Dear Taylor,

Thanks for the questions.

• Could you tell us what changed your mind so quickly?
• Was it several things?

Be sure to hit Reply All when you reply.

Paul

Hi, Taylor -

Thanks for the question.

One of the reasons the Church has a period of preparation, some would argue a long period, before being baptized, is to avoid situations like you have described.

One should not join the Catholic faith to make:

• me happy
• Eric happy
• Paul happy
• Mary Ann happy
• your friends happy, or
• members of your family happy
  

Someone can be persuaded by some of the viewpoints and arguments we have put forward for becoming Catholic, but any decision to join the Church can only be made by the individual themselves.

Like I have said in previous answers: the team at AskACatholic doesn't convert people; we only give good reasons to become Catholic, and let the faith seeker decide whether our reasons make sense or not.

The same is true in your situation. You shouldn't join any Church to make any friends or family members happy. You should join a Church because you believe is it a truth telling Church, when it come to its official doctrines, based on Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

Feelings have nothing to do with it. I'll share with you my advice and you can decide whether or not to take it.

Based on your original question and reply to Paul, I would first go to Confession and share with him your struggles, both spiritual and topical (on various issues). Tell him that you think you joined the Church for the wrong reasons. Share with him those reasons; he may have some good counsel.

Develop a prayer life. This can include:

• Praying the Rosary on a daily basis
• Going to Mass when possible and Confession first, if necessary.
• Making visits to the Church, if it is open, or a nearby Adoration Chapel, and
• Reading the Scriptures
  

During these periods of prayer, argue with the Lord over the teachings you have problems with and ask Him to show you how His teachings make sense and are true. Ponder on the difficult teachings you struggle with and ask Him for a proper understanding of these teachings.

The one thing Taylor that makes the Catholic Church stand out from other Christian denominations, is that our Church was the only Church Jesus founded on St. Peter and His successors. It is the Ark of Salvation. Strive to develop an appreciation for what She teaches and why She teaches it.

In this sex-saturated culture, I can understand why you would say:
I don't believe or agree with anything that the Church teaches.

I would assess what our American pop cultures is saying today, then assess what the Church is saying and ask yourself:

• Which view is interested in my eternal well-being and salvation, beyond this life:
  • the varying views and opinions of American pop culture, or
  • the Catholic Church?

On the issue of dealing with your family, I certainly wouldn't lie to them; I would just say you don't have an appreciation or solid understanding for what the Church teaches and why.

After going to Confession, I would continue to ensure you make your Sunday obligation, going to Mass every Sunday. The Lord, through the Eucharist, will mold your heart and mind to understand His ways better.

Mike

Taylor —

There is no way to undo becoming Catholic.

If you're leaving a church because it's boring I suggest you need to adjust your attitude toward worship; that's like leaving your wife because she's boring. It also means that I don't think you've been properly taught the faith. The fact you are unwilling to give it another chance makes it sound like you aren't really operating in good faith.

• Did you address your concerns and doubts with anyone in the Catholic Church before making your decision?

You should study what the Mormons really believe before joining so you don't make the same mistake you made with the Catholic Church.

• Are you attracted because it is not boring or because it is true?
• Do you really believe that Jesus and Lucifer are spirit brothers, and that you're going to become a god just like God the Father?

The Mormons teach, "As man is, God once was; as God is, man shall be".

• Do you really believe that God the Father came from the planet Kolob?
• Doesn't God have to be eternal and outside of time to be the true God?
• Where did God the Father come from, i.e., who created him?
• And who created the god who created God the Father, and so forth back?
• Do you really believe:
  • a religion is true that was founded 1800 years or so after Christ walked the earth?
  • a church that changed its teachings on polygamy and the ability of blacks to receive the priesthood?

• Are you interested in the truth, or just what feels good, and which one of these things do you think truly counts before God?

I find it interesting that in two weeks' time you decided that the Catholic Church was boring,
fell in love with the Mormon church, and decided you don't want anything to do with Catholicism
to such a degree that you don't want to ever give it a second chance. If you reject the Catholic Church, you'd better be sure that you can stand before the awesome judgment seat of Christ and defend your choice with something better than, I was bored.

I actually don't think the Mass is boring, if you truly know about it. The Eucharist is the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Christ our God. That means it is God Himself — which we are able to consume and incorporate into our bodies.

• It is the most holy thing on the face of the earth.
• It's the awesome Presence of God upon the cherubim of the Ark of the Covenant concentrated into edible form.
• It's the Cup of Salvation.
• It's the fruit of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.
  
• It's a coal from the Altar in Heaven like the one that touched Isaiah's lips and purged his sins.
• It's the medicine of immortality.
• It's the miraculous Bread of Life, the manna come down from Heaven.
• It makes us partakers of the divine nature.
• It fills us with all the fullness of God.
  It is the divine, holy, immortal, spotless, Heavenly, life-giving, awesome Mysteries of Christ.

