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What kind of Catholic are you? (Original Post) Jacson6 Apr 13 OP
An Ex-one CanonRay Apr 13 #1
your pic, properly posted for DU Celerity Apr 13 #2
lol Renew Deal Apr 13 #14
Post-Catholic maxsolomon Apr 13 #3
Baptized but not Confirmed moonscape Apr 13 #4
A Former Catholic DET Apr 13 #5
Well, I stopped going to mass in grade 3, when it was no longer mandatory. Swede Apr 13 #6
Non- nt Wounded Bear Apr 13 #7
I was expelled from catechism class for conduct unbecoming. Honest to Christ! Floyd R. Turbo Apr 13 #8
Me too! CanonRay Apr 13 #12
First time I ever heard the word "incorrigible"! Floyd R. Turbo Apr 14 #15
non-practicing, but culturally comfortable with other liberal catholics and reform Jews for that matter. harumph Apr 13 #9
"I was a Catholic until I reached the age of reason" thought crime Apr 13 #10
Cradle Catholic of the Vatican II variety Tommy Carcetti Apr 13 #11
Ex. (n/t) Iggo Apr 13 #13
I never was. My wife comes from a Catholic family dating back to the year 1473. DFW Apr 14 #16

DET

(2,544 posts)
5. A Former Catholic
Mon Apr 13, 2026, 08:32 PM
Apr 13

I grew up with Sunday school, weekly Mass, religious retreats, pancake breakfasts - the usual Catholic rites of passage. My mother grew up with the nuns, which she absolutely hated. But she felt obligated to give us a religious upbringing. And it provided a convenient social outlet.

I stopped going to Mass in my twenties. Just didn’t believe in the teachings of the Church anymore - but I always loved the familiar rituals of Mass (the pageantry, the incense, the organ and the hymns,…) The final straw for me was the revelation of abuse by the priests and the resultant coverup. I was shocked and horrified and I knew that I could no longer be associated with the church in any way.

Swede

(39,766 posts)
6. Well, I stopped going to mass in grade 3, when it was no longer mandatory.
Mon Apr 13, 2026, 08:42 PM
Apr 13

Funerals and weddings, that's it.

CanonRay

(16,203 posts)
12. Me too!
Mon Apr 13, 2026, 09:57 PM
Apr 13

The priest called after 1 class and told my parents to not bring me back. 7 years old. I was " disruptive".

harumph

(3,334 posts)
9. non-practicing, but culturally comfortable with other liberal catholics and reform Jews for that matter.
Mon Apr 13, 2026, 08:54 PM
Apr 13

thought crime

(1,697 posts)
10. "I was a Catholic until I reached the age of reason"
Mon Apr 13, 2026, 09:19 PM
Apr 13

Lapsed Catholic? Ex-Catholic? Still, I give some credit to Catholicism for helping me develop a conscience and love for the "Other".

Tommy Carcetti

(44,566 posts)
11. Cradle Catholic of the Vatican II variety
Mon Apr 13, 2026, 09:22 PM
Apr 13

I guess you can call me a Joe Biden style Catholic.

I attend mass regularly and hold no regrets about that.

I have my issues with the church leadership, mainly with things like birth control and ordination of women and married people. And yes, the way the abuse scandals were handled was inexcusable.

Bottom line, it’s an institution, and like most institutions it’s inevitably flawed and has both good and bad things about it.

But it’s still my faith, I like the fundamentals of it, and I’m not going to give it up or made to feel guilty about being a practicing Catholic.

DFW

(60,320 posts)
16. I never was. My wife comes from a Catholic family dating back to the year 1473.
Tue Apr 14, 2026, 08:57 AM
Apr 14

She grew up in a small village with religious attitudes dating back to the late Middle Ages. Protestant children were told not to play with Catholic children, because they were evil, and vice-versa. My mom's parents, though Catholics, were considered as a little suspect, because they never told their kids any such thing. 1950s style German "liberals," if you will.

When a local priest had to be "transferred" because his molesting of local small children became too well-known to overlook, my wife, still a little girl, began to suspect something was wrong with the whole picture. As she got older, she just abandoned Catholicism altogether, not seeing anything worth believing in. She never condemned her parents, or anyone else who still believed in it, she just said this not for me, and that was it. Our daughters learned about religion in school, but never found any of it credible. We neither pushed them toward it nor away from it. From the beginning, we told them that as long as they made an informed decision, they would have our support. Their decision was "none of the above," the same as my parents both chose, as did I and my siblings.

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