Catholics Converting to Non Denominational

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LumineDiei said:
Well, you may not live in an isolated area, but your experience of Catholicism is limited if you’re even remotely considering leaving for some other church.
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That’s wrong, too. Pure baloney, in fact. And I’m sure there are plenty of people of other faiths, not just Christian, who’ve probably told others the same thing.
 
Start said:
That is a different scenario if the whole service was just begging.
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I haven’t been to a Catholic Mass where the whole service was just begging, but enough homilies that have been like that. Thank goodness my husband, who was raised Baptist, and now only goes to church with me, on Christmas Eve, hasn’t heard one.
 
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We at times have missionary priests from other areas of the world who; during the homily, talk about their mission and ask for contributions. These are often places that have nothing. Whereas we have more and; as a worldwide church, the missionaries come here and ask for charity. We recently had a priest from Guatemala. The Catholic Church is the largest charitable organization in the world at at times we are asked to be charitable to help the church’s mission.
 
I haven’t yet decided if I’m leaving or staying. It might come down to eventually learning more about their beliefs, then making a decision.
 
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It just seems like if your theology is properly there that you would have to know that you would be leaving the Eucharist and the Church Jesus established for entertainment and a feel good message or gifted speaker. I think the pastors at these churches have to be gifted speakers because other than that and the music, it’s all they have to offer. The theology just isn’t there and neither is the Real Presence.

I would assume that St. Louis has many Catholic Churches. Have you tried different ones out to find a better fit? As for asking for money, my parish asks at certain times. We are about to have a collection for catholic schools and the diaconate formation, and then of course is the Bishops appeal. We also have a lot of acts of charity like fundraising drives for the crisis pregnancy center etc. it’s GOOD that the Catholic Church supports so many things and we have so many opportunities to be charitable. Donating is optional. Protestant Churches also ask for money too, trust me. I am a former Protestant. Many of them revolve whole sermons around tithing. I wouldn’t be too quick to surmise that they will never ask for money based on hearing a few sermons.
 
Start said:
Weren’t you leaving because of the pop music and the homilies?
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Yes. I’d also have to agree with most of their beliefs. I mean, what’s the point of going to any place of worship if one doesn’t agree with their beliefs?
 
I grew up non-denominational. Get ready to experience interpersonal power politics. Most nondenominational churches split because of it. That’s why most non-denom churches are so small.
 
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Hope1960 said:
They didn’t beg, or even mention money.
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As someone who’s been to churches that are heavily sold to the prosperity gospel, money isn’t always mentioned even in those churches. It will come up sooner or later in any church, though. Catholics churches are perhaps a bit more upfront about it, but at the same time, no one has anywhere near the same reach that the Catholic Church does. And at the very least, my priest, who is far from shy about his thoughts on the need for tithing, has never gone all-out prosperity gospel on us.
Hope1960 said:
And let’s not even talk about the number of times (haven’t actually counted) they take up two collections instead of one.
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At least at my parish, the second collection is done once a month. It always goes to a very specific fund, generally St. Vincent de Paul, a local homeless shelter, or our sister parish overseas. Sometimes a second collection will be taken up for special needs, like if a missionary comes to visit. I’d imagine that your parish is doing similar.
 
If your beliefs are in line with the Magisterium then I trust you’ll stay, because nondenominational churches (I converted from one) are usually quite fluid in “nonessential” beliefs. Some have statements of faith shorter than the Apostles Creed.
If the worship style is what you’re after, you could look into a life teen mass or adoration with music.* Trust me though I’ve been on the non denominational side of things for a long time and it never lasts. A pastor leaves and takes members with him (or her) or there’s some scandal and schism and next thing you that community you fell for is gone. That can happen in Catholic parishes too but the Church will never shut down and get converted into some other church every 20 years.
Really take the time to dig deep into your Catholic faith. Just because the warm fuzzies are gone doesn’t mean Christ is not still present in the Eucharist …and in you.
*disclaimer: these things make me cringe and convulse just thinking about them but to each is own.
 
illkeepitasecret said:
She was like, “you still attend Catholic services? Catholicism is a different thing”. I was hurt because she became a good friend but made such a remark. How am I going to deal with this? Thank you.
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You are going to be just the best Catholic young person you can be. Smile. Forgive her. Love her with Jesus’ heart. Know your faith and be prepared to answer questions. If you don’t know the answers, say you’ll get back to her. You can come here and search the answers at catholic.com.

Bless you. You are the future of Catholicism. I have faith in you!
 
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The Catholic Church has the authority to provide the sacraments. This is the main issue. If you look at the saints or doctors of the Church, it was their full participation in the sacraments, prayer, and meditation that brought them closer to God and allowed them so many graces. The Catholic Church is the only place you see 2000 years of miracles, holy and sacred basilicas on every continent. There’s a reason for all of this.
Of course, we don’t have espresso at church, We are there to Worship God. All our focus and attention is on Our Lord and Mother Mary. This transcends anything you will receive on earth in another church. Each step of the mass is dedicated to giving thanks, forgiving sins, calling the angels and saints to join us in worship (the Gloria), old and new testaments, homliy to tie it together and the Eucharistic prayer. This coupled with daily rosary will strengthen your faith and give you many graces. You will never have to worry because God will deliver everything you need.
 
Hope1960 said:
Yes. I’d also have to agree with most of their beliefs. I mean, what’s the point of going to any place of worship if one doesn’t agree with their beliefs?
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You already don’t agree with most of their beliefs, or conversely they don’t agree with most of yours … specifically the real presence of Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity in the Holy Eucharist.

If I misunderstood your previous post affirming this belief, I apologize and concede there is nothing substantial, at present, holding you to participation in the Catholic Church.
 
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I posted this on the thread “What Kind Of Church Is This?”
These are my pros and cons of going to this other church.

Pros:
  1. They have great Spirit filled, energetic music that makes one feel they’re participating more than how I feel during Mass.
  2. They have awesome lighting to energize the soul.
  3. They focus on the Bible.
  4. They aren’t as fanatical as I once thought they were.
  5. The Holy Spirit May touch my soul in ways I haven’t felt in the Catholic Church in a long time.
Cons:
  1. They don’t have Jesus in the Eucharist (although they do take Communion weekly).
  2. They don’t have Confession and I think being absolved by a priest acting in personae Christi would feel more tangible than confessing directly to God.
  3. They won’t have the wonderful Church smell my Church has.
  4. They don’t have candles to light for myself and others.
  5. They don’t have Adoration.
  6. They don’t have Jesus in the Tabernacle.
  7. They don’t pray to Saints, don’t have Patron Saints.
  8. They don’t pray the Rosary.
  9. They don’t pray for Mary to intercede for them.
  10. Going into the church to pray after worship hours probably won’t feel like a holy, sacred place containing Jesus but just a building, unlike the Catholic Church.
 
Going to Mass is for worship of God. We worship in two forms, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Jesus is present in both. So we do go for the homily, the Gospel reading, the communion with our community at the Mass
 
Hope is this thread because you are considering converting to a non catholic religion, or is this just a general question. If it is a general question, its answer will be varied, depending on region and locality and what other religions are present and how they worship.
 
Because I’ve been thinking about POSSIBLY joining this other church.
 
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