Did you officially defect from RC church?

iddy

Hi

For anybody who was born / baptised a Catholic but has since converted.

Did you officially leave the Roman Catholic Church (i.e. officially defect) or not? and why did you or did you not?

Max Power1

probably more at home in A&A!

Yes I did formally write to my local bishop recently. Havent heard back but IMO point made.

whatdoicare

Isn't it like virtually impossible and insanely expensive to offically leave the church? There was a thread about it once.....I think,

Turtwig

I think this thread is meant for Christians who were once Catholics but now some other kind of Christian?

Coriolanus

Defection by Formal Act should be easy and pretty much free barring a few stamps. Some dioceses might make it less easy by wrapping up some red tape but by no means have I heard of it ever costing money.

And to the OP, no, I haven't gotten around to it yet.

iddy

Malty_T wrote: »

I think this thread is meant for Christians who were once Catholics but now some other kind of Christian?

yes thats sort of correct but there will be some here who know exactly what i mean. not really the place for that discussion!

whatdoicare wrote: »

Isn't it like virtually impossible and insanely expensive to offically leave the church?

They put a note beside the entry for your baptism stating that you have "defected from the church" so the record is ammended rather than deleted. Cost me the price of a stamp.

whatdoicare

iddy wrote: »

They put a note beside the entry for your baptism stating that you have "defected from the church" so the record is ammended rather than deleted. Cost me the price of a stamp.

Oh yes, that's it- you can ammend it but you're still counted in the census as catholic, or something along those lines. It's all something to do with the church keeping the numbers up.

iddy

whatdoicare wrote: »

Oh yes, that's it- you can ammend it but you're still counted in the census as catholic, or something along those lines.

You can see their reasons though. It did actually happen so they cant delete the record. If somebody was to look at my record I'd rather they see that i formally left the RC church. Then they could investigate why if they wanted to.

whatdoicare

iddy wrote: »

You can see their reasons though. It did actually happen so they cant delete the record. If somebody was to look at my record I'd rather they see that i formally left the RC church. Then they could investigate why if they wanted to.

I don't think anyone is gonna investigate somehow, they'll just record so many catholics in Ireland- blah blah blah- hooray Ireland is still a mainly christian country (according to the census)!


or so I kind of half remember from that other thread.....

iddy

whatdoicare wrote: »

I don't think anyone is gonna investigate somehow, they'll just record so many catholics in Ireland- blah blah blah- hooray Ireland is still a mainly christian country (according to the census)!

I was thinking more along the lines of family tree research... My family are still Catholic so my kid is the first to not be baptised into the Catholic church for as far back as was checked (my aunt is big into family history)

as125634do

Max Power1 wrote: »

probably more at home in A&A!

Yes I did formally write to my local bishop recently. Havent heard back but IMO point made.

im a real loser but that is pathetic !

Coriolanus

Funnily enough, the Census Bureau uses the information from the Census Reports to determine who is a Catholic etc, not the Baptismal Record. The RCC may have it's own internal audit of numbers but they're not the official ones, the Census is.
Course, 9 out of 10 Irish Mammy's record their children as Catholic* anyway, so...

*Statistics brought to you via Offical Madeup Poll Data Inc.

Max Power1

as125634do wrote: »

im a real loser but that is pathetic !

well im sorry you feel that way. I hate religion, and the idea of me being in a list of believers in cloak and dagger tricks and spurios lies from some 2000year old cult makes me sick

iddy

as125634do wrote: »

im a real loser

Soul Winner

iddy wrote: »

Hi

For anybody who was born / baptised a Catholic but has since converted.

Did you officially leave the Roman Catholic Church (i.e. officially defect) or not? and why did you or did you not?

I was baptized into the RCC, I made my Holy Communion and Confirmation but my heart was never really in the RCC, so you could say that I was never really in it as such and therefore didn't really leave it. Being brought up into something like the RCC is not like converting to it. I converted to Christianity when I was about 20 years old, which means I mustn't have been a Christian before that even though I had always considered myself to be one due to my RCC upbringing.

That said I have great respect for Catholics who actually practice Catholicism, just like I have respect for atheists who practice their atheism and by that I mean that they don't succumb to the pressure of tradition and partake of sacraments and such just to please relatives and community. But I have absolutely no respect for people who just go with the crowd and do things which are holy and sacred to real Catholics just for the sake of keeping the peace with everyone. Be yourself no matter what, if that means being an atheist then be an atheist, if Catholic then be a Catholic. In short, have the balls to actually be who you are and let the chips fall where they may. I’m a Christian and I couldn’t give a bleep what anyone else thinks of that. Sorry for the rant :pac:

iddy

Max Power1 wrote: »

....I hate religion, and the idea of me being in a list of believers in cloak and dagger tricks and spurios lies from some 2000year old cult makes me sick

If by religion you mean mans effort to make himself right with god, then I have to agree with you on that!

