unconvert?

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7_Sorrows said:
may i ask how old you were when you converted? what are the teachings that you now feel you do not agree with and did you not know about those teachings before you converted? we need to grow with our faith. do you still want to continue to be a Christian?
maybe you should go speak to the RCIA director where you were baptized and confirmed and ask her or his advice or speak to the priest.
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21-22 I think.
I was in/finishing senior year at the time.
The RCIA director is now several thousand miles from where I live, and soon I will be moving across the country (career related).
 
whisperer42 said:
If anyone can understand this. I don’t want to be a lapse Catholic, I don’t want to be Catholic (truth is I never did).
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Really then, I can only refer you back to my earlier point. If you no longer recognize the authority of the Catholic Church to tell you what you are, then for all practical purposes, you’ve already stopped being a Catholic. The Church might tell you different, but on what authority do they say so? None that you recognize.

If you’re planning to take on another faith, I’m willing to bet that faith has its own process of accepting you that will serve to “un-do” your earlier Catholic conversion - at least as it exists in your own mind.
 
ASimon said:
Really then, I can only refer you back to my earlier point. If you no longer recognize the authority of the Catholic Church to tell you what you are, then for all practical purposes, you’ve already stopped being a Catholic. The Church might tell you different, but on what authority do they say so? None that you recognize.

If you’re planning to take on another faith, I’m willing to bet that faith has its own process of accepting you that will serve to “un-do” your earlier Catholic conversion - at least as it exists in your own mind.
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I understand that, but I would like to have a better relationship with Catholics and Catholicism. I can’t help but think that because of Catholic teachings on ex-Catholics it would have been better if I never attended Catholic Church.
I don’t want to be known by Catholics as a bad/former Catholic. Especially since I feel in my situation I really should not have been confirmed. Unless the RCC views anyone who is Christian ready for Catholic baptism/confirmation.
 
whisperer42 said:
I understand that, but I would like to have a better relationship with Catholics and Catholicism. I can’t help but think that because of Catholic teachings on ex-Catholics it would have been better if never attended Catholic Church.
I don’t want to be known by Catholics as a bad/former Catholic. Especially since I feel in my situation I really should not have been confirmed. Unless the RCC views anyone who is Christian ready for Catholic baptism/confirmation.
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Is this the sort of topic that necessarily must come up in polite conversation? I’m trying to imagine you meeting a Catholic and the conversation that would follow. I don’t endorse lying about something like this, but I don’t exactly see why it needs to come up at all. If someone asks you what faith you are, you tell them what faith you are. You don’t need to tell anyone what you were. If someone, not knowing that you’re a former Catholic, tries to evangelize to you a bit, simply tell them you’re happy with your current faith. You needn’t bring up that you gave Catholicism a try, and it didn’t work out for you.
 
whisperer42 said:
I understand that, but I would like to have a better relationship with Catholics and Catholicism. I can’t help but think that because of Catholic teachings on ex-Catholics it would have been better if I never attended Catholic Church.
I don’t want to be known by Catholics as a bad/former Catholic. Especially since I feel in my situation I really should not have been confirmed. Unless the RCC views anyone who is Christian ready for Catholic baptism/confirmation.
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A man who gets into marriage without being properly ready or knowledgeable enough to make the commitment and then cruelly abandons his wife is not any the less a bad person if they later formalize that abandonment with a legal divorce 🤷 He’s the same person and the same character (or lack thereof) with or without that divorce decree.

Priests and RCIA directors are not mind readers, and you were over 18 and of sound mind when you entered the Church. Clearly you knew enough to make the right noises when you were asked (several times if my understanding of RCIA is correct) if you were prepared to accept the Catholic faith and all it entails. 🤷
 
whisperer42 said:
I feel kinda weird asking this but as someone who converted to Catholicism only a couple of years ago. Is it possible to unconvert?
I stopped attending catholic church after my first year, and would kind like to erase what happened… I know not really possible.

Outside of the baptism certificate is there anything else that would show I was a member? If I asked could I have the original baptism certificate?

Like I said it was for a very short time and I consider it a mistake.

