Why do you think people find it so hard to walk away from the RCC?

[Michie]

One thing I've noticed since converting is that people find it very difficult to walk away from Catholicism. I see more people stay that seem miserable & just go through the motions than leave. Or... trying to change the Church from the inside.

On the other hand, in my protestant days people left their Church all the time. Either in search of another Church that suited them or just a stay at home lone ranger Christian.

Why is that?

 

[Chrystal-J]

One thing I've noticed since converting is that people find it very difficult to walk away from Catholicism. I see more people stay that seem miserable & just go through the motions than leave. Or... trying to change the Church from the inside.

On the other hand, in my protestant days people left their Church all the time. Either in search of another Church that suited them or just a stay at home lone ranger Christian.

Why is that?

In my own experiences with protestant friends is that they go from church to church based on how they feel and what they might get out of their churches. (I mean emotional "feel good" experiences, not money or material goods). If they start hearing something they don't like, they move on.
With the Catholic church, I get the feeling that people stay because they feel they are hearing the Truth, whether they like it or not. They might be miserable cuz they aren't following the Truth, but they don't go looking for someone to tell them what they want to hear.

 

[christseeker45]

One thing I've noticed since converting is that people find it very difficult to walk away from Catholicism. I see more people stay that seem miserable & just go through the motions than leave. Or... trying to change the Church from the inside.

On the other hand, in my protestant days people left their Church all the time. Either in search of another Church that suited them or just a stay at home lone ranger Christian.

Why is that?

Fear. How if it is correct? At the same time those people wish for a deeper spirituality and they see it in their Protestant friends. All kinds of resources for regular Christian not so much for Catholics

 

[Michie]

Fear. How if it is correct? At the same time those people wish for a deeper spirituality and they see it in their Protestant friends. All kinds of resources for regular Christian not so much for Catholics

Of?

You'd think those within it trying to usurp the Churches teaching & leading others in the same direction would have more fear than those who honestly left because of whatever reason.

 

[Brooklyn Knight]

In my own experiences with protestant friends is that they go from church to church based on how they feel and what they might get out of their churches. (I mean emotional "feel good" experiences, not money or material goods). If they start hearing something they don't like, they move on.
With the Catholic church, I get the feeling that people stay because they feel they are hearing the Truth, whether they like it or not. They might be miserable cuz they aren't following the Truth, but they don't go looking for someone to tell them what they want to hear.

^^THIS X100!

It's like those people who don't want to hear about what happens when people sin and what happens when they keep doing it, or that we are more prone to sinning than leading a pious, virtuous life.

What, sinning is easy as is breathing. We all struggle with temptations, some of us don't have a filter for our emotions, 7 Deadly Sins, at least one of them has a grasp on somebody.

 

[MikeK]

Fear that if they're wrong the God they previously worshipped will sentence them to eternal torture.

 

[Michie]

Fear that if they're wrong the God they previously worshipped will sentence them to eternal torture.

No, there is only one God through Jesus Christ. God isn't sitting up there gleefully waiting to throw us in a pit. We basically choose it ourselves.

Thats why I think those that leave the RCC only leave because they honestly do not think God can only be found under he roof of the RCC.

Now if you believe that to be true... might be a different story.

Is it about leaving the Church or walking away from the Lord?

People that leave the Church do not feel they are walking away from Jesus but striving to experience Him more fully.

 

[christseeker45]

Of?

You'd think those within it trying to usurp the Churches teaching & leading others in the same direction would have more fear than those who honestly left because of whatever reason.

being wrong, family, etc

 

[Fantine]

I think the Catholic Church is a big tent, and inside that tent is a multi-ring circus.

You and I could go to the same Mass every week, but when we walked out how would we spend the rest of the week? Would we say the same prayers?
Probably not. I have an inordinate fondness for Liturgy of the Hours. Would we read the Bible the same way? Probably not. I am more of a Lectio person, and you might go for Steven Ray's studies (which I thought were stultifying).

I don't know what the Divine Mercy Chaplet is, and I don't think that one needs to say it to be Catholic. I would belong to different organizations, perhaps--choir, small church community. You might belong to sodalities.

When we went to the same Mass I would look at it as a eucharistic feast and you would look at it as a holy sacrifice.

But you know, it doesn't bother me, as long as you don't try to impose your vision on everyone else. I have found my spiritual nourishment within the big tent doing different things from you, or doing the same things with a different understanding and philosophy about them.

The beautiful thing about Catholicism is that you can make it your own--not somebody else's.

 

[Gwendolyn]

Because of hell.

 

[jehoiakim]

From what I have run into the largest reason is fear of rejection from family. While they might disagree on a large scale with the RCC, they can at least attempt to make peace and agree with some of the fundamentals. Some of them also seem to assume protestant churches are not much different or much better, so they go through the motions and try to make it through the best they can. I have friends who are catholic, I have been to a few services. I have one friend who converted to Catholicism from being Anglican, and his is on fire for God, great guy. I can tell you though from the few catholic services I attended had I grown up in the catholic church there is a good chance I would have become and athiest. Certainly some churches are different then others, so I am not saying all RCC churches are that dead or hypocritical, but the few I attended sadly were. Many Protestant churches are really not much better, a little, but not a lot.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

One thing I've noticed since converting is that people find it very difficult to walk away from Catholicism. I see more people stay that seem miserable & just go through the motions than leave. Or... trying to change the Church from the inside.

