Leaving the Catholic Church

[glo1]

Hi all!

I was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, but left the Christian faith for some years of my life.
Four years ago I encountered God and consequently returned to Christianity.

However, I don't describe myself as a Catholic anymore, as there are many things in Catholic theology I don't believe in.

I am not here to debate these things, rather I want to ask whether I have to leave the Catholic Church in some formal way (talk to the priest or write to the Bishop, or something like that ...), or whether it is enough to just have made that decision in my heart.
I have not had any contact with a Catholic priest in years, so I cannot even think of a clergy I could discuss this with.
So I thought this would be a good place to start!

Thanks

glo

 

[a_ntv]

Hi!

I'm happy you have found Christ in you life.

Actually we can say that if you left the Christian faith years ago, you was no more catholic since you left the Christian faith .
To be catholic is not enough to be registered on the parish baptisimal book, but it is request to pray (possibily many times a day), to act with charity, to attend sacraments (the Mass) - more: it is requested a full and continuos personal conversion to Christ

The catholic way is a very hard one: the results are wonderfull, but the way is very strict.

The only advice I can give you is to attend for a few time a catholic parish: you will see that also in our church the main issue is looking for Christ and following Him.

About the theological issue, here, in OBOB, is the right place to ask for any detalied question. But remember: to be catholic is not to held a doctrine, but it is to follow Christ.

 

[SecretOfFatima]

Hi glo,

I can understand your stand in certain topics the catholic church takes, but i also believe that with time you will fully understand why the church takes this stands.

I would like to recommend that you would spend some time listening to some Christian stuff by a guy called scott hahn, specially topics which you feel very strong about, i find that his stuff is very easy for me to understand, hopefully you do also find it the same.

here is a link
http://www.salvationhistory.com/bookstore/audioRsrcs.cfm

and here is his main site
http://www.scotthahn.com/


May our LORD bless you and keep you

 

[Globalnomad]

Let me tell you something politically and theologically quite incorrect, yet true (here is nice philosophical conradiction for you!): you can be a Catholic and disagree with quite a lot of the theology. Give it a try. There are treasures in the Catholic Church - especially the Sacraments - that are simply too precious to lose.... and in the end, it is the Church that follows in a straight, unbroken line from the Apostlesand their mndate, so, if you discover that there is NO denomination that only teaches things you agree with, remember us!

But in the meantime, let us answer your question. No, you don't need to do anything. You are baptised, and presumably confirmed, as a Catholic, so in our eyes you are, in a certain sense, a Catholic forever (meaning: if you wanted to come back, you would not be rebaptised nor reconfirmed - you can come back and partake of the Sacraments - Confession first, of course - any time you want); but that does not mean that anyone can, or would want to, impose any obligations on you. If you feel that you are not a Catholic in your heart, that's it. Good luck and God bless you on your journey.

 

[hawko]

What is it in catholic theology that you don't believe in ? If you wish to discuss these issues, you have come to the right place. Has someone from another Christian denomination misled you or given you wrong information about the catholic faith which has caused you to leave the church ?
Let me share my own conversion story with you:
I was raised a catholic, even went to twelve years of catholic school, but attended mass mostly out of obligation. At about age twenty, I stopped going to mass altogether mainly because most of my friends had stopped attending mass also. From then, my life went downhill, since I was in a state of mortal sin for about ten years. Then I met the perfect girl to marry (who happened to be catholic). Several months before our marriage, I felt a tugging in my heart to return to the Lord, and the catholic church, but had not the courage to do so. ( Even though I had stopped following the Lord, I still knew in my heart that the catholic church was the TRUE church started by Christ Himself). I got married at a catholic mass, receiving our Lord in Holy Communion, (which was a sacrilege, since I was in a state of mortal sin). After being married about three months, (and still not having gone to sacramental confession), I had an overnight conversion experience involving the Blessed Mother, (although I didn't know that it was her at that time). This is what happened:
I had a dream, and in this dream, I was talking to a beautiful lady who was dressed in white, wearing a white veil. I was having a conversation with this woman, and I remember asking her this question: "When I die, will I go to heaven?" She looked me in the eyes with a serious but loving look, and said to me: "You must repent". Immediately after she spoke these words to me, I felt myself being pulled through a tunnel at a tremendous rate of speed, which completely terrified me, and I woke up in my bed screaming. My screaming woke up my wife, who asked me: "What's the matter?" I replied to her: "I'll tell you in the morning". The next morning, I knew without any doubt that I had to return to the Lord and the catholic church immediately. Within days I began attending daily mass at 6am, but not receiving our Lord in Holy Communion, since I had not yet been to confession. I prayed for the courage to go to confession, and after a month I did just that. I can remember leaving that confessional (after spending a long time in there), with a feeling that a great weight had been lifted off my shoulders, with a big smile on my face and great joy in my heart. I continued going to daily mass, and about a year later I realized that the lady in my dream was indeed the blessed mother when I saw how she was depicted when she appeared in one of her apparitions Since that time, I have developed a great devotion to our lady through saying the rosary, since she was the one who brought me back to her Son. It's been twenty five years since my conversion, and I continue to attend mass and say the rosary daily. Please do not leave the catholic church, if you do, you are making a big mistake.

