Page 5 | Has Anyone Successfully Left the Catholic Church?

Mercurial123 · 2023-08-03T12:11:21+00:00

Has anyone formally left the Catholic Church and if so how easy/difficult was it? And how did you feel afterwards? It's something I've been thinking about for a long time. My friends who were baptised Catholic but are now atheist looked a bit shocked, probably because no-one has ever considered it. This is from a US site, but the procedure be the same in the UK? https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/expresident/how-to-leave-the-catholic-church

Prettybutdumb · 04/08/2023 11:48

Interestingly enough I was verbally / formally removed by a priest during confession - I obviously confessed to doing something he didn’t like. He said I am officially no longer a child of god or a member of his church and only the archbishop or the pope can ever agree to take back on board. Best breakup ever!

Iwasafool · 04/08/2023 11:54

LeonardCohensRaincoat · 04/08/2023 09:57

@UnicornStarfish

all recognised faiths in Germany have the tax, not just RCC. My German friend who is Lutheran opted out by filling in a govt form- just in case this gets latched on to as another thing to throw at only Catholics.

It was clergy in Munich, I think, where the RCC dominates and is a wealthy part of Germany. Not that it makes right, of course.

Do you know if leaving the church, any church, to avoid the tax a legal thing, I mean is it just so you don't pay the tax or is the church saying it means you are no longer a member.

YetAnotherSpartacus · 04/08/2023 11:54

Nor abusing a child either ...

Well spotted and funny, that.

lilacsinbloom · 04/08/2023 11:56

This thread is like a consortium of freeman on the land. It's a mishmash of musinderstandings blown out of proportion and presented as facts.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 04/08/2023 12:43

lilacsinbloom · 04/08/2023 11:56

This thread is like a consortium of freeman on the land. It's a mishmash of musinderstandings blown out of proportion and presented as facts.

Spoken like a true catholic, lilacsinbloom

Regarding facts, I'd ask if you've read the IICSA report into all this, or even considered why Vincent Nichols was allowed to remain in post after its publication, but suspect there's probably not much point

LeonardCohensRaincoat · 04/08/2023 13:22

@Iwasafool

i think it’s a government/administrative thing - I don’t think it has any bearing on church records just tax records

https://wwkn.de/en/german-church-tax-kirchensteuer/#:~:text=The%20church%20tax%20is%20only,state%20(not%20religious)%20authorities.

“Members of a religious community under public law may formally declare their wish to leave the community to state (not religious) authorities. With such a declaration, the obligation to pay church taxes ends. Some communities refuse to administer marriages and burials of (former) members who had declared to leave it.”

But I have read elsewhere, it doesn’t affect religious records - may depend on Church/region?

German Church Tax (Kirchensteuer) - WW+KN

German Church Tax (Kirchensteuer) In Germany, on the basis of tax regulations passed by the ...

https://wwkn.de/en/german-church-tax-kirchensteuer/#:~:text=The%20church%20tax%20is%20only,state%20(not%20religious)%20authorities.

Sandra1984 · 04/08/2023 13:34

I was raised Catholic, got baptised, did first communion. In my teens stopped going to church, in my twenties became a Buddhist and now in my 50’s still am. Ones Spiritual beliefs are not an airport, there’s no need to announce any departures (unless you want to disclose to friends and loved ones). OP it all depends on your personal circumstances and how Social or professionaly entwined you are with Catholic religion. I was single, childless and financially independent so nobody cared but your personal circumstances may differ if your family is very religious or you teach at a catholic school.

Rheia1983 · 04/08/2023 13:56

LeonardCohensRaincoat · 04/08/2023 09:57

@UnicornStarfish

all recognised faiths in Germany have the tax, not just RCC. My German friend who is Lutheran opted out by filling in a govt form- just in case this gets latched on to as another thing to throw at only Catholics.

It was clergy in Munich, I think, where the RCC dominates and is a wealthy part of Germany. Not that it makes right, of course.

This is also the case in Switzerland. If you are a member of one of the three official churches (protestant, roman catholic and christ catholic) you pay taxes that are collected by the state and forwarded to the churches.

In order not to pay the tax you need to make a formal declaration to the parish you belong to and forward this declaration to the tax authority.

YetAnotherSpartacus · 04/08/2023 13:59

I remember a German friend telling me that paying the tax entitled them to church welfare in times of need and in old age (?).

Jackandjillswell · 04/08/2023 14:09

lilacsinbloom · 04/08/2023 11:56

This thread is like a consortium of freeman on the land. It's a mishmash of musinderstandings blown out of proportion and presented as facts.

Yup.

Couldn't agree more.

"Give a dog a bad name and hang him"

lilacsinbloom · 04/08/2023 14:10

Puzzledandpissedoff · 04/08/2023 12:43

Spoken like a true catholic, lilacsinbloom

Regarding facts, I'd ask if you've read the IICSA report into all this, or even considered why Vincent Nichols was allowed to remain in post after its publication, but suspect there's probably not much point

Show quote history

Hun, I left the Catholic church when I was 15. No-one followed me or chased me down. Carry on weirding.

drpet49 · 04/08/2023 14:11

ExtraOnions · 03/08/2023 13:46

I’m Catholic … maybe we could unbaptise you .. dry your hair instead of wetting it?

