Thank you for you time everyone

[mumof5]

I’ve enjoyed being with you for the last year but I have decided to leave the Catholic church and get a believer’s baptism in a church that does not weigh it’s members down with man-made rules that cannot be found in the Bible and legalism. Just wanted to let you know. God is good and I have never known Him like this before.

 

[Little_Mary]

You’ve been here a year and only 19 posts? Perhaps if you spent more time reflecting on your faith you wouldn’t have allowed yourself to be mislead in this way.

Remember, the bible is a Catholic document. The Catholic church gave it to the world. The bible itself will tell you it is not the sole rule of faith. (2 Tim 3:15)

Take your questions and concerns and go to www.biblechristiansociety.com . You will get answers, I assure you. There are also great resourcs right here at catholic answers.

Pray. We willl pray for you, too. God bless.

 

[St.Eric]

mumof5:

I’ve enjoyed being with you for the last year but I have decided to leave the Catholic church and get a believer’s baptism in a church that does not weigh it’s members down with man-made rules that cannot be found in the Bible and legalism. Just wanted to let you know. God is good and I have never known Him like this before.

Good luck. as far as the man-made remark- every Christian denomination from A.D. 1500 until the present IS man-made. The man who was the catalyst was named Martin Luther.

 

[JMJ_Theresa]

I’m so sorry to hear that. It would be so scary for me to leave the surety of the Catholic Church for the confusion of other Christian churches. Do you believe in the True Presence in the Eucharist?

I think one of the struggles we all have to face is learning obedience. I wonder if that is something hard for you? I’ve had my own struggles with it.

I hope you will reconsider. Would you be open to continue participating in the forums even if you leave the Church?

I am a little curious why you felt you needed to make an announcement. I’m glad, too because I could write this post, but I hope you won’t feel like you have to follow through just because of a public announcement. I also think you should give your pastor a chance to help with your concerns. God Bless.

 

[Phil_M]

But most of the Catholic Church’s rules are biblical, and as someone already said, the Bible even says it isn’t the sole rule of faith. See scripturecatholic.com

I’m praying for you. God bless you

 

[mumof5]

I’ve got way more than 19 posts. I have hundreds. I had a problems when I was registering so ended up with two as I had to try twice. This is the one I signed in with today although I wasn’t sure which one was going to be coming up.

OK, to answer:

No, I do not and never have believed in the real presence.

We have ONE mediator with God and that is Jesus. Not a priest. I do not need a priest to confess. Legalism - where does it say in the Bible that if you don’t go to church on a particular Sunday you go to hell if it is not confessed?

I like going to the other church because I am tired of the apathy I find in the Catholic church, from lay people and priests alike. Why is it that other more evangelical churches are on fire for Christ while in the Catholic church, you’re lucky if you can get half the congregation kneeling when they should? Young people sitting slumped IF there are any young people at all? Not in the other church. And my children are now excited about church and learning so much. Much better than Sunday morning complaining.

I can go to a woman’s study group once a week and I can learn about the Bible. It’s solid. They are actually reaching out to the congregation. And there is a real community. People actually care if you are there or not. By the time I’d been going a few weeks I knew more people there than I did in the Catholic church because they were interested. The opportunities just weren’t there in any neighbouring parishes.

If the Catholic church does it for you, that’s great, be where God wants you to be. But I sense that God wants me elsewhere now.

I’m not making an announcement. I am sharing since I have shared with many of you in many ways over the last year or so.

As far as obedience, this, and getting baptised, IS an act of obedience. It is very humbling to get up and get baptised, as Jesus commanded believers to do, at my age. His will not mine be done.

Obviously there’s much more too it but this is just part of it.

 

[JB]

While I naturally disagree with your reasons, I respect your integrity for obeying what you think God is calling you to do. Please remember you can always come home.

 

[Tonks40]

mumof5:

As far as obedience, this, and getting baptised, IS an act of obedience. It is very humbling to get up and get baptised, as Jesus commanded believers to do, at my age. His will not mine be done.

