Going to hell for leaving the Catholic church

[DavidKays]

If the Catholic brother desires to leave to search for answers that the Church where he is cannot give him then I believe he should be able to. Now my Catholic brother who desires to leave I will say this not to you but to the others. ( I am not comparing you to the prodigal son but only using the story to teach others on letting others go ). The story of the Prodigal son was willing to go and the father permitted him. This is how the father will win him back. Probably the reason for his leaving came from an elder brother who when he did return back complained so we see there was not much a great relationship between the two to start off with. Had their relationship been the same as the father had with his younger son the younger son probably will not of left. But the father did was required for him to do. He loved his son by letting him go. The elder brother became more obstinate and more complaining which was brought more to the open when his younger brother returned home. I wish we can all love like the father but we need to learn as well because that is how God loves us. The story of an excellent Roman Catholic priest comes to my mind, Father John Corapi. Here is a man who left the Church at a young age and through his many experiences some good but alot bad ( read his story there is a website under his name ) he came to know himself better and later on was ordained by the Late Holy Father John Paul II and is considered today the most qualified Catholic preacher for he has to his credit I believe 3 to 4 doctor degrees and has been given the gift of Apostolic Preaching. A remarkable man with a remarkable story. He always gives from his heart especially through his preaching. I wonder if he would had been the same man had he not left the Church. Read his story and find out yourself what I learn from him. This priest stills continues to amaze me and teach me what God can do. To my Catholic brother I wish you will find those answers you are searching for. I am Greek Orthodox who at a very young age developed a severe Bipolar condition. I could not find any answers in my Church until I went out and oddly enough found them in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church has so many answers to the problem of suffering. However your quest may lead you elsewhere and may lead you to the Eastern Church. The Eastern Church do have answers to the many questions today. Not that the Catholic Church do not possess them but the Eastern Church does see at times from a different angle and can help us see better if we only take the time to inquire to this Church. Her Saints and Church Fathers and Mothers has helped build her just as the Catholic saints did for the Catholic Church. Try not to do big stuff like Fr.John Corapi and get into trouble. But read his story when you can. He can definitely explain the catholic faith better than anyone and just to let you know that when he came back to the Catholic Faith he purposely studied Eastern theology for the first 3 years. So Eastern theology can be a great help to understand better the Catholic Faith. ( though for me it was the Catholic faith that gave me answers to my own problem of suffering ). God Bless!

 

[Jon_Hus]

Well, if by “fully catechized” you mean “brainwashed to believe that there is only one true religion”, then yes I was. 12 years of Catholic school. I think your response about me not being fully catechized truly shows how people of the Catholic faith try to invalidate the opinions of others through semantics.

I have been told by folks here that the reason why I’m not catholic is because I wasn’t fully catechized also.The amount of time I have spent studying CCC and othe RCC materials is amazing but none of that matters to some if you don’t embrace their faith. I went to mass for 4+ years every week, that doesn’t matter either.

Some here are true believers in the RCC. Others are looking for outside acceptence of their religion. You will read posts here stating that non-catholic professed christians are not catholic because of pride and so forth, but if woe to the poor soul that accused the catholic of the same.

The teachings of the Bible never change. The teachings of the RCC…, that is for you to decide.

Jon

 

[Lazarette]

someone who has **full knowledge of the church’s mission, beliefs **etc, and then leaves the Catholic church, will not achieve salvation

key phrase = full knowledge.

If you had full knowledge and walked away, then yes, the consequence of that is hell.

But by your statements, you don’t have full knowledge, which is why some here are saying you’re not fully catechized and no, that’s not to invalidate what you say, it’s a statement that at this moment, you don’t full know, really know not just parrot back, Catholic teaching.

Did I miss where you said why you wanted to leave?

 

[Lazarette]

Cat, thanks for telling your story.

David K, just a friendly hint: paragraphs are your friend.

Not that I’ve found page 2, I see others beat me to it in replying to the OP.

Jon H, I haven’t read all your posts, but am curious why you spend so much time on a Catholic apologetics site.

