C
Cathoholic
Guest
abdulmasih. You said:
When someone leaves Catholicism you will often hear things like: “Now I have studied the Bible and know the truth”, “now I have a REAL relationship with Jesus”, now I know I’m saved” or some such thing. You may also hear, “Now I know God doesn’t exist”, or “Now I am free to think rationally.”
But keep listening to them long enough and (at least in my experience) you will invariably hear of a moral crisis disguised as an intellectual decision.
They won’t put it that way (and I am only saying this is true for my own experience with ex-Catholics who I have had a chance to discuss things in detail with).
What kinds of moral crisis’s?
They want to contracept. They want to dump their wife/husband and often their own children and (illicitly) “re-marry” their new girlfriend/boyfriend. They want to do “porn”. They want to commit sodomy.
They want to be popular and avant garde (or trendy). They want to “get along” (read the Book of Hebrews). They want to get ahead financially (“If I live out my Catholic faith, they will look for opportunities to fire me because of my Catholicism, if I just get along, I won’t have to worry about that and the other Lodge members will all support me too”).
They refuse to beg the grace to forgive when they have been wronged or perceive to have been victimized (and yes, in many cases they HAVE been mistreated and is much more than a “perception”).
They may be slothful (“this “gospel” is so much simpler than the “Catholic works-righteousness system” or now I know works don’t matter so I am not going to need to bother to “work”. Oh I will do some “works” but I know they don’t matter as far as justification goes”).
They don’t want children and are willing to commit terrible “abominable” and unspeakable crimes such as abortion (see Pope Francis here or Vatican II Gaudium et Spes” section 51 here and see CCC 2270-2275 here).
Sometimes they are extensively addicted to their sins (masturbation, fornication, alcohol and other substance abuse, and again pornography are all common in our age) and it seems easier for them to give into their issues rather than dealing with them with repentance and the grace of the Confessional where they have to humbly lay out their weaknesses “to a mere man” sometimes over and over further highlighting their weaknesses).
They want “Easter Sunday” without "Good Friday” that we too must partake of (see Romans 6:5-6 and Romans 8:17).
The biggest issue is authority and submitting to proper authority. The office of the papacy is particularly an issue with someone who wants to do their own thing.
You will hear some dissenters hide behind a phony interpretation of “Vatican II” while other dissenters may hide behind a phony interpretation of “traditionalism” (I’m NOT saying ALL or even MOST people who appeal to Vatican II and not all people who appeal to “traditional Catholicism” are phony and dissenting).
These ostensible “lovers of” . . . . “Vatican II” or “lovers of” . . . “traditional Catholicism” are of course falling into the same error (though they usually would never admit to that).
In leaving Catholicism these people get to “be their own popes” and have conscience salve at the same time while rejecting the way the Lordship of Jesus Christ is passed down from age to age.
Their prayer (for the ones who continue to pray) often centers around getting requests granted and is short on adoration or worship of God merely because God is God and thus it is appropriate to worship God. The prayer life often ignores contrition for sins (“Hey. I’m saved. I don’t need to worry about that anymore. I might or might not, but I don’t HAVE to!”). Thanksgiving in prayer for these people often comes when they get what they want. Prayers of thanksgiving may be non-existent when they lose a family member or get a medical diagnosis that they themselves are dying (no “thank you Lord Jesus. I have no idea WHY you allowed me to have this but You Jesus, know my needs better than I do Lord.”).
There are other issues, and if you listen for them, I think you will have deeper insight in regards to your own question as it relates to these people who leave the fullness of the truth for a partial truth, people who leave Catholicism.
Again, I am not asserting this is the way it is for everyone who leaves Catholicism. I am just giving you my experience from listening to these people that I know . . . . that have left Catholicism (after listening for a while to them carp and complain about The Faith Jesus died to give us).
Listen to these people and see if you do not find this (leave due to a moral crisis) to be true in your experience with them too.
God bless.
