Former Catholics, Please Post Your Story Here

  • Thread starter Thread starter ktm
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
K

ktm

Guest
On these boards there are a few folks who are either former Catholics, or are Catholics considering leaving the Church.

I think it would be an interesting discussion to understand the reasons you left or are considering leaving.

I decided to start this thread because a similar one called “Which religion is grabbing the most Catholics?” is getting too long and hard to follow.

(For the record, I am a cradle Catholic.)
 
Cradle Catholic.

Catholic-educated through college.

Realized one day that I just didn’t believe in God anymore.

Left.

Still don’t.

Never came back.
 
Auberon Quin:
Cradle Catholic.

Catholic-educated through college.

Realized one day that I just didn’t believe in God anymore.

Left.

Still don’t.

Never came back.
Click to expand...
Then what are you doing on this board? Perhaps joining this forum is your first step towards your journey home?!
 
40.png
kparlet:
Then what are you doing on this board?
Click to expand...
Didn’t know I was required to state a reason.
 
Auberon Quin:
Didn’t know I was required to state a reason.
Click to expand...
Far be it from me to claim to be the most diplomatic person in the world, but what kparlet meant was, “What brought you to the Catholic Answers Forums?” I’m curious too!
 
I LEFT THE RCC BECAUSE OF THE ANGER AND BITERNESS OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE HIARCHY OF THE RCC. I FELT BETRAYED BY THE ACTIONS OF BISHOPS AND CARDINALS, WHO REPRESENTED THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST. I LOST TRUST AND NOW HAVE DECIDED TO KEEP MY EYES ON THE LORD. I KNOW HE WILL NOT DISAPPOINT ME. I WILL SERVE HIM ALONE FOREVER. 😦
 
I left the Catholic Church ignorant of what I had. I did not fully understand Transubstantiation. I did not understand the differences between Catholics and Protestants. I did not fully understand the CoJCoLDS.

After over a year of investigation and many missionaries I joined the CoJCoLDS with a weak testimony. It seemed to make sense and it surely didn’t seem that Joseph Smith could have done this by himself.

I digested anti-Mormon material with trouble, but placing the explanations beside the evidence. Anti-Mormons are “loosing the battle and don’t know it” – Owens and Mosser

As I struggled with some things, I emerged with the somewhat spiritual, somewhat logical conviction that God the Father wanted me to be like him. He wanted to deify me. God became man that I might become God, deified.

I was already wondering in Catholic circles at this time, but when I found the above truth solidly put forth in the modern Catholic Church I began a more concentrated search.

I have emerged without the ability to tell Catholics that they should become a LDS, but firmly convicted that God wants me to be a LDS.

If your message is associated with how to prevent exodus from the Catholic Church, this is what I say.

Teach transubstantiation, clearly and boldly. How could anyone who understands this leave(especially if they FEEL).

Love everyone. Some Catholic Churches are very impersonal. Catholics must believe in the faith of the community and its salvic power or they cannot justify infant baptism (in my opinion). Make this a real community of LOVE.

Get people involved. It is no reason to throw away something as wonderful as the Catholic Church, but one of the reasons I did was that I thought so many Catholics were Catholic for 1 hour every Sunday and totally non-Christian for 167 hours. This is a combination of lack of involvement and lack of true conversion. We will have wheat and tares, but you are your brothers keeper, go help him!

You are welcome to pray for me. I am convince I am following God, but I see no reason that I cannot tell Catholics how incredibly wonderful I consider the Catholic Church to be. I am not trying to deceive you, I really feel this way, I just feel I must walk towards the light I think shines brighter.

Charity, TOm
 
Auberon Quin:
Cradle Catholic.

Catholic-educated through college.

Realized one day that I just didn’t believe in God anymore.

Left.

Still don’t.

Never came back.
Click to expand...
So would you call yourself an athesist ?
 
Auberon Quin

You must be looking for more answers.

I thought I knew everything about being a Catholic and I found out I was totally in the dark. I was pro-choice, I was sexually active, I used contraceptives, but I still went to Mass every Sunday and took Communion.

Boy, have I seen the light.

Praise God!

Much love to you
 
40.png
TOmNossor:
As I struggled with some things, I emerged with the somewhat spiritual, somewhat logical conviction that God the Father wanted me to be like him. He wanted to deify me. God became man that I might become God, deified…

…I have emerged without the ability to tell Catholics that they should become a LDS, but firmly convicted that God wants me to be a LDS.

So Tom let me get this striaght, you think that you will eventually become God, and that what you believe is right? But you don’t feel that others should be in the Mormon Church? Isn’t that a little bit exclusive? And don’t you have to be married and some kind of a high member of the mormon church to be “deified”? How can you accept these teachings that are so far away from that of the Church but then have a great respect for the Church?
Click to expand...
 