The Christendom we have today is a far cry from its humble beginnings.. the parable of the mustard seed that grew into a tree points to that truth.

Take a look at the book of Acts in the Bible and compare whats there to what we have today. by and large you wont see many similarities.

Fanny Cradock

as125634do wrote: »

im a real loser but that is pathetic !

You better read the charter and pay particular attention to civility towards other posters. This is you only free pass.

Max Power1 wrote: »

well im sorry you feel that way. I hate religion, and the idea of me being in a list of believers in cloak and dagger tricks and spurios lies from some 2000year old cult makes me sick

Again, I'm feeling charitable. If you want to express your hatred then you do it somewhere else. Next time you are for the chop.

Max Power1

iddy wrote: »

If by religion you mean mans effort to make himself right with god, then I have to agree with you on that!

The Christendom we have today is a far cry from its humble beginnings.. the parable of the mustard seed that grew into a tree points to that truth.

Take a look at the book of Acts in the Bible and compare whats there to what we have today. by and large you wont see many similarities.

Thank you but no thank you. That is the politest way I will put that, and shall not respond to your trolling remarks again

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

Again, I'm feeling charitable. If you want to express your hatred then you do it somewhere else. Next time you are for the chop.

My apologies Fanny Craddock, I was just peeved shall we say, by the previous remarks. Wont happen again

NothingMan

I defected using count me out. I got a response from my arch diocese requesting to meet. I politely declined the invitation and they said they would forward my request to my own parish and would send me confirmation.

I still haven't recieved confirmation that they have amended my records yet though.

I probably would not have done it if it wasn't made so easy by the website, but I am glad I did it.

As for why, I changed my ideals on religion as I grew older. I no longer agree with organised religion or the close church state bond. I would consider myself extremely atheist, but I do still have respect for other peoples spirituality, as long as they don't try and evangelise to me or act violently or irrationally based on their religious beliefs.

JimiTime

Max Power1 wrote: »

Thank you but no thank you. That is the politest way I will put that, and shall not respond to your trolling remarks again

You got the wrong guy. The troll was 'as125634do'. The guy you addressed above is the OP.

lugha

Soul Winner wrote: »

I was baptized into the RCC, I made my Holy Communion and Confirmation but my heart was never really in the RCC, so you could say that I was never really in it as such and therefore didn't really leave it. Being brought up into something like the RCC is not like converting to it. I converted to Christianity when I was about 20 years old, which means I mustn't have been a Christian before that even though I had always considered myself to be one due to my RCC upbringing.

That said I have great respect for Catholics who actually practice Catholicism, just like I have respect for atheists who practice their atheism and by that I mean that they don't succumb to the pressure of tradition and partake of sacraments and such just to please relatives and community. But I have absolutely no respect for people who just go with the crowd and do things which are holy and sacred to real Catholics just for the sake of keeping the peace with everyone. Be yourself no matter what, if that means being an atheist then be an atheist, if Catholic then be a Catholic. In short, have the balls to actually be who you are and let the chips fall where they may. I’m a Christian and I couldn’t give a bleep what anyone else thinks of that. Sorry for the rant :pac:

It seems you happily engaged in the sort of conforming behavior when you were younger that you now find so distasteful in others, no? I don't see anything terribly wrong with those with no conviction taking part in church ceremonies if the church does not expressly declare them unwelcome. And the RC most decidedly does not do that. There is also the problem that those who believe may not be quite as generous as you in their attitude to those who do not. Is it not curious that in democracies like Ireland, the US and even Britain, the atheist public representative is practically non existent? As I said, I don't think the RC church in Ireland would endorse your view. I suspect the realize the congregations would be absolutely decimated if they banished those who were not true Catholics. Look at all those who considered leaving the RC church because of the abuse scandal, almost as flippantly as if they were changing political allegiances or broadband service provider.

NothingMan

NothingMan wrote: »

I defected using count me out. I got a response from my arch diocese requesting to meet. I politely declined the invitation and they said they would forward my request to my own parish and would send me confirmation.

I still haven't recieved confirmation that they have amended my records yet though.

I probably would not have done it if it wasn't made so easy by the website, but I am glad I did it.

As for why, I changed my ideals on religion as I grew older. I no longer agree with organised religion or the close church state bond. I would consider myself extremely atheist, but I do still have respect for other peoples spirituality, as long as they don't try and evangelise to me or act violently or irrationally based on their religious beliefs.

Just arrived home from work and have a letter confirming my formal defection, and a copy of my Baptismal Cert saying as such.

PDN

lugha wrote: »

Is it not curious that in democracies like Ireland, the US and even Britain, the atheist public representative is practically non existent?

I don't think its curious at all. Non-religious people are pretty well represented in public life. That's probably because they come across as being more likeable.

