Leaving the Catholic Church and Family Reaction

[Church_Militant]

Alfie:

I know you are on the right path. The holy spirit has spoken to you through the word of God. If God was truly present in the mass wouldn’t his presense be so over whelming that no one, not even the most wicked person on earth wouldn’t feel it? I mean that is supposed to be God!!! Catholics want to dismiss your conversion as being merely based on emotion but isn’t that what the mass is based on…emotion?

Well well… hello again Alfie!

(How ya doin’ with those people in your classes that have been givin’ you such a hard time?)

Your statement fails badly for the simple reason that the same cannot be said for Evangel church or any other church.

Personally, I do find the presence of Christ in the Mass overwhelming to the point that it is hard to communicate about it sometimes and there’s no hiding the tears of joy and humility that I find rolling down my face.

Moreover, the Mass is NOT based on emotion. That is a completely false statement. The Mass is based on the FACT of the Real Presence of the risen Christ in the Eucharist, which is based on the FACT of Christ’s promises in the New Testament (which most n-Cs choose to ignore or twist to their loss). The miracle of the Eucharist takes place at every Mass, regardless of whether anyone in the whole building believes or not, because it is the work of God and has nothing to do with our natural human faith (or lack thereof) or of our human emotions one way or another.

If you want a good FREE study on this you should get http://www.amm.org/chss/images/WORSHIP.JPG from The Catholic Home Study Service and you will better understand it.
Pax tecum,

 

[Thal59]

Alfie:

I know you are on the right path. The holy spirit has spoken to you through the word of God. If God was truly present in the mass wouldn’t his presense be so over whelming that no one, not even the most wicked person on earth wouldn’t feel it? I mean that is supposed to be God!!! Catholics want to dismiss your conversion as being merely based on emotion but isn’t that what the mass is based on…emotion?

This reminds me of what a person on Marcus Grodi’s show “The Journey Home” once said. When he was a Protestant, he used to be in charge of handling the electronics that were used during services. He recalled how parishoners made comments regarding how good the service was or was not at any given time; which usually was translated as a proclamation of how present was the Holy Spirit.

He decided on one Sunday to turn up the volume 10% from its normal setting. He watched one person after another, as they left the church, exclaim to the minister how great the service was and how they could really feel that the Holy Spirit was present. The next Sunday, he turned the volume down 10% from its normal setting and the departing parishoners were almost unanimous about the fact that something was missing; the Holy Spirit just didn’t seem to be there.

It is very easy to confuse emotion with spirituality.

Thal59

 

[mastda]

malachi_a_serva:

I had that same accusation, and it was not true. Looking at this website, reading the various posts…I for one know for a fact it is not representative of Catholics. The select few that are here as Apologists or experts (and no disrespect intended) are not representative of the Catholics I know. And yes, I have heard, well my experience is not valid or fact or whatever, but it is what it is. I am here becasue I still want to explore from expert Catholics questions I have. But Austins’ accounts sound like mine, I can relate and when I go to the Catholic Living board, I find it there more representative of a normal Catholic.

malaci-a/serva, this is absloutely not true as no one accused of you of you being a protestant but pretending to be a catholic. WE accused you of cutting and pasting from protestant anti-catholic websites and you were caught. I started posting around the same time you did and I recall all you did was come in and attack everything we as Catholics believed, so I remember you very well. Furthermore you came on and attacked Catholics for their lifestyles. Most people on this forum either enjoy reading about or participating in a healthy discussion but you came on without even going on the main Catholic.com website to find out what we really believed. Please get your facts correct.

 

[mastda]

malachi_a_serva:

I had that same accusation, and it was not true. Looking at this website, reading the various posts…I for one know for a fact it is not representative of Catholics. The select few that are here as Apologists or experts (and no disrespect intended) are not representative of the Catholics I know. And yes, I have heard, well my experience is not valid or fact or whatever, but it is what it is. I am here becasue I still want to explore from expert Catholics questions I have. But Austins’ accounts sound like mine, I can relate and when I go to the Catholic Living board, I find it there more representative of a normal Catholic.

One more thing, can you expand on what you mean by “more representative of a normal Catholic” ?

