How to get ex-communicated from the RCC.

SeanW

Greetings A&A denizens.

As some of you might know, I consider myself Agnostoic, as opposed to Atheist, but one thing I share in common with a lot of you guys is a contempt for the Roman Catholic Church.

For many years I've considered the story of the RCC (and Abrahamic religion in general) to be a collection of fairy tales, selling a god that is clearly man made, and in recent times I've come to see that when any of their mouthpieces say anything, it's usually a good idea to believe the exact opposite, whether the issue is sexuality, child abuse, or any of a tableau of issues.

However, like most here, I was unfortunate enough to have been raised in a Catholic tradition, baptised, did the whole first confession, communion, confirmation blah blah blah. Never really got into it beyond the "mass is boring" stage though.

I know that there used to be a service called "countmeout.ie" but they had to suspend it when the bishops or the Roman officials or whatever decided that a person could no longer defect from the church.

I was just reading a thread in After Hours or Humanities about Freemasonary and how there was a Papal Bull issued against Catholics joining back in the Eighteen-whatever year it was. So I was thinking, what if I decided I liked Freemasonary, joined a lodge, and told my local bishop "Hi Bishop, I'm a Catholic but I just joined the Freemasons ..."

Would that have the same effect? Would the bishop tell me "you're not a Catholic anymore?" failing that if I ever decided I despised the RCC enough, what else could I do to get off their books as a parishioner?

General Relativity

SeanW wrote: »

Greetings A&A denizens.

As some of you might know, I consider myself Agnostoic, as opposed to Atheist, but one thing I share in common with a lot of you guys is a contempt for the Roman Catholic Church.

For many years I've considered the story of the RCC (and Abrahamic religion in general) to be a collection of fairy tales, selling a god that is clearly man made, and in recent times I've come to see that when any of their mouthpieces say anything, it's usually a good idea to believe the exact opposite, whether the issue is sexuality, child abuse, or any of a tableau of issues.

However, like most here, I was unfortunate enough to have been raised in a Catholic tradition, baptised, did the whole first confession, communion, confirmation blah blah blah. Never really got into it beyond the "mass is boring" stage though.

I know that there used to be a service called "countmeout.ie" but they had to suspend it when the bishops or the Roman officials or whatever decided that a person could no longer defect from the church.

I was just reading a thread in After Hours or Humanities about Freemasonary and how there was a Papal Bull issued against Catholics joining back in the Eighteen-whatever year it was. So I was thinking, what if I decided I liked Freemasonary, joined a lodge, and told my local bishop "Hi Bishop, I'm a Catholic but I just joined the Freemasons ..."

Would that have the same effect? Would the bishop tell me "you're not a Catholic anymore?" failing that if I ever decided I despised the RCC enough, what else could I do to get off their books as a parishioner?

Ex-communicion dosen't mean you're booted out of the church. It just means you can't recive any more sacraments.

You never get off the RCC books. I'm fairly sure even the people who defected using CMO are still considered Catholic in the eyes of the church :rolleyes:. Once you're in you're in for life, I'm afraid.

southcentralts

So if a person who considers themselves out of the catholic faith and no longer attends mass, the church will consider them to be damned and going to hell / purgatory, but the church will still count them as a member of the church.

just like facebook they keep all your details(confessions) after you leave.

General Relativity

southcentralts wrote: »

So if a person who considers themselves out of the catholic faith and no longer attends mass, the church will consider them to be damned and going to hell / purgatory, but the church will still count them as a member of the church.

just like facebook they keep all your details(confessions) after you leave.

From the Vatican website; http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/intrptxt/documents/rc_pc_intrptxt_doc_20060313_actus-formalis_en.html

"It remains clear, in any event, that the sacramental bond of belonging to the Body of Christ that is the Church, conferred by the baptismal character, is an ontological and permanent bond which is not lost by reason of any act or fact of defection."

The bond of Baptism is un-breakable apparently.

matrim

AFAIK, If you are ex-communicated you are still considered part of the church you just cannot receive sacraments. So, if you try to get yourself ex-communicated you are basically telling the church you still consider yourself one of them. As you can't use countmeout any more you're better off just ignoring them.

Also, I think that to join the freemasons you have to swear that you believe in a god (I don't think it matters which one).

Tomk1

General Relativity wrote: »

From the Vatican website; http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/intrptxt/documents/rc_pc_intrptxt_doc_20060313_actus-formalis_en.html


The bond of Baptism is un-breakable apparently.

I'm pretty sure I protested as a baby, unfortunately as I didn't learn to speak till a few years later, my crys and kicking of feet went unoticed.

I've read that some church's will still allow you to change your birth cert so still worth trying.

or you always could convert to Islam, just repeat 'I believe in Islam' 3 times and click your feet while wearing a silly hat, then goto the local high priest and tell him your now a muslim. Of course then you have to get of another religious cult.

Coriolanus

Baptismal cert, birth cert is a different kettle of fish.

Solair

Realistically, all you have to do is decide you're leaving and you no longer / never did believe in what they're teaching.

It's as simple as that.

The Catholic Church won't come chasing after you, they don't really keep any records other than who was baptised. Being baptised isn't a legal contract of some sort, you can simply chose to ignore it.

If you are asked what religion you are on a form e.g. for a hospital admission, census etc.. just tick the "none" option.
(Not the nun option!)

And that's pretty much it!

Canis Lupus

Friend parish priest on facebook.

Go into church, take dump on altar.

Take a photo with a big thumbs up.

Post on priests page.

Excommunication!!!

(you may also be arrested so it depends on how badly you want out).

MagicMarker

Go into mass tomorrow morning and take a dump on the altar.

Canis Lupus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuyjSsxQj2I

doctoremma

SeanW wrote: »

I consider myself Agnostoic, as opposed to Atheist

These terms are not mutually exclusive. I am both atheist (what I believe) and agnostic (what I know or think can be knowable). People can describe themselves as gnostic theist, gnostic atheist, agnostic theist and agnostic atheist. That's before you include definers like ignostic and so on.

So, if you're agnostic, you're saying you don't know about the existence of god. What do you believe?

Anyway, pedantry aside, according to a Wiki, excommunicated Catholics are still counted as Catholic. I don't know what you can do really. Personally, I just stopped attending mass and started ticking 'no religion' in official forms. My friend banged off some letters to her parish, asking that she (nor her children) be considered as Catholic anymore, not sure if she got a reply but she felt that was enough.