Thank you.
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Here’s an article explaining that there used to be a process in place to formally defect from the Catholic Church, but that this process was discontinued in 2009. As I recall this new measure was put into place since movements to formally defect in various parts of the world (particularly Europe) so overwhelmed Church functionaries that they finally just had to just get rid of it:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formal_act_of_defection_from_the_Catholic_Church

However, here is an example of sort of an informal list of defections currently in use after the new policy went into effect.

technomancy.org/catholic-defection/

I would contact the Diocese where you live (or intend to live) and see how they wish to handle the manner. If it makes you feel better, just send them a letter in any event.
 
whisperer42 said:
Mostly for peace.
Even though I was new to Christianity. I guess I should have understood that Catholicism and “biblical christianity” were different. I was too new to understand that differences in theology.
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What ever gave you THAT idea…

Catholicism is the most biblical Christianity there is…

Peace
James
 
whisperer42 said:
Unless my beliefs (or the RCC) changes sadly we will continue to believe differently.

This is not the reason. The problem is that I never had a Catholic faith to abandoned. What I believe hasn’t changed. What I thought Catholics believed has.
This post is not intend as an insult to what Catholics believe.
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You obviously have not studied the Bible and the Catholic faith or you would have long ago have resolved all these issues.

I’d like you to list for me these supposed differences between “Biblical Christianity” (by which I think you mean “Bible only” Christianity which as most people discover as they look into Christian history was never even a doctrine until the 16th century and only invented by errant modern men who also abandoned their Catholic faith) and “real” Christianity. Furthermore, it is, itself, not a doctrine supported by scripture, and here are links to discussions here at CAF where some of their proponents have failed to prove otherwise. You would do well to check them out carefully.
“If anyone teaches/preaches something that is not in scripture”
It’s NOT in the Bible, okay?
It’s NOT in the Bible, okay? (Part II)
JRKH said:
What ever gave you THAT idea…

Catholicism is the most biblical Christianity there is…

Peace
James
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👍 Exactly! That’s one of the reasons that I came home after over 35 years.
 
LilyM said:
A man who gets into marriage without being properly ready or knowledgeable enough to make the commitment and then cruelly abandons his wife is not any the less a bad person if they later formalize that abandonment with a legal divorce 🤷 He’s the same person and the same character (or lack thereof) with or without that divorce decree.
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What do you recommend I do?
 
JRKH said:
What ever gave you THAT idea…

Catholicism is the most biblical Christianity there is…

Peace
James
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Since you are Catholic I am not surprise to hear you say this. However, I do not agree.
 
Church_Militant said:
]Exactly! That’s one of the reasons that I came home after over 35 years.
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Where you a practicing Christian during those 35 years? If so I would be interested asking some questions about your return to Catholicism (I am presuming you were a revert)
 
whisperer42 said:
Where you a practicing Christian during those 35 years? If so I would be interested asking some questions about your return to Catholicism (I am presuming you were a revert)
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Can I get in on this?
I was away from the Church for 35 years also and remained (mostly) Christian - though I never actually joined another denomination…

Peace
James
 
whisperer42 said:
What do you recommend I do?
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Start off by reading a good summary of teaching - say the Compendium of the Catechism, or Catholicism for Dummies (by Fr John Trigilio - ignore the unfortunate title, it’s a good book).

Not necessarily from cover to cover, but beginning with the claims the Church makes about the bedrock issues - firstly about the meaning and purpose of scripture, and the Church’s claims about the nature (and extent) of Papal and Magisterial authority and the relationship between scripture, tradition and the magisterium. As a lot of people tend to find that once their grasp on these concepts is firm, a lot of the rest tends to fall into place.

Supplement this with the full Catechism, being careful to also look at the footnotes. They reference various passages of scripture as well as more detailed Church documents - read everything that is footnoted to flesh out the bones of the Catechism.

The Compendium, the full Catechism and all the papal documents should be available for free online - just google the titles.