Tyler Smedley:
So Tom let me get this striaght, you think that you will eventually become God, and that what you believe is right? But you don’t feel that others should be in the Mormon Church? Isn’t that a little bit exclusive? And don’t you have to be married and some kind of a high member of the mormon church to be “deified”? How can you accept these teachings that are so far away from that of the Church but then have a great respect for the Church?
Click to expand...
Tyler,

I believe that humans may become gods. I believe this is done through uniting with God.

I believe like Catholics that ordinances are important. But also like Catholics, LDS have explanations for how salvation (in the fullest sense whether you define it as the Beatific vision of you define it as deification) is available to those who failed to partake of sacraments during their lives.

Like Catholic, LDS must believe that eternal rewards are predicated upon our time on the earth, but like Catholics, LDS cannot define exactly what it is that these “rewards” are predicated upon. What must we believe, know, become, or recognize to be saved?

So like Catholics, I know that the fullness is available to some who are not within the visible CoJCoLDS. I have even greater freedom to acknowledge this because LDS believe that sacramental performances will be done vicariously for all. Catholics may choose to embrace the possibility of “Baptism of Desire,” for those who are never baptized and Catholic must acknowledge the fact that they do not know who is outside the Catholic Church. Am I outside? Is A Quin outside? Is that little old Italian Catholic lady who worshiped (latria*) saints through ignorance outside?*

So my message is not that you should not be deified. My message is that my beliefs recognize the ability of the faithful committed Catholic to receive deification from God.
And, I do not think deification is a non-Catholic belief. I typically say, “men may become gods, but that it is through the unification with God that this happens,” but the way I said this in my post was a direct quote of Catholics both ancient and modern.
Charity, TOm
 
Tom I know a little about momonism, enough to know that when you are “dietified” you then go to a planet and have little spirit children of your own…which seems absurd, any comments?
 
**Tom, I sense in you a longing to return to the Catholic Church…No matter what your “message” seems to be. Why else would you be here? **

Come home!
 
Tyler Smedley:
Tom I know a little about momonism, enough to know that when you are “dietified” you then go to a planet and have little spirit children of your own…which seems absurd, any comments?
Click to expand...
I have two comments concerning this.

First, how peculiar and absurd is it that you believe that some sinless God-man died for you who are sinful and fallen. Why can He pay the price for you? Why does a good God the Father demand that His Son pay the price anyway? I think we should be careful when we try to make other folks sound peculiar. Surely we are all peculiar as society would judge us.

And, LDS believe in “Eternal Increase.” This is most commonly viewed as begetting spirit children. This is often linked to providing an environment of spirit children. However, it would be inappropriate to suggest that any of this is associated with ceasing to be in communion with God. It is through God and this communion that godhood is possible.

CD4 said:
**Tom, I sense in you a longing to return to the Catholic Church…No matter what your “message” seems to be. Why else would you be here? **
Click to expand...

Come home!

Thank you for your words.

When I decided I knew enough and my open mind had sufficiently closed around the truth, I still FELT like I would be profited by learning about Catholicism and engaging Catholics. Perhaps it was the great understanding that I received as a result of my search through Catholicism.

I also want Catholics to properly understand the CoJCoLDS and I am sure this is impossible to do by reading Isaiah Bennet.

Charity, TOm
 
Tom,
Code: 
 Are you still proposing that the Catholic Church actually teaches (or ever taught) "deification" in the same sense as the LDS does?  I don't want to disrupt this thread, a yes or no will do.  If yes, perhaps that would make another good thread in the future.  

 You will find no knowledgable Catholic who believes in deification in the sense in which you believe it.  We become partakers in the divine nature, but we do not (and never will) become God/gods.  We will always remain created beings worshiping the ONE true Creator-God and Holy Trinity.  There has only ever been ONE God in eternity past, and there will only be ONE God in eternity future.  That is the explicit orthodox Catholic view, which has always been and always will be monotheistic.  It is blasphemy against the One True God for a Catholic to believe in deification as stated by the LDS.
Come home friend, partake of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament that your soul longs for in true worship.

Peter John
 
Actually it looks like someone already started that thread in the Apologetics forum. Care to respond in that thread Tom?

Peter John
 
40.png
OfTheCross:
Tom,

Are you still proposing that the Catholic Church actually teaches (or ever taught) “deification” in the same sense as the LDS does? I don’t want to disrupt this thread, a yes or no will do. If yes, perhaps that would make another good thread in the future.