That, my friend, is far from boring.

Eric

Taylor —

I recommend you just move on with your life at this point.

You're welcome to return to the Church when you have a clue what Church and religion are about, but right now you're going to church for the wrong reasons, whether it's Mormon, Catholic, or whatever.

My apologies on behalf of the Church for not foreseeing this during RCIA. 

Hello Taylor,

Take a look at your first sentence and your last sentence in your last response. First you say you could care less about the truth, and then you seem to be saying that the truth is important. Scripture tells us Jesus Christ is the Truth (John 14:6); and ultimately we must decide between Him and self.

If you're looking for entertainment, perhaps a concert or sporting event might be a better venue than the worship of God, which we do primarily for the love of God, not the entertainment of self.

If you want to receive the grace Christ won for us on the Cross for the sake of our salvation then attending Mass regularly as a Catholic is indispensable.

Paul

Dear Taylor,

Let me add to what Eric has said.

You said in your reply that you seriously don't want to be part of the Church, but based on what you have told us, I don't think you seriously know what the Church is, nor know what you are leaving. As lay representative for the Church, I apologize for any poor RCIA instruction you received, but a bad experience shouldn't be the measure of a reality you haven't been shown.

It's like walking into a 5-story golden mansion with beautiful pictures hanging everywhere in the room and walking out, saying, This is boring.

For Christians, we don't equate faith with seeing and experiencing good feelings; No, we equate faith, with something that is beyond our five senses: our (taste, touch, smell, hearing, and seeing). We equate faith with things that we can't see, but nevertheless believe.

If you are committed to finding another congregation to worship, I would strongly encourage you to join a congregation that believes Jesus Christ is True God and True Man.

If you don't wish to give the Church a second chance, I would suggest worshipping at a mainline Protestant denomination like a:

• Baptist
• Methodist
• Presbyterian, or
• Lutheran
  

congregation. Though we have our differences with the above four denominations, they do believe Jesus Christ is God; the Mormons do not.

Probably the only group of visitors that do not like our answers are the Mormons. This is because the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints are not Christians in the traditional sense of what the term Christian means.

A Christian is one who believe Jesus Christ is Truly God and True Man in one Divine Person who is consubstantial (of one substance) with the Father. Mormons do not believe anything close to this.

Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman, or any other Mormon can call themselves a Christian, but their definition of what a Christian is, is a re-definition or different definition from the tradition definition of Christian. The main stream news media, including Fox News, would never discuss this, either out of ignorance or cowardice.

Other Mormon visitors have been bothered by comments, similar to what Eric has said, but we are using Mormon sources for all our answers:

• The Pearl of Great Price (1913)/Abraham, Chapters 1-5
• The Pearl of Great Price (1913)/Moses, Chapters 1-8

from WikiSource

Neither I nor Eric can make your decisions, only you can. Nevertheless, whether you decide to worship at the Mormon church or another truly Christian denomination, I would encourage you to be honest with your assessments about the Catholic Church. One of your previous statements summed it up the best:

I pretty much didn't even give the Church a chance; two weeks was not long at all.

Don't attack a straw horse; don't attack a Church based on a poor experience and possibly poor role models. Just be honest and say:

I really can't objectively comment on the Catholic Church because I was not taught the faith correctly when I was there.

Just my two cents.

Hope this helps,

Mike

Taylor,

You said:
If the Catholic Church is the one true Church created by Jesus himself why on earth would Catholics advise Protestants to attend Protestant services instead of Catholic services?

Since you don't want to give the best choice, the Catholic Church, a second chance, it would be far better to at least be worshipping at a truly Christian congregation. Again, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, are not Christians. They have re-defined the meaning of who Christ is, and therefore, have re-defined what a Christian is, to suit their organizational needs.

I'm guessing your family members are probably ultra zealous practicing Catholics. Sadly, this can sometimes turn other family members off because they can appear to be forcing you to do something, you don't want to do. They are not respecting your personal freedom. My answers have been geared to respecting your free will while thinking of what's best for you.

Our separated brethren (Protestants) believe some, but not all of what Christ left for them to believe. The fullness of Christianity can only be found in one place: the Catholic Church.

• Make sense?

Remember, when a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, says:

I'm a Christian, they mean something totally different than when a:

• Catholic
• Baptist
• Methodist
• Presbyterian, or
• Lutheran

says I'm a Christian.

If you go to Church for entertainment or social events, you are pretty much admitting you are an atheist or agnostic.

Below is a portion from another answer I gave. You may find it interesting.

I hope this helps,

Mike