Former Catholics

[AshleyBelle]

You ask me what happened and I told you. I get tired of trying to explain everything in fine detail. 1) I never said my cousin was talking about Sacraments. It had more to do with a sect on the East coast that put,( In my opinion) medals, Scapula’s, and Saint’s like good luck charms, praying to them more than Jesus Christ. 2) I can tell you right now there are clergy totally against what Scott Hahn teaches! You don’t have to believe me go study and try teaching a Bible Study in Los Angeles County, I did. 3) We did go to the police about our daughter being touched, it was her word against his. Police would not do any thing unless there was physical evidence !!! We even went through Child services and nothing came of it!!! 4) Because my family left the Catholic Church ( At my Saintly mother’s funeral) My cousin , a Catholic priest, said the family forfeits salvation and were going to Hell !!! I have had other Catholic priest and people I will not name, say the same thing! Many other things happened that I do not have the time or patients to write about, my family has tried to heal from these things. 5) After expending all my energy on these things I figure the response from Bishops would be about what I got from you and a few others on this post.

You can’t fight politics and you can’t beat City Hall !

I am SO incredibly sorry for this horrible experience you’ve been through! I think all of us… even if we are firm in our faith, strong, practicing Catholics…would be lying if we said such an experience would not RATTLE our faith in any way

God bless you and your family! I hope somehow you can find peace through these terrible terrible events!

 

[racing59]

I am SO incredibly sorry for this horrible experience you’ve been through! I think all of us… even if we are firm in our faith, strong, practicing Catholics…would be lying if we said such an experience would not RATTLE our faith in any way

God bless you and your family! I hope somehow you can find peace through these terrible terrible events!

**Thank you AsheleyBelle you are a true Christian. I find your posts thoughtful and intelligent. It is to bad there are not more people like you! God bless you and thank you for your prayers. **

 

[Hisalone]

With all due respect, I think you’re way overgeneralizing. The sacraments are ALL Christ centered.

I’ve read your posts. It looks like post #26 is the crux of the matter, true?

http://forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=4398413&postcount=19
http://forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=4398495&postcount=22
http://forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=4398723&postcount=26 *********
http://forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=4405300&postcount=30

I’m so sorry that happened. It shouldn’t happen to ANYONE. It’s a horrible crime. But you should have gone to the bishop. That’s the proper chain of command. If the bishop does nothing then you go higher. Because this is a criminal matter, the police would/should have gotten involved also.

Aqain, with all due respect, if you studied at Franciscan university under Scott Hahn, there seems to be a characterization of your cousin here in this post that doesn’t quite fit…

And surely you know that the Church is NOT the one to condemn anyone to hell. But if you look up dissent/division in the NT scripture depending on the translation you use, you will find how serious a sin that is. Example [Gal 5:19…] As Paul says, if people dissent/divide from the Church, and continue in that sin they won’t inherit heaven. Now how do YOU interpret that?

Looks like she has met her share of Catholics who divide. Put the blame where it needs to be!

 

[Maybelline]

The straw that broke the camel’s back came quite suddenly. I had struggled, however, for literally decades with what I believed and what the Church taught. I’m not a theologian, or a psychologist, but I know enough to understand that to me, the church became like a dysfunctional family. I existed within the rules of the family and I took sustenance where I could, but the Catholic Church did not nourish me. I found the core beliefs of Christianity shrouded in layers of Catholic reinterpretation, superstition, tradition not based on Christ’s own life . . . I could go on and on.

I tried to involve myself in charitable activities in the church. I found community there in the sense that I was doing God’s will, but as in the past, when someone asked me what I believed, or asked me to explain a bit of Catholicism, I was honest. I do believe we should responsibly use birth control. I do believe couples should be allowed to divorce when the marriage is seriously broken – and, conversely, I do not believe the notion of annulment stating the marriage never existed, which has become the Catholic form of divorce. Those are just quick examples that came to mind, but there are many, many more. I described myself not long ago to a group of non-Catholics as a “cafeteria Catholic,” and that resonated in my mind a long time. I think a lot of Catholics pick and choose, and remain in the faith because it’s family tradition. I don’t want to be a lukewarm, “cafeteria” anything.

