Catholics Becoming Protestant

[FireDragon76]

What about Eastern or Oriental Orthodoxy?

For a western person, those have alot of cultural barriers one must overcome. Nevertheless, some ex-Catholics do become Orthodox, like Rod Dreher.

 

[RadiantGrace]

Not quite; they tend to specifically become evangelical, rather than mainline, Protestants. And they give consistent reasons for doing so.

Most former Catholics are just that - former Catholics. Your choices aren't atheist, evangelical or mainline protestant. The problem is trying to make deductions when protestant is the absence of Catholicism or Orthodoxy while continuing to believe in Christ. You then force people into being either mainline or evangelical, as if you have to be one or the other. The very data you are showing indicates what I originally said - people are just losing interest in religion. A Catholic who remains a general, undefined non-practicing Christian isn't "mainline protestant" or evangelical and won't identify as such.

 

[FireDragon76]

If that were true the Episcopalians would have churches bursting at the seams. I don't think that is happening.

You get a few folks becoming Lutheran or Episcopalian because they disagree with the RCC on some social issue or discipline but I think many go to being Baptists and generic evangelicals, or they simply become "nones" of course.

Evangelicals are highly political...

Many are. The crazy thing is, they don't necessarily see it as being political.

 

[Radagast]

A Catholic who remains a general, undefined non-practicing Christian isn't "mainline protestant" or evangelical and won't identify as such.

Indeed. Pew groups such people in the Unaffiliated/None box.

 

[fhansen]

"One out of every 10 Americans is an ex-Catholic. If they were a separate denomination, they would be the third-largest denomination in the United States, after Catholics and Baptists. One of three people who were raised Catholic no longer identifies as Catholic."

At least half of those leaving the Roman Catholic Church become Protestant. Why?

" ... the Catholic church has failed to deliver what people consider fundamental products of religion: spiritual sustenance and a good worship service."

So that's it! The Protestants have a better worship service. I'm not the only person who gets tired of the mumbo jumbo.

Are those who leave mere lukewarm Catholics?

"We are losing the best, not the worst." After all: "They are leaving to get spiritual nourishment from worship services and the Bible."

Here's part of the problem:
"Few Catholics read the Bible."

That helps to explain why Catholics leave the RCC, to join a church where people do read the Bible.

These quotes are from Father Thomas Reese, SJ, former editor of America, the Jesuit magazine.

Link:
The hidden exodus: Catholics becoming Protestants

I was raised Catholic but left the Church many years ago simply because I didn't know if the message they taught me was true, and I wasn't convinced that they believed it either. Anyway I left but a bit later in life would begin to seek for truth, wherever it might be found. One of the places I looked into was the bible, even though I had my reservations about its having anything of value to say. But over the following years I came to love it, and any other pursuits of truth fell away. In the meanwhile I had become quite anti-Catholic, more or less following along the lines of Reformed thought. I had become a very conservative Protestant. But much to my surprise, many more years later, I would become Catholic again-long story. I felt that I had found, as Samuel Clemens did after leaving home at sixteen and returning a few years later, that my parent(s) had learned a thing or two while I was away.

 

[Tigger45]

The converts at my Lutheran Church here in Utah fall into three main categories, Catholic, Mormon or other.

 

[Radagast]

From the 2009 Pew report (the previous survey), here are common Catholic reasons for becoming evangelical:

• Spiritual needs not being met (78%)
• Found a religion they liked more (70%)
• Stopped believing in Catholicism (62%)
• Unhappy with teachings about the Bible (55%)
• Just gradually drifted away from Catholicism (54%)
• Dissatisfied with atmosphere at worship services (36%)

And common Catholic reasons for becoming mainline:

• Found a religion they liked more (69%)
• Spiritual needs not being met (57%)
• Just gradually drifted away from Catholicism (53%)
• Married someone from a different faith (44%)
  
• Dissatisfied with clergy at congregation (39%)
  
• Unhappy with teachings on abortion/homosexuality (31%)
• Unhappy with way Catholicism treated women (31%)
• Unhappy with teachings on divorce/remarriage (31%)
• Unhappy with rule that priests cannot marry (30%)