You will find no knowledgable Catholic who believes in deification in the sense in which you believe it. We become partakers in the divine nature, but we do not (and never will) become God/gods. We will always remain created beings worshiping the ONE true Creator-God and Holy Trinity. There has only ever been ONE God in eternity past, and there will only be ONE God in eternity future. That is the explicit orthodox Catholic view, which has always been and always will be monotheistic. It is blasphemy against the One True God for a Catholic to believe in deification as stated by the LDS.

Come home friend, partake of the Body and Blood of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament that your soul longs for in true worship.

Peter John
Click to expand...
I am most definitely proposing that Catholics CAN (and some do) believe in deification.

I am not sure that you know what sense I believe in deification, so this may be your problem, but if you wish we can discuss that in the thread I am about to send you to (although that was most definitely not my purpose in starting my much neglected thread).

I believe that God become man so that men may become gods. I believe that the deified man is united with the Holy Trinity and becomes a god through this unification. I do not believe that men can become gods without God lifting him up. I do not believe that men can become gods except through their unification with God.

My belief in deification does not compromise the oneness of God (beyond what I see in Irenaeus anyway, because surely the modern Jews and Moslems would say that Trinitarians already compromise the oneness of God).

Here is the thread.

http://forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=1624

Charity, TOm
 
Tom, I read your posts with a lot of DUH ??

Consider doing a little researsh into the LDS in the very early years of our Countries’ history…read some early Amerian native reports as to how the LDS got their start in Utah. That denomination , after the founder put his head into a cap of marbles and got 'divine ’ inspirtion, stole, killed and cheated the Native Americans to get the property and to start their 'empire". I am telling you the truth. Since you seem to open yourself to investigation…I am sure that if you really seek the truth …you will find it.

Although the Bible wtates that “God is Spirit”, John 4:24 the Mormon church claims that God is not spirit, that he has a phsical body. Joseph Smith declared “there is no other God in Heaven but that God that has flesh and bones”…DOCTRINE and COVENANTS 130:22 teaches, " The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as mans…" McConkie calls God “a glorified resurrecte Personage having a tangible body of flesth and bones. " BUt Jesus HIMSELF taught that a true “spirit does not have blesh and bones.(Luke 24:39). and therefore, if God is spirit, He cannot as the Mormons claim , have a tangible physical body as men do.
Josepth Smith’s"first vision” forms the essence of Mormonism’s claim to uniqeness: That God HImself had rejected all other churches as false and was restoring the true church through Joseph Smith. Even Mormons admit that this 'first vision ’ is critical to the credibility and authority of both Smith and the Mormon Church. THERE are at least 5 earlier drafts of the ‘first vision’. The earliest written by Smith in 1832. It varies in important details with the official version. There are discrepancies in Smith’s age, the presence of an evil power , Smith’s reason for seeking th elord and the existance of a revival. The revival claimed, happened in 1820, (he clearly gives his age as 15) and the revival actually occured in 1824 /1825. There was no revival in 1820 so there was no reason to seek God’s counsel over his own religious confusion. ANOTHER account by Smith was written between 1835/1836. In different and contardictory version, there is no mention of God or Christ, but only of many spirits and 'angels” who testified to Jesus. All of his accounts differ…so it becomes very difficult to believe that Smith has a vision in a grove !
Tom, see if you can find a book written by Fawn Brody “No Man KNows my HIstory; The Life of Joseph Smith”. It is an eye opener and you can investigate and see that her book is factual.
 
Tom, I had much more in print but was not allowed to put it all in this post…so I am adding to the previous one. I find it extremely important that you hear these things which will increase your knowledge re : the Mormon church.

The First vision…was rewritten by Smith at least 3 times and maybe more…they were contradictory and claimed at one time that there were only spirits present, then that there were two people , then another story…only angels… Nowhere did he involve God or Jesus.
Anothere fact. Where the Christian bible can be proven geographicaly and historically the Book of Mormon has never been proven in anyway. A portion of the “pearl of great price’” The Book of Abraham, has recently been proven a forgery. It is a copy of a pagan text --the Book of Breathings, an extension of the occult
Egyptian “book of the dead” which is the alleged journey of a soul after death. No Book of Mormon cities have ever been found, no Book of Mormon artifacts, scriptures, inscriptions, or gold plates have ever been found…nothing which demonstrates that the book is nothing more than myth or invention.
IT would appear from your post that God is calling you back into Christianity. Into the church of the living God…Spirit …not body and into a life with Him that will bring you safely home . blessings…It is refreshing to find a person who is open to research and truth. You will find it in the Holy Bible that has been proven to be His word.
blessings … rosarian
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top