I Just Got Back From Catholic Mass...And It Felt Like A Republican Fundraiser.

[Patiod]

52. A lot of it is cultural

Just like there are cultural Jews, there are cultural Catholics.

They don't go to Mass, they don't support any of the Church's cultural stands, and yet they are hurt (and a little offended) if you leave and join another church - it's as if you are repudiating them as a person. And I understand that feeling. Someone who is leaving your church is saying "your beliefs are not acceptable"

I had this happen a lot when I became a Quaker. I hadn't agreed with RC teachings since I was a teenager, but felt compelled to stay nominally Catholic for my parents. But once I had moved out and felt surer on my own two feet, I left. Almost all of my friends were born Catholic, and many good friends told me (in all sincerity) that they felt hurt that I left the Church. Twice people told me they had planned for me to be the Godmother of one of their kids, but now I couldn't. This kind of reaction even came from a very close girlfriend who was herself questioning the church after a priest refused her (but not her husband) communion because her husband was divorced.

The "just leave" mentality is fine if you're on your own and far from home, but it's a lot harder if you're surrounded by the people you grew up with - you aren't just leaving a Church, you're to some degree leaving family, friends, and (in many cases) a strong parish community.