To all Roman Catholics in exile

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For me it was realizing I disagreed with the church on its teaching. I woke up one Sunday morning after months of struggling with the faith and admited to myself what I really thought was true.

I currently
  1. Believe that jesus is not the fortold jewish messiah.
  2. I believe that the church has changed teaching over time.
  3. I believed that eternal hell is unjust and thus contradicts God’s nature.
For me to rejoin the church I’d need to change my mind on those three topics. I hope I will, but I don’t have much hope when it comes down to it.
 
The good news is Jesus is talking to you (albeit you may not know). He’s the reason you’re yearning to return to the authoritative Church. Clearly you’ve been subjective to a suffering in your life and it clearly pains you. As we both know Jesus taught us through his own divine passion that suffering will be part of our journey in this life. I’m not saying you should accept the negative experience you’ve had in your journey, but perhaps understand your suffering as St Paul did. One last thing to remember, even Jesus had one of his 12 Apostle betray him, yet Jesus never left his Church. I pray for your return when you’re ready and I’m sure you’re in all of our thoughts and prayers. We’re all pulling for ya.

 
I was born Catholic, went to Catholic school for the majority of first grade until we moved and my mother insisted I go to public school. This was the mid 70s. My father stopped going to church along with my siblings. I became a lutheran when a friend invited to their church. I stayed with it for about 20 years when finally I realized that the sect of the Lutheran church I belonged to, ELCA, lost its moral compass. I also was not thrilled with women ministers. To me women ministers were just doing it for political reasons and most seem like angry feminists! So in 2003 I started RCIA and went back to my roots. I missed the pageantry, the traditions, etc.
 
I rarely hear or read about anyone giving any kind of developed argument against the Catholic Faith. Almost always they turn into describing problems with individuals in the Church.

If they do criticize some aspect of the Faith, they tend to focus on some application related to sex. But no argument, no logic, just that “X ,makes me uncomfortable”.

Years ago, people would offer logical refutations of the foundations of Catholic Faith, as such. Sadly, those days are gone. I’ve read some fundamentalist ones, that isn’t what I mean.
 
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HopkinsReb said:
The Catholic Church has married clergy.
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I don’t think that as a general rule seminarians are allowed to marry and be ordained as Roman Catholic priests. Has this discipline changed as a general rule, or is it allowed only with special exceptions such as married Anglican or Orthodox clergymen converting to Catholic?
 
JohnStrachan said:
Jesus has never let me down, just people.
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People in AND out of the church let us down all the time. The only reliable people I ever had in my life were my husband and my parents and they’re all dead. Husband wasn’t even a Catholic.

I could write you a book on stuff I went through with people, and another book on stuff my mother went through with Catholic “church people”, and her extended family had issues with “Church people” too. We stay in the Church to be with Jesus, and to a lesser extent, Mary and the saints. They never let me down, and they’re always there. Best friends you could have. Come back to the Church despite the people. Come back for Jesus.
 
Ordination of married men is permitted in certain circumstances. Marriage of clergy is not, as far as I know.
 
Tis_Bearself said:
Come back to the Church despite the people. Come back for Jesus.
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I would expect you to say this. But, and this might come as a bit of a surprise to you, Jesus is present in the Anglican church as well. And my worship community is “the church.” The church is not confined to the officialdom of Rome.
 
Hi, Tis Bearself. This post of yours isn’t like your normal charitable ones that I’m used to seeing. I hope I misunderstood and you are not insinuating that Jesus doesn’t show up at Anglican or other Protestant worship services.

As a spouse of a Protestant who has said nice things about him on these forums, I’m sure you probably went to a few Presbyterian worship services during your marriage. Are you really trying to say that Jesus wasn’t present in that church — like, at all? If so, that would be insulting and out of character for you. I believe that God is present at Catholic Mass and I am open to Jesus being present in the Catholic eucharist in a special way, but to imply that Jesus isn’t present in non-Catholic worship services I find very disrespectful and contrary to reality. I hope I misunderstood your post. If I did, forgive me for being a little sensitive.
 
Find the right Anglican church and you’ll find Him in the tabernacle, on the altar.

Not all agree, of course.
 
I wish you well in that. I think it is sorely needed.

Original lyrics from Fr. Robert’s brother. I like all the family’s ghost stories.

Do the Quakers use DOS?
 
I run some Atari 2600 stuff on an emulator.

My techie knowledge is limited to “on/off”.
 
I spoke the truth as kindly as possible. I don’t tell falsehoods in the name of charity, sorry not sorry.
I don’t apologize for being truthful either.
 
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Tommy999 said:
As a spouse of a Protestant who has said nice things about him on these forums, I’m sure you probably went to a few Presbyterian worship services during your marriage.
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You have got to be kidding. NO, I most certainly did NOT go to a Presbyterian worship service, except for my father-in-law’s little service at the funeral home when he passed.

I was raised that you don’t go to Protestant churches unless maybe it’a a funeral or a wedding. In my mother’s day, before Vatican II happened, it was actually considered a sin for a Catholic to go to the Protestant church (mixed marriages were also much more frowned on). After Vatican II it was no longer a sin but it was not something you were supposed to do lightly or make a habit of doing. I did go to one wedding at a Baptist or Evangelical church once, I forget which.

I may possibly go to the Presbyterian church next door to me once because they keep inviting me (for about the last 4 years now) and I would like to be a little neighborly, but I wouldn’t make a practice of it because I belong at the Catholic church a few blocks away and Jesus is there, in person. He is in spirit in other places where gather in his name. Not in physical person. There’s a BIG difference.

I think my own husband went to the Presbyterian worship service less than 5 times in all the years I knew him, not counting funerals. I asked him once why he didn’t go to his own church and he said he didn’t like sermons. He went to the Catholic church with me a few times a year during the years I went to church, usually when it was a holiday or we were on vacation or were planning to have lunch after Mass or there was a funeral, etc.

Church going is not just this friendly social activity. It sends a mesage. The message is important.

I would not have married a man who expected me to be regularly appearing in his non-Catholic church. That just would not have worked at all. Next he’d be wanting me to take the kids there if we’d had kids…no. Just no.
 
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@Tis_Bearself, as a former Catholic myself, I understand where you’re coming from and I understand why you find it unappealing to attend non-Catholic services or Masses.

However, I have to say that your previous statements imply that Jesus isn’t present in Protestant churches, not just in the Eucharistic theology sense though.

It’s almost as if you’re stating He’s not being worshipped by Protestants or He’s actively disappointed in their sincerely held beliefs?

I could be wrong though, and if so, I do apologize. I’m inferring from a potential implication.
 
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