Former Catholics...

[allhers]

I am well aware of what the Catholic Church teaches about reiki. It is one of the reasons I am no longer Catholic.

…and that is exactly why you, above all, ought to read the links provided. Then you can
see what you traded Jesus Himself for…

Small and great alike, all are greedy for gain; prophet and priest, all practice fraud.
They would repair, as though it were nought, the injury to my people: “Peace, peace!" they
say, though there is no peace. They are odious; they have done abominable things, yet they
are not at all ashamed, they know not how to blush. Jeremiah 6:12-15

… denial of evil is a sin against the Holy Spirit when it a refusal to be open to
correction. This denial is a willful one of even the possibility of sin, simple error or
evil itself, and is a kind of arrogant presumption.
crossveil.org/denial.html

continued

 

[allhers]

(more on Reiki)…and this:

2.3.2. The essential matrix of New Age thinking

The essential matrix of New Age thinking is to be found in the esoteric-theosophical
tradition which was fairly widely accepted in European intellectual circles in the 18th and
19th centuries. It was particularly strong in freemasonry, spiritualism, occultism and
theosophy, which shared a kind of esoteric culture. In this world-view, the visible and
invisible universes are linked by a series of correspondences, analogies and influences
between microcosm and macrocosm, between metals and planets, between planets and the various
parts of the human body, between the visible cosmos and the invisible realms of reality.
Nature is a living being, shot through with networks of sympathy and antipathy, animated by
a light and a secret fire which human beings seek to control. People can contact the upper
or lower worlds by means of their imagination (an organ of the soul or spirit), or by using
mediators (angels, spirits, devils) or rituals.

People can be initiated into the mysteries of the cosmos, God and the self by means of a
spiritual itinerary of transformation. The eventual goal is gnosis, the highest form of
knowledge, the equivalent of salvation. It involves a search for the oldest and highest
tradition in philosophy (what is inappropriately called philosophia perennis)
and religion (primordial theology), a secret (esoteric) doctrine which is the key to all the
“exoteric” traditions which are accessible to everyone. Esoteric teachings are handed down
from master to disciple in a gradual programe of initiation…

…There is also a call in all of this to come closer to Jesus Christ and to be ready to
follow Him, since He is the real way to happiness, the truth about God and the fulness of
life for every man and woman who is prepared to respond to his love.

ewtn.com/library/CURIA/PCCPCIDA.HTM

 

[allhers]

…and which after the last paragraph of my last above post, we are to teach this:
We can sponsor true “centers of healing” in hospitals, colleges & retreat houses that
include programs in:
the sacraments of reconciliation;
Eucharistic adoration in honor of the Holy Face;
anointing of the sick blessed with prayers to the Holy Face;
orthodox spiritual direction for those in crisis;
restoration of those affected by New Age involvement.
Those Catholics who are especially gifted with the charisms of extraordinary faith, healing,
deliverance and intercessory prayer can form discernment groups under the leadership of a
priest experienced in orthodox Roman Catholic spiritual counseling in order to inaugurate
these ministries.
Just as Jesus expressed just anger at the taking over of His Father’s House, we too should
be just as zealous in reclaiming our loved ones and institutions from these false idols.

ourladyswarriors.org/dissent/reiki.htm

(this is the link that didn’t work in my orginal posting about this.)

 

[allhers]

…instead of this:

Reiki has foundational beliefs and practices that are irreconcilable with Catholicism,
including not recognizing Jesus as a divine Person and the Savior of all mankind. Reiki
involves a belief similar to pantheism, in which a universal life energy—not Jesus—provides
life to all living beings and is also said to govern the Reiki healing process. Because
Reiki practitioners believe they can harness and use this universal life energy, Reiki is
not simply a form of superstition but rather opens oneself up to dangerous involvement in
the occult practices of divination and magic (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church,
nos. 2111, 2116-17).

