Today we often hear people say they’re "non practicing Catholics", how do you respond to people who use these words, is it an acceptable term in your mind? If someone is baptised does that make them automatically Catholic , can one be excommunicated for not attending Mass regularly, what is the role of conscience in this? Have you ever used such a term to describe yourself in your life? Excuse the ignorance...please shed some light on this for me

-- Kiwi (csisherwood@hotmail.com), November 01, 2003

Answers

Response to "Non- practicising Catholic"

Ive also recently come across "debaptisation forms" like the one below on general non religious discussion boards, posted by non believers trying to get people to rennouce their baptisms.

Despite the problems youth today have witht the Church and certain teachings almost all of these rather apathetic nominal Catholics rejected the idea of debaptisiation as rather silly. Most respondants felt that if you "dont believe in God" why do you care if youre baptised or not, but more commonly most young people felt that even though they rejected part of Church teachings this does not equal rejection of their baptisim nor the total rejection of God.

ANy comments anyone?

ANyway my real question is to Paul or any clergy lurking out there are these types of requests 1. Valid and 2. Common place??.

Many thanks

STANDARD DEBAPTISATION REQUEST

Mister the priest (the bishop), Having been baptisé(e) in the church of..................................., it............ 19..., under the name of.................................................................... ......................, I would be grateful to you to agree to relate to the register of the baptisms and compared to my name the following mention: "its baptism by letter dated from the __ __ 19 __". disavowed. Indeed, my philosophical convictions do not correspond any more to those of the people, who in good faith, estimated to have to make me baptize. Thus, your scruples of truth, and mine will be alleviated, and your pure registers of any ambiguity. Note that legally the church cannot refuse me a request in debaptisation, and that it must, with the title of the regulation of the Data-processing National Commission and Freedom on the even handwritten files, to provide on a purely gracious basis a copy of the modified act . In waiting of your written confirmation I remain sincerely yours Fact with.................................. it...... 2003..

(SIGNATURE)

-- Kiwi (csisherwood@hotmail.com), November 01, 2003.

Response to "Non- practicising Catholic"

"Today we often hear people say they're "non practicing Catholics", how do you respond to people who use these words, is it an acceptable term in your mind?"

A: It is a valid term (has actual meaning), but not an "acceptable" one. Well, it isn't the term itself, but rather the condition it represents which is unacceptable. Baptism does make a person a member of the Church. However, most people who describe themselves in this way are not referring just to the fact of baptism, which they don't remember anyway, but to actual memories of participating in the Catholic faith, at least during their childhood years. "Non-practicing Catholic" nearly always designates a person who remembers being a practicing Catholic earlier in their life, but who has subsequently abandoned active participation in the Church. Interestingly, some of these folks, who may not have set foot in a church in twenty years or more, are still very "proud" of being Catholic. Don't make an anti-Catholic comment in their presence, or watch out! Such folks also contribute to the misleading "polls of Catholics" which are so often published, after being taken by random phone calls. I have found that many people in this situation are very open to being invited back into full participation in the Church. I'm not talking about people who are openly hostile toward the Church, who have been sucked into fundamentalist religions or the like, but to those folks who have simply "fallen away", and who retain positive memories of "church", but don't know how to come back, or think they will not be accepted, or simply haven't thought much about it one way or the other.

"can one be excommunicated for not attending Mass regularly"

A: No. It is a matter for confession, but not for excommunication, assuming that the person has not formally renounced the Catholic faith.

"what is the role of conscience in this?"

A: Conscience is a valid guide in moral decision making only to the extent that it has been formed in accord with the objective truth. Conscience doesn't just "happen". Conscience is not a "feeling" or an "inner voice", but a cognitive process which draws on pre-existing knowledge in making rational moral decisions. If we have not formed our conscience properly, by providing our minds with the necessary objective information to enable it to make valid moral decisions, then the decisions it renders will not be morally valid. G.I.G.O.

"Have you ever used such a term to describe yourself in your life?"

A: I have not used the term, though I did experience a period of relative religious inactivity years ago while I was a young man in the service, stationed on a U.S. Navy ship.

"I've also recently come across "debaptisation forms" like the one below on general non religious discussion boards, posted by non believers trying to get people to rennouce their baptisms"

A: People may renounce their baptisms, or even their births if they want to, I suppose. But doing so won't make them "unborn", and it won't make them "unbaptized". Both are permanent states with eternal consequences. The statement "legally the church cannot refuse me a request in debaptisation" is true enough. No-one can legally prevent any person from REQUESTING anything whatsoever. However, the Church certainly has NO obligation, legal or otherwise, to provide what the petitioner requests. In fact, it is impossible for the Church to do so.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), November 01, 2003.

Response to "Non- practicising Catholic"

Paul, You are right. One can request that their baptism be removed from the records, but it does not remove the mark on your soul. The Church teaches that when one recieves the Sacrament of Baptism that a permanent mark is made on their soul (the same for Holy Orders) and that nothing can remove that mark, though that does NOT ensure one's salvation, as some have falsly claimed. †

-- Jeff (jmajoris@optonline.net), November 01, 2003.

One term I see often is "lapsed" Catholic.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), November 02, 2003.

though I did experience a period of relative religious inactivity years ago while I was a young man in the service, stationed on a U.S. Navy ship.

Not an easy situation for someone to be able to hang onto their soul, is it? I'm sure it's also tough, incredibly tough, for Catholic kids going off to college. Just a different set of temptations. My hat's off to any young person who can come through college or the military with their faith intact. It's a monumental struggle which most abandon after a relatively short time, despite having access to means of spiritual support.

-- jake (jake1@REMOVEpngusa.net), November 02, 2003.

This is where I did my time. I honestly didn't know there was a website until just now.

I don't consider "sailor boy" an insult, either. That's what I was.

-- jake (jake1@REMOVE@pngusa.net), November 02, 2003.

Paul wow Id hate to see the food bill at your place, you cleaned everything off my plate without even taking a bite. Many many thanks.

Tally Ho

-- Kiwi (csisherwood@hotmail.com), November 03, 2003.