I can no longer in good conscience identify as Catholic. It's been fun

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I have no desire to remain in a Church I no longer trust. You should not want anyone to remain in a faith that makes them anxious and uncertain, rather than filled with a peace that passes all understanding.
 
You keep changing your reasons - which makes it impossible to take seriously .any reason you give.

If you say you don’t “trust the church,” I’d be curious why. Perhaps you don’t trust some people - but thats very different from, say, not trusting the church as to faith; morals; theology; etc.

Ones faith may make them VERY anxious or uncertain. I would argue that the most ardent faith makes one very anxious, because it leads that person to ask “what does God want of me?” God wants great things from all of us, rather than simply allowing us some vague sense of “peace” that comes from saying “I’m here, now I can be happy beyond all understanding!” I’m sure the saints all felt great anxiety throughout their lives - more so the closer they got to God!

I’m sorry, you keep giving new reasons to leave a faith you admit you accept the core of. Saying you want “peace” is just another way of saying you want an easy path. But Jesus didn’t promise us that; he said “take up your cross and follow me.”
 
glencor63 said:
I’m leaving the Catholic Church because I don’t need other people blocking my way to God with arbitrary rules and additions to the faith that feel like burdens. I want my dignity as an individual with free will to be respected. I want the Gospel and no additions or subtractions that reduce my faith to a checklist.
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In what ways specifically do you think the Church is doing this?
 
I’m tired of feeling spiritually abused under the guise of apostolic succession. I’m tired of being under an authoritarian, autocratic, reactionary, binary, anti-Liberal religious system. I want the freedom to pursue a relationship with Christ without an all encompassing Church hovering over me and interfering. Likewise, I am not a Evangelical Protestant because it too is reactionary and anti-Liberal, as well as anti-Science. Anglicanism is a happy medium. It may be the Eastern Orthodox Church because it’s not so authoritarian or autocratic. It also trusts the Holy Spirit to lead the Church. I will also study Lutheranism.
 
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I keep seeing references to authority; papal succession, etc. what that boils down to, to me, is nothing more than “I don’t want anyone else in charge or in any sort of authority - just me and God.”

Welcome to evangelical Protestantism - in all it’s theological unsoundness and, more importantly, in all it’s confusion.

Your newfound Faith will be fine - until a pastor asks you to do x and you don’t want to, or suggests you believe y because that’s his interpretation of the Bible and you disagree.

It’s also a great way to avoid all personal responsibility. Don’t do X? Y or Z is morally wrong? Who are you to say so!! You have no authority over me! It’s just me and God!

You have a great deal of church-hopping ahead of you.

The shame is that you’re bringing it all on yourself, abandoning a faith you admit you agree with, just because you don’t want to accept any authority over you (regardless of whether the authority is appropriate or earned).
 
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The need to constantly check in with the Church on every topic imaginable before I make a decision because of course the Holy Spirit only speaks to the magisterium of the Catholic Church. Everyone else hears the Devil (sarcasm). This election is the nail in the coffin. I’ve prayed and discerned about my decision to vote for Joe Biden. No Catholic leader has the authority to condemn me to Hell! I won’t tolerate bullying from anyone.
 
Is it “bullying” for a parent to tell you “eat vegetables instead of candy!”

It is bullying for the church to explain, “we believe x because of y reasons”?

Nope.
 
I don’t want to accept authoritarianism. That’s different than authority. I can accept authority, until it becomes a form of control or bullying. I didn’t grow up Catholic. I know the difference.
 
I don’t see you making any distinction at all. You certainly have offered no examples.
 
The Church doesn’t condemn anyone to hell. We condemn ourselves through the actions of our free will. Are you voting for Biden specifically because of his support for abortion?
 
It’s bullying when you exceed your authority by taking Christ’s place and condemning me to Hell and even worse denying me, Joe Biden, or anyone the Eucharist to keep us under control. It’s about control. It works very well on the fearful, not so much on me. I’m an independent thinker. I never follow rules arbitrarily. I always challenge. I live an outlier life.
 
glencor63 said:
The need to constantly check in with the Church on every topic imaginable before I make a decision because of course the Holy Spirit only speaks to the magisterium of the Catholic Church. Everyone else hears the Devil (sarcasm). This election is the nail in the coffin.
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Please cite a document from the allegedly totalitarian Magisterium where they say the Holy Spirit wants American Catholics to vote for (insert name here) in the election.
glencor63 said:
It’s bullying when you exceed your authority by taking Christ’s place and condemning me to Hell and even worse denying me, Joe Biden, or anyone the Eucharist to keep us under control. It’s about control. It works very well on the fearful, not so much on me. I’m an independent thinker.
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Matthew 18:
“18:15 But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother.
18:16 And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand.
18:17 And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.
18:18 Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven.”
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Was Jesus being totalitarian?
 
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I’m voting for Joe Biden because I don’t like racism, White Supremacist ideology, or White Nationalism. I hate what Donald Trump represents. Please don’t turn this into a political post. I just ended my participation on a thread. It’s a merry go round. I’m off.
 
I’m sorry, glencor, all you’re really saying is what many atheists say: “I’m smarter/more discerning than other people and I won’t be told what to do.”
You’re using that as an excuse to walk away from a faith you admit you agree with.
 
glencor63 said:
’m voting for Joe Biden because I don’t like racism, White Supremacist ideology, or White Nationalism. I hate what Donald Trump represents. Please don’t turn this into a political post. I just ended my participation on a thread. It’s a merry go round. I’m off.
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I"m not turning it into a political thread. If you are not voting for Biden specifically because of his stance on abortion, then thinking that you are being condemned to hell is a fallacy. There is nothing in official Church documents that would tell you this.
 
glencor63 said:
No! Jesus preached the Gospel and respected free will.
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He respected free will. He did not however respect sin nor say the results of our actions are all the same, good and evil. He forgave sinners and then told them to go and sin no more. If people want to keep on sinning, then Jesus respects their choice and they get their reward: being cut off from Him. That is the consequence of our sins and disobedience.
 
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glencor63 said:
Does this priest not represent the magisterium? Is he not in apostolic succession? How about the Bishops below?
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The Magisterium is all the bishops, not any one bishop at any time. Where does it say that bishop is speaking on behalf of the Magisterium? Where does he say that?
 
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