to ex-Catholics:did you REALLY study your beliefs before you decided to turn your back on the Catholic Church?
955287
That's a good question .If you didn't have it in the first place you didn't loose it.\nMLM can you explain what "whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in Heaven and the sins of those you forgive they shall be forgiven"?
962958
It was a slow and often painful transition.  In fact, I set out trying to BUILD my faith in God and Jesus, not lose it.  If you knew how many times I went into the church after hours and alternately screamed in rage and humbly begged Jesus to give me one TINY sliver of evidence or proof, you'd be able to count to a very high number, considering it took many years.\n\nIn the end, the proof never came.\n\nI didn't choose to be an atheist.  Religion just stopped making sense.\n\nStill, I'm glad to be where I am, it feels as right now as Christianity felt before that painful transition period.
667612
In order to further brainwash you into believing and following the Catholic church.  You wouldn't disobey your Dad would you?
760177
I was raised catholic and taught not to question. - but never told it was a sin. When I became sort of evangelical I was encouraged to question "why do I believe what I believe". I even studied other religions over the last 15 years because it seemed like religious faith was a significant part of who many people are at their core and their cultural background. It was very fascinating. But, I also discovered there are absolute truths out there.\n\nI think some religious leaders think it is dangerous to "dabble" a little bit in a whole bunch of different religions because it's a "smorgasboard" approach. The danger lies in believing that we are all ultimately believing in the same God - (which would be very comforting) - but in fact we are not. There are fundamental beliefs in each major religion that just are not compatible with each other. For example, it is not logical to believe in BOTH reincarnation and the death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. You also cannot claim to be monotheistic and accept the polytheistic religions' gods at the same time - as you may be insulting one or some of the gods by doing that. \n\nIn the end - it is good to question. Just be very thorough in your research and questioning rather than just picking and choosing based on what's easiest to believe in (or finding something "better"). Frankly, it's probably easiest to be a hedonistic atheist - than a follower of ANY religious faith because most want you to be a "self-LESS" person dedicated to a higher moral way of life. Please note that not all atheists are hedonistic.\n\nThere ARE absolute truths out there and if you are earnestly seeking the God that is historically correct and proven through thousands of documents - then you CAN find the One True God.
955190
I am an ex-ex-christian. I realized that I was wrong to leave, and went back.
291455
Yes, I was raised Catholic and converted to Wicca when I was 21.  I had become increasingly unhappy about some of their theology and will be honest the way the sex scandal was handled was my last straw.  At that point I still did believe in Christianity.  But when I searched for the sect that mirrored what I thought I read the bible more and more and things just didn't make much sense any more. Then the more I read and looked the inconsistencies and contradictions jumped out.  The OT horrified me beyond belief and I couldn't understand the shift from the OT to the NT, it was as if God had a personality transplant.  Then I began finding out the changes that had been done to it, stuff taken out, re-written, gutted, etc.  and my disbelief grew.   The end finally came while I was watching George Carlin, believe it or not.  When he did his skit about how God and Santa sounded about the same, I was floored.  I sat there as that played through my mind and it made sense.  My faith officially died.  After that I read the books of many faiths from around the world.  Wicca matched what I believed best and my journey ended with it.
621566
First of all: I AM PROUD TO BE A CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN!\n\nMost people (Catholics and Protestants alike) have many, many misconceptions about Catholic teaching. Most people only THINK they know what the Catholic Church teaches. These  people believe what some misinformed person has told them and they start bashing the Catholic Church.\n\nMatthew 15:14\n"... If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."\n\nDo yourself a favor and learn what the Catholic Church REALLY teaches, then decide whether to hate Her or not.\n\nIf you want to know what the Catholic Church really teaches, look at the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):\n\nhttp://www.usccb.org/catechism/\n\nMany Protestants talk about a personal relationship with Jesus and I'm sure they have something... BUT if you want to experience and enter into the DEEPEST personal relationship that you can have with Jesus, read John Chapter 6 THEN read what the Catholic Church teaches (and HAS ALWAYS taught) about the Holy Eucharist.\n\nhttp://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt1art3.htm\n\nIf you are REALLY searching for the Truth (Jesus), and the Way (Jesus) and the Life (Jesus), learn about the Holy Eucharist.\n\nJesus said: "This is my Body" ... He meant it.\n\n                        John 8:32
682987
I think that those who change religions are either confused or they find other religions to be more convenient with their lifestyles and so they change. I myself would never change my religion (I'm Catholic) and trust me being a Catholic is hard stuff, you have to forgive people all the time and not hold grudges (Jesus!!! Why are there so many a^s^s^holes out there!), so if I was confused I would choose another religion, but I'm not a coward, so I'll be a Catholic 4 life!