On the other hand, in my protestant days people left their Church all the time. Either in search of another Church that suited them or just a stay at home lone ranger Christian.

Why is that?

A sense of guilt that was hammered into their consciousness that prevents them from leaving.

They don't a relationship with Jesus Christ as they should, and often their state as conformist keeps them in place.

If Jesus isn't the reason for being Catholic, you'd be better to leave and seek faith in Jesus Christ before returning.


Jim

 

[Michie]

A sense of guilt that was hammered into their consciousness that prevents them from leaving.

They don't a relationship with Jesus Christ as they should, and often their state as conformist keeps them in place.

If Jesus isn't the reason for being Catholic, you'd be better to leave and seek faith in Jesus Christ before returning.


Jim

Good post.

So would you say that this is almost a form of brainwashing growing up? Instilling fear of the Church while neglecting the joy & comfort that comes from an actual relationship with Jesus Christ?

Too much theology? Too little Jesus?

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Good post.

So would you say that this is almost a form of brainwashing growing up? Instilling fear of the Church while neglecting the joy & comfort that comes from an actual relationship with Jesus Christ?

Too much theology? Too little Jesus?

Not brain washing, but conditioning.

Catholics who grew up in Pre-Vatican II days, were fed guilt far more than God's mercy and love.

Jim

 

[Michie]

Not brain washing, but conditioning.

Catholics who grew up in Pre-Vatican II days, were fed guilt far more than God's mercy and love.

Jim

How do you feel about the 'conditioning' now?

 

[MKJ]

One thing I've noticed since converting is that people find it very difficult to walk away from Catholicism. I see more people stay that seem miserable & just go through the motions than leave. Or... trying to change the Church from the inside.

On the other hand, in my protestant days people left their Church all the time. Either in search of another Church that suited them or just a stay at home lone ranger Christian.

Why is that?

In many - not all - Protestant groups, going from one group to another is not analogous to a Catholic leaving the Catholic Church. It is more like a Catholic who decides to join a TLM parish or the Eastern Catholic Church. I don't think it is going to be terribly helpful to compare the two.

 

[Assisi]

Sometimes I think OBOBers live in a completely different world to me. Fear? Guilt? I don't see that in the Church today. Honestly, I know plenty of people who left the Church but none of them had any trouble about it as far as I know.

In many - not all - Protestant groups, going from one group to another is not analogous to a Catholic leaving the Catholic Church. It is more like a Catholic who decides to join a TLM parish or the Eastern Catholic Church. I don't think it is going to be terribly helpful to compare the two.

This is a really good point.

 

[Gwendolyn]

If you live a life full of weakness and mortal sin, paralysing fear becomes an everyday thing.

You people must not sin mortally or something, if you're never afraid or guilty.

 

[Michie]

In many - not all - Protestant groups, going from one group to another is not analogous to a Catholic leaving the Catholic Church. It is more like a Catholic who decides to join a TLM parish or the Eastern Catholic Church. I don't think it is going to be terribly helpful to compare the two.

I'm not saying they equate in every way. My point is trusting in God, reading Scripture & fellowship. Following Christ & producing good fruit. A person does not need to be Catholic to do this.

A protestant leaving Church for a time or leaving for another does not compare to Catholics leaving for TLM or whatever. You'll hear everytime it is going where one feels spiritually fed & growing spiritually.

They do not see it as leaving Christ & somehow that particular Church hinges on their salvation. They trust Christ for their salvation.

Who saves? Christ or the Church? The Church is an aid to our salvation & supposed to be a light to a dark world.

It seems Catholics check off lists for their salvation of do's & don't to get their salvation points in because they worry so much about the Church being the true Church. In between time they worry about screwing up & getting to confession before they die & burn in Hell. They pour over documents & theology usually to the exclusion of Christ & Scripture.

There is joy in the Catholic faith. But I wonder why some feel shackled by it to the point of being afraid to leave it if they do not believe what She teaches. Even the Church acknowledges that people can leave out of ignorance which they are not responsible for.

Or they just try to change it from the inside regardless of what the Church teaches.

Faith is hard no matter where you sit. But Faith is also supposed to be a comfort. A lot of Catholics are miserable & seem to find no comfort in the faith. Unlike protestants which we will see in heaven as well.


Protestants seem to possess a peace & freedom in their faith in Christ that Catholics sorely lack.

So where does this fear stem from? Is it of God? Does God mean for us to live our faith miserably?

I don't think so.

 

[Michie]

If you live a life full of weakness and mortal sin, paralysing fear becomes an everyday thing.

You people must not sin mortally or something, if you're never afraid or guilty.

I feel guilty a lot. But I have to trust in Christ's mercy as well.