Ex-catholics Why Did You Leave?

[hyperdulia again]

bone churches are beautiful

[TABBY]

I can NOT add to this topic for I dont know what it is like to leave the Church...HOWEVER, I do know what it is like to come home to Rome...

Edited January 2, 2004 by TABBY

[DojoGrant]

Isn't that place in the Czech Republic?

[foundsheep]

Nah...

Catholics beating others with VERBAL [or text] hammers??!!

Say it isn't so, really?

Overbearing, self righeous people beating you with DOGMA?

I don't believe it! That NEVER EVER happens...

Never.

....er.....

Well, maybe just a little....

Or more than a little?

Or standard operating procedure?

Like here?

Bruce,

May the Love of God soften you heart,

we must not throw rocks if we live in a glass house. Every chance you get you give a jab at the church, i pray there is more to you than this .

May god bless you and may Grace follow,

Foundsheep

[mulls]

here's my testimony, which Circle had recently asked me for. i edited it a bit, but it's still pretty sloppy, especially for an english major, and it's quite long, but i typed it myself, so give it a look if you're interested.

I was born and raised catholic here in CT. All of my friends and family were, and still are, catholic, though none of them are devout, except for my two grandmothers. My mom would take me to church on sundays, sometimes we would go many many weeks in a row, other times we wouldn't go for a month, and it really wouldn't bother us. I was also sent to catholic school from grades 1 through 8. I did the whole sacraments thing: confession, communion, confirmation in high school.

If anything, my rearing provided for me a solid faith in God. I believed in Jesus and that He died for my sins. However, that was the extent of it. I thought believing, in and of itself, was enough, and that entitled me to live my life any ol' way i wanted, as long as I kept my faith and did the church thing. I wasn't a blatant sinner, per se, it's just that through my whole childhood, everyone was always telling me that I was the "good kid," and since I was a "good kid" and not getting in trouble (actually just never getting caught) meant that God must approve of my life just as much as anybody else does. Once I got my license, I went to mass every sunday on my own, and I actually felt that I was growing closer to God (which was true...you'll see in a minute). But I still wasn't being obedient to Him. I never asked any questions about Catholicism....I figured that's how I was raised, it's right for me, everybody I know is Catholic (the majority of people in the northeast are), and I assumed that all of those 'other' (protestant) churches I noticed all believed the same thing, just kinda did things differently. But I didn't care because I had faith in God, was a good kid, and nobody ever told me differently.

My best friend as a child, John, was two years older than me, and was as much the "bad kid" as I was the "good kid." Once he hit high school, he started getting into more and more trouble, which culminated in him becoming a drug dealer. We both moved away (though to the same town....just minutes from our old homes). We completely drifted from each other, since I saw that he was going down the wrong path and I didn't want to be a part of it.

OK, here's the cool part. Midway through high school, I got word from mutual family friends (my mom and his mom are also best friends) that John became "religious" and turned his life around. I figured yeah right, it's probably just another front, like all of his previous job attempts were. This is just a different lie. But the more people I talked to, the more I was told that we really was a different person. This really tweaked my thought process. But I summed it up to "well, he was in serious trouble, he needed God, but I already have Him, so whatever."

Fast-foward to my high school graduation party in the summer of 2001. John shows up with his mother. The first thing I noticed was how much weight he lost and how good he looked (lean and muscular). It happened that he started eating right, lifting weights, and actually got a job in a local gym. Looking back, this is really where I see God putting things together, since this was precisly the time where I was thinking about starting to lift weights myself, but was always afraid because I never knew where to start. Well, me and John re-connected at my party, and I decided to join the gym that he worked at, so he could teach me. We became workout partners that summer. During our time in the gym, he would start sharing with me some bible stories (basic stuff, nothing drastic that would scare me off), and how he had this great relationship with God.

I still thought this was good for him, but didn't matter for me. In the fall, I went away to college, and really hit the skids. I got into partying, drinking, chasing girls, blah blah blah, all the stuff that I was never into in high school but now loving in college. And my family even encouraged me to let loose a little, since I was a good kid and could be trusted enough to enjoy myself while making so-called 'smart decisions.' So I was having the time of my life in college, though I still communicated with John over the phone. I would feel a little guilty talking to him, since I knew I was living the life that he left behind. God started convicting me a bit. But I still did my party thing at college. But I also still went to mass and prayed, without feeling guilty. I even went to a weekend retreat with my home parish, which was a very, very emotional event. Many kids from my graduating class had attended during high school, and were not back at 'team leaders.' I was so shocked and suprised that everybody came together like this for God, but at the same time, I knew how these people lived their lives, and it disturbed me to hear them talking about going back home and partying and sex and drugs during such a serious event. And these are people supposedly trying to lead people to God. Despite the hypocrisy, the retreat was very powerful and emotional, I came away with the feeling that God had something big, really big, in store for me...and boy did He ever.

