I can say this because I am a revert to the Catholic Church. I left, due to poor catechesis, embraced the lie of anti-Catholicism, and then after a thorough investigation and God's grace came back.
And plainly people leave for two reasons, poor catechesis, or unconfesed sin. anything else they tell you is a lie to make themselves feel better.
Yep! Welcome back by the way!
No, so many people leave it for reasons that have become more and more understandable to me the longer I’ve been a Christian. The world is simply far more exciting, interesting and even helpful than the clockwork machinery of the Catholic Church, which buries the truth in so much trivia and man-made ritual, and puts itself in between the Lord and man to keep them separate as much as possible. And why did that happen? I’m just reading today about how the ancient world tolerated homosexuality, and then the Church came along and eventually with its power clamped down on it, getting laws passed to make it illegal. Homosexuality (and sexual immorality in general) just didn’t disappear from the former Roman Empire for over a thousand years. It went somewhere. And one place it might have gone back then is into the Catholic priesthood. If something can’t be destroyed from outside, the alternative is to destroy it from within, which the spirit of antichrist has been doing in recent times, too. In politics there’s been Log Cabin Republicans, and GOProud, for example.
And the power of the priesthood, almost godlike, is especially attractive to the flesh. I work in a fast-food restaurant and how people can get pride over being just one step higher than other employees in some small way, as if we aren’t adults “flipping burgers.” But that’s human nature, and I can’t imagine in that case what the priesthood and Vatican must be like, but we get a lot of glimpses. I know the Catholic Church went after a woman who sued it after she was raped by a priest as a child. The man was convicted in another case, but the statue of limitations was up in hers so they sued her for legal fees. Then another case profiled on TV lately. A priest murdered a young woman and all the signs pointed to it, but the Catholic Church protected him and even apparently managed to pressure law enforcement. And call these anecdotes if you will, but I would have plenty more to say on the hubris of the priesthood if you’re interested. I don’t lightly question and find fault with a church organization who professes to follow Jesus Christ, but over time from observing the Catholic Church I’ve grown more and more disturbed by it. It also seems involved with so much of the racial segregation in our country, too. The Northeast is most segregated of all (per a study of schools). All in all, I know something very important. I can say, “Lord, I surrender all to you. If in anything I’m not surrendered to you, help me to surrender it to you. Let not my will be done if it conflicts with yours.” Have you and can you say that?
“And plainly people leave for two reasons, poor catechesis, or unconfesed sin. anything else they tell you is a lie to make themselves feel better. “
Hi verga. Hope you are well these days.
I will gently disagree with your conclusion. I suspect there are a great many reasons people make decisions. Based on the discussions I’ve personally had with people who left catholicism and were now worshipping at another Christian denomination, I’d add:
A desire to know God in a personal way.
Assurance of eternal life.
Relevant worship and teaching.
A desire for the joy and comfort they witnessed in their Christian friends lives.
I suspect you could add to that, since it is off the top of my head and it wasn’t a large survey. Just Christians I’ve talked to over the decades.
Most of those I know/knew were confirmed and well catechized and frequent attenders. They had never personally entrusted themselves to Christ for salvation.
Some were infrequent in their attendance. They had quit going because they didn’t feel the mass was relevant culturally.
You may disagree or disbelieve this list, but it’s what I’ve heard in conversations.
I rejoice that they found Christ and are pursuing Him, as I rejoice when anyone follows Christ.
This is a very funny statement, none of it is backed up by anything other than bluster.
My!
Aren't YOU judgmental today!
FIRE them bad teachers!