And common Catholic reasons for becoming unaffiliated:

• Just gradually drifted away from Catholicism (71%)
• Stopped believing in Catholicism (65%)
• Unhappy with teachings on abortion/homosexuality (56%)
• Unhappy with teachings on birth control (48%)
• Spiritual needs not being met (43%)
• Unhappy with way Catholicism treated women (39%)
• Unhappy with teachings on divorce/remarriage (33%)

 

[Athanasius377]

I agree that the Roman Church is in crisis at least in the West but then again most other church bodies are as well. Having come from the RCC here are my observations:

1. Catechesis for the last several decades has been a disaster or non-existent. Most RCC's I know confuse the Immaculate conception with the Virgin Birth and deny the doctrine of the Mass as examples off the top of my head. Functionally, the ones I know are basically liturgical Evangelicals already so it does not surprise me that's where former RCC's tend to end up.
2. The Church that Rome in her official pronouncements differs greatly with the church on the ground. Gone are the days when the parish priest demanded from his parishioners a faith and manner of life consistent with Church teaching. If a priest demanded that single folks refrain from living together before marriage I suspect church giving and attendance would plummet to say nothing of the number of marriages. The deep theology of the Church and the figures from the past are ignored with a benign neglect. What happens on Sunday usually is a three point homily on how to be a good person. A person formed in that context is usually vaccinated against any orthodox belief rather then being formed by orthodox belief.
3. The RCC child sex abuse scandal from the early 2000's had a more profound effect than most people think. I am not talking about victims here. Between the loss of trust in the ecclesiastical structures and the surrender of parishes and properties that were bequeathed to the Church to pay for the damages has left a lot of ordinary folks cold to the Church. It may not be the primary reason why these folks left but I suspect it was the first step in a longer journey out of the Church.
4. Vatican II has been a disaster for the Church. Church attendance collapsed and vocations to the priesthood evaporated. Call it the "spirit of VII" but the council has effectively gutted the faith and substance of the church that had existed for at least a millennia and probably longer. What took its place would be correct to call "Cultural Do Goodism". I realize that wasn't the intent of the council but that is what has taken place.

I have no data to back this up just my personal experience on the matter. I am no friend to the church of Rome but I think it would be unwise to see what has happened here and think that it won't happen to other church bodies.

 

[LovebirdsFlying]

I can't disprove anything stated in the OP, and I am not a practicing Catholic. However, in fairness, two statements need to be made.

1.) There are an awful lot of Protestants who don't read the Bible either.
2.) As a child, the first Bible I ever had was given to me by a Catholic priest.

 

[Radagast]

Nevertheless, some ex-Catholics do become Orthodox

The Orthodox are 0.5% of the US population. Not enough to have much impact. Here in Australia, the Orthodox are 2.7%, a much bigger fraction.

Also, here in Australia, Catholic numbers are holding steady because immigration makes up for those leaving Catholicism.

 

[Radagast]

3. The RCC child sex abuse scandal from the early 2000's had a more profound effect than most people think.

It didn't make my list of "common reasons," but 27% of ex-Catholics include it as a reason.

 

[FireDragon76]

The Orthodox are 0.5% of the US population. Not enough to have much impact. Here in Australia, the Orthodox are 2.7%, a much bigger fraction.

The internet has helped Orthodoxy grow, and they are one of the few Christian groups to be growing here. Along with Pentecostals. Some of the more liberal mainline groups have seen their declines slow, though, in the last few years.

 

[Radagast]

The internet has helped Orthodoxy grow, and they are one of the few Christian groups to be growing here.

According to Pew, Orthodox numbers are dropping in the US, from 0.6% in 2007 to 0.5% in 2014.

Nondenominational Christian groups are growing (4.5% to 6.2%), as are Pentecostals (4.4% to 4.6%), and SDAs (0.5% to 0.6%).

Evangelical Presbyterians are holding (at 0.8%), as are Independent Baptists (2.5%).

Every other group seems to be shrinking.

