Questions from an atheist--Am I allowed to attend RCIA?

[Inquisitor85]

I’m not sure I know exactly what a catechism is, but I’ll give it a go, are there any that you would recommend? I also forgot to mention that the way my wife and I have built our family would be immoral according to my understanding of Catholicism.

 

[poche]

I think that taking the time to study the Catholic Church would be a good thing. I have noticed that many non Catholics have misconceptions about what the Catholic Church teaches and being intelligent means knowing what it is rather than an incorrect view that you may have read about or heard second hand.

 

[Gorgias]

I’m not sure I know exactly what a catechism is, but I’ll give it a go, are there any that you would recommend?

The U.S. Catholic Catechism for Adults, published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is a good, readable way to start learning the faith. If you follow the link I’ve given, you can access the document for free on the web. At the very least, it will help you gain familiarity with the teachings of the Church.

(I would recommend against picking up the Catechism of the Catholic Church at this point. It’s less approachable and is written in a style that can be difficult to deal with, since its primary audience is Catholics with significant theological training.)

As for what I disagree with, gender equality, LGBT+ rights, abortion, right to die, priestly celibacy, use of contraception.

OK… so, all of those (with the exception of priestly celibacy) are moral issues, not issues of what Catholics believe. I’d recommend that you familiarize yourself with the first two ‘pillars’ of the catechism (‘creed’ and ‘sacraments’) first. Then – and only then, once you’ve decided that you can assent to the Church’s doctrinal stances of faith – can you begin to approach the question of whether you’re willing to assent to the Church’s teaching on morality.

That’s without getting into the whole argument about whether a god exists or not.

If you’re still working with this, then I’d definitely recommend that you not sign up for RCIA. In many parishes, it’s treated as if it were an academic course, but that’s not what it’s supposed to be.

 

[Russell_SA]

Just look at it as a religious studies class. You sound like you are doing this for someone else’s benefit. If that is the case, then you two need to have a conversation about what they want from you for attending this and they need to have realistic expectations for the goal. Remember you can be atheist and culturally religious. You can be spiritual and not religious. Also, beliefs are not a choice. They are the results after you are shown information or experience an event and then you apply your understanding and logic to reach a conclusion. Example: sit in a chair and then choose to believe you are not sitting in a chair. Read a passage about the deity being a terrible entity and then choose to not believe it is a terrible entity. You can’t do this. You can lie to everyone else for tribal cohesion, but you can not lie to yourself.

 

[po18guy]

What is past is past. Each of us has a past which we regret. We are called, not to look back, but to learn from it as we move forward.

I would start with the perhaps unfortunately named Catholicism for Dummies. Written by two excellent priests with doctoral level educations, it covers the entire spectrum of the faith, with one-on-one conversational level explanations. Every Catholic home should have a copy, IMO.

Consider tuning into EWTN on TV, or your local Catholic radio station and simply watch and listen. Faith in action you will see and hear, but from your perspective, hearing the reasoning which accompanies our faith will have a certain appeal. It speaks to the human heart like no other.

 

[1Lord1Faith]

I also forgot to mention that the way my wife and I have built our family would be immoral according to my understanding of Catholicism

Be careful about using your own understanding of Catholicism to declare your actions as immoral.

 

[JoeVaghn]

What do you dislike about Roman Catholicism? I’m curious, because I’m not Catholic either, I’m a pagan, might not ever convert, but I’m learning about it also, so I can have it in my arsenal of knowledge for learning the truth.

 

[Gorgias]

What do you dislike about Roman Catholicism? I’m curious, because I’m not Catholic either, I’m a pagan, might not ever convert, but I’m learning about it also, so I can have it in my arsenal of knowledge for learning the truth.

Well, he mentioned the following:

As for what I disagree with, gender equality, LGBT+ rights, abortion, right to die, priestly celibacy, use of contraception. That’s without getting into the whole argument about whether a god exists or not.