As noted above, in Reiki, spiritual energy is said to be transferred from master to student
during the attunement process. The Catechism makes clear that all “attempts to tame occult
powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others—even
if this were for the sake of restoring their health—are gravely contrary to the virtue of
religion” (no. 2117). The Church also warns against the occult practice of “divination,”
which include using mediums to communicate with spirits (no. 2116). The attunement process,
as described by Reiki advocates, involves attempting to use what the Church would describe
as occult powers…

In its 2003 interdicastery report on the New Age, the Vatican distinguishes between
“pantheism,” “the belief that everything is God,” and “panentheism,” i.e., "that everything
is in God and God is in everything."6 Given its personal description of the divine “Rei,”
Reiki is more accurately categorized as panentheism, employing a belief in God that is
clearly not Christian…

Jesus is not "a universal life energy, supernatural knowledge or spiritual consciousness as
described by the Reiki belief system. Jesus is a divine Person who is all-knowing and
all-powerful. In addition, a Catholic may not and should not invoke God other than in the
name of the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit, i.e., the Holy Trinity. Invoking God or a
“God consciousness” otherwise makes oneself vulnerable to an evil spirit or spirits that
might become present. Furthermore, while the Bible and Christian Tradition affirm praying
with the laying on of hands, the attunement process is something quite different. It is not
Christian in origin and therefore, not surprisingly, does not invoke the Persons of the
Trinity. It presumes to invoke an impersonal “God Consciousness,” which is assisted in
attunement process by unnamed “spiritual beings.”…

“This is dangerous stuff,” said Fr. Hampsch, who said that he was cautious in learning about
Reiki before condemning it. While he describes Reiki as a “very subtle” New Age practice,
Father Hampsch said that there is undoubted danger, as with other occult practices, because
one opens oneself up to the influence of evil spirits. He said that there is always the
“devil’s compensation” in occult practices, including improving one’s health, but that the
“payment” is always worse, including addictions, problems with relationships, and even
suicide.

cuf.org/faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=200

In a nutshell, the pratice of reiki is condemned in the Catholic Church

 

[rev_kevin]

I stand by what I’ve written. It would seem that even when you are exposed to the truth around you, you can only focus on you. I can tell you that you’ve made a big assumption. My grandfather was a Rabbi, I got a bigger paddeling from him than the other kids in his synagogue, at Shabbos School, however what I did not understand as a kid, and do now, is that he did it out of love. He wanted me to understand that when I acted out, or felt that being the grandson of the Rabbi would help me to get away with more was not true. Correcting ones children when they err is done not out of hatred, but out of love, and a desire that they learn good from evil. “Nuns”, Public School teachers, Baptist School teachers etc of days of yore did what they believed to be the way to raise kids. Today many are shocked and indignent, back then parents would have been upset that their kids were not punished. In reality you can hear story after story of kids in any kind of school that got jerked around at school and then again by their parents when they got home. That is the way life was, and with regard to the left handed issue, it is not a Catholic thing either, kids who were left handed had to go through all sorts of physical punishment all over the USA and England to “correct” them.

As far as your question, “…is that what the catholic church teachs (sic) to do that to children?..” Nope, I don’t think you will without God’s grace be able to understand that bad things happened to kids everywhere, that “Nuns” are not the only religious figures who hit kids, and that even where “Nuns” or other Religious Figures punished kids, it is a poor excuse for leaving a Religion.

As to your question about why I left Judaism, I’ve written it on the Forum before, but here it is again.

My family are Sephardim, (Jews with origins in Spain) During WWII my grandparents, aunt and father were given forged documents by Angelo Roncolli, the Catholic Prelate who later became Pope John XXIII, as did many bishops who had been instructed to do so by Pope Pius XII. One of the conditions was that no effort would be made to force conversion on any Jew who was supplied the documents. The USA was refusing entrance to Jews during this time, so the documents said we were Catholic from birth. When we got to the USA, my grandfather, who was a Rabbi in Salonika was hired by a congregation in the U.S. and any connection with the Catholic Church was non-existant, except for being grateful to Cardinal Roncolli and Pope Pius XII, as Gentiles of great mercy and compassion. When I was studing Medicine at a Protestant University, I heard all sorts of anti-Catholic slanders, in part because as a Sephardic Jew I have a Spanish Surname, and most assumed I was a Catholic. I could not reconcile the slanders against the Catholic Church as being consistant with what my family had experienced, so I went to Catholic sources, (Books and a very good and holy priest) to get the Catholic point of view on these anti-Catholic claims. I found them to be untrue, and the Catholic position to not only be contrary to what the Protestants were telling me, but that Jesus was in fact the Messiah we (Jews) had been waiting for. That He did indeed found a visible Church, and that it still exists today. I was the first to convert in my family. Most of my family initially was upset and would not talk to me, except my grandfather, who asked me, “Was it worth it just to have a cheeseburger?” We engaged in many talks about why I converted and he became the second person to convert. Many (not all) converted over the following ten years.

