So you really cannot leave the Catholic church - WTF?!?!?!!

[Ronja]

... It would be easy to blame various child-abuse scandals within the Church for her decision to leave, but if that were the case, she explained, her inclination would be to stay to work for change.

"But the fact that I don't believe in God clearly is in contravention to the official policy of the Church and I can't work within the Church to change that."

Ms. Sygula works in finance in Toronto and is now 34, but this quest to end her relationship with the Church began, she said, 20 years ago at the time of her confirmation in a church in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga.

"They gave me a questionnaire to fill out and in it I actually wrote, 'I'm an atheist and my parents are making me do this.' They went ahead and did it anyway. Surely there must be some technicality that undoes the sacrament of confirmation when you say you don't believe in God." ...

Apparently not.

The whole story is here: http://www.nationalpost.com/believer+se ... story.html

[beige]

As far as I know, you can leave - it involves sending a letter to the diocese where you were entered into the Church, then you have a pleading letter back from the priest there begging you not to leave, then you send another saying that you're quite happy to burn in hell, then they strike you from the list and stop counting you as one of their power base.

Methinks it was PZ that posted this link a while back: http://www.countmeout.ie/

I think it should be more or less applicable all over though.

Edit: Reading through the article there now, looks like a nasty case of clinginess, they're not supposed to keep you on the list if you insist to be taken off.

[anna09]

But I'm an atheist!!

[Bella Fortuna]

I'd prefer sending them an abusive letter telling them to fuck off.

[anna09]

Dear Catholic Church,




Love,

Anna

[Ronja]

I'd prefer sending them an abusive letter telling them to fuck off.

Bella, if you send them the form from the Irish site, they will feel very abused indeed, and they will get the message loud and clear.

I'm just guessing here, but I'd bet quite a lot, that people wanting to leave them and especially those insisting to be counted on their way out would offend them more than anything.

I'll drink to that, actually.

EDIT: emphasized my point

[maiforpeace]

By insisting to have her name removed from the baptism rosters, she is still is recognizing church authority in another way...

I agree with Bella - tell them to fuck off, then...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2 ... tism_N.htm

[PsychoSerenity]

Dear Catholic Church,




Love,

Anna

Well I've never had anything to do with the Catholics, thankfully - but if they ever came down this way, I wouldn't hesitate to send a similar letter.

[devogue]

Looks like a complete waste of time and effort to me, and I love wasting time and effort.

[Svartalf]

That lady is stupid.

Let her just say stuff like, "there is no god; the pope is an ass and I know more about divinity than he does" etc in front of a qualified witness (like her usual or closest parish priest)... and you can be branded heretic, schismatic and apostate, and de facto sever any links to the church.

A few centuries ago, that probably have led her to becoming entertainment and urban lighting, nowadays, it's not going to run after you, whether to bring you back to the fold or make you and example in front of the assembled community.

Anyway, why does she want to make it official? it's not like the church, as an administrative entity, has any power over her, or that there's a need to officialize your renunciation in front of a non existent imaginary fiend.

Not to say that the church administration are not a bunch of douchebags for denying her the severance she needs (but heck, you can't ask them to write that this little lamb off when their system dictates that to relieve its anguish, it would need to be brought back into the fold, not out)

But WTF kind of an atheist is she if she still believes that what the church says matters in the slightest?

[Bella Fortuna]

By insisting to have her name removed from the baptism rosters, she is still is recognizing church authority in another way...

Yes. If you submit yourself to their bureaucracy you are at some level acknowledging their authority and that they have to do something in order to validate you being an official nonbeliever (ex-Catholic).

Just walk away and never look back - that's the ultimate repudiation of their hold on you.


So glad I wasn't raised with any religion!

[Thinking Aloud]

By insisting to have her name removed from the baptism rosters, she is still is recognizing church authority in another way...

Yes. If you submit yourself to their bureaucracy you are at some level acknowledging their authority and that they have to do something in order to validate you being an official nonbeliever (ex-Catholic).

Just walk away and never look back - that's the ultimate repudiation of their hold on you.


So glad I wasn't raised with any religion!

I guess as far as the Catholic Church is concerned, I'm still one of them. I'm not terribly worried about that, and they can think what they like. It's a bit like all the promises they make you make over the years: the Baptismal promises (made on your behalf by everyone else, and that you reaffirm every so often); promises to bring up children in the faith, and so on - promises made on the basis of a fantasy are also fantasy. I may be on their list, but it's only a pretend empire.

[Animavore]

That reminds me... I still haven't sent that form.

[Svartalf]

By insisting to have her name removed from the baptism rosters, she is still is recognizing church authority in another way...

I agree with Bella - tell them to fuck off, then...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2 ... tism_N.htm

That is not possible.

The baptism did take place, and the church has reponsibility not to falsify its ledgers. All you'll get is a note being added stating that you've given notification of your renouncing the catholic faith.

and ritual debaptism az stupid as the ladies undertaking... my own debaptism if I chose to have one would include formally changing my first name with the state (so I no longer bore my baptism name)... but I think I'd just pour myself a shot and toast Friedrich Nietszche.

[Bella Fortuna]

That reminds me... I still haven't sent that form.

If there was a god he would make it get lost in the post anyway.