You know it is time to leave the Catholic Church when…
“Mass doesn’t inspire you.” Over the course of the past few years I’ve become keenly aware of friends and family who have opted to leave the Catholic Church on the grounds that the Mass wasn’t “inspiring.” Upon hearing this, again, just a few days ago I felt prompted to make that the top reason why people ought to leave the Catholic Church. After all, Mass should be inspiring and uplifting and if you, as a congregant, can’t be inspired by the rich history of the Mass and the fullness of the faith that is imparted in the Mass through Sacraments that include the offering of the Body and Blood of your Lord and Savior, well, then, by all means, leave the Catholic Church. Check out the nearest non-denominational gathering in which you can be inspired and don’t give it a second thought that you only have a portion of the fullness that Christ left us because, well, hey, you’ll feel “inspired!”
“The Priest bores you.” I’ve decided this has to be reason number two on my list of why you should leave the Catholic Church because if you can’t count on your priest to entertain and keep your interest, well, it is high time to leave your faith behind. This is a way better choice than taking the time to understand what the priest is doing and Who he represents (which is best to leave alone because the knowledge will potentially make you fall to your knees). If push comes to shove and your priest bores you, definitely seek out someone who better represents the secular world in style and mannerisms versus that priest who has committed his very life to serving you. Why bother praying for God to remove the scales from your eyes during Mass when you, personally, could most certainly find a much better replacement than the Holy Priesthood that Christ Himself set in place.
“All they ever want is money.” Really, who do these people think they are? Always asking for money to help the homeless, feed the hungry, clothe the naked. What is that all about? You’d think they read that somewhere or that is was the “Gospel Truth.” Don’t they know that we are all struggling to make ends meet and that helping others is a real cross to bear? Money is an excellent “top five” reason to leave the Catholic Church. I’m pretty sure all the other churches never try to collect money to fund their programs. I believe it magically falls from the sky, you know, sort of like manna from heaven.
“The whole “Cross to Bear” thing is a real drag.” Speaking of crosses…I really wonder when the Catholic Church is going to get over this whole “pick up your cross” attitude. Have they not heard of “prosperity doctrine” teaching? God doesn’t want me or you to have difficulties or problems. It isn’t as though these can help us in our walk with Christ or anything. It isn’t as though we can learn anything about being a Christian when we carry a cross. The two aren’t in anyway related! I heard from a very popular Christian preacher that God wants me to be rich! I like that message way better than anything the Catholic Church teaches. If you are tired of hearing how you ought to carry your cross, well, take your cross elsewhere.
There is no real “fellowship” in the Church. Who doesn’t want fellowship? Look at all the fellowship that exists in other Christian churches. Why bother making an effort to bring that attitude to your Catholic brothers and sisters when you can leave the Church and find fellowship elsewhere. It isn’t like the Catholic Church has a real understanding of community. There is just no way that the lack of fellowship that exists in any of our parishes is a result of our own personal behaviors but, rather, they are most definitely a result of the Catholic institution. Whatever you do, don’t spend time reaching out to your fellow Catholics when you can leave them behind and reach out to those who reject the teachings of the Catholic Church.
If you know someone who has left the Church, or who is considering leaving, and I haven’t included his or her reason(s), please feel free to add…