I still light Yorkzite Candles and recite Kaddish on the anniversaries of the deaths of my family who died in the Shoah. As a kid I blamed the German people, now I don’t I’ve grown up and realize that some Germans bought into the Nazi lies, others did so to save their own lives, and still others resisted, some of them died for their resistance. I still celebrate Pesach, but I now understand it as a Christian, and that it prefigures the Sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary, and the Mass.

You can throw a hissy fit, and tell me you don’t care what I think, and I should not read what you post. The reality is you are a Baptist, who is visiting a Catholic forum, and I do care what you write, but what you post just does not add up to me. The Catholic Church is bad because you had a bad experience with a handfull of Catholics. My Baptist Church is good because they are nice to me. I can find just as many Baptist Schools where what we call abuse occured as Catholic Schools, and Just as many welcoming loving Catholic parishes as Baptist. It does not make one superior to the other. What is most important is the moral and dogmatic truth that they teaches. I truly believe that it is found in the teachings of the Catholic Church, and not the Baptist Churches. You believe otherwise, (I think) but your postings really don’t seem to reflect that to me.

About me assuming, you never said he was a rabi, so no assumption there.
The out of love thing only justifies to them their wrong doing, to make them feel better about what they are doing.
You paddle someone who is bad to show them good from evil, you do evil to show them not to do evil, makes no sence to me.
The nuns believe that was the way to raise children, they wouldn’t know how to raise children, it wasn’t their children they were doing it to, so that don’t fly with me.
You keep saying I say its a catholic thing, well for the umpteenth time I said that is the only place it happened to me, you are assuming or want to believe I said its only a catholic thing.
The poor excuse for me leaving the cahtolic religion, I have said there are other reasons and this was one of them. If I’m not mistaken I believe I said its called forgiveness. See you can forgive but not forget. Just because you forgive don’t mean you have to associate with them.
Thank you for your story on why you converted.
So the bishops were instructed by Pope Pius xll to forge government documents. I understand the reason why but that don’t make it right. When the head of the church says to do wrong goes against everything he stands for. This makes me question the church even more. If they will forge that how many other documents have been forged to say that it is the truth.
If they lied about documents it could be possible that the dogmatic truth is forged as well.
You can say I can throw my “hissy fit” but I noticed this happened to your grandparents not to you personally can you see the difference it happened to me presonally.
As far as my baptist church being good to me the main words are “MY CHURCH” I did not say the others didn’t have problems and I’m sure they do.
The one thing you refuse to understand is that I like the way we worship God.

 

[cheese_sdc]

…and that is exactly why you, above all, ought to read the links provided. Then you can
see what you traded Jesus Himself for…

:lol:

You assume that I “traded” Jesus. I never had him to trade him.

And you must see the humor in posting loads of information on why the Catholic Church considers reiki evil to a person who rejects the authority of the Church.

 

[rev_kevin]

Rev. “Dude” I don’t think it is I who does not get it. I spent time reviewing your posts on this thread and others last night. Your behavior, and flip flopping all over the board is the portrait of a sad man, who needs prayer. You go from one post that says that you hold the opposite of what the Catholic Church teaches, be it the Perpetual Virginity of Mary, or a wishy washy flip on Infant Baptism, (I’d like to see you preach about how you now belive in Infant Baptism to your Baptist Congregation.) To how mean God is and how you have lost your faith when people disagree with you. You post things like “Ha, you can’t prove it can you.” when someone replies to your postings and you are not convinced. But when someone is up front about the illogic of your posts, we are mean and non-christian, and you can read our hearts and souls. When stuck because your point is not accepted, you either stomp off like a little hurt child, (if your allegations against the “Nuns” are true, you may be emotionally stuck there.) or you post that, Well you believe what you want and I’ll believe what I want. Can you see the contradiction?