Obviously there’s much more too it but this is just part of it.

I understand that you have a very renewed sense of God in your life, and that overall is wonderful. But you really do need to learn more about what you are leaving, the great depth and spirituality that can only be found in the Catholic Church.

I, too, as a cradle Catholic have been renewed in Christ. I could’ve left the Catholic Church and joined a non-denomination church that seemed to have more spirit and more life in their services (I came pretty close)…but I did myself a favor and really looked into the Catholic Church that I was planning on leaving, and realized that the Truths that Christ revealed to us about Our Lord was all here!! All of it!! Imagine my suprise!

All I can say good luck…I’m sure you’ll be growing in your faith. But if it ever does get too confusing, you know where you can find the Truth.

Peace.

BTW - you only need one baptism. And you already had that (I assume).

 

[Phil_M]

mumof5:

I’ve got way more than 19 posts. I have hundreds. I had a problems when I was registering so ended up with two as I had to try twice. This is the one I signed in with today although I wasn’t sure which one was going to be coming up.

OK, to answer:

No, I do not and never have believed in the real presence.

We have ONE mediator with God and that is Jesus. Not a priest. I do not need a priest to confess. Legalism - where does it say in the Bible that if you don’t go to church on a particular Sunday you go to hell if it is not confessed?

I like going to the other church because I am tired of the apathy I find in the Catholic church, from lay people and priests alike. Why is it that other more evangelical churches are on fire for Christ while in the Catholic church, you’re lucky if you can get half the congregation kneeling when they should? Young people sitting slumped IF there are any young people at all? Not in the other church. And my children are now excited about church and learning so much. Much better than Sunday morning complaining.

I can go to a woman’s study group once a week and I can learn about the Bible. It’s solid. They are actually reaching out to the congregation. And there is a real community. People actually care if you are there or not. By the time I’d been going a few weeks I knew more people there than I did in the Catholic church because they were interested. The opportunities just weren’t there in any neighbouring parishes.

If the Catholic church does it for you, that’s great, be where God wants you to be. But I sense that God wants me elsewhere now.

I’m not making an announcement. I am sharing since I have shared with many of you in many ways over the last year or so.

As far as obedience, this, and getting baptised, IS an act of obedience. It is very humbling to get up and get baptised, as Jesus commanded believers to do, at my age. His will not mine be done.

Obviously there’s much more too it but this is just part of it.

Real presence is Biblical, read John, chapter 6

We are told in the Bible to confess our sins to one another, and Jesus gave his apostles the authority to forgive sin. When one goes to confession, they are not only doing what the Bible says, but they are also, many times, recieving advice that they wouldn’t get just confessing alone in their bedroom

It’s a shame, I agree, that so few people in Catholic churches are “on fire for God.” If you’re really upset about it, don’t leave the Church, but make more people see how Jesus Christ can transform their lives. There are many Catholic Churches that have women’s study groups and great programs for children. If yours doesn’t, then start a study group, become a catechist, do something about it! Don’t turn your back on Christ’s Church. God truly wants you to be in his Church, the one Jesus Christ started. Like you said, his will, not yours, be done. If your Catholic community doesn’t do it for you, I encourage you to talk with your pastor about creating more opportunities to bring people closer to Christ and one another. There are probably many people in your Church that would show up and bond with other members if someone started the kind of program they were looking for.

God Bless You!

 

[mumof5]

Phil M:

Real presence is Biblical, read John, chapter 6

We are told in the Bible to confess our sins to one another, and Jesus gave his apostles the authority to forgive sin. When one goes to confession, they are not only doing what the Bible says, but they are also, many times, recieving advice that they wouldn’t get just confessing alone in their bedroom

It’s a shame, I agree, that so few people in Catholic churches are “on fire for God.” If you’re really upset about it, don’t leave the Church, but make more people see how Jesus Christ can transform their lives. There are many Catholic Churches that have women’s study groups and great programs for children. If yours doesn’t, then start a study group, become a catechist, do something about it! Don’t turn your back on Christ’s Church. God truly wants you to be in his Church, the one Jesus Christ started. Like you said, his will, not yours, be done. If your Catholic community doesn’t do it for you, I encourage you to talk with your pastor about creating more opportunities to bring people closer to Christ and one another. There are probably many people in your Church that would show up and bond with other members if someone started the kind of program they were looking for.