 

[Jon_Hus]

Jon H, I haven’t read all your posts, but am curious why you spend so much time on a Catholic apologetics site.

A good question with a simple answer. It is my opinion, right or wrong, that a person cannot make a truly informed decision without knowledge of all sides of the arguement. A secondary reason is because the RCC has such a big presence within the history of the last 2000 years and I’m a lover of history.

By the way, a little off subject and sorry but many times the cry goes out on this forum, “why can’t we have unity!” It is my opinion that the gulf between the theology of the RCC and that of Biblical Christianity is so large that there will never be a time in the future when the unity so much desired will happen. I come to this conclusion because of the fact that I have spent so much time studying the issues and striving to keep emotions out of the picture. The cat has been let out of the bag so to speak.

Hope this answers your question.

Jon

 

[BettyM]

I am praying that you will take a second look at your faith. I left the Catholic church when I was in my teens. I did not know enough about it. Now-25 years later I have come back to my faith. I spent a lot of time in Protestant churches…not to say anything bad about them but they were not home. And having come back…I can not leave again. No where else will you find the Eucharist like here in the Catholic church.

I’ll be praying for you!

I highly agree with this quote. I pray that you take a second look at the Catholic faith. Read and study. Do not just listen to what people have to say. Many people out there who are not Catholic think they know what the Catholic church teaches but they don’t.
There is a saying,“most people don’t like the Catholic church for what they think it teaches not for what it teaches.”
If you are being persuaded outside the Catholic church to leave the Church I would truly search out the truth.
I listened to many good protestants who meant well and I was led down a path outside the Catholic church for 14, searching for truth years.
The protestant churches were good and the people there loved the Lord but talk about starving. I was starving. They are starving. The Catholic church is where the true body and blood of Jesus is and you can’t find it anywhere else.
A very famous phrase in protestant circles is “I am not being fed,” and because of that they go from denomination to denomination. That is what you will find if you leave home.
The best thing you can do is study your faith, study the catechism. A good show to watch is Journey Home with Marcus Grodi on EWTN on Mondays. It will help you understand the many protestant churches out there.
There are very many, with alot of differences. You only have about 33,000 to pick from. I am not saying they are not good Christians but they don’t have the whole truth. That is why there are so many.
If there was one thing I could say to you about leaving the church it would be, “STOP.”
Learn from my experience it is not home and it is not the same. You will find problems and issues in the Catholic church but don’t think you are going to go out and find a church that doesn’t because there are problems in them all.

 

[crazzeto]

its not a clause

people who say that going to hell is a threat are misinformed

the Church is merely telling you of the consequences of your action. its like, if a child plays with a lit candle and his dad tells him, “don’t play with the candle or else you will get burned.” is that a threat? if the child continues to play with the candle and does indeed get burned, is it a punishment from the dad? or is the dad merely stating a fact that playing with candles can lead you to get burned?

same with the Church. going to hell is not a threat. the Church doesn’t have any power to send you to hell anyway. only a person can choose to go to hell by abandoning God through sin

This is a pretty decent opinion…

 

[Third_Day]

I was raised Catholic, am now in my early 20’s, and have recently made the decision to leave the Catholic church. I was curious about what the Catholic church itself would say about me leaving, and according to the Catechism, someone who has full knowledge of the church’s mission, beliefs etc, and then leaves the Catholic church, will not achieve salvation. It sounds like I’m going to hell.

This seems kind of weird. I suppose I can understand how the Catholic church got so big if it has a “you go to hell if you leave” clause in the Catechism.

Thoughts?

Read this quote from scripture and see if it applies to you.

“For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowldege of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries” Hebrews 10:26-27

That was written to Jewish Christians that came to know the truth taught by the Church and were considering returning to Judaism. If you know that the Catholic Church was founded by Christ and is the fullness of the truth and you still leave then there is no longer “a sacrifice for sins”

You have the moral obligation to seek the truth by studying what the Catholic Church has taught for 2000 years. Do not make a decision in haste. Do not be influenced by others.

 

[BettyM]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazarette
Jon H, I haven’t read all your posts, but am curious why you spend so much time on a Catholic apologetics site.