 

[rusmeister]

Let me tell you something politically and theologically quite incorrect, yet true (here is nice philosophical conradiction for you!): you can be a Catholic and disagree with quite a lot of the theology. Give it a try.

I think this is true of a lot of faiths. It's not true of the Orthodox Church. I think a huge thing we tend to forget is that we are only 20, 40, or 60 years old. The Church is 2,000 years old and made up of thousands of saints that passed down their wisdom in the form of Tradition, something I believe the Catholic Church has in common with Orthodoxy. Yet we pit our limited learning and experience against that and think that in a conflict, the Church must be wrong because we can't be, and to do otherwise is seen as blind obedience.

I'll pick the Church over me every time. Not blindness, but a rational acceptance of my own limitations.

 

[ZooMom]

I think this is true of a lot of faiths. It's not true of the Orthodox Church. I think a huge thing we tend to forget is that we are only 20, 40, or 60 years old. The Church is 2,000 years old and made up of thousands of saints that passed down their wisdom in the form of Tradition, something I believe the Catholic Church has in common with Orthodoxy. Yet we pit our limited learning and experience against that and think that in a conflict, the Church must be wrong because we can't be, and to do otherwise is seen as blind obedience.

I'll pick the Church over me every time. Not blindness, but a rational acceptance of my own limitations.

Well said.

However it must be said that 'disagreement' with the Catholic Church does not translate automatically into 'denial' or 'disobedience'. One can 'disagree' and yet still *assent* to the Teaching of our Faith.

In fact, I believe that Catholics and Orthodox...having the Sacrament of Confession...may be more aware than most of our shortcomings and limitations. To accept the Sacraments *at all* as efficient vehicles of Grace...especially the Eucharist...requires a great deal of faith and trust in the Teachings of our Church.


For glo1...God give you Peace.

To answer your question...no...you don't have to formally resign or be discharged from the Catholic Church. As someone else said, you cannot erase the imprint of the Sacraments you have already received, but you are free to follow your conscience. And I will also echo what others have said and urge you to be very sure of just what it is that you are turning away from. Know that the Church will welcome you back with joy, if you ever decide to return.


God bless and keep you.

Sandy

 

[GorrionGris]

Hi all!

I was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, but left the Christian faith for some years of my life.
Four years ago I encountered God and consequently returned to Christianity.

However, I don't describe myself as a Catholic anymore, as there are many things in Catholic theology I don't believe in.

I am not here to debate these things, rather I want to ask whether I have to leave the Catholic Church in some formal way (talk to the priest or write to the Bishop, or something like that ...), or whether it is enough to just have made that decision in my heart.
I have not had any contact with a Catholic priest in years, so I cannot even think of a clergy I could discuss this with.
So I thought this would be a good place to start!

Thanks

glo

Do you attend a non-Catholic church?

 

[Fantine]

Glo said:

I was raised in the Roman Catholic Church, but left the Christian faith for some years of my life.
Four years ago I encountered God and consequently returned to Christianity.

My story is similar to yours, and I really think that the "where" and the "how" and the "when" we had our encounter with God determines the direction our faith journey will take.

In my case my direction-changing encounters with God came through Marriage Encounter, a healing Mass held by the Marian Healing Ministry, and other Catholic situations....but, for the most part, very post-Vatican II, liberal Church experiences.

And, as I returned to Catholicism, I always sought out those experiences, parishes, priests/mentors and communities which nurtured and fostered my encounters with God.

And so, I read Liguorian and not Our Sunday Visitor.

I went to At-Home Retreats instead of Chaplet of Divine Mercy groups.

This spring I attended two groups--a very conservative Bible Study and "Why Catholic?" The Bible study was stultifying (we've been together a few years, but this time they chose a program that was so academic and detail oriented that there was no time for relating the passages to our own lives) and 'Why Catholic?' was right up my alley.

What I'm saying is that most parishes are big enough that you will be able to find people and experiences that will nurture you and invite you to a deeper encounter with God.

You don't have to be your mother's kind of Catholic or your father's kind of Catholic. You can be your kind of Catholic, which, in the final analysis, is what every Catholic is.

 

[geocajun]

This is an official document on what constitutes formal defection: http://clsa.org/content/files/USCCB_memo_2006_0405.pdf

basically what's left for you to do is to write a letter to your bishop or pastor, and receive their confirmation that you have indeed left.

 

[Tigg]

Well said.

However it must be said that 'disagreement' with the Catholic Church does not translate automatically into 'denial' or 'disobedience'. One can 'disagree' and yet still *assent* to the Teaching of our Faith.

In fact, I believe that Catholics and Orthodox...having the Sacrament of Confession...may be more aware than most of our shortcomings and limitations. To accept the Sacraments *at all* as efficient vehicles of Grace...especially the Eucharist...requires a great deal of faith and trust in the Teachings of our Church.


For glo1...God give you Peace.