God Bless You!

If I can find my pastor! We are not fortunate enough to have any groups for children or mothers - and I’m not in a position to start one.

I called my pastor 7 times last year after he told me that was the way to get hold of him to organise my son’s first reconciliation. Think I can get him to call back? Of course, I’m told that I’m not the only one having this problem. Too late now. He’s missing out this year. When he’s older he can choose to get baptised instead. He’s already baptised in the Catholic church, and while either is fine, if he chooses a believers baptism later, good on him.

 

[montanaman]

Bye! Good luck Church-shopping!

 

[mumof5]

montanaman:

Bye! Good luck Church-shopping!

I prayed to be led to where God wants me. Bingo. Found it. No need to shop.

 

[Phil_M]

mumof5:

If I can find my pastor! We are not fortunate enough to have any groups for children or mothers - and I’m not in a position to start one.

I called my pastor 7 times last year after he told me that was the way to get hold of him to organise my son’s first reconciliation. Think I can get him to call back? Of course, I’m told that I’m not the only one having this problem. Too late now. He’s missing out this year. When he’s older he can choose to get baptised instead. He’s already baptised in the Catholic church, and while either is fine, if he chooses a believers baptism later, good on him.

That’s a real shame that your pastor would make himself so unavailable. Are there any other Catholic Churches around? If there are, you should try joining their parish and see how that goes. I understand your frustration at this, I would be too if my pastor was that inaccessible. I’m praying for you, and whatever happens, God bless you!

 

[AlanFromWichita]

mumof5:

I’ve enjoyed being with you for the last year but I have decided to leave the Catholic church and get a believer’s baptism in a church that does not weigh it’s members down with man-made rules that cannot be found in the Bible and legalism. Just wanted to let you know. God is good and I have never known Him like this before.

The “legalism” you refer to is annoying, but IMO 99.9% of it is in the hearts of people who use church teachings as hammers to beat each other over the head.

Since the early fathers of the Catholic Church promulgated the Bible, then all other religions are derived from her work.

I certainly understand that you are looking for other services which are more alive, because I used to be impressed by those types of meetings, too. Also I understand that in other services which are focused more on the written word and less on the Eucharist you get more Bible study.

Although if you have made up your mind then this is irrelevant, but I rather suspect that the more you learn about your new study group you will find that it is legalistic as well. You are may be just switching to another religion who thinks it’s better than the others – and I’m sure they will tell you why you should abandon others’ product, such as Catholicism, and take on theirs. Protestants are very good at selling their particular worship styles, and some are good at putting down Catholicism.

There are certainly problems with the Church. At one end, we have many seem numb and/or indifferent toward their faith. At the other end we have those who are so zealous they can’t keep themselves from judging each other and outsiders. You have these in other religions as well, but you just don’t see them because they aren’t obligated to show up for services every week.

I’m not saying you will find all this out in your particular case.

For this time, I choose to stay in the Church because I believe she is the “mother ship” of Christianity as it were, and her problems no longer trouble me – in fact I believe it is my vocation to challenge and goad others in the Church to let go of their attitudes toward each other and yes, their legalism. There have been times I was ready to leave the Church, but what I found is that as I grow and learn to use the fruits of the spirit, people quit being jerks to me and I am empowered to make a difference again. If I look at it like a dysfunctional family, then I’d rather try to fix her problems than try to flee them.

Perhaps that sounds condescending, and I suppose I meant it to be a little bit because by your posts you are repeating many assertions I’ve heard before about our faith, but learned enough that I have gotten over taking them seriously. It doesn’t sound like you are hearing anything new or unique. That said, if this is where you wish to worship and do your ministry then I hope the best for you.

If you were baptized Catholic, note that you will forever be Catholic. When and if you decide to come home, you know where we are.

