u/Former_Algae_444

I recently learned it is a sin to leave the Catholic Church...perhaps I knew this, but forgot.  I am aware that not going to Mass is a sin, marriage to non-Catholics is not possible, etc.   However, this one intrigues me.

I have a number if questions and genuinely seek to understand, not challenge any status quo...it is an educational moment for me (and perhaps others).

EDIT: I did post to r/AskAPriest...they removed it and said to post here.

Assume a person is leaving the Catholic Church is going to a different denimination (Baptist, Lutheran, etc.), is still a believer and follower of Christ. They remain a Christian; however, they are told this is a sin.

1.  Is it s grave sin or mortal sin?

2.  Aren't we all Children of God, regardless of our religious Christian affiliation?

3.  Related to that, how does the Church view indifferentism?  

4.  They follow same God, same Jesus, same Bible, same path to Heaven through Jesus.    What is different?

5.  They are Baptized in the Trinity.  Again, what is different?

6.  Does apostasy truly count?  They are not abandoning their Christian faith, but rather moving denominations.

7.  Is it still a sin, despite the Catholic Church teaching we must follow our informed conscience?

8.  What paragraph(s) in the CCC can I read more on this specific sin?

9.  Assuming this is based on Biblical Theology, what Bible verses are there where I can read about this specific sin? 

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On these posts, we often say "Read the Bible" or "Read your Bible" or "Read Gods Word" or "It is in the Bible".  It is a natural response, but i think it is somewhat short-sighted.

We fail to tell people HOW to read the Bible.  This failure is one of the reasons, amongst others, that we get incorrect interpretations.  People read into a verse what they want -  process known as eisegesis.  Instead, we need to learn what to get out of it - known as exegesis.

A professor of mine always said "Context is King,".  This means we must learn to understand what the author meant when he wrote the book, not what we want it to mean.

So, as we read our Bibles we must learn about the author who wrote the book, the historical context, social issues, political climate, and who the audience was.  For example, knowing why Paul wrote two letters to the Corinthians, or why James book is filled with great wisdom, goes a long way to preventing misinterpretation.

That being said, how do you read the Bible to ensure you are reading and interpretting it correctly?

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On these posts, we often say "Read the Bible" or "Read your Bible" or "Read Gods Word" or "It is in the Bible".  It is a natural response, but i think it is somewhat short-sighted.

We fail to tell people HOW to read the Bible.  This failure is one of the reasons, amongst others, that we get incorrect interpretations.  People read into a verse what they want -  process known as eisegesis.  Instead, we need to learn what to get out of it - known as exegesis.

A professor of mine always said "Context is King,".  This means we must learn to understand what the author meant when he wrote the book, not what we want it to mean.

So, as we read our Bibles we must learn about the author who wrote the book, the historical context, social issues, political climate, and who the audience was.  For example, knowing why Paul wrote two letters to the Corinthians, or why James book is filled with great wisdom, goes a long way to preventing misinterpretation.

That being said, how do you read the Bible to ensure you are reading and interpretting it correctly?

I’m curious to hear from people working in secular, corporate roles.

How do you practically apply your faith_Biblical Principles when faced with corporate culture, competition, or bottom-line-driven decisions?

Are there specific verses or stories in the Bible that help you navigate your professional life without compromising your beliefs?

For the first time in my entire life, I have absolutely nothing.  Not because I gave it away, not because I personally chose to be poor.  Being poor has been forced upon me by circumstances beyond my control.

I once had a great job.  Artificial Intelligence, global outsourcing, and reduction in force put me out of work.  Nearly 1,000 applications yielded 2 interviews...which lead to nowhere.

I once had a family.  My 8 year old son died of a severe illness, my wife of 10 years died shortly after due to brain aneurysm and a failed brain surgery.  She suffered from high BP, but I think the anguish of losing her only son was too much.

I once had hobbies.  I had to sell everything to pay the medical bills.  I was an avid cyclist, amateur photographer, and avid reader. 

