I converted from Catholicism to Lutheranism (LCMS)....
Why I LEFT the RCC:
1. I disagree that Christians are a specific institutional denomination, the RCC as the RCC itself alone so insists for itself alone. The egotistical, divisive, INSTITUTIONAL, self-centered, self-serving, power-grabbing, truth-evading, accountability-denying claims of it itself alone for it itself alone was something I found to be unbiblical, unreasonable and absurd. I came to believe that Christians are PEOPLE, and so the "assembly, community, gathering, communion" of PEOPLE is also PEOPLE - not a denominational, geopolitical, legal, denomination. I rejected the self-serving ecclesiology of the RCC. I came to embrace the ancient creed: one, holy, catholic communion of believers. And thus all the obsession the RCC has with itself, all the enormous e power-grabbing, "lording-it-over-all-as-the-Gentiles-do" of the RCC increasingly revealed to me that the RCC is wrong. In what is the foundation of the RCC, the key point on which it stands or falls. The claims of the RCC here are not only unbiblical and unhistorical - but dangerous and wrong.
2. I came to reject the epistemology of "just swallow WHATEVER I'M officially saying because I'M saying it." This "just drink whatever I'M feeding 'ya" rubric (CCC 87, etc.). The foundational epistemology of the RCC. Over and over and over in Scripture (OT and NT) we are told to beware of false teachings - yet the RCC forbids this. Jesus praised Christians for doing this - yet the RCC condemns that (Rev. 2:2, etc.). I came to embrace that the TRUE TEACHER is likely to come into the light, to welcome the light, to insist on accountability - because TRUTH would matter, not the unmitigated power and lordship of self alone over all. It is the teacher of FALSEHOOD who is likely to hide in the dark, reject the light, insist on building around self huge, thick, divisive walls of egotistical and power grabbing and self serving claims of self for self, insisting that he alone just be given a "pass" on truthfulness and that all just swallow whatever self alone says cuz self alone is saying it and self alone tells all to do that. Now.... I DO agree with a sense of "authority" but Catholicism (and also all the cults) confuse authority with dictatorship. There is a BALANCE between authority and responsibility, a balance the RCC has entirely, wholly, completely, absolutely abandoned - ironcially becoming the very thing it PRETENDS to reject: self appointing self the sole and UNACCOUNTABLE teacher, interpreter, judge, jury - a dictator. Now, what seems interesting to me is that generally, Catholicism is very sound, I have a huge respect for Catholic scholarship, and I think RCC theology is generally excellent. I am profoundly impressed with much of Catholic doctrinal history. So why the RCC retreats into a very unbiblical, unsound, dangerous, "cultic" epistemology puzzles me - but it does.
3. A "Catholic" by Catholic definition is one who just docilicly swallows what the RCC feeds them... BECAUSE it itself alone does. Truth is irrelevant, the only point is the RCC shouting "don't be insubordinate to ME!!!!!!!" That's the whole enchilada. Either you do - and thus you are Catholic, or you don't and thus you aren't. This finally dawned on me. While I largely AGREED with the RCC (I still agree with probably 95% of what it teaches - doctrinally and morally), I agreed with it MORE than the great majority of "Catholics" (I MUST put that in quotation marks!), I was not Catholic at all. What I accepted I did because I viewed it as true and sound - NOT because I was blindly being subordinate. I was what our deacon so powerfully condemned as the "greatest threat to the Catholic Church since Gnosticism" - I was a "Protestant hiding in the Church" as he characterized it, what he regarded as much WORSE than a "Cafeteria Catholic" which he also insisted were by definition not Catholic at all. If one doesn't mindlessly accept the ecclesiology and epistemology of the RCC - and thus SUBMIT to it (right or wrong, good or sound), then one is not a Catholic. Then I'm not Catholic. In MY view, my leaving was a move of integrity, honesty, character: an unwillingness to lie, to give false witness.
On the flip side.....
1. I agreed with the RC Denomination on nearly everything. Probably 95% of the 2,865 points of the latest edition of the RC Catechism was fully acceptable to me, I fully agreed with such. My own pastor told me that my embrace of Catholic teaching is "a whole lot better than most Catholics!" and he was right. But 95% is not the 100% demanded of me. Of the 5%, some things were not unacceptable to me - I simply could not docilicly state my absolute, full agreement (including to the level claimed). For example, I don't DENY the Perpetual Virginity of Mary or the Assumption of Mary - but I can't HONESTLY state that I affirm these as "matters of highest certainty and importance possible." I don't reject them but I don't accept them either. My only points of real disagreement are in the areas of ecclesiology (the doctrine of the church) and epistemology (accountability and norming). These include the De Fide Dogma of the Infallibility of the RCC's own Bishop of Rome, the self-declaration of the RCC that the RCC can't be wrong (in some things). I have an "issue" with the dogmas of Purgatory and Transubstantiation but those were by no means "deal breakers" - I didn't leave because of those. To this day, I think I AGREE with the RCC more than most Catholics known to me (certainly more than most of my family members).
2. I LOVED the worship in Catholicism. I still do. I'm very liturgical and Sacramental. I loved the tradition, the way worship is VERY carefully prepared and done, the beautiful music, even the "choreography" was embrace (doing the Sign, the kneeling, etc.) This is a powerful draw keeping me in Catholicism.
3. I very, very much respected (still do) the willingness of the RC Denomination to stand up for biblical morality and values, it's very "pro-family" and "pro-life" stance. In fact, I'm very disappointed that this seems to be waning. I'm very passionately pro-life. While so many denominations seem to stand by and say or do little ... or even stand with sin and wrong.... the RCC has the "guts" to say what is right. I totally like how Mother Teresa stood up to President Clinton on the issue of abortion! I like how Popes and Bishops have been bold voices for peace. I don't always agree with the RCC on these things (not ALWAYS) but I give it a LOT of credit for standing up for what it sees as right. Many churches have become whimps at best.
Due to length, this continues in the next post.....
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