 

[mastda]

Thal59:

I haven’t read all of the posts to this thread, but the more I read Austin’s, the more he sounds like an Evangelical pretending to have once been a Catholic.

His complaints are that of someone who does not know the church at all, and he has made accusations against the church that are standard fare amongst Protestants.

Or is it just me?

Thal59

You know I am torn because I can totally relate to Austin as I left the Catholic Church years ago for almost the same reasons, of course only to come back. But…why would Austin come to Catholic board to ask how to leave the Catholic Church? The answer can only be one of these 3 a) He really does not want to leave and is looking for reasons not to b) He has already left and is looking to bring as many people with him as possible c) he was never really a catholic but stumbled upon this board and is using one of the techiniques in “How to Win Friends and Influence People” to win some of us over.

 

[MariaG]

malachi_a_serva:

I had that same accusation, and it was not true. Looking at this website, reading the various posts…I for one know for a fact it is not representative of Catholics. The select few that are here as Apologists or experts (and no disrespect intended) are not representative of the Catholics I know. And yes, I have heard, well my experience is not valid or fact or whatever, but it is what it is. I am here becasue I still want to explore from expert Catholics questions I have. But Austins’ accounts sound like mine, I can relate and when I go to the Catholic Living board, I find it there more representative of a normal Catholic.

An Expert.

And here I just thought I was an average 40 year old stay at home mom who was on fire for Christ and seeked to serve His will.

I know in the Evangelical Churches I was in it was expected to read the Bible as well as other sources like John Wesley (or was that in the Nazarene church?) in order to better understand Him and His Word. As a Catholic Christian, I do the same.

But still…

An Expert.

God Bless,
Maria

 

[MariaG]

Hi Austin,

I did not read the whole thread but only(mostly) your replies . I may repeat some advice but since I think it is good, it bears repeating.

I do not take issue with you emotional response to God. We should all be so blessed.

I understand your hesitation to continue to look into a place where you have not found Christ. However, I would caution you that just because you did not find Him there, does not mean He is not there.

And as a former Evangelical, but current Catholic who still loves to “find it in the Bible” I challenge you to bring your questions, those things that “Catholics believe that aren’t Biblical”, here to Catholic Answers. Start new threads. Ask questions of us “experts”.

But most of all, ask the Holy Spirit to lead and guide you to all truth, even if that truth should lead you back to that which you left if that is His will.

May God Bless you and Keep you safe.

Maria

 

[NotWorthy]

mastda:

malaci-a/serva, this is absloutely not true as no one accused of you of you being a protestant but pretending to be a catholic. WE accused you of cutting and pasting from protestant anti-catholic websites and you were caught.

Uhhhhhhhh, correction there. I accused Malachi on one of his first threads. I felt his was a set up and threw a flag. (I gotta admit, I caught a little flack on that one).

Anyway, I have since apologized to Malachi, as I’ve seen a real questioning on his part in some of the threads.

Malachi, I again apologize for my original comments.

Take Care!

Notworthy

 

[Alfie]

An Expert.

And here I just thought I was an average 40 year old stay at home mom who was on fire for Christ and seeked to serve His will.

I know in the Evangelical Churches I was in it was expected to read the Bible as well as other sources like John Wesley (or was that in the Nazarene church?) in order to better understand Him and His Word. As a Catholic Christian, I do the same.

But still…

An Expert.

God Bless,
Maria

In one of your earlier posts you were trying to convince a woman that the Holy Spirit might be leading her to become a Catholic. In that same post you stated that one of your Evangelical friends felt that she was being called to become a Mormon. You gave me the impression that you thought that was O.K. for this woman to become a Mormon. Did you know anything about the Mormons back then? If you did than you would realize that it is a cult . You used that example to try to get the first woman to become a Catholic. One thing your story tells me is that a truly born-again Evangelical Christian would never be called by the Holy-Spirit to become a Mormon. Not every so-called Evangelical Christian is a true born-again Christian and I am not trying to be nasty but the fact is you were never a born-again Evangelical either. Please don’t tell me how much you know your Bible scripture. That doesn’t prove anything. The Devil knows scripture even better than you do and he is no Evangelical.