1177188
I grew up as Catholic. \n\nWhen I reached the age to ask questions about what I believed and cared about, I looked around at other faiths and decided that Catholicism answered all my questions. \n\nSo I go to the Catholic church around the corner. I can also find a Catholic church where ever I travel.\n\nWith love in Christ.
838392
It was not one single event. I was just an honest Christian trying to do what the bible said do and people who do not believe that baptism is essential for salvation, kept attacking me and especially those who believe in miracles and tongue speaking and I had to always defend scripture. That wasn't too bad until these people infiltrated the churches of Christ and I started getting attacked even at church by people who wanted to use instrumental music and believe in once saved always saved. \n\nIf God cannot keep his one and only church holy and clear of false teachers, then why should I bother to keep defending the gospel?\n\nEven that did not make me turn but I kept reading scripture and the errors kept jumping out at me until I finally had to realized the bible is not the perfect word of God I once thought it was.\n\nI lost my my whole family due to church differances and even my children and many jobs , but I was willing to die for what i beleived the bible said. \n\nI haven't seen or heard from any family for over 10 years and my dad died hating me for my religious beleifs. He thought I was demon possessed when I served Christ. I wonder what he would think now that I am Wiccan? \n\nI am now pagan, Wicca to be exact and since we believe all paths lead to Deity, i no longer have to defend God's truth. \n\nI now believe in personal truth and not absolute truth.
729951
Hocus Pocus, pure and simple!\n\n(I was a catholic for 28yrs until I decided to study up on my "religion" from their own writings, and was amazed at the nonsense of it). They, themselves, convinced me it was false!
655725
I had a religious Catholic upbringing at home and school, I chose to go to a co-ed state high school instead of a Catholic all-boys one, quickly learned that not everyone has belief in God.\n\nI  went on to University and mixed with every type of person and gradually the religious conditioning began to fade away but I still half believed in God and would never dare say I didn't believe in case I was struck down on the spot.\n\nI took up buddhism for a time and it cleared my head even more. \n\nQuite recently only a few years ago I was aware that all the religious garbage had finally left my head, I felt clear clean and bright and life made sense more than at any time previously, I still feel that way and I can tell you it's great. But it was a long slow and gradual process, not hard work though. \n\nI'm very pleased to be in charge of my own brain instead of having some religious dogma in charge of it. If you are not  controlling your own brain and thoughts somebody else is ...you can be sure of that (and I don't mean God guys).\n\nProblem is my family, and one especially newly fundamentalist sister..she gets very nasty at times and communication is on hold for time being.
1105655
Catholicism.\nAnd yes I have, which is why I'm an Atheist.
180254
I was baptized Catholic as a baby, and raised that way throughout my early childhood. Eventually my parents stopped attending church, and so did I. I never really felt connected to what the Church preached, but I didn't question it because I had never been exposed to anything else. Eventually, I went on a self-exploration. I took it upon myself to find, research, and learn about other religions, views, beliefs, practices, philosophies, theories, etc.\n\nDuring my soul-search, I made a collaboration of different things I found to be logical, reasonable, logical, and sensible in my own personal opinion. I basically created my own religion. I followed that path for a while, and relished not conforming to an organized religion, because my beliefs were free to grow and change as I grew and changed (and learned). Then one day a friend introduced me to Wicca.\n\nWicca is a Neopagan religion, first reformed by Gerald Gardener in 1940 based on what is believed to be the beliefs of the ancient Celts. The more I learned about it, the more in coincided with the beliefs I'd already pieced together on my own. Its lack of dogma allows any follower to define his or her own beliefs within little restriction. This allowed my beliefs to continue to grow and change with me. It also does not require any follower to conform to any other follower's specific ideas, as you can either practice in a coven with others who hold the same views, or practice solitarily (like I do).\n\nI would recommend it to anyone looking for something to believe in. You can find out about it here:\n\nBut remember one thing! Because the specifics of the religion are free to be defined by the individual practitioner, no two Wiccans (or Pagans for that matter) will ever agree on everything. I am an open book to any questions you might have if you'd like to contact me through my profile page, or you can find nonbiased information about Wicca here: http://www.religioustolerance.org/witchcra.htm
315079
I did have a similar situation and I left that religion. If you truely believe in something you will not have issues with it, like you said here that you have issues you can't resolve. If you truely believe in something you can't take part and leave another part.\n\nYou said everytime you hear them speak of the church you know it is true. You need to know it is true though it beliefs and teachings not what other people say about a church. What people say and do, don't make something true. Thats one of the reasons I left Christianty.\n\nLook inside your heart. Does it really all make sence, does it really seem like the truth. If you do this and it does then you should not have any issues. If you still have issues maybe it is not as true as you feel it is.\n\nPray to God, any only God. Ask him to guide you to the truth. God willing he will lead you to the one true faith.