Nope, in reading Rev. “Dude’s” postings I come away less convinced that you are a “Rev,”

Yup it is too bad that there were times when kids were hit for being left handed, or not knowing answers, or any number of things, It’s too bad we needed a Dr. MLK Jr, It is even sadder that we still have to deal with racism, the effects of alcoholism and drug addiction in the world. An honest review of my postings (which I doubt you have the capacity for, due to your state of mind, and self absorption) will show that I never justified the treatment you or any kid got back when corporal punishment was acceptable, nor do I justify racism. What I did say was that it existed everywhere. You blamed the “Nuns” and when I posted that it was not just the “Nuns” you dismissed it and let us know that you did not know about the other abusers. Someone who had some insight and personal development would realize that, he was not the center of the Universe and stop blaming one group, for all the ills in their life and look at how society in general was different then and has changed. Not continue on the Poor me, those bad “Nuns” nothing else matters because they hit me. Don’t judge me, but let me judge you, “Cuz” I’m a Rev. and you have to respect me on a par with your clergy. Wa Wa Wa.

After claiming that I put words in your mouth, which a review of your posts will reveal I did not, you go on to say, “…its all right that it happened becaues it happened all over the U.S. its the norm, no problem, other people had problems too, so its ok for a nun to do that to kids…” Which I did not. I pointed out that your statements about the “Nuns” in your school being a valid reason for leaving the Catholic Church are bogus. That the strict discipline exacted in those days was everywhere, in civic and religious arenas. It in no way justifies what happeded to you or anyone. But to 30 years plus still blame your ills on what was the norm back then and not grow up, or get some therapy for something that you seem to feel caused so much damage, at the very least so you could be a more effective “Rev” is just wallowing in self pity. Most of us did get slapped around. I still have my grandfather’s razor strap, which saw three generations of backsides. I can still feel the sting of it sometimes when I look at it. But you know what, it made me an honest man. It showed me that there are real punishments, for our behavior. Sometimes those punishments are not just, but we can either use them to make ourselves better, or to wallow in self pity, and manipulate others.

I could be wrong, although after reading all your postings on various threads, I’d say you are one who wallows in self pity, and tries to manipulate people. I don’t say this in a disrespectful manner, rather I say it because I think you need help, and sometimes the medicine for people like yourself is a harsh look at reality. If people being up front with you, as many here on the forum have been has not been enough to wake you out of your pitty party, well then I restate my intention to ask our Lady, Mother of God, and perpetual virgin to interceed on your behalf. I to will offer my own prayers for your health, healing and eventual return to the Bosom of Christ and His Church.

Look you can spin it any way you want to. Your claim are bogus. You have said the things I stated but refuse to see that. You see things the way you want to see them,. You keep bringing this up not me. I don’t see the pitty party you see I see the truth of what happened. I’m sure you are proud of that razer strap you probably have it fraimed and hanging in your house. The question was why did you leave the catholic religion I gave the answer but you are taking it to another level and I’m not playing your game anymore.
You are really digging to destroy me. As far as th ebaptism thing yes i did say that after research but that don’t mean I have to do it. I don’t beleive I said that God was mean I was questioning my faith and found out that my faith is strong. Well if they can’t prove it then it the truth right.I’m mean and non christian listen to your self, you result to belittlling and insults like Rev “Dude” self pitty I stomp off like a little child not true, see you can have enough of being harassed and nobody getting anywere so the best thing to do is stop the stupidness. See you want me to believe what you believe and in some aspects I do and in others I don’t so you believe what you want to and I believe what I want to.
You are full of hate and like I said this has gotten out of control and is going way to far. You started this fight of words and I’m going to end it. NO more enough is enough.

 

[Filioque]

Rev. Dude, (Please see post 296 where you referred to me as Dude) You are correct about one thing, this is going nowhere. I don’t think I’m being unreasonbale, and You will remain in my prayers, I know that sounds hateful, that I would pray for someone who seems to be in such a postion, or rather in so many positions as you…

I referred to you are “Rev” and as you first referred to me as Dude, please give me the same respect and refer to me as Dr. Dude. (who confronts his patients when they retreat into B.S. excuses.)

 

[rbiaca]

Failed to believe that bread turns into the flesh of Jesus.

That was the biggest reason why I stopped going. I figured, why would I worship in a Church, where I don’t believe what is central to the Church.