Alan

 

[AlanFromWichita]

mumof5:

I can go to a woman’s study group once a week and I can learn about the Bible. It’s solid. They are actually reaching out to the congregation. And there is a real community. People actually care if you are there or not. By the time I’d been going a few weeks I knew more people there than I did in the Catholic church because they were interested. The opportunities just weren’t there in any neighbouring parishes.

If you are comparing the Mass to a study group, then I can undersand where you get this perception. People do tend to come to Mass and go home without a lot of fellowship in many cases. I stay sometimes a half hour or more after Mass and talk to people I don’t see otherwise, but many people don’t talk much to people outside of Mass other than in the line going out.

That said, I am hosting one of several weekly Lenten faith sharing groups in our parish starting this evening. I am still making the handouts for tonight; it probes into the Bible quite nicely – to where any charismatic or Protestant would probably feel satisfied. Parishes vary, but there are normally many activities outside of Mass where people do fellowship, and yes they keep track of each other and care whether each other is there.

Alan

 

[mumof5]

Thank you for the last two responses. They have resonated with me. I suppose because you can see where I’m coming from.

I had a very weak Catholic upbringing, went to a different church when older, then went back to the Catholic church. It was then that I learned how legalisitic it really is. I was surprised to say the least. I just have an increasing sense of emptiness with the Catholic church yet my heart cries out to God to praise and honour him. It is good to see my children dropping their anti-church mentality and taking up excitement on a Sunday morning.

I posted about how 5 priests had approved of me going against a major teaching of the church (only 1 held to the church position). Even the priests are apathetic. I’m not saying this in criticism, just saying where my problems lie. This isn’t the only area I’ve observed this.

I’m sure there are places where the Catholic church is thriving and vibrant. It sure isn’t here though. I’m not anti-Catholic. It’ just doesn’t seem to be where we should be right now.

 

[Traugs]

I understand your desire to worship with, shall we say, like minded souls who show their love of God. It’s too bad that your parish does not provide that for you. I agree with Alan to at least check out another local parish if there is one. I’ve belonged to MANY parishes in my life. I was raised in the military and am now married to the military. Every few years we move on and find a new parish. The military standardizes some things but there is always a difference. Some parishes are young at heart. Others older, filled with more retirees than soldiers. Some have no fellowship to speak of. Others have it every Sunday. Some have Bible studies and women’s groups. Others don’t. But the one thing they all have, regardless of how un-orthodox the priest is, how lax the parishioners are, how boring the mass is, is THE presence of the Lord and apostolic succession. I don’t go to mass to chit chat with friends and be moved by the priest’s homily, if I have that it is icing on the cake so to speak. I go to hear the Word of the Lord, worship Him as He commanded, and receive Him in the Holy Eucharist as He commanded. I put on a dress to show Him how special He is to me and I make sure my husband and children are likewise presentable. If everyone else around me is in sweats, children in the back are screaming and the priest is barely audible and droning I remind myself that I am fulfilling my part of His sacrifice. No matter where I go and what kind of mass I attend, no matter who is around me or what the priest is or is not saying, one thing will remain, the Real Presence. If you truly do not believe in the Real Presence then maybe that was/is part of your problem being fulfilled at mass and I wish you well. If some part of you does believe though I think in time you will realize it. And remember, no matter where you are every Catholic church has it.

Best wishes on your journey!

 

[Little_Mary]

mumof5:

I posted about how 5 priests had approved of me going against a major teaching of the church (only 1 held to the church position). Even the priests are apathetic. I’m not saying this in criticism, just saying where my problems lie. This isn’t the only area I’ve observed this.

I’m sure there are places where the Catholic church is thriving and vibrant. It sure isn’t here though. I’m not anti-Catholic. It’ just doesn’t seem to be where we should be right now.

mumof5, even if you have come across several instances where you’ve disagreed with a priest, that doesn’t make leaving the Catholic church the right thing to do. Why don’t you report such things to the bishop?