A good question with a simple answer. It is my opinion, right or wrong, that a person cannot make a truly informed decision without knowledge of all sides of the arguement. A secondary reason is because the RCC has such a big presence within the history of the last 2000 years and I’m a lover of history.

By the way, a little off subject and sorry but many times the cry goes out on this forum, “why can’t we have unity!” It is my opinion that the gulf between the theology of the RCC and that of Biblical Christianity is so large that there will never be a time in the future when the unity so much desired will happen. I come to this conclusion because of the fact that I have spent so much time studying the issues and striving to keep emotions out of the picture. The cat has been let out of the bag so to speak.

Hope this answers your question.

Jon

Maybe it is not just a love of history but maybe it is because you are being pulled by a greater force than you know. I think maybe God is calling you home here to the Catholic church. I think it is great that you hang out here and hope that soon you will open your heart to the whole truth of God.

 

[crazzeto]

@Cat,

I’m sorry to hear about your tramatic experience, though truely suffering is good for the soul! Best of all the kind you suffered, obviously it is effectual. God bless you, and thanks for sharing your story.

 

[eucharisteo]

Well, if by “fully catechized” you mean “brainwashed to believe that there is only one true religion”, then yes I was. 12 years of Catholic school. I think your response about me not being fully catechized truly shows how people of the Catholic faith try to invalidate the opinions of others through semantics.

Actually, I’ve found that the Catholics that attended Catholic school are most likely to defect than those who struggle through public schools. There are far more heresies within the ranks of the Church walls, especially in Catholic schools from my experience, that out her in the real world. My wife and I pulled our children away from the Catholic schools and placed them back into public schools once we discovered what was happening to them. It took several months for them to regain their spirituality and closeness to God again, but now they are fine. This experience as parents also cause us to struggle.

Be at peace and I hope that one day like me you find your way back home. It almost sounds like you’re tired of defending the Catholic Church teachings. Don’t worry about that because once you become some other religion you will continue to defend those beliefs as well and the peace will never be there as in the Catholic Church’s teachings. You can’t just a book by its worn out and tattered cover [heretical religious, clergy and laity]. I found the same problems when I left the Catholic Church in my 20’s. 18 years later I realized what I had done and returned.

Oh, and I went to the seminary to become a priest and was more culpable than you are now. I am praying for you.

What faith are you defecting to?

 

[Non_Serviam]

Redman,

Doubt is ok. It is not the same as unbelief. Take some time to go through the Psalms and you will find a variety of responses: doubt, anger, sorrow, joy-David goes through all of these in his relationship with God. And yet we know he was a man after God’s own heart.

I can see why, given the lack of empathy on the part of some, and their providing canned answers laced with fear, guilt or pressure to “make the right choice” that you might have a word like “brainwashing” spring to your lips. It isn’t brainwashing, but rather a desire to validate their own decisions by having you make the same ones.

Avoid these people and focus on those who have attempted to understand your situation, offered help, or a listening ear, and recognized that asking you to grit your teeth and close your eyes while saying “I won’t doubt, I won’t doubt” isn’t helpful. There have been both Catholics and non-Catholics who have shown this sort of helpful empathy and I encourage you to spend some time talking with both.

My own personal advice is to look into the Catholic claims to authority-if they are the one and only true church, then leaving would be leaving the provision Jesus had made for believers on earth. If this isn’t the case, then you’ll have decisions to make, but do your homework first before considering such things-as Cat pointed out, not everything is rosy elsewhere.

Lastly, keep in mind, you don’t appear to want to go to Hell, God doesn’t want you to go to Hell, so there’s a common goal there that you can take solace in as you continue to work to find the answers you need.

 

[crazzeto]

Non-S,

Could you point to your justification for these remarks?

 

[ralphy]

I was raised Catholic, am now in my early 20’s, and have recently made the decision to leave the Catholic church. I was curious about what the Catholic church itself would say about me leaving, and according to the Catechism, someone who has full knowledge of the church’s mission, beliefs etc, and then leaves the Catholic church, will not achieve salvation. It sounds like I’m going to hell.

