Question for former Catholics

[Foamhead]

The bible clearly teaches that Mary and Joseph had sex and produced children after the birth of Jesus.

- The Catholic church has tried to claim they were relatives or cousins despite experts in Greek and Aramaic saying the text clearly refers to blood brothers.

- The bible says in Matthew 1:25 pretty clearly that they consummated their wedding vows after Jesus was born. The Catholic church and it's followers try to counter this by changing the definition of "until".

My question is: Have any former Catholics left the Catholic church because of their inability to reconcile it's teachings with what the bible plainly states? Or the Catholic churches contradictions of the bible and unsupported beliefs (assumption of Mary, immaculate conception etc...)?

 

[football5680]

Completely wrong.

Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death. (2 Samuel 6:23)

Based on a literal reading of this verse I would have to say that Michal went her whole life childless and then after she died she gave birth. Is this what the Bible is saying or is it trying to make a different point? Obviously the writer simply means she died and had no children. Matthew 1:25 is simply making the point that Mary was a Virgin when she gave birth to Jesus.

 

[Foamhead]

Completely wrong.

Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death. (2 Samuel 6:23)

Based on a literal reading of this verse I would have to say that Michal went her whole life childless and then after she died she gave birth. Is this what the Bible is saying or is it trying to make a different point? Obviously the writer simply means she died and had no children. Matthew 1:25 is simply making the point that Mary was a Virgin when she gave birth to Jesus.

You would be right if prepositions had no effect on nouns.

"I was fat until I started eating less".

Does this mean I am still fat?

If Mary had remained a virgin her whole life the bible would have said so. The verse above, if her virginity were unaffected throughout her life would be totally pointless and redundant. You also never addressed the numerous other points I raised, nor were you the target audience. Since I got no replies I assume there are not many former Catholics on the board or they didn't leave for the reasons I noted above.

 

[Cearbhall]

I'm a former Catholic.

My question is: Have any former Catholics left the Catholic church because of their inability to reconcile it's teachings with what the bible plainly states? Or the Catholic churches contradictions of the bible and unsupported beliefs (assumption of Mary, immaculate conception etc...)?

I don't think most people want to leave their parish and entire denomination because of something like this. They just disagree and live with it. For example, 90% of US Catholics say that birth control is moral. Completely incompatible with what the RCC says.

 

[Albion]

I don't think most people want to leave their parish and entire denomination because of something like this. They just disagree and live with it. For example, 90% of US Catholics say that birth control is moral. Completely incompatible with what the RCC says.

You may be right when you say "most people" will live with what they know to be untenable, but I left precisely for that reason. I learned that the church that claimed infallibility, that claimed it was the same since Christ, etc., that claimed its beliefs were Biblical...was, in reality, none of that. What's more, I knew that many of the members disagreed, too, but were afraid to leave.

 

[FreeinChrist]

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