 

[uxordepp]

Austin, if you’re still reading…

signumcrucis.net/massorder.htm

AND:

groups.yahoo.com/group/CatholicDiscussions/message/2329

 

[luvthelight]

Austin, now in all honesty, I’m a little confused right now as to why you would post such a message here, and not on one of the many protestant forums. my hope and prayer is that you did this, either conciously or subsonciously in the hopes that we could convince you not to leave. Now you say that you grew up Catholic, attended Catholic schools and such, but also that your parents attend every two to three weeks. With the sad state of so many Catholic schools, and the fact that your parents casually committed mortal sin every week or so, leads me to believe that you were NOT very well educated about our faith. (Not that I’m saying your parents are not wonderful people, nor that they do not love the faith, I’m sure they are/do, but to miss church so regularly suggests that they do not funderstand our faiths o well either).

you say that you do not want to hear the priests tell you the stuff about endangering your soul. first off, yes, we believe you are, and trust me, most of the people on this forums pray regularly for you and people like you. but now, you know how the church claims to be Jesus’s church. thats a pretty steep claim, isn’t it? To claim to be in the actual presence of Jesus, to have apolstalic tradition, those are pretty serious claims. yet you are so willing to go with your emotion, and at hte same time, say that you are not an expert. And yet with your limited knowledge, you are willing to make this blind jump and cross your fingers that the church’s claims are not true???

Here is my suggestion. SLOW DOWN. spend time on these forums, we have a TON of knowledgable people on here. they are the ones who brought me back to the faith a year and a half ago. They can answer ANY claim you have. the Catholic church put together the Bible - do you really think that we would “Create traditions” that went against it? Trust me, there is not a SINGLE teaching that goes against the bible. Here is my challenge : : LET US answer your claims - and LISTEN. If you are so strong in your new faith, then you should have no fear in hearing the Catholic arguments. read scott hahn, karl keating, patrick madrid, they write excellent, easy reads about what the faith really means. When you TRULY have both sides of hte issue, then proceed with your decision making. but based on the comments you have made - you are far from hearing both sides. so read the tracts on www.catholic.com - if you already know it - what can it hurt?

you are exactly right. God needs to come first. When you heard that pastor speak, he stirred something in your heart that helped you feel closer to God. Don’t be blinded by your emotions, search for the TRUTH as the way to be close to God. Your childhood parish, like so many others, sadly, may not be filled with catholics who are excited and knowledgable about the faith. Find a church that is. experience mass filled with people who are on FIRE for God and Jesus.

one last thing. im not sure that you understand what people are saying when they say not to just follow your emotions. you are right, there is nothing wrong with being excited and feeling good about worship. that is how i feel about mass. what they are saying is do not let your emotions blind you. just beecause you ‘feel good’ today, doesn’t mean that five years down the road you will feel the same. and the problem with personal interpretation. what will you do when you decide the bible means something different from your pastor - will you just keep church hoping?

i hope and pray you will come back home soon.

 

[riverman]

Austin83:

Okay I just joined this forum and first I’ll introduce myself a little bit. I’m Austin, 22 years old, and I was baptized as a baby in the Catholic Church. My whole family is Catholic, I went to Catholic grade and high school, was raised to be a good Catholic guy. However I have never really felt at home in the Catholic faith, and as I have gotten older I have noticed many of the inaccuracies between what the scripture teaches us and what the Catholic church teaches us. I stopped attending mass regularly when I was about 20 years old because it felt more like a chore and a requirement than something I wanted to do. The Catholic faith to me felt so hollow and empty, I didn’t feel I had a connection with God at all. I would leave every mass empty, I just didn’t get anything out of it, it was just saying some prayers from memory every Sunday. About 6 months ago I started looking at other religions and asking friends about their religions. Finally, I went to a non-denominational Christian church. I knew the minute the pastor started talking that I had found God and had been born again. I was energized with the surmon and left knowing I had truly experienced God’s presense and his love, and it was an incredible experience. I had a very personal experience with the pastor who helped me communicate with God to release me of my sins, it was the most powerful moment of my life, and I truly felt that I had been saved.

I have been back several times since then and it just keeps getting better. I now plan on joining and becoming and attending weekly. Unlike the Catholic mass, I not only do not consider it a chore to attend mass, but I want to attend it. There is no doubt that I have found my church and the people I want to share my faith with.

