Non-Catholics: If you had been raised Catholic, would you be Catholic today?

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Non-Catholics: If you had been raised Catholic as a child, do you think that you would have remained Catholic today, as an adult?
 
Ahimsa said:
Non-Catholics: If you had been raised Catholic as a child, do you think that you would have remained Catholic today, as an adult?
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Hmm, I don’t know. I wasn’t raised Christian at all really, other than vaguely culturally. I found my way to the Way entirely on my own (with God’s help of course), and entirely within the Protestant tradition, never knew anything about Catholicism until long after I was already a Christian.

Catholicism is something I have mixed feelings about. Some of my favorite Christian authors are Catholic, including Chesterton, Tolkien, Peter Kreeft, Garry Wills, Hans Küng and Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger before he was Pope. And my main Christian mentor, C.S. Lewis, was not Catholic… but he was pretty close, and came very near to becoming Catholic under the influence of his friend, Tolkien. I think if I had been raised Catholic, I could still be Catholic… but in a Garry Wills kind of way. And as it stands, it’s something I’m thinking over now.
 
This is a hypothetical question and I’m not sure that anyone could possibly answer it with full knowledge of a completely truthful answer. They may be able to guess and be as truthful as the guess allows them to be–but truly, what is the point?

I was raised in a Protestant household and came to know quite a few different denominations before I answered the Lord’s call and came home to the Catholic Church. For awhile, I left but realized, after awhile, that I indeed was away from Mother Church and the teachings of Christ as they had been passed down through the ages directly through a non-ending succession of leaders. I came to understand that the fullness of Christ’s teachings could only be found in the Catholic Church and I rejoiced when I returned. Perhaps my earlier catechism was not as sound as I would have liked or perhaps my entrance into the Church was not as grounded as it should have been. But when I returned, that had changed and through study and understanding, I can truly say I am forever home.
 
Who can really say? Whether or not you stay in any church that you’re raised in has a lot to do with how you were raised, the experiences you had in church, the degree to which you were catechised, etc. If you bring these factors in then maybe people could give a more accurate answer.
 
I was raised Catholic and turned agnostic, atheist and humanist.
 
Honestly, it’s a tough question. I am a protestant, though I know a lot about Catholic doctrine and church history. I’ve done a lot of research in the past few years, and though I considered joining the Catholic Church for a while, I decided against it, even knowing what I’ve learned.

So, if I’d done the same research I have now, then I doubt I would have stayed Catholic. However, the only reason I did the research was because I started dating a Catholic girl and I wanted to better understand her religion. My questions led to both of us gaining a much better understanding of Catholicism. Had I already been Catholic, though, there wouldn’t have been any reason to ask those questions anyway because I wouldn’t have had to worry about the potential conflicts caused by different worship styles.

I can’t answer the question because there are other variables.
 
Operalan said:
This is a hypothetical question and I’m not sure that anyone could possibly answer it with full knowledge of a completely truthful answer. They may be able to guess and be as truthful as the guess allows them to be–but truly, what is the point?
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My thought exactly. If I would have been raised Catholic, I would not be the person I am today, and thus would make and have made different decisions.
Any answer would be nothing more than a biased opinion about each option.
 
If I had been raised Catholic…I most likely would still be pulled toward the Society of Friends…
 
As a Legion of Mary (LoM), a major group of people that we try to reach is the 'fallen away Catholics (FAC’s). The reason they become FAC’s is too numerous but here are a few observations for myself.

Many are simply apathetic in regards to their faith and many still consider themselves Catholic. I’ve seen many similarities in regards to Jack Mormons. They have no problems with the belief, consider themselves as LDS but are simply inactive. Both groups tend to not have issues about showing up to Mass/services on Christmas or Easter but they may not even be good at doing that.

The FACs that come from a more rigid family in regards to being raised Catholic, usually have a few more issues as to why they are FACs. This group tends to challenge some of the church’s position on some of the social positions of the church. I tend to put some of the cafeteria Catholics in this category especially if they attend Mass only sporatically. A few of these may participate in other EV church services and may even join them. I’ve met a few LDS missionaries who were once upon a time Catholics, but I’ve yet to meet one who really understood their Catholic faith that they left. That’s just my experience though.

The important thing that the RCC does though is to be there for these people during their ‘critical times’ of their life. These times tend to be when they desire to get their kids baptized, get married or dealing with the sick or dying. As a LoM member as I go visit at the senior care centers and hospitals, I can’t tell you how many loved ones I seem to affect who happen to be there when they happen to be visiting their loved ones. Even though the main purpose of my LoM assignments is to help the priest keep in contact with those that are sick and shut-ins of the community, I’m obviously making an impact on the FAC’s of the community as well.

I was raised in the RCC but I considered myself a clueless Catholic regardless. When I married my LDS wife, I wanted to investigate what I was considering in leaving. In that process, I became on fire with the RCC in my faith. God is always reaching for the FACs of the world. It’s amazing when one of them reaches back IMHO.
 
Ahimsa said:
Non-Catholics: If you had been raised Catholic as a child, do you think that you would have remained Catholic today, as an adult?
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I answered #1. That said, since my father was a Lutheran pastor, I probably would not have been born at all, much less raised Catholic. 😛

Jon
 
It’s a maybe for me. But I suspect not, because for someone who is an auditory/visual learner, I find the Catholic liturgy very difficult. In fact it is very similar to the Lutheran liturgy I was raised with, which failed to spark my interest - it wasn’t until I went to an orthodox high Anglican service with the BCP that Christian worship really came together for me. So I don’t see how that would have been different.

Also, my Catholic side of the family is totally nuts, religiously speaking, and that might have turned me off.

If I had, I likely would have been a traditionalist in some ways, but perhaps not in others.
 
I answered #1. I choose that because I am a conservative Lutheran and I still study Lutheran theology, this would probably follow through if I had been born Roman Catholic or if I would convert. One needs to study the doctrines of the Church that they belong to, not just say that they are Lutheran, Catholic, or whatever.
 
Hard to answer because if my father was a Roman Catholic I would have never been conceived 😉
 
I took the second choice, although I can’t be certain that, if raised a Catholic, I would view the question through the same lens.
 
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