy. You don’t spend half a decade as an atheist without developing an inherent loathing of all things Christian. A lot of thinking, a lot of reading (including about a half dozen C.S. Lewis books), and a lot of pray eventually helped me to overcome that. I’ve only been “officially” back in the fold for three and a half weeks, and I’m hoping that I can get into the rhythm of a practicing Catholic, that this isn’t just a phase that I’ll be over in a month.
 
mpeterdc said:
I think I’m in quite a contradictory situation. My close family is agnostic and my mother is nominally Catholic. I have been raised in the Church insofar as I have been baptised and received Holy Communion. I enjoy going to Church and do go most weeks and I try to live like a Christian. I even go to confession once or twice a year, which is more than the nominal Catholics in my family.

But I guess that’s just going through the motions, since I don’t believe in God, not because I’ve lost someone dear to me or anything like that, but because I’ve never had much faith and have over the years lost what little faith I had. I am therefore not Catholic or even vaguely Christian. I do these things either because I believe they help me become a better person, or because I enjoy them. I do not believe in the Eucharist, and thus never receive Holy Communion. I admire the Church and its wisdom, and I envy the faithful, though I am essentially atheist, and have been for a long time.

So, I have a few questions:

Ex-atheists/agnostics, how did you do it?
I’m probably excommunicated; is it wrong for me to go to confession?
Should I cease “going through the motions,” even though I think it is beneficial to me?
Click to expand...
Welcome! 👋 Keep going to Mass and receive a blessing if possible. Confess your unbelief. For me, agnosticism was a very, VERY short phase. I think it was about a week long. I thought I had been spending all my life “looking for God” without results. I realized He was always looking for me. Not as though He didn’t know where I was, but as expectant parents look for the arrival of their child in their arms. They know where their child is they just anticipate the moment of embrace. Turn toward God’s embrace.
zyphane said:
I grew up in similar circumstances. I have a nominally Catholic mother and an agnostic father (a self-described “cultural Catholic”), and was raised Catholic insofar as I went to CCD until I was Confirmed. A few months after that, I became a militant atheist. I was quite comfortable with that for a few years, but at some point, I decided that I wanted some sort of spirituality in my life. I never really bought into the whole “spirituality without religion” nonsense, so I shopped around for religions that would mesh with my atheistic, perhaps vaguely pantheistic, attitude.

I became very keen on the idea of Buddhism, and did a lot of reading on the subject. One day, I was reading posts on a Buddhist group online, and this pagan fellow who frequented the group in order to antagonize the members, made a comment about Buddhism being an attractive religion for Western atheists, because they don’t have to deal with any “pesky gods.” That made me stop and take stock of my situation, and I realized that in all my searching for religion without God, I had never felt satisfied. So, I conceded to theism and decided to let that take me where it may.

Coming back to the Church wasn’t easy. You don’t spend half a decade as an atheist without developing an inherent loathing of all things Christian. A lot of thinking, a lot of reading (including about a half dozen C.S. Lewis books), and a lot of pray eventually helped me to overcome that. I’ve only been “officially” back in the fold for three and a half weeks, and I’m hoping that I can get into the rhythm of a practicing Catholic, that this isn’t just a phase that I’ll be over in a month.
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Welcome to you too! 👋 The rhythm is a very good word for it. In the beginning it is like learning a new song or dance. After you learn it, really practice. It will become such a part of you that you might not remember what it is what like not to be part of this joyful dance.

To both of you, ask questions. There is not a question that cannot be answered. Seek Truth. Most importantly seek the fullness of Truth. What I have encountered with many atheists is that they wander in the desert for many years only to run smack dab into The Rock.
 
Not to be a stickler or anything (all right, to be a stickler), but “atheist” is not a person who doesn’t believe in God. Zen Buddhists don’t believe in God, after all, and they’re not Atheists. An atheist is a person who believes there is no God, and generally that there is nothing else spiritual, either.
 
Hastrman, there are actually a few different categories of disbelief. A “weak” atheist is one who lacks a belief in God or gods. A “strong” atheist, on the other hand, is one what who actively believes in the non-existence of God or gods.

Likewise, a “weak” agnostic is of the position that he personally, or mankind as a whole, doesn’t know one way or another concerning the existence of deities. “Strong” agnosticism suggests that we can’t know.

Little Deb, thank you for the kind greeting. 🙂
 
zyphane said:
Coming back to the Church wasn’t easy. You don’t spend half a decade as an atheist without developing an inherent loathing of all things Christian. A lot of thinking, a lot of reading (including about a half dozen C.S. Lewis books), and a lot of pray eventually helped me to overcome that. I’ve only been “officially” back in the fold for three and a half weeks, and I’m hoping that I can get into the rhythm of a practicing Catholic, that this isn’t just a phase that I’ll be over in a month.
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May you be granted the grace of final perseverance.

