Following is a tentative list of topics I would like to explore on this site. I'd like to invite any Catholic in transition or former Catholics to guest post or comment on the following topics.
You may also reach me directly at aftercatholicism@gmail with questions or suggestions for other topics. I welcome your thoughts!
After Catholicism – now what?
Apologetics
Annullments
Authenticity
Bible vs. Catechism
Bloody Church History
Cafeteria Catholics
Catholic Dating Sites – Beware
Catholic Converts
Celibacy in the Priesthood
Confession
Cradle Catholics
Excommunication
Family Planning – Birth Control, Infertility and Single Parenthood
Feminist Theology
Former Catholics – Why did you leave?
Gay Marriage
Good Things About the Church
In the News
Intolerance
Heretics
Hypocrisy
Judgemental Catholics and Parish Cliques
Lent, Fasting and Fish
Love Is a Decision
Marriage – the Church’s particular view
Mary
Non-Catholics Can be Saved
Novenas and the Rosary
Nuns
Opus Dei
Papal Infallability and the Magisterium
Pedophile Scandals in the Church
Parishes in Peril
Pharisaism in Catholicism
Priests In Love
Priests Who Leave and Why
Pro-life Movement
Protestant Reformation and Indulgences
Purgatory
Resources & Reviews - Media
Resources - Online
Sacraments
Sacrifical Love
Single Catholics
Spirituality Versus Religion
Statistics
Stewardship – Time, Talent, Treasure
Vocations
Women in Love With a Priest
Women’s Limited Role
World Marriage Day
6 comments:
Thank you for setting up this website.
It is clear that there is a need for am new and exciting Fundamentalist Catholic church to be formed, to break away from Rome and link directly back to the fundamentals of Jesus.
In the 1960's I believe Jesus returned to his church through Vatican Two to put it back on the rails.
The pre-Vatican Two church had become a European centric, evil institution in which abuse and corruption flourished and Christ was marginalised. It was a fascist organisation favouring European dictators such as Mussolini, Hitler and Franco.
Then, in the 1960s, a breath of fresh air blew into the church through the key reforms of Vatican Two and the church lit up with new opportunity to become a Christian church again.
However, fascists hate not being in charge - and even more they hate sharing of power. They cannot be corrupt in a transparent organisation. So, over the last fifty years there has been a plot to take back the Vatican from Jesus and give it to the evil power brokers such as Pope Benedict. They call it the ”reform of the reform” blaming Vatican Two for the paedophile problem and fall in church numbers when it was the old guard of the church who created the circumstances in which those things occurred.
The Fundamentalist Catholic Church is totally focused on "what Jesus would do" and would be a church of social action, not politics and property. It would earn its place in society, not expect to have one, and power and control would be balanced between laity and a priesthood of male and female priests.
Thank you for your thoughts, anon! I really like your last paragraph; in fact I strive to live my life that way now, to separate the life of Jesus from the Vatican.
Hope you stick around and continue to contribute!
I was born and raised Roman Catholic and it was always my desire to serve in the priesthood. I attend Seminary right out of Elementary School. It was an interesting 3 years before I had to leave do primarily to being unable to cope with abuse rendered to me by my fellow classmates.
Upon leaving I never lost my desire to serve and I felt like a deep hole was left inside me. I loved the Catholic Church. I attended a public High School for my Senior year, and after graduation I joined the Navy and became a Medical person to continue serving.
It was during my military days that things started happening that started my journey away from the Catholic Church. When my son was born my wife and I traveled back to our home town to visit and introduce our son to the relatives. We wanted to have him baptized in the same church my wife and I were married in. Unfortunately the church denied our request because we were not members of that congregation. We wound up having our son Christened at the Naval Hospital Chapel at Great Lakes Naval Base. But we remained steadfast in the faith.
It was not until several year had passed and had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in Rome that my faith started to waiver. I started reading the Bible and did a comparative study of the Catholic and Protestant versions. I noticed that they were pretty much in agreement with each other. But I noticed several little things that the Bible warned against that we as Catholic did by tradition. This was minor but it started me into praying and seeking what God was trying to tell me. Then I noticed the riches and the open idolatry that was taking place. I really began to have questions and when I approached the Chaplain he rebuked me for my thoughts.
I eventually left the church but still felt a real calling on my life and was ordained in the protestant church. But my heart still yearns for more. I found the answer in the Word where it says "seek ye first the Kingdom of God".
This has been my quest and I am serving the best way I know. But one thing that we really need to get back to is remembering that anything that takes our eyes off of God will lead us astray and I believe that the emphasis on Mary and the saints do just that. I pray that more Catholics will find Christ and place Him in His rightful place in their lives.
Tom
I converted to the Catholic church in college, because I loved the history, the rituals, and the faith as it was presented to me in RCIA - a "primacy of conscience" faith, a universal faith, a church for saints and sinners.
Since that time, though, I've found that "real" Catholicism is very different from that presented to me. As a woman who is training to be an ob-gyn, I cannot reconcile the teachings of the church with my fundamental beliefs and the experiences I have had with women's health. I cannot accept that termination of pregnancy is always the worst option, although it is always a sad one. I cannot accept that contraception is anything other than a basic human right. I cannot accept dictates from single men on what to do with my married woman's body. I have tried for years, because my husband is very devout, and because I love God and Jesus in the deepest part of my soul. I just can't do it. The teachings on these issues seem shortsighted, hypocritical and self-contradictory.
I am content to raise my children in the church - even to go to Mass with the family. I wish I had never converted, as I could then attend as a non-Catholic - seems simpler! Unfortunately, I did - though in retrospect I think it was not a legitimate conversion as the faith that was presented to me seems so far removed from the actuality. My husband's family is delighted that I converted, and his mother even calls to congratulate me on my "Catholic anniversary." I feel awful, because to me it is a mistake, not something to be celebrated. I'm not sure where to go from here, or what to say - if anything. Obviously my husband knows how I feel, but I don't want to stir up family drama by bringing others into the loop. Debating whether I can just silently refrain from receiving communion and avoid the issue?... I don't know anyone in the same situation, and would love discussion on how to be true to one's self without rocking the boat in a Catholic family.
I left the RC church about 2 years ago because the priest in my parish
said in a sermon that 'we must believe that the sacrifice of the mass is the literal sacrifice that took place 2000 years ago except it is not a bloody sacrifice. I was 55 then and in all my life I did not know we were supposed to believe this. I had been a strong
catholic in good standing until then. My integrity keeps me away from the church. God was not answering my prayers for a much needed job to earn an honest living
after I had been tricked into taking a redundancy package from the civil service. I began to doubt God's existence and felt I was drifting towards atheism. I felt angry with God and the church as several people in the church did not help and were indifferent to my situation. My reason, however, stopped me from becoming an atheist and I still have a need for God and I am looking for a new spiritual home. I am still a Christian at heart but I have come to believe that most of the churches are in error one way or another. I do not believe in an eternal Hell or that we inherit the guilt of original sin. I think
our natures are corruptible because of it. I think St. Augustine poisoned the Good News of Christianity and therefore the church/churches took a dim view of sexuality and women. To be fair the RC church has improved because of Vatican 2 but it has not gone far enough. There are too many superstitions in the church 'indulgences' for example. This is medieval nonsense.
My husband and I left the Catholic Church after forty years. The sex abuse scandal, views on birth control, women priests, marriage of priests and views of gays and lesbians just didn't jive with our personal beliefs, and we felt we couldn't continue to sit on the pew week after week like drunken sheep. We began attending a lovely, small Episcopal church, became active in the outreach ministry and have been very warmly welcomed. We are very, very happy.
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