When I came home for the summer, I resumed hanging out with John, and this time he started laying it on a little more thick: more bible stuff, specifically chipping away at catholicism (no praying to mary or saints, no purgatory seen in the bible. he was raised the same as me). I knew he wouldn't lie to me, and I always believed in the bible, even though I never read it nor was ever encouraged to read it. So I figured maybe John was really on to something with this stuff.

Finally he started encouraging me to come to church with him (an Assembly of God church). At the time he was involved in youth ministry at his church, so I went to a week-night meeting where the youth pastor preached to the kids. Well, I had never heard actual preaching before, and I fell in love with it. I saw somebody who was fired up about God, and I liked it. I told him I wanted to go to a Sunday service, so I did. I was kinda nervous about skipping mass, since I was told that this was totally different, but I was very interested, so I went. Immediately, I was struck by ethnic diversity in the congregation, as well as the worship and praising. I was shocked to see so many people happy and cheerful about church and about God, and I thought to myself this is how it should be. However, the sermon made me feel very uncomfortable, because for the very first time in my lifeI heard the Truth, the Gospel....and heard it in a way that made it real and personal and tangible. It was messing with me, while I was hearing it and all throughout the week. I was all hung up over this "sin" thing. I know I had always believed in Jesus, and was a good person, and went to mass, and tried to be as good a person as I though possible, but all of a sudden that didn't seem to be enough. I realized I was a convicted sinner, and I had never really listened to God, nonetheless dedicate my life to him. I knew my life was changing, but I figured I would just put it off another week...I wanted at least one last party. Well, my friend has an annual memorial day party (or veterans day....whichever one is in late may/early june, i forget). That night, we end up back at my house, where my mom and stepdad were away for the week, so we played drinking games. Well, after that night I felt totally guilty for my actions, and was mad that God was messing with me like this. But I knew I had to go back to church.

So I went back, and heard a fiery gospel message. I had heard the Truth, and had no choice but to accept it. At the end of the service, the pastor asked the congregation to close their eyes, and if anybody wanted to accept Christ, to raise their hand. Well I did it, right then and there in my seat. It's a good thing it was done that way too, because God knew I wouldn't have the courage to get up and do an altar call. I was completely shaken in the fact that I had been misled for so many years, never hearing this message,, but I was also so happy because I felt like a new person, in Christ. I physically feel the change. It was amzazing.

On the ride home, I started firing questions to my friend about everything I could think of.....catholicism, salvation, sin.....everything. I became aware that I made the most important decision of my life, and when it comes down to it, the only truly important decision that I had ever made or will ever make. I realized how blessed I was that God loved me, personally, and that Christ died for me, personally. But I also knew that nearly everybody in my life had never heard this message, nor gave God any relevant thought. Since that day I've done all I can to study as much about God as possible, and also as much as what people think they know about God as possible.

So it's been about a year and a half since that glorious day when I became a new creature and Christ, and despite the bumps in the road, I wouldn't trade this walk with the Lord for anything.

[hyperdulia again]

You became a new creature in Christ on the day of your Baptism.

[Circle_Master]

it is still good to read. I especially like "However, the sermon made me feel very uncomfortable, because for the very first time in my life I heard the Truth, the Gospel....and heard it in a way that made it real and personal and tangible." That is really a key, evangelism with love. It is the entire point of Ephesians 4:1-5:21 with the focus at 5:2-6.

[mulls]

i actually got baptized (again) 2 sundays ago.

[hyperdulia again]

Lord have mercy.

[Circle_Master]

why do you mock him hyperdulia. I don't post notes saying "have mercy God, she's praying to a dead person again!" He just got baptized. There is plenty of Scripture of baptism NOT at birth, and none AT birth. If anything, I'd say you have no case, not him. And if you want to debate baptism, I have an entire armament ready for that one as well.

[mulls]

yeah hyper i expect those comments from others, not you.

Edited January 2, 2004 by mulls

[hyperdulia again]

It is a mortal sin to be baptised more than once and I don't ch go for being told that I'm still a pagan.

[Circle_Master]

No one said you were a pagan. I gave Scripture. If you follow that, you are not. If you don't, you are a pagan. Make your own choice.

[hyperdulia again]

Every teaching of the Catholic Church is implicitly or explicitly taught in scripture.

[Circle_Master]

ok, show me where baptism is said to be a mortal sin.