I became to believe that I was a sinner, and that my only hope of salvation was in God’s grace. I cannot earn my way into heaven. I do believe I need to heed God’s commandments, but I’ll always fail. Only God knows my struggles. Only God knows how very sincere the contrition is in my heart for what I’ve done that I know is wrong. I no longer believe only a priest through Reconciliation can “wipe the slate clean” since my sincere acknowledgment to the God who is always with me will be heard with no intermediary.

It was incredibly difficult to leave even though I was convinced it was the right thing to do. What I’ve found is that I am closer to God now in my new church since I’ve become a child again, in a way, feeling free to touch God’s hand and speak to God directly (I’m speaking metaphorically; I’m not having psychotic episodes).

I’m still not completely cut from the Catholic Church. Roots that deep don’t come up easily. That’s why, I suppose, I’m posting on this forum. I wanted to touch base with others who have found a new spiritual home. I needed a support group, I guess.

I’m posting this in faith that what I’ve said will be taken for what it is and not as an opportunity for others here to try to show me the error of my ways. I do appreciate the host forum’s opportunity to allow me to connect with others like me.

 

[Symux]

My cousin , a Catholic priest, said the family forfeits salvation and were going to Hell !!!

I have had other Catholic priest and people I will not name, say the same thing!

I too was told this by a Priest. My experience was much different though, as the Priest who told me was someone I greatly looked up to and loved very much. We did missionary work together, and at the time he said these words … I was very strong in faith and trusting of everything the church said.

:grouphug:

The individuals in the church actually believe this is true, and their Pope encourages it.

LORENZAGO DI CADORE, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches.
msnbc.msn.com/id/19692094/#storyContinued

I no longer place my faith in books explaining the scripture. Now when I search for God, I read the Bible.

 

[eucharisteo]

You ask me what happened and I told you. I get tired of trying to explain everything in fine detail. 1) I never said my cousin was talking about Sacraments. It had more to do with a sect on the East coast that put,( In my opinion) medals, Scapula’s, and Saint’s like good luck charms, praying to them more than Jesus Christ. 2) I can tell you right now there are clergy totally against what Scott Hahn teaches! You don’t have to believe me go study and try teaching a Bible Study in Los Angeles County, I did. 3) We did go to the police about our daughter being touched, it was her word against his. Police would not do any thing unless there was physical evidence !!! We even went through Child services and nothing came of it!!! 4) Because my family left the Catholic Church ( At my Saintly mother’s funeral) My cousin , a Catholic priest, said the family forfeits salvation and were going to Hell !!! I have had other Catholic priest and people I will not name, say the same thing! Many other things happened that I do not have the time or patients to write about, my family has tried to heal from these things. 5) After expending all my energy on these things I figure the response from Bishops would be about what I got from you and a few others on this post.

You can’t fight politics and you can’t beat City Hall !

I’ve read enough of your posts to understand your anger. It took me over 29 years to get to where I’m at now. It was me that was touched. I was 18, seminarian and asleep when I woke up to it. My wife was abused and I believe I was initially attracted to her because of it. A man at her church did unspeakable things for a long time and she lived in fear for her life. She never told her family. After 18 years of marriage she finally told me some of the details. Only one priest knows and in the confessional. So this happens in all religious communities. She came out of a Protestant faith that is really big into apologetics…strict. It happens everywhere. I read that there are schools that have bigger problems statistally. That is what helped me sort of come to grips with it. Peace of coming back home after God led us to a very peaceful orthodox/spritual parish. My wife converted with my entire family. I was scared to death when my oldes son started talking about the priesthood. After a couple of months of seriously considering the Orthodox Church and dealing via email with Orhtodox priests they strongly told me that I as running and that is no reason to switch any church. I’d have to resurect the email to give it to you straight. I will if you want…but don’t know how long that’ll take. I won’t give names though.

If someone did something to my children, I’d probably be in prison. I was in the Army and knew people that went to prison. The said it was as difficult as the Army.

 

[HappyRevert]

I am so horrified by what I have read here. I am so sorry for all of you and your experiences with the Catholic church. As one friend told me recently, I believe you are having the experiences you describe, but can’t get my mind around priests behaving so badly, and other Catholics treating you so inconsiderately since my personal experience has been quite different.

I pray that all your wounds will be healed by those not acting in a Christlike manner.

and maybe someday you can forgive the Church for her imperfections.