 

[JoeVaghn]

oh, thanks. I’m actually with him on several of those things.

 

[Gorgias]

oh, thanks. I’m actually with him on several of those things.

The interesting observation is that these are not statements of the Church’s teaching on faith. They’re morals – that is, the “rules” of how to live a good and holy life.

Pope Francis made an interesting statement a while back. (I think it was in the context of his exhortation to priests to preach well, IIRC.) He said that it makes no sense to preach morality if people don’t understand the core message of Christ. That makes a lot of sense to me. If I were to try to bring you to a love of baseball, I wouldn’t sit you down in a room with the MLB Official Rulebook and preach rules to you. Instead, I’d take you to a ballgame and explain what was going on. I’d buy you a hot dog and a baseball cap, and I’d share my joy of the game with you.

Only later, once you, too, agreed that baseball was a great game, might I try to explain the intricacies of the infield fly rule or enter into a discussion about designated hitters.

Same thing here. If a person disagrees with the moral teachings of the Church, without having examined its teachings on faith, then I think they’re getting it backward. Moral teachings always proceed from underpinnings. If one assents to the underpinnings of societal norm and cultural whim, then Christian morals will look silly – evil, even! However, I do believe that if a person learns and assents to the teachings of the Church in terms of faith, then these underpinnings will support the moral norms of the Church.

Just sayin’…

 

[Inquisitor85]

I understand your point, and while I would appreciate a deeper understanding those moral issues are a major deal to me. They run deeper than simple dislike, they go against a lot of my core beliefs.

 

[steve-b]

Hi Margaret42, I was born into a practicing Catholic family that became mostly non-practising about the time I was 6. I also attended Catholic school from 5-16 however I did not get confirmed.

Could I ask, with your education, how is it you’re atheist?

 

[Inquisitor85]

In short, when I was 10 my grandfather died after suffering with Parkinson’s disease for pretty much my entire life. That combined with an increasing understanding of how natural processes work pretty much sealed it.

 

[anon10271182]

RCIA is for those with serious intent toward full communion in Christ’s one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church. That’s why it’s called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.
There are plenty of online and print resources, for satisfying your curiosity. RCIA is for those who have already made the initial step of conversion. If you take that step–and I pray that you do–you would proceed as a candidate for Confirmation (and First Communion, if you haven’t already).
The good news is that the Church welcomes all back who truly repent. I myself recanted and repented of my Anglican sojourn, and started receiving the Eucharist that same week. No special ordeal was required. I simply…recanted, repented, and returned to full communion.

 

[steve-b]

In short, when I was 10 my grandfather died after suffering with Parkinson’s disease for pretty much my entire life. That combined with an increasing understanding of how natural processes work pretty much sealed it.

I’m sorry to hear that. Was your grandfather a man of faith?

 

[Inquisitor85]

Yes, and my grandmother still is. It’s more so I can try to understand why she believes and the chance for in depth conversations with her about it has passed due to to illness, its funny though she used to badger me about getting confirmed and now I’m thinking of doing the RCIA.

 

[2towers]

This is permitted at my church. Before Lent the RCIA director would ask you if you wanted to go ahead and swim the Tiber.

 

[anon10271182]

The “problem of evil,” yes? Why do bad things happen to good people? There are many brilliant resources that address that question. Peter Kreeft is good.

 

[steve-b]

Yes, and my grandmother still is. It’s more so I can try to understand why she believes and the chance for in depth conversations with her about it has passed due to to illness, its funny though she used to badger me about getting confirmed and now I’m thinking of doing the RCIA.

prayers of gramms, are powerful. I’m sure Grandpa isn’t holding back either

 

[anon10271182]

I’m sure different RCIA directors will have different views. I do wish some would be more discerning in re: enrollment. It is a Rite of Initiation, after all, not a series of informational meetings.
Of course I also wish RCIA programs were more rigorous, in general. And that they used something like the Catechism of St. Pius X.