This leads though to the difficult part of the process. First of all, while my friends and most of my family will probably accept my decision, I know my mom and dad will have a very difficult time accepting my decision. I know they might even try to convince me not to do it (that’s why I’m waiting until after I have officially left) but I know what I am doing is right. I am looking for some advice from others who have left their faith for another, how did you break the news and how did you comfort them? What did you say to them? Also, I am unsure of how to officially leave the Catholic church. Do I have to write in somewhere denouncing the faith or do I have to talk with a priest? I know if I talk to a priest about it he will try to do the fear tactics that most Catholics do. Statements like “you are turning away from God’s church” and “you will live in hell for betraying God’s intention”. But back to the point, if anybody here knows the process I have to go through, I really want to start the process as soon as possible just to get the process over with and start my new life with God. I appreciate any help that anybody here can offer.

Austin

Please research what scripture and the Catholic Church share. At www.biblechristiansociety.com you can order 12 CD’s. If you take the time to listen to these and follow along with a Bible, even a Protestant version, you will see that there is nothing in scripture that condradicts the Catholic Church and there is nothing the Church teaches that condradicts Scripture. Good luck in your journey. You might also want to watch “Journey Home” on EWTN. If after researching the faith yo still feel the need to leave than may God be with you! I thought about leaving but after much research I discovered that it is only in the RCC that the fullness of Christianity exist.

 

[malachi_a_serva]

mastda:

One more thing, can you expand on what you mean by “more representative of a normal Catholic” ?

I do not mean to demean or undermind, as since I arrived here on the CA message boards,…my life is really srewed up…I don’t know what I am or what I want to be…anyway…I continue on my search.

As for my comment above, the Catholics I know (and I do not know their heart) live life as any other person on earth. Live life, get bigger houses, more cars, upgrade RV every 2 years…drink, swear, cuss, use the Lord’s name in vain,…etc… They think they are different because they are Catholic in faith. From anyone (just my opinion) looking from the outside in…without knowing their faith, …would summize no differnce from a non-Christian (just my observation). I love these people (my relatives)…

For me, I either have to disprove or discredit the thought that the RCC is the one true church…or accept it. My search continues… (I do not want to jack this thread).

ps…I appreciate NOTWORTHY, as he/she is worthy as well as CHURCHMILITANT as well as SOLACHRISTA (on the other side of things )I am learning allot. Others as well that have reached out.

 

[NonDenom]

Austin’s problem seems to be that he likes the emotional high that he gets from this church, and I’ve been there and done that myself, but that is wrong. “Feeling good”, though nice and all, is not a good guide for our spiritual journey, and that is what I’m trying to get him to consider.

CM
Here is where you don’t seem to get it, Austins high was also a
Spiritual experience and not just an emotional one. I think it’s sad that Catholics thinks that every Protestant base’s their spiritual lives on emotion.
In Him and Him Only

 

[Church_Militant]

NonDenom:

CM
Here is where you don’t seem to get it, Austins high was also a
Spiritual experience and not just an emotional one. I think it’s sad that Catholics thinks that every Protestant base’s their spiritual lives on emotion.
In Him and Him Only

Neither of us can say this for sure, that’s why I said “seems” in my post.

I’m not saying that we don’t have emotional responses. Not at all, but I am saying that the non-Catholic churches that I have been part of tended to feed that emotionalism far more than I believe is wise.

You make a generalization about Catholics that is not valid, as that is not what any of us have said that I know of. Regardless, I don’t think that in general anyone would attempt to deny that most non-Catholic churches tend to have more emotionally charged services than we Catholics do. You will almost never see a priest pound on the pulpit, or shout, or for the congregation to shout out during the homily or any other time during the Mass. We have a different view of what our services are all about and by and large it’s a very personal thing that may be very intense for me, (and often is!), but I seek not to interfere with anyone else’s focus on what is going on. Perhaps that is the key to the difference…we are focused on the prayers and our individual parts of the Eucharistic celebration because these are where we know that we will meet Our Lord.
Pax tecum,

 

[MariaG]

Alfie:

