Once a Catholic, Always a Catholic?

PanDeVida

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I've heard that if you were baptized in a Catholic church, you will always technically be considered a Catholic even if you go to another denomination. Is this true?

What about adult converts who were baptized in a Protestant church but was later received into the Catholic church? Since they were not baptized in the Catholic church, will they be no longer considered a Catholic if they revert to their Protestant faith?

ChicanaRose, what a beautiful name.

Once you are baptized into the Catholic Church, you are a Catholic no matter where you go even if you become protestant, Buddhists, Atheists, Muslim, Witchcraft, etc... The Catholic Church will always be waiting for you to come back HOME, like the story in Scripture re the Prodigal Son. You can immediately come back to the Sacraments of the Catholic Church the Sacrament of Penance aka Confession, partake of the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist, providing you have completed your Catechism of course, etc...

Only on the Grounds of Excommunication by the Catholic Church can you no longer be a Catholic.

IF you are baptized in a Protestant Church and then want to become a Catholic, there is no need to get re-baptized in the Catholic Church again.

Pan De Vida
 
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PanDeVida

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I've come across it, admittedly in internet polemic rather than any church's teaching and worship.

The reference is to Revelation 18:4, read in such a way that Catholicism is what is symbolised by Babylon the great.

Paidiske,

If you believe that Catholicism symbolizes Babylon the Great, then why does your Anglican church mimic Catholicism, even right down to the white collar suite you are wearing, etc.. etc.. etc...?

From what Scripture tells us there was no female priest found in Scripture, am I wrong for saying so?

Babylon the great does not symbolize Catholicism. It would seem Babylon the great would fit more to a church or state having something that was not found in Scripture.

Pan De Vida
 
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JacksBratt

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I've seen books by Catholics about Catholicism that say that very thing in regard to ordination to the priesthood: That ordination leaves an indelible mark on the soul that can never be undone. Once a priest always a priest. Even defrocking can't change it, according to them anyway.
Interesting...
 
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JacksBratt

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I've come across it, admittedly in internet polemic rather than any church's teaching and worship.

The reference is to Revelation 18:4, read in such a way that Catholicism is what is symbolised by Babylon the great.
Thanks for that information. Never heard of it before now... Interesting... but, in my mind just words.
 
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JacksBratt

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ChicanaRose, what a beautiful name.

Once you are baptized into the Catholic Church, you are a Catholic no matter where you go even if you become protestant, Buddhists, Atheists, Muslim, Witchcraft, etc... The Catholic Church will always be waiting for you to come back HOME, like the story in Scripture re the Prodigal Son. You can immediately come back to the Sacraments of the Catholic Church the Sacrament of Penance aka Confession, partake of the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist, providing you have completed your Catechism of course, etc...

Only on the Grounds of Excommunication by the Catholic Church can you no longer be a Catholic.

IF you are baptized in a Protestant Church and then want to become a Catholic, there is no need to get re-baptized in the Catholic Church again.

Pan De Vida
What does that mean..."You are a Catholic"? I'm in search of this quality of a person that makes them a "Catholic".

So, you can observe the sacraments in a RC church and go to confession?

You only have to be alive and believe in Christ to observe the Lords Table and meet with a Pastor, if you want to...in a Protestant church..

Seems to me that it's just rules that the RC church has set in order for you to adhere to in order to do something that Christ has set us free to do anyway.
 
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thecolorsblend

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What does that mean..."You are a Catholic"? I'm in search of this quality of a person that makes them a "Catholic".

So, you can observe the sacraments in a RC church and go to confession?

You only have to be alive and believe in Christ to observe the Lords Table and meet with a Pastor, if you want to...in a Protestant church..

Seems to me that it's just rules that the RC church has set in order for you to adhere to in order to do something that Christ has set us free to do anyway.
You and I have something in common right now: Neither of us know what you're talking about.
 
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chevyontheriver

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I posted this because people seem to think that there is some "indelible" thing that happens to a human to make them a "Catholic". Like they are some how marked or something and can never be made "un-Catholic".
Baptism is indelible. That doesn't make for any physical difference in a baptized person.
 
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chevyontheriver

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Hmm, I'm Protestant... well... my family took me to a Protestant based church and I was raised with traditional Protestant worship practices... I am a "child of God"....

And, I've never heard the verse "come out of her" before..

Can you give me chapter and verse and tell me what they are using this to indicate?
Jeremiah 51:45 and Revelation 18:4 are the references. Protestants often use this as an attack verse against Catholics. I'm surprised you didn't know what your some of your buds have been up to. It's a useful set of verses a variety of Protestants have used to justify schism.
 
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ChicanaRose

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Can someone explain to me why I would be considered a "prodigal" if I faithfully follow the Lord in a Protestant church? When I read the parable of the prodigal son, I first see him living in sin (Luke 15:13). But then he decides to repent and return to God the Father. Someone who used to live in sin gets saved and do the same. But he will be seen as a prodigal even after the Father has put the "best robe on him" (v.22), just because he won't return to RCC? I don't mean to sound argumentative, but I truly struggle to wrap my mind around this.
 
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JacksBratt

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Jeremiah 51:45 and Revelation 18:4 are the references. Protestants often use this as an attack verse against Catholics. I'm surprised you didn't know what your some of your buds have been up to. It's a useful set of verses a variety of Protestants have used to justify schism.
I have never had to "attack" any of the Catholics that I know personally.

This stuff is all new to me... what the heck is "schism"?
 
