HI Alan,

Thanks for the question.

You said:

• Is it legal under Catholic Law to be a member of the Catholic Church and a member of another denomination at the same time?
  

No, of course not, but the Church cannot control anyone's free will. For someone to be a member of two different faiths is to believe in two different bodies of beliefs.

He/she is not being true to one of the faiths, unless the person in question is a searching mode.

It is sad when a baptized Catholic starts to search for another faith, because they are giving up everything Our Lord Jesus had to offer [him/her], for something far less. I can't think of a time where the person in question wouldn't be either:

• a uncatechized Catholic, or someone that never really knew their faith, or
• someone that has been hurt, spiritually, emotionally, or physically by someone in the Church.

I don't mean to sound judgmental but any one who really knew the Catholic faith, the history of our Church, her teachings, and have read the Early Church Fathers, would never leave Her. That's why we encourage fallen away Catholic to consider coming back to the Church by going to Confession, praying (the Rosary, optional) and reading theCatechism of the Catholic Church.

Sure, we will have family fights, and bad, scandalous behavior that could hurt members within our Church but that is no reason to say the Teachings of the Church are not true.

The solution:

Find another Catholic parish that better assists, if not meet, your spiritual needs. That's what I've done : )

The word legal in your question usually refers to a person's canonical status.

A member, in this situation, is a fallen away or separated Catholic who should not be receiving Holy Communion.

• Why shouldn't they be receiving the Eucharist?

Because they don't believe in all the Teachings of the Church.

I believe, many in the Church are unaware of this, but receiving Holy Communion, the Eucharist, assumes you believe all of the teachings of the Church and basic moral principals the Holy Father and bishops in union with him propose.

The recipient of Holy Communion is publicly saying they are in a common union with the Church's teachings when they may not be.

Mike

Alan,

In order take membership in most Baptist Churches one must accept their profession of faith.

While Baptists are Christians, they hold to many teachings which are not Catholic and deny many other essential doctrines of the Catholic Faith. That makes them heretics by definition.

Let me be clear, I'm not using the word heretic as pejorative. I'm using it the classical sense, which describes someone who believes and professes doctrinal errors and as a result brings about division in the Body of Christ.

That said, there is nothing canonically preventing a Catholic from fellowshipping with Baptists and occasionally attending services so long as they don't participate in their sacraments or take membership in their Church. Obviously, Catholics also must fulfill their obligation to attend Mass however this sort of thing is not something I'd recommend for those who are not firmly grounded in their Catholic faith.

John