 

[tulipbee]

topic title should be:
roman denomination becoming universal Catholics

 

[AlexDTX]

"One out of every 10 Americans is an ex-Catholic. If they were a separate denomination, they would be the third-largest denomination in the United States, after Catholics and Baptists. One of three people who were raised Catholic no longer identifies as Catholic."

At least half of those leaving the Roman Catholic Church become Protestant. Why?

" ... the Catholic church has failed to deliver what people consider fundamental products of religion: spiritual sustenance and a good worship service."

So that's it! The Protestants have a better worship service. I'm not the only person who gets tired of the mumbo jumbo.

Are those who leave mere lukewarm Catholics?

"We are losing the best, not the worst." After all: "They are leaving to get spiritual nourishment from worship services and the Bible."

Here's part of the problem:
"Few Catholics read the Bible."

That helps to explain why Catholics leave the RCC, to join a church where people do read the Bible.

These quotes are from Father Thomas Reese, SJ, former editor of America, the Jesuit magazine.

Link:
The hidden exodus: Catholics becoming Protestants

Ever since the resurrection there has been both the visible and the invisible Church. The visible church are all who say they are Christians, and the invisible Church are all who are Christians through the new birth and follow the way of Christ. The invisible Church has been in all denominations, but Protestant denominations tend to have more of the invisible Church, which may mean that many Catholics who leave the RCC may have done so because the that system never brought them into the invisible Church directly.

 

[Major1]

I'll bet that, of Catholics switching churches, more gravitate to the Episcopal or Lutheran churches than to Baptist churches, even though there are more Baptists in this country than Episcopalians or Lutherans.

I would agree with that as well.

 

[Major1]

topic title should be:
roman denomination becoming universal Catholics

The word Catholic means = "Universal".

 

[Albion]

Evangelicals are highly political.

I'm not sure about that, but they certainly are less so than the mainline churches and their people.

 

[fide]

I was raised Catholic but left the Church many years ago simply because I didn't know if the message they taught me was true, and I wasn't convinced that they believed it either. Anyway I left but a bit later in life would begin to seek for truth, wherever it might be found. One of the places I looked into was the bible, even though I had my reservations about its having anything of value to say. But over the following years I came to love it, and any other pursuits of truth fell away. In the meanwhile I had become quite anti-Catholic, more or less following along the lines of Reformed thought. I had become a very conservative Protestant. But much to my surprise, many more years later, I would become Catholic again-long story. I felt that I had found, as Samuel Clemens did after leaving home at sixteen and returning a few years later, that my parent(s) had learned a thing or two while I was away.

Hello fhansen - My story is similar (not identical, but close) to yours. We are now considered "reverts" - as opposed to "converts". We came home. For me, I identify well with the "prodigal son" parable.

A main complaint I continue to have with the Church - and I say this with deep love, and fidelity - is that we fail dismally to teach our members the precious treasure of the Catholic Faith. After I returned to the Church, under conviction of the Holy Spirit, I only then began to learn this great treasure. I knew I had to be Catholic! But I hardly knew anything beyond the most superficial facets of the Catholic Faith, in the beginning. The more I learned, the more convinced I was that yes, the Catholic Faith is the true Faith which Jesus died to make possible for, to give to, mankind. The full truth and life of salvation.

So - thank you for your testimony! May the Lord continue to bless you and build you up in His holy life.

 

[Major1]

It took a while before my daughter's name was removed after she moved away to another city, but they did it after a couple of reminders from me. You might be thinking about a total repudiation of your Catholic faith though. That has to be done with a formal letter to your bishop. Parishes do not address that.

True story. A Catholic young man who lived with his parents across the street form us in the late 80's married a woman who was a Protestant. She was a missionary in the Methodist denomination.

After several years according to his testimony to me, he said that he had accepted Jesus as his savior and wanted to join our Protestant church. So that is what he and his wife did.

When that happened his parents completely dissociated themselves from their son. They did not see or talk with him for the next 10 years or so. While that was going on he developed kidney cancer. I personally went to his parents and talked with them and encouraged them to reconcile with their child but they refused.

He passed away shortly after that never again speaking with his parents and they did not even attend his funeral.

I later discovered that, that is the normal procedure when a family member becomes saved and leaves the Catholic church.