I once had a home.  It was foreclosed as I coukd no longer pay the mortgage - because paying medical bills was priority. 

I once had a Church.  I reached out to my Church for a bit of financial support; my request was rejected ... twice.  20 years of tithes/offerings apparently was not enough.  They wanted my money when they were in need, but in reverse I am not worthy to receive anything.

I once believed in prayer.  Daily prayer did not yield a job, nor money, nor a home, nor my wife/son being returned to me.  

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You can say that prayer works.  You can give me verses that provides encouragement.  You can say God loves me.  You can say He has a plan for me.  You can say I should have hope and faith.  You can be sorry it happened.  You can feel sadness or pity.  You can say it will get better.

Prayer, love, plans, hope, faith, pity:  none of that gives me food, money, job, or a home.  

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I was there when God needed me.  I volunteered at my Church.  I led men's Bible Study.  I donated to food shelves.  I supported orphanages in Kenya and Philippines.   I prayed for those who needed prayer.  

So, where was God when I need Him?

I am not 100% sure, one way or another, if they exist or not.

But Christians seem really, really, really bothered. If they do exist, it totally invalidates their faith??

Apparently they already have "explanations" such as "angels"?

A post was removed on r/Catholicism regarding potential release of UFO files. There was great, and civil, dialog. I actually enjoyed reading.

From what I learned, Catholics are freaking out that an ET might exist in the universe. And, the think Earth is "the only" planet that has life. If there is more "earths" and ET, it will literally blow their theories of Christianity out of the water.

What else is the Catholic Church afraid of? Some Catholics there literally scared out if their minds.

I am not a conspiracy theorist, so none of that in your responses, please.

I am aware of people who take thd Bible literally...that, is things happened as they are written. Yet, physics tells us that some things just cannot happen exactly as written. What arguments do literalists use to justify their rationale?

Examples include:

​The sun and moon standing still in the sky for a full day (Joshua 10:12–13).

​A human being surviving inside the stomach of a great fish for three days (Jonah 1:17).

​The parting of the Red Sea to create dry land with walls of water on both sides (Exodus 14:21–22).

​A woman turning into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26).

​The localizedl suspension of buoyancy allowing a person to walk on liquid water (Matthew 14:25).

​Iron axe heads floating on the surface of a river (2 Kings 6:5–7).

​The instantaneous change of water into wine (John 2:1–11).

​The sun’s shadow moving backward ten degrees on a sundial (2 Kings 20:9–11).

​A bush burning with fire but not being consumed by the flames (Exodus 3:2).

​The biological resurrection of a body after four days of decomposition (John 11:39–44).

A friend of mine invited me to a Catholic Mass. My inquiring and curious mind wishes I could go, so I tentatively accepted.

We both follow God and know Jesus is our Lord and Savior...so I think it is OK to go.

Am I right?

.... until your critical thinking skills kicked in and you realized "This is physically impossible!!"

For example:

Noah's Ark

Jonah and the Whale

Resurrection

Transfiguration

The estimated world population is 8.29 billion people

The estimated number of Catholics is 1.422 billion people.

So, 18% of world population is Catholic (estimated)

Catholics will tell you their way is the right way.

So, are they implying that 82% of the population is wrong???

Here is the data...2.5 billion followers of Christianity...everyone else follows some other beliefs.

Christians want you to believe they are right, everyone else is wrong. So by their logic, only 33% of the world population is right (Jesus is the way) and 67% is wrong.

Now, when you share data (because I make a lot of decisions based on data) they freak out!! Why?

There is a saying that data does not lie, it is how we interpret that data.

It seems to me that, when data is shared, Christian see it as the Enemy of their beliefs.

Do others agree?

Yesterday, i posted I left Christianity.  Today, i explain a bit more.  TBH, these reasons are rooted in a bit of how the Church is run.  But, these reasons run counter to Scripture.  Of course, not an exhaustive list, because its never just one thing.