 

[rev_kevin]

Rev. Dude, (Please see post 296 where you referred to me as Dude) You are correct about one thing, this is going nowhere. I don’t think I’m being unreasonbale, and You will remain in my prayers, I know that sounds hateful, that I would pray for someone who seems to be in such a postion, or rather in so many positions as you…

I referred to you are “Rev” and as you first referred to me as Dude, please give me the same respect and refer to me as Dr. Dude. (who confronts his patients when they retreat into B.S. excuses.)

I did not know you were a Dr. the only thing you mentioned was when you went to med school and that was when you gave a history of your grandparents. So I’ll respect you and call you Dr. Dude ok. We both think eachother is being unreasonable but to say that me remaining in your prayers sounds hateful makes no sence because we are to pray for the ones who need it and that’s not hateful it showes love and careing not hate. I’ll do the same and keep you in my prayers as well. Although you say I have many positions the one position that is clear is I believe and love God. Well I’m not your patient and they are not B.S. excuses,you kept bringing it up not me and I’ve said it many times they may be B.S. excuses to you but not to me because its the truth. I’m not wallering in self pitty as you claim I mentioned it once and you kept bringing it up, post after post and I kept telling you about it so you could understand. But you didn’t and could not understand. I hope you have more understanding for your parients than what you have shown here, if not I fell sorry for them. See my Dr.did the same thing but I showed him that I’m not going to take it from him and now we get along. So I’ll leave it at a good note, unlike you, and say I love you, I’ll pray for you have a good day and God bless.

 

[Filioque]

Failed to believe that bread turns into the flesh of Jesus.

That was the biggest reason why I stopped going. I figured, why would I worship in a Church, where I don’t believe what is central to the Church.

While I obviously disagree with your belief, it is a valid reason for leaving the Church. Better than reception of the Eucharist and playing along, when you don’t believe. I’ll include you in my prayers.

 

[allhers]

:lol:

You assume that I “traded” Jesus. I never had him to trade him.

And you must see the humor in posting loads of information on why the Catholic Church considers reiki evil to a person who rejects the authority of the Church.

Sadly, you are right, never did you have HIM and now never will until you repent and believe in the Gospel.

It is not just for your benefit that I posted those links though. No one else need be lead astray into evil by listening to you go on about how reiki doesn’t teach what the Church says and knows that it clearly does teach. Perhaps you just haven’t advanced that far yet. I will pray that you won’t.

I want NO ONE who is involved in reiki to lay their hands on me or anyone.

I fail to see the humor.

Reiki students ascend through levels of proficiency. Masters pass on Reiki to students through “attunements,” a process that involves the laying on of hands and which is said to open "recipients’ channels to facilitate the flow of Reiki."3

While it has the appearance of physical therapy, Reiki does not rely on a therapist’s skilled hands. Rather, to aid the healing process, Reiki practitioners rely on spiritual agents which, upon close examination, are non-Christian.

source:
cuf.org/faithfacts/details_view.asp?ffID=200

 

[cheese_sdc]

It is not just for your benefit that I posted those links though. No one else need be lead astray into evil by listening to you go on about how reiki doesn’t teach what the Church says and knows that it clearly does teach. Perhaps you just haven’t advanced that far yet. I will pray that you won’t.

I advanced pretty far.

I know what the Catholic Church teaches. I also know what I learned in my reiki classes. I also know many Catholics, who prior to the bishops statement, successfully integrated their practice of reiki into an orthodox Catholicism.

It was my hope that the bishops would have listened to, or at least would have sought out the wisdom of those Catholics. But they didn’t.

Not that it really matters to me anyway. I’ll continue to do my thing, and be happy with it. The whole discussion started about why I left Catholicism. And it looks like I’ll continue to stay away.

I’m sure you’re happy about that.

 

[Hisalone]

…and that is exactly why you, above all, ought to read the links provided. Then you can
see what you traded Jesus Himself for…

Small and great alike, all are greedy for gain; prophet and priest, all practice fraud.
They would repair, as though it were nought, the injury to my people: “Peace, peace!" they
say, though there is no peace. They are odious; they have done abominable things, yet they
are not at all ashamed, they know not how to blush. Jeremiah 6:12-15