There is no central register of Catholics, there is a baptism record, but that’s not going anywhere, that’s a record of an event.

What is it you want ? A piece of paper? To say what ??

This.

lilacsinbloom · 04/08/2023 14:25

Puzzledandpissedoff · 04/08/2023 12:43

Spoken like a true catholic, lilacsinbloom

Regarding facts, I'd ask if you've read the IICSA report into all this, or even considered why Vincent Nichols was allowed to remain in post after its publication, but suspect there's probably not much point

Show quote history

Oh, and by the way, I didn't need to read a report to know about the sexual abuse of children being covered up, as I knew about the sexual abuse of children occuring when I was a child myself. I also knew that they just moved the pedophile priests on to another church, when I was a child, probably long before you were born. It was common knowledge. I'm not sure why you're so surprised to learn of this. Pretty well every religious institution has a part in this shame.

porridgeisbae · 04/08/2023 14:32

I've heard that to officially leave you have to write to them. I imagine that's the same everywhere.

I just got baptised at Easter.

You could leave it open in case one day you want to get involved again- you never know.

porridgeisbae · 04/08/2023 14:37

Interestingly enough I was verbally / formally removed by a priest during confession - I obviously confessed to doing something he didn’t like. He said I am officially no longer a child of god or a member of his church and only the archbishop or the pope can ever agree to take back on board. Best breakup ever!

@Prettybutdumb That sounds wrong to me, some of them are eccentric. You could ask your local dioscesian office or something and they'd probably say it's not true.

Also, the practices change a little. If it's something like abortion, Priests can absolve you of that currently.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 04/08/2023 14:38

I didn't need to read a report to know about the sexual abuse of children being covered up

Maybe not, since it has as you say been common knowledge for decades for many - even those of us who were indeed born a long time ago

However it's still a worthwhile read for the properly researched facts included, and isn't that what you wanted, rather than "things blown out of proportion and presented as facts"?

porridgeisbae · 04/08/2023 14:41

However it's still a worthwhile read for the properly researched facts included, and isn't that what you wanted, rather than "things blown out of proportion and presented as facts"?

IICSA had a lot of people phoning up and saying all sorts of things, or odd groups involved. Anyone could say anything and it was taken on board, no matter how unlikely it was.

Having said that of course I'm not saying that that's the case about the Church of course, but other stuff, it's not a reliable source, just people contacting them and saying things.

lilacsinbloom · 04/08/2023 14:42

Puzzledandpissedoff · 04/08/2023 14:38

I didn't need to read a report to know about the sexual abuse of children being covered up

Maybe not, since it has as you say been common knowledge for decades for many - even those of us who were indeed born a long time ago

However it's still a worthwhile read for the properly researched facts included, and isn't that what you wanted, rather than "things blown out of proportion and presented as facts"?

No, what I wanted was people to stop acting like the Catholic Church gives a flying fuck whether people leave or not, and digging up unrelated "facts" about ecclesiastical law.

porridgeisbae · 04/08/2023 14:44

No, what I wanted was people to stop acting like the Catholic Church gives a flying fuck whether people leave or not

@lilacsinbloom Of course we care if people leave. There's a whole mission called the Legion of Mary that door knocks lapsed Catholics and tries to get them to come back.

We care about people's souls.

lilacsinbloom · 04/08/2023 14:49

I just got baptised at Easter.

You'd know a lot about being a Catholic then.

porridgeisbae · 04/08/2023 14:51

@lilacsinbloom Is something I said inaccurate?

I know about the Legion of Mary because my mum and others were in it, and it's still very much a thing.

Puzzledandpissedoff · 04/08/2023 14:54

No, what I wanted was people to stop acting like the Catholic Church gives a flying fuck whether people leave or not, and digging up unrelated "facts" about ecclesiastical law

Ah - in that case I genuinely apologise, lilacsinbloom; IME "It's all being blown out of proportion" is such a common brush-off among catholics that I assumed you were one of them - and I should have known better since assuming is a foolish thing to do

porridgeisbae · 04/08/2023 14:54

They are a widespread org and everywhere they are, their work often involves visitation of the lapsed https://www.ourladyofvictories.net/the-legion-of-mary.html

If we think it's all real then of course some people will care if people leave and their souls are at risk.

JohnnysMama · 04/08/2023 14:57

You just stop going to Church, you don’t need a paper. Is there a particular reason you want to leave the church like lost of faith in God or converting to another religion?

Katiesaidthat · 04/08/2023 15:02

A friend of mine did apostasy some 20 years ago. This was in Spain, so back then he was given a fax number, he declared his intention to apostate. He was sent back a letter telling him a note had been made by his baptismal records and he was no longer counted as a member of the church. It mattered to no one but himself. I think he was a bit miffed they didn´t kick up a fuss. The rest of people I know just stop going to church and that´s it. No one gives a damn.