I wonder what your local priests would do if they could read this thread? Especially where you say ‘the church isn’t thriving and vibrant where I am’.

Help it don’t leave it. Would you put your child up for adoption if they were flunking 4th grade?

My children love going to Mass, and they love their youth group activites. Maybe that is partially b/c they see the enthusiasm in their parents’ faces. Think about it .

 

[scapularkid8]

Have you ever tried praying the Rosary?? That helped me in numerous ways when I was doubting. Granted, I’m only sixteen, but I dread to think what would’ve been in my future had I not begun to revive my own faith.

I would like to tell you that faith is a gift. You don’t need any Bible quotes to support that (there probably are though!). You can feel it in the core of your innermost thoughts and soul. In the silence of prayer God leads us toward Himself. But it’s not God who forced you to pray, The Spirit just came upon you and you could ignore it… or, you can succum to it and talk with God. The point I’m trying to make is that Faith is a gift, but YOU’RE in charge of it. It’s like a delicate plant that has to be watered every day. You won’t just magically wake up one day and be immensley faithful to The Church, it takes time. After all time doesn’t exist for God, so it probably means years of contemplation for Faith to grow.

I have pray for you and I hope you find your way in this sad world.

In the words of Albus Dumbledore (just trying to lighten the mood!!): "Very soon Harry, we must choose between what is easy and what is right.

 

[Marilena]

I left the church years ago about 1987. I was only going sporadically before then. I became interested in the jw’s
as my exe’s parents were jw’s. It was only a fleeting interest at first, then I became gradually more interested.
I studied off and on with them for years before I got bpatized in 1996. I thought that since I couldn’t please
my inlaws because they hated my family for being Catholic, and that I was never good enough for their son
that I would just go ahead and get baptized, and I had alot of pressure put on me by the lady I studied with to be baptized, and thinking it would make things better, I got baptized. I didn’t fully believe what they told me to believe until the blood issue came up. They provided “evidence” fromthe book of Acts to back up what they
said. They kept backing up what they said about everything they believed. They had me hooked, line
and sinker believe me. Some members told me that if I didn’t get baptized, then they could no longer be friends
with me. Since my mom was mad at me for marrying into that type of family, and my ex in laws were mad at
my family and outright hostile to me about our Catholic
background, I decided to get baptized thinkingit would
smooth things over with my new found friends, and my
former in laws. Didn’t work. My inlaws would never cease to attack me about my family’s religion. I was very miserable. I drifted away from the Catholic church
and for what? I was longing for TRUTH! I thought I had found it in the jw’s, and that was wrong. I took time off
from beliefs after I got out of the cult, and not to long later, I went back to a Catholic church in 99. and confessed my association and baptism. I was absolved. That was partof my gradual return to the Church. I find that my parish I go to now is very on fire
for God! you can see it in everyones eyes! The respect
and revernce they have for the Mass! There are tons of young folk there too! As a matter of fact, I don;t see alot of older folk there at all. Most of the parishioners are
about 20-50 years old, and there are many teens there too. After Mass, we have coffee, donuts, and associate.
It is wonderful! They talk about Jesus, Mary, and so much more! It is a far cry from apathy! You see love there, fine fellowship, and a total respect and revernce for the Holy Mass. I have never been happier in my life!
Returning to the Church for me was like feeling freer
than I have ever been in my life. What solidified it for me? Part of it was my mother, and her deep traditional
beliefs, and her devoutness, and the other one was
Pope John Paul the second. Yes, him. I seen him on
tv in 03, and he was astounding! I felt greater love for the church and our traditions than i ever had in my entire
life! I sat there and just listened to him, When he died,
I was at a loss for words, I was deeply saddened at his loss, but at the same time, I was very happy that he was finally with Christ the King. I watched his funeral and must’ve went through 3 boxes of tissues, and I was listening to the litany of the saints, and was deeply moved by the entire funeral. When Pope Benedict XVI
gave his homily, I was glued to the tv. I was delighted when he became Pope!!! This all brought me home,
and i will NEVER leave the True Church ever again!