From what I hear, it’s the little things that get you - so while you’re over-coming mountains, also watch out for those loose pebbles underfoot. 😉
 
Thank you for all your responses, opinions and suggestions. I was initially looking to see whether I was inadvertently doing something disrespectful, and I’m somewhat relieved. I was aware that receiving the Eucharist as an atheist was disrespectful, but I wasn’t sure about confession.

With regard to my choice of the word “atheism,” I intended that simply to mean that I have no belief in a god or anything supernatural, but based on zyphane’s definitions, I would be a “weak” atheist. I see no evidence to support the strong atheist and agnostic claims that there definitely isn’t a god or that the answer to the question cannot be known. I am quite certain that I’m not dealing with doubt, though.

MountainMan, I’ll take your advice and learn more about what the Church teaches and believes.

I will look into reading some of the material suggested by posters to learn more about the Catholic and Christian faith.

zyphane, thank you for sharing your experience. It’s good to know that that we share some common ground, and I wish you well in your continuing journey of faith.
 
I stopped believing in God for a while. It was a direct result of my questioning of protestant practices and beliefs that contradicted what I gleamed from my casual readings of the New Testament.

What brought me back to believing in God?

DOCUMENTED MIRACLES that science could not explain away other than one’s own will of the mind.

And GHOSTS. (Yes I have seen one) long story.

MARIAN APPARITIONS

I grew up listening to people say that the “Virgin Mary” apparations were nothing more than RCC concocted stories and RCC witchcraft.

and KNOWLEDGE. Learning of the miracles associated with them or their artifacts and/or locations. Reading medical reports written by Doctors about those being healed of Fatal Diseases or Fatal Illnesses.

In the modern world, where we are guided by intlellect and logic and materialism the world says at a glance there is no God. I am reading Mary K. Baxter’s book “A Divine Revelation of Hell” Either the woman is totally off her rocker and God does not exist or…
 
mpeterdc said:
I think I’m in quite a contradictory situation. My close family is agnostic and my mother is nominally Catholic. I have been raised in the Church insofar as I have been baptised and received Holy Communion. I enjoy going to Church and do go most weeks and I try to live like a Christian. I even go to confession once or twice a year, which is more than the nominal Catholics in my family.

But I guess that’s just going through the motions, since I don’t believe in God, not because I’ve lost someone dear to me or anything like that, but because I’ve never had much faith and have over the years lost what little faith I had. I am therefore not Catholic or even vaguely Christian. I do these things either because I believe they help me become a better person, or because I enjoy them. I do not believe in the Eucharist, and thus never receive Holy Communion. I admire the Church and its wisdom, and I envy the faithful, though I am essentially atheist, and have been for a long time.

So, I have a few questions:

Ex-atheists/agnostics, how did you do it?
I’m probably excommunicated; is it wrong for me to go to confession?
Should I cease “going through the motions,” even though I think it is beneficial to me?
Click to expand...
I advice you this book of a Jesuit priest Father Loring ,
in his book is similar to the cahtesim of the catholic chruch, he explains there why to ahve faith, and he established a strong link betwen the science of this times and the faith at this same times.

spiritusmedia.org/To_save_you_book.pdf
 
mpeterdc said:
I think I’m in quite a contradictory situation. My close family is agnostic and my mother is nominally Catholic. I have been raised in the Church insofar as I have been baptised and received Holy Communion. I enjoy going to Church and do go most weeks and I try to live like a Christian. I even go to confession once or twice a year, which is more than the nominal Catholics in my family.

But I guess that’s just going through the motions, since I don’t believe in God, not because I’ve lost someone dear to me or anything like that, but because I’ve never had much faith and have over the years lost what little faith I had. I am therefore not Catholic or even vaguely Christian. I do these things either because I believe they help me become a better person, or because I enjoy them. I do not believe in the Eucharist, and thus never receive Holy Communion. I admire the Church and its wisdom, and I envy the faithful, though I am essentially atheist, and have been for a long time.

So, I have a few questions:

Ex-atheists/agnostics, how did you do it?
I’m probably excommunicated; is it wrong for me to go to confession?
Should I cease “going through the motions,” even though I think it is beneficial to me?
Click to expand...
I advice you this book of a Jesuit priest Father Loring ,
in his book is similar to the cahtesim of the catholic chruch, he explains there why to ahve faith, and he established a strong link betwen the science of this times and the faith at this same times.

spiritusmedia.org/To_save_you_book.pdf
 
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