This seems kind of weird. I suppose I can understand how the Catholic church got so big if it has a “you go to hell if you leave” clause in the Catechism.

Thoughts?

My friend if you are looking, I would suggest that you look into the Word of God and you will find the answers, after all you will be judged by the word of God in the end, so you might as well know what it says. Ralph

 

[crazzeto]

My friend if you are looking, I would suggest that you look into the Word of God and you will find the answers, after all you will be judged by the word of God in the end, so you might as well know what it says. Ralph

I agree, my own studies of the bible have deepend my relationship with Jesus… I would suggest checking to see if your parish has a formal bible study. Or you can get some at www.salvationhistory.com for free.

 

[ralphy]

I agree, my own studies of the bible have deepend my relationship with Jesus… I would suggest checking to see if your parish has a formal bible study. Or you can get some at www.salvationhistory.com for free.

I am glad you agree with that statement, you can’t go wrong if you follow the Word of God. In Christian love, Ralph.

 

[choy]

This is a pretty decent opinion…

um, thanks?

not really an opinion but Church teaching in my own words. i’ve been in “discussion” with some atheists online who say that “we want to be good for the sake of being good, not because we’re threatened with hell.” thats the “choy” version of how to explain it plainly

i’m still working on it

 

[eucharisteo]

I am glad you agree with that statement, you can’t go wrong if you follow the Word of God. In Christian love, Ralph.

I agree. Unfortunately the bible does not contain all of the word of God.

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

Reuben, when you think about it, who is the actual person who is going through the struggle whether to remain Catholic or not? It’s the OP. Who is the one who is considering leaving? The OP. Who is the one doubting Catholic teachings? The OP, right? How can you try and make this an ego-maniac question when this guy is obviously struggling a great deal? We all make the decisions to be where we are. You included. You have decided to be a Catholic. You, you, you. You feel that’s where the Holy Spirit led you, the OP feels he’s being led elsewhere. I fail to see why you’re trashing this guy as an ego-driven selfish turkey. He’s not.

I constantly here the banal argument: “obviously you weren’t well-catechized, that’s why you’re leaving.” I reject that argument. Sometimes it’s true, but I know many people who left because they flat-out disagree with the Catholic Church about theological matters. Sometimes it’s one issue, more often than not it’s a plethora of issues. I know personally some brilliant, well-catechized, well-educated Catholics who have left because they feel they don’t agree with the theology of the Church and at the same time think it’s pastorally weak, and they don’t feel spiritually fed.

In the end it IS about us as human beings, too. We’re in a relationship with Christ. It takes two people to be in a relationship and in this case it is the “I, I, I” and Christ Jesus. Please respect this guy’s feelings and struggles. I know full well how he feels. He’s not a selfish jerk but a thoughtful person who wants to do the right thing even if you think he’s headed down the wrong road.

God bless…

How it’s always I, I, I, … .?

 

[Jon_Hus]

…
Maybe it is not just a love of history but maybe it is because you are being pulled by a greater force than you know. I think maybe God is calling you home here to the Catholic church. I think it is great that you hang out here and hope that soon you will open your heart to the whole truth of God.

Thank you for your concern and kind words. When I say that I study history and theology and the history of theology, what I really mean is I STUDY those subjects. If there is a theological paper trail linking Peter with Rome as an example, I will find it. If there is proof that the ANF worshipped like catholics do today, I will find it. I can go on and on, hopefully that isn’t necessary as I hope you get my point.

Not to come across as boastful, but I have gone from reading “popular” works on theology and dogma to studying scholarly and semi-scholarly works. I like to go right to the source materials, the Bible and the actual writings of the ECF. Right now, the burning question on my mind is not Catholic vs. Protestant, but rather the Church/Israel relationship within the redemptive plan of God. Catholics would be surprised I think at the commonality (from a theological prespective) between them and reformed (covanent) theology. Of course, other fairly large disagreements remain, such as ecclesiactic doctrines and so forth.

take care,
Jom

PS on edit: I am quitting this forum once I hit 500 posts, I have 165 to go!