To answer your question...no...you don't have to formally resign or be discharged from the Catholic Church. As someone else said, you cannot erase the imprint of the Sacraments you have already received, but you are free to follow your conscience. And I will also echo what others have said and urge you to be very sure of just what it is that you are turning away from. Know that the Church will welcome you back with joy, if you ever decide to return.


God bless and keep you.

Sandy

Altho I don't really know the answer, I must acknowledge a terrific post. :-D

May I echo ZooMom's God bless you and keep you, glo1.

-IMO-
Peace

 

[sneezingleopard]

When I left the church for a brief period it was because of things my protestant friends told me about the catholic church. I began to recognize a slight misleading quality in their comments though as some things just wern't true. So I figured I better see where God was leading me. Surely enough he was leading me home to the Catholic church in all its splendor and truth. Don't make a decision based on that bad catholic in the pew next to you or based on what a protestant says the catholic church teaches. Learn for yourself from those who are teachers of the faith. And remember that you don't have to pull away from the church all together feel free to come to mass whenever you need a quiet and respectfull place to pray in union with brothers and sisters.
In christ,
Matthew

 

[Tigg]

And now thanks to you, geocajun, I know.

-IMO-
Peace

 

[glo1]

Thank you all for your thoughts and posts, and for being so welcoming.

May God bless you all.

glo

 

[glo1]

What is it in catholic theology that you don't believe in ? If you wish to discuss these issues, you have come to the right place. Has someone from another Christian denomination misled you or given you wrong information about the catholic faith which has caused you to leave the church ?

I don't think anybody has misled me.
What happened was that I realised that I can be in direct communication and relationship with God, and that his Word is his direct guide for me in my life.

My basic problem with the Catholic Church is that I do not believe in the authority it bestows on one man, namely the Pope.
That's all I can say, really ...

God bless

glo

 

[ApollotheLizard]

"And I say, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church."(The Catholic Church)"...and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven."

"Peter, do you love Me?"
"Yes Lord, you know I love You."
"Tend My Sheep."

Guess who said that? Jesus Christ, Born 0 A.D. in Bethleham died 33 A.D. Lived again 33 A.D. and still lives. He guides the minds of His Church.
God Bless You.
ApollotheLizard.

P.S. I too have a agnostic to Catholic conversion story.

 

[glo1]

"And I say, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church."(The Catholic Church)"...and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven."

"Peter, do you love Me?"
"Yes Lord, you know I love You."
"Tend My Sheep."

Guess who said that? Jesus Christ, Born 0 A.D. in Bethleham died 33 A.D. Lived again 33 A.D. and still lives. He guides the minds of His Church.
God Bless You.
ApollotheLizard.

P.S. I too have a agnostic to Catholic conversion story.

Thanks, Apollo

I understand what Jesus told Peter.
But I fail to believe that it means the overall authority for the Catholic Church should be passed from Pope to Pope over the centuries.
What if he was talking to Peter, and Peter alone?

I understand that and why the Catholic Church relates this scripture to maintain the authority of the Popes ... I just fail to believe it personally ...

God bless

glo

 

[a_ntv]

I don't think anybody has misled me.
What happened was that I realised that I can be in direct communication and relationship with God, and that his Word is his direct guide for me in my life.

My basic problem with the Catholic Church is that I do not believe in the authority it bestows on one man, namely the Pope.
That's all I can say, really ...

God bless

glo

I dont see the point: the Catholic Church deeply teach that a personal relation with Christ is the core of the our religion.

This idea is often taken to the limits: think to monks and nuns that use their all live to deep with the prayer their personal relation with God.

The pope has no authority about that: he cannot create or delete or even touch or modify your personal relation with God.

The ministry (authority is a bad word) of the pope and of the bishops concern different issues for sure less important than the personal relation towards Christ.

 

[glo1]

I dont see the point: the Catholic Church deeply teach that a personal relation with Christ is the core of the our religion.

This idea is often taken to the limits: think to monks and nuns that use their all live to deep with the prayer their personal relation with God.

The pope has no authority about that: he cannot create or delete or even touch or modify your personal relation with God.

The ministry (authority is a bad word) of the pope and of the bishops concern different issues for sure less important than the personal relation towards Christ.

Interesting post, a_ntv

I have never heard any Catholic describe the role and authority of the Pope in such a limited way ...

Another question springs to mind, concerning my own position:
Given that I don't consider myself to be a Catholic, if ever I attended a Catholic church service, would I be wrong to take communion? I gather that only Catholics are allowed to do that ...

glo

 

[Mysterium_Fidei]

Interesting post, a_ntv

I have never heard any Catholic describe the role and authority of the Pope in such a limited way ...

Another question springs to mind, concerning my own position:
Given that I don't consider myself to be a Catholic, if ever I attended a Catholic church service, would I be wrong to take communion? I gather that only Catholics are allowed to do that ...

glo

Hey glo!

One of the Pope's titles is Servant of the Servants of God. He is a sinful man, like everyone else. Unlike others, he does have a special ministry in the Church (which is to protect the Christian faithful from error, and lead others to Jesus Christ).

Since you describe yourself as as being in a state of broken communion with the Catholic Church, you wouldn't receive the Eucharist unless you desired to restore your relationship with the Church formally first.