1.  I needed a bit of financial support, so I thought Church could help.  Was told "no".  Reasons  included:  we are not a bank, we are not an ATM, we need to manage a budget, we need to spend congregants money wisely, and we have no money to give.  So, over 20+ years at 10% tithe (yes, I did it faithfully as Scripture says), they cannot afford a super small fraction to member in need?  Now, i tried another church that I frequently went to, and was infomed "no, we cannot help.  Actually, our Senior Pastor has just instituted a 30% across the board budget cut, so we made the decision to eliminate the Benevolence fund.".  Whhaaaaatttt!!

2.   A disconnect between the real world (pain, suffering,hunger  homelessness) and what happens inside.   Really - does the church need to be spending so much money on advanced technologies, huge musical worship productions, massive stadium -style seating, and marketing materials?  When just down the street a homeless shelter and soup kitchen is begging for money.  In other words, what they put in their Faith Statements do not match reality.  A local church stated they value human life,  but asked congregants to donate so they coukd buy a Boeing 757 Jet to spread the Gospel.  Of course, that initiative failed.

3.  Sexist and racist.  To this day many, but not all, Churches refuse women in Leadership roles.  I was told "this is Gods plan", "Jesus was a man", "Jesus disciples were men", "Men have unique Leadership Characteristics that women do not have". Go do a review of why Saddleback Church was voted out of the Southern Baptist Convention.  Finally, look at the Elder Boards of many Evangelical Churches:  white men!!  To be clear, I am a man, and find it appalling the excuses that men come up with to exclude women!!

4.  More scandals than I can count - especially sexual, marital, and financial.   Yikes!!!

Why is it that you are wildly celebrated when coming into a faith ...

... but when you want to leave because it's not working for you, you are ostracized?

I left Christianity - but people are so mean to me because of it.

I leave because it no longer works for me.

After significant reflection and contemplation, I make the choice to officially leave Christianity.  We see a lot of stories of people joining or coming back - but sadly, some leave as well.

Of course, this decision is not taken lightly.   Several reasons include:  disconnect between faith statements and reality, strong disagreement with a single piece Biblical Doctrine, loss of faith in the goodness of Christians, the failure of prayer, and today's U.S. political climate.

Over my years of being a Christian, I have learned much - good and bad.  But when I finally break free and am allowed to think critically to challenge the status quo, that opens new opportunities for me.

It has been an interesting journey, but time for me to exit the ride.

So there it is ... doubtful anyone cares.

After significant reflection, I have decided to officially leave Christianity. While we often hear stories of people finding faith, the reality is that many of us find our paths leading elsewhere.

​This was not a decision made lightly. It is the result of several deep-seated concerns, including the disconnect between doctrine and reality, specific theological disagreements, and a disillusionment with the modern U.S. political climate and the behavior of the church. Ultimately, the perceived failure of prayer and the "goodness" of the institution led me to this point.

​While I value the lessons learned during my years as a believer, stepping away will allow me to think critically and challenge the status quo in ways I couldn't before. It has been a significant journey, but it is time for me to exit the deconstruction process.

I recently debated some Christians over a highly sensitive, controversial tooic: female priests/pastors. Almost immediately, they got defensive and angry.

I am not here to debate the topic; however, am curious and inquiring why they got so defensive?

Is it wrong for me to question? Am I not allowed to challenge the status quo? Am I not free to think for myself? Must I blindly follow and unconditionally agree to 100% of the doctrine?

I recently challenged a group of people on a highy sensitive, controversial church topic: female pastors/priests.

Almost immediately, the group members got extremely defensive. When I continued to ask "why" questions, they got angry.

Why such defensiveness and anger, rather than engage in civil debate?

Looking for an answer from any pastor(s):

If a congregant in crisis approached your church asking for a small financial donation in their distress, what would your response be?

Assume they attend your church and not some random person.