… denial of evil is a sin against the Holy Spirit when it a refusal to be open to
correction. This denial is a willful one of even the possibility of sin, simple error or
evil itself, and is a kind of arrogant presumption.
crossveil.org/denial.html

continued

Thank you for your concerns with your brother.
I dont know Reiki but I do know the love of Christ and His life and healing energy. Healing energy from Christ is not compatible with healing energy that comes from a dark source… Shamans and witchdoctors are very well respected in their cultures for their ability to “heal”. The difference between the healong energy of Christ there is a freedom the healing from other sources there is a bondage.
I once was at a crossroads do I continue with New Age and the learning of Theosophy or do I research Christianity. In my mind they seemed incompatible but I had never read the bible. I began and when I got to Genesis 3 God opened it all up to me. Adam ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil so that his eyes would be opened and he would be like God.
God knew what good and what evil were He taught Adam to do good. Adam wanted to make up his own mind what good was and what evil was. That is the sin of the New Age men wanting to be God and deciding for themselves what is good and what is evil.

 

[Hater_free]

I’m sorry that happened. I hope you don’t take offence to this but in one of my sermons I read the “I had a dream” speach to a group of white senior citizens and most of them cried because they remember the injustice back then and I got a standing ovation. The reason I read it was my sermon was on loveing your neighbor, and M.L.K. was a very good example of that and his speach proved it.

Thanks for understanding. No need to apologize though because all in all it was just another cheap shot by satan to get them away from grace in Christ. Jesus and the church had nothing to do with how those individuals treated them because one thing that believers gotta remember is that the devil’s presence is in the church too. I wish they woulda recognized it that way at that point in time. Most of my family on my mothers side mainly are all baptized Catholic from birth but became Protestant. My grandfather turned to being Muslim. As for me I’ve had more than a few experiences with the like while attending masses and it was pretty overwhelming but what got me by and made me stronger is my faith in Christ and just remembering how He was treated. Some of those individuals that acted hostile towards me are some of my good friends now. I’m getting ready to get confirmed in October this year and I’m very excited. The good fight must keep getting fought! God bless you and all on here & everywhere!!!

 

[allhers]

I advanced pretty far.

I know what the Catholic Church teaches. I also know what I learned in my reiki classes. I also know many Catholics, who prior to the bishops statement, successfully integrated their practice of reiki into an orthodox Catholicism.

It was my hope that the bishops would have listened to, or at least would have sought out the wisdom of those Catholics. But they didn’t.

Not that it really matters to me anyway. I’ll continue to do my thing, and be happy with it. The whole discussion started about why I left Catholicism. And it looks like I’ll continue to stay away.

I’m sure you’re happy about that.

…and instead it is you and the others that ought to have sought out the wisdom of His Bishops and His Church which still passes on faithfully HIS teachings. I will pray for you and all those who are misguided and don’t even know it or just don’t care. I think its sad when you get so misled, I am not happy ever when one leaves. The Holy Spirit gives each of us a gift and when one leaves and goes elsewhere they are not using that gift, they are instead, putting themselves above Him and saying …“I know better.”

 

[allhers]

Thank you for your concerns with your brother.
I dont know Reiki but I do know the love of Christ and His life and healing energy. Healing energy from Christ is not compatible with healing energy that comes from a dark source… Shamans and witchdoctors are very well respected in their cultures for their ability to “heal”. The difference between the healong energy of Christ there is a freedom the healing from other sources there is a bondage.
I once was at a crossroads do I continue with New Age and the learning of Theosophy or do I research Christianity. In my mind they seemed incompatible but I had never read the bible. I began and when I got to Genesis 3 God opened it all up to me. Adam ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil so that his eyes would be opened and he would be like God.
God knew what good and what evil were He taught Adam to do good. Adam wanted to make up his own mind what good was and what evil was. That is the sin of the New Age men wanting to be God and deciding for themselves what is good and what is evil.

Praise God! When we seek HIM, He reveals Himself to us. I will keep you in my prayers too that you will come to know the fullness of His love for us all.

 

[cheese_sdc]

…and instead it is you and the others that ought to have sought out the wisdom of His Bishops and His Church which still passes on faithfully HIS teachings.

I did. But I came to understand that when I stand before Divinity, that I would have to be able to say “I did what I thought to be right, with the intellect you gave me.” I understood that I couldn’t point to the bishops and say “They thought it was right.” - not when I didn’t think it was right. (“It” being whatever doctrine, dogma, or belief was in question at the time.)