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chevyontheriver

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Only on the Grounds of Excommunication by the Catholic Church can you no longer be a Catholic.
Actually an excommunicated person is still considered Catholic, as excommunication is considered medicinal. A formal apostasy makes you no longer Catholic.
IF you are baptized in a Protestant Church and then want to become a Catholic, there is no need to get re-baptized in the Catholic Church again.
True.
 
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thecolorsblend

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Can someone explain to me why I would be considered a "prodigal" if I faithfully follow the Lord in a Protestant church? When I read the parable of the prodigal son, I first see him living in sin (Luke 15:13). But then he decides to repent and return to God the Father. Someone who used to live in sin gets saved and do the same. But he will be seen as a prodigal even after the Father has put the "best robe on him" (v.22), just because he won't return to RCC? I don't mean to sound argumentative, but I truly struggle to wrap my mind around this.
If you're not Catholic, the Church regards you as among our separated brethren.

But then, a lot of the objections in this thread have come from non-Catholics, who, in theory, shouldn't care what the Church teaches.

Anyway. But for Catholics who leave the Church, it's a bigger deal since the Catholic Church has the fullness of truth regarding the faith. If one is already a member of the Catholic Church, there's nothing to be gained truth-wise from visiting Protestant ecclesial communities. There is no reason to abandon the faith. So if a Catholic were to leave the Church, I suppose "prodigal" would be one way of describing them.
 
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chevyontheriver

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Thanks for that information. Never heard of it before now... Interesting... but, in my mind just words.
Probably because you have not been on the receiving end of it.
 
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chevyontheriver

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I have never had to "attack" any of the Catholics that I know personally.
I'm not suggesting that you have. Just that some of your Protestant buds have. Not all, but some.
This stuff is all new to me... what the heck is "schism"?
The word 'schism' has the same root as the word 'scissors' and it basically means to 'cut' or 'split' or 'separate'. There is a schism between us, between your church and that other place down the street. A schism can involve heresy or not, or just bull-headedness.
 
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JacksBratt

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I'm not suggesting that you have. Just that some of your Protestant buds have. Not all, but some.

The word 'schism' has the same root as the word 'scissors' and it basically means to 'cut' or 'split' or 'separate'. There is a schism between us, between your church and that other place down the street. A schism can involve heresy or not, or just bull-headedness.
Well, there is plenty of that going around in all denominations today.
 
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chevyontheriver

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Well, there is plenty of that going around in all denominations today.
And a lot of it could be undone if we had the will to undo it. But I don't think I will live that long.
 
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Paidiske

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Paidiske,

If you believe that Catholicism symbolizes Babylon the Great, then why does your Anglican church mimic Catholicism, even right down to the white collar suite you are wearing, etc.. etc.. etc...?

From what Scripture tells us there was no female priest found in Scripture, am I wrong for saying so?

Babylon the great does not symbolize Catholicism. It would seem Babylon the great would fit more to a church or state having something that was not found in Scripture.

Pan De Vida

No, I do not believe that Catholicism is symbolised by Babylon the Great. I was explaining to JacksBratt what some other Protestants argue, since it had come up in this thread and was unfamiliar to him. I may disagree with Catholic teaching on some things but I view Catholics as my brothers and sisters in Christ.

As for the white collar, you have your history the wrong way around. The white clerical collar was invented by Presbyterians, and only later taken up by Catholics (who up until that point had favoured a cassock worn without white collar, as the Orthodox still do). Catholics complaining about Protestants wearing something Protestants invented is a bit much!

And I would argue that in Scripture we do not yet see a settled three-fold order of ministry, but we certainly see women in leadership roles, including what would later come to be considered ordained roles. I see myself standing in a line which goes all the way back to Phoebe the deacon and Junia the apostle; and not at all unscriptural (but that is off topic to this thread).
 
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Alithis

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I've heard that if you were baptized in a Catholic church, you will always technically be considered a Catholic even if you go to another denomination. Is this true?

What about adult converts who were baptized in a Protestant church but was later received into the Catholic church? Since they were not baptized in the Catholic church, will they be no longer considered a Catholic if they revert to their Protestant faith?
;) there is no command, instruction or directive given in the Gospel to be baptized into any organisation...
So none of that is valid.
A person ,upon belief of the Good news of JESUS, then acts upon that belief as an action of their own faith ,obeys the gospel.repents and gets baptized into Christ JESUS... To be buried with him in his death that they may also live with him in his resurrection .just as scripture says .

Its never had ANYTHING to do with joining or being baptised into groups or denominations.
That just puts people into religious mindsets and even spiritual bondage falsely causing them to feel they Must remain under the dominion of this or that organisation .
That is called control ..and is why they impose it upon infants as much as they can to -entrap them under that control.
(A topic discussed elsewhere)and such a controlling domineering spirit which even went to the extent of Murdering people who broke free and got baptized as adults upon their own faith into Christ JESUS, is by No means the Holy Spirit of God.(refer 1500s history of the Anabaptists... (Anabaptist means rebaptisers.They Baptised people on their own faith. They were murdered for doing so by the roman catholic church AND the lutheran church .
Its just known factual history. The persecution by those churches went on for almost 2 centuries and many lost their lives for their simple faith and obedience to Jesus at the hands of the lutheran and roman catholic churches. Their victims crimes? Included baptising by full submersion. Breaking bread (communion) in their own homes ,like we see in the book of acts.and for this obedience to JESUS they were
Arrested. Homes confiscated, tortured in prisons, beheaded by the sword. Drowned by force and burned alive at the stake..
Its just the historic documented facts.

Nope.. Catholic or not roman catholic ,lutheran or not lutheran .. Has never had any part in determining salvation .

But only believing in the one whom God has sent . being Jesus and obeying HIM.
 
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