In one of your earlier posts you were trying to convince a woman that the Holy Spirit might be leading her to become a Catholic. In that same post you stated that one of your Evangelical friends felt that she was being called to become a Mormon. You gave me the impression that you thought that was O.K. for this woman to become a Mormon. Did you know anything about the Mormons back then? If you did than you would realize that it is a cult . You used that example to try to get the first woman to become a Catholic. One thing your story tells me is that a truly born-again Evangelical Christian would never be called by the Holy-Spirit to become a Mormon. Not every so-called Evangelical Christian is a true born-again Christian and I am not trying to be nasty but the fact is you were never a born-again Evangelical either. Please don’t tell me how much you know your Bible scripture. That doesn’t prove anything. The Devil knows scripture even better than you do and he is no Evangelical.

Wow. Never said that one.

I do not think someone becoming Mormon is ever the way to go.

The intent of the post was that our feelings can MISLEAD us into doing the wrong thing. Both people were SURE God was leading them, but we both would agree :bigyikes: that God would never lead anyone into the Mormon Church.

The latest post is just trying to acknowledge, however, the reality that it would be hard to understand that God is somewhere when we never felt that way before. BUT to tell them to not to find out what Catholics believe from Evangelicals.

Guess you had to try to tear down the experts. But never said or even implied that it was okay to become Mormon.

Judge not Alfie. I am so glad you are able to tell from these posts, that you completely misunderstood! that I was never born again. Wrong again.

 

[MariaG]

NonDenom:

CM
Here is where you don’t seem to get it, Austins high was also a
Spiritual experience and not just an emotional one. I think it’s sad that Catholics thinks that every Protestant base’s their spiritual lives on emotion.
In Him and Him Only

I agree with CM and would add that what I think people are cautioning here is that just because the OP never had an emotional and spiritual experience in the Catholic Church, does not mean it is not present in the Catholic Church. It can be easy to just “go through the motions” in a Catholic Church and assume everyone feels nothing as you do since the Catholic spiritual and emotional experience is a very personal and inward thing.

Quick question:

The handshake “peace be with you” what is the purpose of this?

A. greet your neighbor
B. share your germs
C. Declare that Christ is Risen! (The first words to His apostles after He rose from the dead John 20:21)

It’s C in case you could not guess.

But many people apparently don’t know this and just use it as a greeting and miss the opportunity to declare the Good News.

Did Austin know this even though he had been educated in Catholic schools? If he did not know this very simple and basic thing, what else did he close his ears, mind and heart to?

The Mass is packed full of personal spiritual journey. Some just don’t seem to realize they have to start walking to get there.

God Bless,
Maria

 

[jim1130]

Austin83:

Okay I just joined this forum and first I’ll introduce myself a little bit. I’m Austin, 22 years old, and I was baptized as a baby in the Catholic Church. My whole family is Catholic, I went to Catholic grade and high school, was raised to be a good Catholic guy. However I have never really felt at home in the Catholic faith, and as I have gotten older I have noticed many of the inaccuracies between what the scripture teaches us and what the Catholic church teaches us. I stopped attending mass regularly when I was about 20 years old because it felt more like a chore and a requirement than something I wanted to do. The Catholic faith to me felt so hollow and empty, I didn’t feel I had a connection with God at all. I would leave every mass empty, I just didn’t get anything out of it, it was just saying some prayers from memory every Sunday. About 6 months ago I started looking at other religions and asking friends about their religions. Finally, I went to a non-denominational Christian church. I knew the minute the pastor started talking that I had found God and had been born again. I was energized with the surmon and left knowing I had truly experienced God’s presense and his love, and it was an incredible experience. I had a very personal experience with the pastor who helped me communicate with God to release me of my sins, it was the most powerful moment of my life, and I truly felt that I had been saved.
Austin

I am sad to hear of your decision, but I have had similar concerns over the years and have wandered, too, only to return quickly when I realized that the answers outside the Catholics Church were simplistic and misguided

You have received many posts from caring individuals so I will emphasize my points quickly:

Eucharist: In the synoptic Gospels and in John, Christ is clear about this Sacrament. Four statements can not be dismissed. All other denominations make this Sacrament “symbolic.” It is NOT symbolic. Please read.