273022
I was baptized Catholic as a baby and raised that way throughout my early childhood. After a while my family stopped going to church, and I went on a period of self-exploration. I studied different religious ideas, beliefs, doctrines, etc. and pieced together what made logical, rational, reasonable sense in my opinion. From that I formed my own personal path. I followed it, and preferred not being a part of organized religion because creating my own path meant that my faith could grow and change as I grew and changed (and learned more) instead of remaining fixed and never evolving into something better.\n\nThen a friend of mine introduced me to Wicca. It takes a lot of work and study (I am still), but it allows solitary paths. Its lack of dogma also allows for your faith to grow and change. The more I learned about it, the more it coincided with the beliefs I'd already put together through my soul-searching. Since then I have considered myself a solitary Wiccan.\n\nI think this is the proper way to go about finding religion. Everyone's always saying things like, "I've found religion," or (specifically), "I've found Jesus," but more often than not, IT finds THEM. They believe it because they were raised to believe it, and/or people told them to. They didn't find it for themselves, or even bothered to figure it out. I formed a religion to fit me, rather than conforming myself to fit a religion.
269335
I am a Christian. :)  I wasn't always though. (I'll spare you the gorey details of my sinful life and just focus on religion)\n\nI was raised Roman Catholic.  I received my holy communion when I was young.  About a year before I was to be confirmed, it just fizzled out.\n\nA little while after that a new girl came to our school; her father was a pastor.  I hung out with her a lot and eventually went to her church with her.  It was like nothing I've seen before.  It was very "in your face" and it actually scared me.  The people jumped around and waved their hands in the air and were speaking wildly, it didn't even sound like a real language.  Then one night they told me that I was going to burn in hell forever unless I got saved.  The pressure they put on me was unbearable.  I never remember feeling any love, just judgement because I was not "saved."   As you can imagine that left a VERY BITTER taste in my mouth for Christianity. \n\nThen I studied Wicca.  I worshipped Diana, Helene, Pan, Hecate, and Kernunos.  I practiced white magic during my studies and worship.  That too faded away.\n\nI attempted to study Buddhism but I lost myself in Koans and I just wound up frustrated and confused.\n\nThen I believed in nothing.  I was bitter, at the end of my rope, probably at the worst point in my life.  I hated everything and didn't care one way or another.  I figured that it's fine, we live we die the end.\n\nI dated a guy in the Army and he gave me a painting with "Footprints" on it.  I thought it was cool since it was something that had a hint of hope to it, but I refused to believe what it stood for.\n\nThen one day my world just crashed and I looked at the "footprints" and I fell to my knees crying out to the Lord.  It all made sense.  I confessed my lifelong list of sins.  I begged Christ to forgive me of all my terrible sin.  I asked Him to break me, to come into my heart, to bend my soul to His will.  I asked Him to show me the truth.  I thanked him for giving up so much, for dying on the cross to forgive my sins; for shedding his blood for such an unworthy person.  \nHow did I know what to say?  How did I know it was true?  I tell you, I believe God was with me throughout my entire life and it was at that moment that I finally heard Him and was set free.  He was in my heart all those years, He was with me through it all, He never left me.  It was my time to be set free.\nI've come a long way on my spiritual journey and I know that Jesus is Lord.  I know that God is the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  I believe that the Bible is the Truth.  I believe God's word with all of my core.  I pray everyday.  I spend time in the Word everyday.  My life has changed so much, it's unbelievable.  My attitude is so much better about everything.  I am doing things that I never thought someone like me could.  So many doors have been opened up.  I am learning so much.  To have a relationship with Jesus Christ is an undescribable, beautiful thing.  The unconditional love and understanding is so wonderful.  To know that God has a place for me in His Kingdom is so wonderful.  \n\nI have tears in my eyes as I write this to you.  Why?  Because I am so overcome with joy sharing this.  Yes it may sound corny to others and yes it's quite lenghty, but that's okay.  It's the Joy of the Lord, which is my strength (Nehemiah 8:10).  \n\nNever ever in all my life would I expect to be the woman I am today.  Had I never trusted in the Lord, had I never asked him to come into my life, had I never submitted to God and His will I would be missing out on such a wonderful and perfect thing.\n\nDoes this mean that I'm Ms. Wonderful and everything is just peachy-keen?  Of course not. :)  I have hard days like anyone else.  It is my faith in Jesus Christ and my faith in God's will and His Word which get me through such times.  More often than not am I full of joy.\n