Cathoholic
The people ARE set free in the fullness of truth but sin yields slavery and sometimes people (including Catholics) choose to fall back into sin.
When someone leaves Catholicism you will often hear things like: “Now I have studied the Bible and know the truth”, “now I have a REAL relationship with Jesus”, now I know I’m saved” or some such thing. You may also hear, “Now I know God doesn’t exist”, or “Now I am free to think rationally.”
But keep listening to them long enough and (at least in my experience) you will invariably hear of a moral crisis disguised as an intellectual decision.
They won’t put it that way (and I am only saying this is true for my own experience with ex-Catholics who I have had a chance to discuss things in detail with).
What kinds of moral crisis’s?
They want to contracept. They want to dump their wife/husband and often their own children and (illicitly) “re-marry” their new girlfriend/boyfriend. They want to do “porn”. They want to commit sodomy.
They want to be popular and avant garde (or trendy). They want to “get along” (read the Book of Hebrews). They want to get ahead financially (“If I live out my Catholic faith, they will look for opportunities to fire me because of my Catholicism, if I just get along, I won’t have to worry about that and the other Lodge members will all support me too”).
They refuse to beg the grace to forgive when they have been wronged or perceive to have been victimized (and yes, in many cases they HAVE been mistreated and is much more than a “perception”).
They may be slothful (“this “gospel” is so much simpler than the “Catholic works-righteousness system” or now I know works don’t matter so I am not going to need to bother to “work”. Oh I will do some “works” but I know they don’t matter as far as justification goes”).
They don’t want children and are willing to commit terrible “abominable” and unspeakable crimes such as abortion (see Pope Francis here or Vatican II Gaudium et Spes” section 51 here and see CCC 2270-2275 here).
Sometimes they are extensively addicted to their sins (masturbation, fornication, alcohol and other substance abuse, and again pornography are all common in our age) and it seems easier for them to give into their issues rather than dealing with them with repentance and the grace of the Confessional where they have to humbly lay out their weaknesses “to a mere man” sometimes over and over further highlighting their weaknesses).
They want “Easter Sunday” without "Good Friday” that we too must partake of (see Romans 6:5-6 and Romans 8:17).
The biggest issue is authority and submitting to proper authority. The office of the papacy is particularly an issue with someone who wants to do their own thing.
You will hear some dissenters hide behind a phony interpretation of “Vatican II” while other dissenters may hide behind a phony interpretation of “traditionalism” (I’m NOT saying ALL or even MOST people who appeal to Vatican II and not all people who appeal to “traditional Catholicism” are phony and dissenting).
These ostensible “lovers of” . . . . “Vatican II” or “lovers of” . . . “traditional Catholicism” are of course falling into the same error (though they usually would never admit to that).
In leaving Catholicism these people get to “be their own popes” and have conscience salve at the same time while rejecting the way the Lordship of Jesus Christ is passed down from age to age.
Their prayer (for the ones who continue to pray) often centers around getting requests granted and is short on adoration or worship of God merely because God is God and thus it is appropriate to worship God. The prayer life often ignores contrition for sins (“Hey. I’m saved. I don’t need to worry about that anymore. I might or might not, but I don’t HAVE to!”). Thanksgiving in prayer for these people often comes when they get what they want. Prayers of thanksgiving may be non-existent when they lose a family member or get a medical diagnosis that they themselves are dying (no “thank you Lord Jesus. I have no idea WHY you allowed me to have this but You Jesus, know my needs better than I do Lord.”).
There are other issues, and if you listen for them, I think you will have deeper insight in regards to your own question as it relates to these people who leave the fullness of the truth for a partial truth, people who leave Catholicism.
Again, I am not asserting this is the way it is for everyone who leaves Catholicism. I am just giving you my experience from listening to these people that I know . . . . that have left Catholicism (after listening for a while to them carp and complain about The Faith Jesus died to give us).
Listen to these people and see if you do not find this (leave due to a moral crisis) to be true in your experience with them too.
God bless.
Cathoholic