I Have Officially Left the RCC

[12th Doctor]

I know it might be hard for a lot of you to believe, but after a number of things that have happened, both within me and with the outside world, I finally decided that I am no longer a member of the Roman Catholic Church.  I am not joining another Church at this time, nor do I plan to do so anytime soon.  Frankly, I choose to remain an Independent.  For the sake of family unity and tradition (at least this is tradition in my family, in the space of 200 years, my family went from being fullout Calvinists to Catholics based on who the men married), if I do ever get married, I will probably just join my wife's church, whatever she may be (as long as she isn't a Southern Baptist).  They will have my money and my help, but they won't have my mind.

Over the past few years, I have become very disallusioned with organized religion as a whole.  MY own views of faith have liberalized considerably.  I still believe in God, and Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, but I can't bring myself to allign with all but the loosest doctrines of faith, since they all seem to be desinged more to be exclusive than inclusive, and I don't think that's what Christ wanted.

The Catholic clergy are of particular concern to me in this area.  I'm nto talking about pedaphilia, though that might have been the start of my process.  I am refering to their seeming lack of true understanding and true commitment to the faith.  Back in Central, PA we had a number of very good, very respectable preists.  In my travels, however, I have discovered that that seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

Most preists here in Erie are either super-Liberal freaks who are nothing but social workers with a collar, or they are totally disconnected from even thier parish community, let alone the community as a whole.  The Bishop in particular worries me.  I can't see how a Church that is influnced by the Holy Spirit any more than anyother Christian Church could ever make our Bishop a leader of the faith.

I had not gone to Mass in over 6 months until a few weeks ago when I went out of curtisy to my friends and to show them that I wasn't becoming evil (as my family seems to think) but I just honestly had a hardtime applying my faith to a Catholic setting.  On the way in, I made a joke about how chances were they woudl just talk abotu money... and low and behold, after the Readings (which concerned the "One Body") the priest luanched into a talk about how they needed money for the Stewardship Appeal.  They was no mention of the readings at all.  Afterwards... I refused to go to communion out of respect for a Chruch I no longer have full faith in and as we left, the fact that I was right in my prediction and that I was the only one who remembered the readings somehow made me an asshole to my friends.

That was pretty much it, but until now, I was not prepared to make any real announcment.  I am sure of it now.

Anyway... just thought you guys might find this suprising.

Oddly enough... I don't feel joy.  My Irish ancestors were starved, beat up and killed for this faith... I hate to think that I am dishonoring them, but I have to do what I feel is right at the moment.

[Gabu]

Over the past few years, I have become very disallusioned with organized religion as a whole.

I've always been disillusioned with organized religion, so welcome to the club.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Oddly enough... I don't feel joy.  My Irish ancestors were starved, beat up and killed for this faith... I hate to think that I am dishonoring them, but I have to do what I feel is right at the moment.

Where's the problem? A lot of bad things happend to my French ancestors, but I'm not a Calvinist.

[12th Doctor]

Oddly enough... I don't feel joy.  My Irish ancestors were starved, beat up and killed for this faith... I hate to think that I am dishonoring them, but I have to do what I feel is right at the moment.

Where's the problem? A lot of bad things happend to my French ancestors, but I'm not a Calvinist.

You probably didn't speand the first 18 years of your life hearing about France, the French and what "They did to us" all the time.

[Democratic Hawk]

I used to quite content belonging to the Church of England because it never seemed to be obssessed with any hang-ups; of course, with the fallout in some parts of the Anglican Communion over the issue of gay priests, that seems to have changed

I consider myself fairly liberal-to-mainline Protestant anyway and I don't see me leaving

Dave

[Filuwaúrdjan]

You probably didn't speand the first 18 years of your life hearing about France, the French and what "They did to us" all the time.

No, I didn't; there's a some residual anti-Catholic sentiment in my family, but that's about it.
But I don't really see why that matters.

Btw, I would understand where you're coming from on this if you were considering joining an Episcopal or Presbyterian church or something like that.

[Joe Republic]

Welcome to the club, Chris.

(Disillusioned Irish ex-Catholics, that is.)

[Colin]

Welcome to the club, Chris.

(Disillusioned Irish ex-Catholics, that is.)

I guess you could count me in that club too I'm just not pure Irish.

[Virginian87]

Good for you! 

As a mainline Presbyterian, I really don't think I could ever fit in to the Roman Catholic method of worship as well; it just seems to restrictive to me.

[afleitch]

I think you’ve made the right decision, and it’s one that you have given a lot of thought. I consider myself a ‘Catholic in Exile’; I’ve never had much problem with the faith or with Catholicism and I took a fair amount of inspiration from the Jesuit ‘corner’ of Catholicism. But we have a Church body, from the bishops up, that is essentially crooked. Pedophilia is swept under the carpet and those who perpetrate it are simply ‘moved on’ to another parish. For me, but I know countless people will disagree, these problems have stemmed from an imposed, rather than voluntary celibacy which is repressing sexual desire with disasterous and sinister consequences.