Then move on to the sections of the same works that deal with any other topics you have queries on - perhaps teachings on sexuality, Mary, the Eucharist or what have you. Supplement your own study by coming here and reading the library on these topics, or asking questions on the forums if anything is not covered elsewhere (search first - a lot of topics are done to death).

Realise that you might doubt and disbelieve, just as many doubted and disbelieved Christ Himself when He stood before them bodily and taught and worked and preached. Their doubt and disbelief did not mean He was wrong, nor do yours necessarily mean the Church is wrong. Accept that it is just as likely (if not more so) that you are lacking in the deep understanding possessed by a 2,000 year old institution that stems from the Apostles themselves, whose leader is of direct lineage from St Peter, than that that institution is wrong.

Above all this, LOTS of prayer for a humble, Godly wisdom. And the same attitude that St Augustine, a brilliant thinker, had. That first we seek to believe, and only then to understand, and that there are many things about the faith (not just Catholicism but Christianity) that are incomprehensible to mere human logic. Things like the Incarnation, the Trinity and so on.
 
JRKH said:
Fair enough…
Then would ask you to explain, from Scripture, what “biblical Christianity” is.

Peace
James
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Recognizing that the scriptures are true and following what they teach.
The simplest example from the bible is probably John 14:6.
Recognizing Jesus as the way.
 
whisp, let us help you. the guys over here at caf are great and if you would give them the opportunity to listen to your reasons (for leaving) who knows what will happen? maybe you just had a few misconceptions, or if you still remain unconvinced afterwards, then you can say with more certainty that the catholic church never really was for you. god bless! 🙂
 
whisperer42 said:
Recognizing that the scriptures are true and following what they teach.
The simplest example from the bible is probably John 14:6.
Recognizing Jesus as the way.
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And you believe that the Catholic Church does not teach this??

Peace
James
 
Whisper,

I don’t think the issue is that you still don’t know what the Catholic church believes. You really owe it to yourself to really learn and understand what the Church believes before giving up.
 
LilyM said:
Start off by reading a good summary of teaching - say the Compendium of the Catechism, or Catholicism for Dummies (by Fr John Trigilio - ignore the unfortunate title, it’s a good book).

Not necessarily from cover to cover, but beginning with the claims the Church makes about the bedrock issues - firstly about the meaning and purpose of scripture, and the Church’s claims about the nature (and extent) of Papal and Magisterial authority and the relationship between scripture, tradition and the magisterium. As a lot of people tend to find that once their grasp on these concepts is firm, a lot of the rest tends to fall into place.

Supplement this with the full Catechism, being careful to also look at the footnotes. They reference various passages of scripture as well as more detailed Church documents - read everything that is footnoted to flesh out the bones of the Catechism.

The Compendium, the full Catechism and all the papal documents should be available for free online - just google the titles.

Then move on to the sections of the same works that deal with any other topics you have queries on - perhaps teachings on sexuality, Mary, the Eucharist or what have you. Supplement your own study by coming here and reading the library on these topics, or asking questions on the forums if anything is not covered elsewhere (search first - a lot of topics are done to death).

Realise that you might doubt and disbelieve, just as many doubted and disbelieved Christ Himself when He stood before them bodily and taught and worked and preached. Their doubt and disbelief did not mean He was wrong, nor do yours necessarily mean the Church is wrong. Accept that it is just as likely (if not more so) that you are lacking in the deep understanding possessed by a 2,000 year old institution that stems from the Apostles themselves, whose leader is of direct lineage from St Peter, than that that institution is wrong.

Above all this, LOTS of prayer for a humble, Godly wisdom. And the same attitude that St Augustine, a brilliant thinker, had. That first we seek to believe, and only then to understand, and that there are many things about the faith (not just Catholicism but Christianity) that are incomprehensible to mere human logic. Things like the Incarnation, the Trinity and so on.
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I am actually familiar with Catholicism for Dummies and have read a lot of books on Catholicism including listening to debates. This is how I came to realize that I did not believe the Catholic faith.
TBH if I didn’t continue to learn about the Roman Catholicism I probably would consider myself Catholic today.

Chances are without divine revelation I will probably never accept the Catholic faith as (I presume) you do.
 
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