Worship: The Mass is about worshipping God. Non-denominations churches often disguise this worship in tap-dance sermons and modern music (How many non-denominational Bible-only churches advertise themselves as “The Flock That Rocks”?). I’ve been there and it is like eating hot-air popcorn without salt or butter. Bland!

Fellowship: This is a term I have heard often among non-denominational and it often means fellowship with other people, particularly those in a specific age group, not with God. People want an immediate network of friends, buddies, pals, etc. Often I hear people emphasize the fellowship (parties, picnics, gatherings, etc.) more than the worship and praise of God.

Influenced: I am concerned that you have been influenced and swayed by a particularly charismatic individual whose knowledge of Scripture has both intimidated you and impressed you. If you are on a college campus non-Catholic groups are prevalent and aimed toward recruiting students toward a quick-and-easy view of God. There are many examples of misinterpretation and misrepresentation of Scripture and Catholicism by these individuals. It is easy to be impressed with someone who is knowledgeable, but misguided, if you are insecure in your own beliefs.

The Pope: Do not confuse infallibility with impeccability. And the Pope is Apostolic Succession.

Your Pastor: Remember, that your pastor is assuming the role of Pope, assuming the mantel of infallibility and is the lone member of the Magesterium.

Reconsider, but if you choose to leave the Catholic Church please remember that unlike the non-denomination church, which as is a 1990’s phenomenon, the Catholic Church has been around for 2,000 years and will wait for your return to Her.

 

[mastda]

malachi_a_serva:

I do not mean to demean or undermind, as since I arrived here on the CA message boards,…my life is really srewed up…I don’t know what I am or what I want to be…anyway…I continue on my search.

As for my comment above, the Catholics I know (and I do not know their heart) live life as any other person on earth. Live life, get bigger houses, more cars, upgrade RV every 2 years…drink, swear, cuss, use the Lord’s name in vain,…etc… They think they are different because they are Catholic in faith. From anyone (just my opinion) looking from the outside in…without knowing their faith, …would summize no differnce from a non-Christian (just my observation). I love these people (my relatives)…

For me, I either have to disprove or discredit the thought that the RCC is the one true church…or accept it. My search continues… (I do not want to jack this thread).

ps…I appreciate NOTWORTHY, as he/she is worthy as well as CHURCHMILITANT as well as SOLACHRISTA (on the other side of things )I am learning allot. Others as well that have reached out.

Actually malachi_a_serva, I sort of agree with you but do not confuse real practising catholics with cultural catholics. I know many of my old friends and relatives call themselves catholics but in the same context as being called Irish or Italian. Many jews are like this as well. There are many people who call themselves Catholic but never even attend church. Now this is not to say that just because a person goes to church they are good catholics, that would be the furthest from the truth.

However, I recall being part of a large Evangelical protestant Church for 5-7 years and attending prayer groups or mens breakfasts/dinners. The prayer requests made by the men were very surprising such as prayer for porn addiction, deviant fetishes, adultery, cussing, substance abuse, etc.,. The surprising thing was that these men looked like normal good old protestant men. Please do not take this wrong but just because people look and act good on Sundays, doesn’t mean they will act like this on Monday.

 

[prodigal-sun]

Austin83:

Well I must say I am overwhelmed by the responses here. I figured this whole thread would get maybe 6 or 7 responses but nothing like this. It’s good to see there are Catholics out there who visibly care about their faith, if only more Catholics were like that. Maybe the Catholic faith has a future afterall. I commend you all for your obvious devotion to the faith.

Thank you for the compliment. We repond because we love you and realize what you are doing. Most people here realizes that nothing we say will change your mind that is why we have been given the gift of prayer. It is through the conversion of the Holy Spirit that you are going to find your true home.

Always search out the truth never taking as truth what any pastor says to you or that would be just like listening to another pope. (A protestant pope) Always think about authority and where authority lies. Keep learning your faith with an open mind so that it will lead you even to places that you refuse to go!

The Catholic church will always claim you as Catholic because it will still be here to welcome you home.

If I was you & I was, always go to at least three sources & find out the truth, make sure one of the sources is The Catholic church this way you can truly rule it out as the truth!

As a test why not take one objection you have to the Church and spell it out here. Find out whatever you can from your pastor on the subject such as the Eucharist for Example then try to find the truth.

God Bless, you are truly in my prayers!