My own parish priest and this was over ten years ago now was young, popular and dynamic. But he stood up one Sunday and said he had fallen in love and had to leave. There wasn’t a dry eye in the church. In Scotland the Church is light years behind the laity, who are more socially liberal and morally permissive than the bishops and most of priests, and if a priest speaks out he is reprimanded. I have met many Jesuit priests who in private hold different positions of faith from the Church, but won’t say so in public. The entire body of Church is being plagued by a spiral of silence to the extent that differences in theological position are subverted. But then the Catholic Church has always done this.

I still try to attend Church; I don’t believe in going out of habit rather than out of desire or need but sometimes I wonder why I still go at all in spite of everything. Of course the whole ‘gay’ thing makes it more difficult but if anything it keeps me going despite one half saying ‘you’re gay don’t go to church because of how you’re treated or viewed’ and the other half saying they don’t want me there because of it.

If you’ve made the decision to leave, then you’ve probably given your faith a lot more thought than some of your family have who may attend out of habit, tradition or personal fear.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Christianity as you can see never took root in me.

[Јas]

Oddly enough... I don't feel joy.  My Irish ancestors were starved, beat up and killed for this faith... I hate to think that I am dishonoring them, but I have to do what I feel is right at the moment.

There is certainly no dishonour here whatsoever. You're standing by the courage of your convictions (as your ancestors did). To thine own self be true, and all that...

[Keystone Phil]

To address one specific point from your post - I don't like if there is an emphasis only on money in a homily but I do realize, and hopefully you will, too, whether you be Catholic or not, that this Church is in desperate need of money. I saw the budget for my old high school and it'll probably get pretty bad soon. The schools and the Church as a whole are struggling and if they don't get the funding that they need, the Catholic Church in the U.S. is going to be in a lot of trouble (as if it isn't bad enough).

I won't comment on your other reasons for leaving the Church. I just hope that this doesn't turn into a Catholic bashing thread.

[minionofmidas]

Both of my parents made that same decision - leaving the RCC - when they were a couple years younger than you're now, and before they met.

Btw, Happy Birthday!

[Bono]

Oddly enough... I don't feel joy.  My Irish ancestors were starved, beat up and killed for this faith... I hate to think that I am dishonoring them, but I have to do what I feel is right at the moment.

Where's the problem? A lot of bad things happend to my French ancestors, but I'm not a Calvinist.

Yet.
But don't worry, if nothing, all true Christians will be Calvinists in glory.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

I just hope that this doesn't turn into a Catholic bashing thread.

Ok, then we’ll save for another day a discussion on the fact the RCC claims Muslims who reject Jesus Christ’s deity and resurrection are still saved through worship of Allah.  We wouldn’t want to “bash” anyone by lifting up Jesus as the one and only path to God.

[minionofmidas]

Worship of God. If you want to be pedantic, Worship of the God.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

Worship of God. If you want to be pedantic, Worship of the God.

John 3:18 "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." (Jesus Christ)

John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (Jesus Christ)

Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else"  (Apostle Peter)

1John 2:23 "No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also."  (Apostle John)

1John 5:10 "Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son."  (Apostle John)

Therefore, no one who rejects Jesus Christ will be saved.  Is that not what these verses say?

[they don't love you like i love you]

We should install some sort of filter that prohibits jmfcst from quoting the Bible.

[bullmoose88]

We should install some sort of filter that prohibits jmfcst from quoting the Bible.

Da Lutheran Mafia...hard at work.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

We should install some sort of filter that prohibits jmfcst from quoting the Bible.

well, if you need a filter, you could cover your ears if you no longer what to hear that Jesus is the only way to God.

"Look," Stephen said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."  At this they covered their ears. (Acts 7:56-57) 

[Joe Republic]

We should install some sort of filter that prohibits jmfcst from quoting the Bible.

well, if you need a filter, you could cover your ears if you no longer what to hear that Jesus is the only way to God.

Given that I can't hear anything on this forum, I no longer want to see that Jesus is the only way to God.  Let me guess; I should shut my eyes and start typing randomly?

Hmm, I'm actually kinda curious.  Let's try it:

djoy i[ uoi nptiem yt;rojpv myuivsdr; kphbdu vstrd snpuy uipit fivclomh \\\\\nioble.


Aw, damn.  I almost had it.  Believe me when I say that was honestly meant to be a legitimate sentence.  Anyway, the moral of the story is: shut up.

[Swing low, sweet chariot. Comin' for to carry me home.]

well, if you need a filter, you could cover your ears if you no longer what to hear that Jesus is the only way to God.

"Look," Stephen said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."  At this they covered their ears. (Acts 7:56-57) 

Anyway, the moral of the story is: shut up.

correct, that is exactly what they wanted Stephen to do.  And it was common practice to try to muzzle Christians, because there is just something about the name of Jesus that gets under people’s skin:

Acts 5:30 "They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go."

[Joe Republic]

Mmm hmm.... oh!, sorry, what?  Yeah, that's nice.

[DownWithTheLeft]

I respect your decision to leave the church as I too am disheartened by how liberal the church has become.  If we wanted to be a serious religion we would let people know if you join another religion you go to hell and start excommunicating people for abortions and stuff