That's not a slam at atheists, by the way. Those with very strong religious views are usually rejected by the electorate. Democracies have learned that the centre is usually to be preferred over the extremes, and that applies to religion too. Committed Christians, and committed atheists, believe that they are right - and voters often (although not always) tend to vote for people who are a bit more humble when it comes to such matters.

lugha

PDN wrote: »

I don't think its curious at all. Non-religious people are pretty well represented in public life. That's probably because they come across as being more likeable.

Mary Kenny might give you are argument about that.
Anyway I was making the point that it might not always be in one’s interests to be entirely honest about one’s religious convictions, or lack there of. In seems likely to me for example that there would be perhaps a couple of dozen members at least of the Irish Oireachtas who are atheists but who not openly so. In short, the atheist public representative probably does exist but chooses to keep mum about it

Soul Winner

lugha wrote: »

It seems you happily engaged in the sort of conforming behavior when you were younger that you now find so distasteful in others, no? I don't see anything terribly wrong with those with no conviction taking part in church ceremonies if the church does not expressly declare them unwelcome. And the RC most decidedly does not do that. There is also the problem that those who believe may not be quite as generous as you in their attitude to those who do not. Is it not curious that in democracies like Ireland, the US and even Britain, the atheist public representative is practically non existent? As I said, I don't think the RC church in Ireland would endorse your view. I suspect the realize the congregations would be absolutely decimated if they banished those who were not true Catholics. Look at all those who considered leaving the RC church because of the abuse scandal, almost as flippantly as if they were changing political allegiances or broadband service provider.

Promoting faith in God by preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ is what Christianity is supposed to be all about, not making sure a building is full. Quality is better than quantity. Great if you can fill buildings with real believers and trusters in God, but if you can't then you can't, no need to water the message down over it. I don't believe people should be made to feel that they have to believe in something if they have no good reason to and being brought up in a Catholic country like Ireland is rife with that kind of thing. You just go through the motions without actually understanding what it is you are supposed to be believing in. I'm sorry but I take that kind of thing seriously. I sat in churches for years just because I thought I had to do it, then I found out that I didn't have to do it and even if I did it wouldn't guarantee me what I thought it would guarantee me, a place in heaven. That is what we are taught in Catholicism. You just do what the church tells you and they'll look after your salvation and position with God. That is not scriptural and scripture is supposed to have the last word on these matters. So when an organization starts teaching doctrine that contradicts thus saith the Word then I'm out of there.

RAMADAN

iddy wrote: »

Hi

For anybody who was born / baptised a Catholic but has since converted.

Did you officially leave the Roman Catholic Church (i.e. officially defect) or not? and why did you or did you not?

From a church point of view, this is probably a much bigger issue in Germany than in Ireland, due to the taxation system whereby a part of your tax goes to the church you stipulate.

Historically in Ireland it is interesting to note the events in Ballaghdreen (sp?) some decades back. If memory serves me there was a group of Pentecostals (the Elim Pentecostal Church) who incurred the wrath of the RC bishops, and the hierarchy then issued a pastoral letter on the topic. I noted that at the time there was no problem as long as people were lapsed Catholics but once they came to life in Christ outside of the RC church, that was unacceptable. So much for the Lord's prayer, that all may be one. Better a dead Catholic than a live Christian or so it seemed:rolleyes::rolleyes:

PDN

RAMADAN wrote: »

From a church point of view, this is probably a much bigger issue in Germany than in Ireland, due to the taxation system whereby a part of your tax goes to the church you stipulate.

Historically in Ireland it is interesting to note the events in Ballaghdreen (sp?) some decades back. If memory serves me there was a group of Pentecostals (the Elim Pentecostal Church) who incurred the wrath of the RC bishops, and the hierarchy then issued a pastoral letter on the topic. I noted that at the time there was no problem as long as people were lapsed Catholics but once they came to life in Christ outside of the RC church, that was unacceptable. So much for the Lord's prayer, that all may be one. Better a dead Catholic than a live Christian or so it seemed:rolleyes::rolleyes:

I've seen the same thing a number of times in connection with our church.

You would get teenagers and young adults in the community who were well known to be taking and even dealing drugs, involved in crime, fathering children outside of wedlock etc. All this time their families received no communication from the established Church about their sons. Then the young person in question would attend our Church, get themselves clean, start to turn their life around. At that stage the families would receive a visit from the priest warning them that their son was in danger by being involved with a bunch of 'Bible thumpers'. It always seemed like a strange set of priorities to me.

To be fair, I haven't heard of this happening so much in the last 5 years or so. That may be an acceptance that our society has become more multicultural and pluralistic, or maybe the volume of defections has increased to where a young man joining an evangelical church no longer merits a personal visit to his family?

Gadfly

I officially defected the RCC on the 2nd of November. I'm sorry I didn't do it sooner. I feel like a weight's been lifted of my shoulders.

Thanks to all at CMO.