 

[Janet1983]

Why did you leave the Church? I am curious because I often hear of people that have a bad experience occur in the Church OR in their personal lives then they either get much closer to the Church or they turn away.

What is your story?

Also, what age were you when you left?

I was 23 years old going on 24 when I went to mass the last time… I was already married and did not think anything about it… I was however already separating myself from the church before that through my personal rebellion against God.
I got saved when I was 24 and was baptized a few months after that. So I was basically 24 years old… But here is my story… This is the way I did experience it…

When I was a teenager I heard that there are quite a few people who study catholic theology and then fall from faith because of it. I then said that only someone with a strong faith should study then.
I did a lot in the church. While the general situation is rather catastrophic when it comes to attendance I nearly overdid it. I was as catholic as the pope so to speak. I was active in 2 parishes, sometimes as a guest in up to 5. I was an altar server until the age of 23 and was also group leader and instructor for the newbies. I gave classes for confirmation, participated in the choir and read scripture in mass. I was on every procession, attended every mass (up to 4 on Saturday/Sunday), participated in every pilgrimage…
I spend 10 months at a nunnery while I was still in school and I participated in their prayers as far as possible (I did the prayer around noon silently while on the bus back to the nunnery). I went to confessions (at least weekly), masses, did daily devotions in front of the tabernacle, prayed the rosary daily and always had one with me in case I had to wait somewhere, studied the works of “great” theologians and church fathers, helped out in pastoral care and probably spend more time on the floor in front of the tabernacle than in my bed during the night. I also entered every church I came by and offered a prayer and lit a candle. The mother house had a monstrance on display 24/7 and I went there as often as I could…
The thing is that it all did not help. It did not help me a bit and I was scared. I knew that I did everything that there was and I couldn’t come to the point that I could say I did enough. I was told off by a priest once because I told him every little flaw and he told me that that wasn’t substantial. To me it was and I couldn’t live like that. The pressure of my guilt mounting up even through all that I did was growing immense. I was plagued by demons and continuously lost in self-hatred. I tried to devote myself more intensely to the Lord, but I never got to a point where it was enough. It got so bad that I did forsake the church and rebelled against a God who was only just. If I couldn’t be good enough I would start and live like a heathen so that there was a reason for others to judge me.
Then I met my husband. He went through a lot too and he brought me to the Protestant service. I stayed there for a while getting soaked in the love of Christ through my brothers and sisters. I did not know anything about salvation however until I read about it in a book by Ray Comfort. This changed my life and I got saved… I know now that I cannot work my way into heaven, but I also know God’s mercy.

 

[allhers]

I did. But I came to understand that when I stand before Divinity, that I would have to be able to say “I did what I thought to be right, with the intellect you gave me.” I understood that I couldn’t point to the bishops and say “They thought it was right.” - not when I didn’t think it was right. (“It” being whatever doctrine, dogma, or belief was in question at the time.)

…and instead of the Sacrament of the Annointing of the Sick, this is what is happening
sometimes, so people better be sure to call their Pastors for the Sacrament instead, you can even receive the Sacrament BEFORE you go into the Hospital for surgeries, etc…

This is from our lady’s warriors web site (more than halfway down the page):
Unfortunately, a number of Catholic nurses, doctors, hospitals and retreat centers have
innocently included Reiki as an “alternative form of medicine.” One such place,
The Bon Secours Spiritual Center in Marriottsville, Maryland, advertises on the web thusly:

"Why receive Massage or Reiki while on retreat?

Because we believe that both are graced ways of experiencing God’s healing touch during a retreat."

“In a pastoral context massage becomes a sacrament of touch, an anointing, for it combines one of the oldest and simplest of medical treatments with the ancient healing powers of “the laying on of hands” and “the anointing with oil”. Hands are symbols of human service and communicators of the healing potential within. Oil is a biblical symbol of the divine gift of health, strength and respect for the whole person. In massage these symbols coalesce to heal, comfort, soothe, relax and strengthen the whole being.”
Mary Ann Finch

CATHOLIC HOSPITALS
Many seriously ill patients in hospitals are exposed to occult techniques, including Reiki, without full knowledge or consent. While in a weakened and vulnerable state, “volunteers” perform Reiki magic over them as described in the following:

read the rest here (more than halfway down the page on Our Lady’s warriors web site):

ourladyswarriors.org/dissent/reiki.htm

(my underline)