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For Former Catholics Mary Ann Collins January 2002
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Leaving the Catholic Church involves more than just understanding doctrinal issues. There are often emotional issues as well. I have had to deal with these issues myself, and I correspond with former Catholics who are currently dealing with them. Some people see God's truth simply and suddenly, like a light being turned on inside them. They walk out of Catholicism and into Biblical Christianity without looking back, and without emotional turmoil. That is wonderful. It is a precious gift from God. For many former Catholics, there are difficult emotional issues which we have to deal with. Often our new friends in our new church don't understand them. Christians often assume that once Catholics understand doctrinal issues and Biblical principles, then that is the end of the matter. But for many of us, it isn't. There can be a lot more involved than just intellectual understanding. Catholics are used to having priests tell them how to think and what to do. As a result, it can be difficult for former Catholics to learn to pray for themselves, read the Bible for themselves, and take responsibility for their own life. We can overcome this difficulty, but it requires determination, persistence and prayer. LOYALTY, GUILT, AND REJECTION Some former Catholics are under emotional pressure to return to the Catholic Church because they don't want to hurt their family members. In addition, the Pope is called "Holy Father" and the Catholic Church is called "Holy Mother Church". As a result, people may feel as if they are betraying their father and their mother if they leave the Catholic Church. Jesus addressed these issues when He said,
Some former Catholics have had to face control, manipulation, intimidation, rejection, and false accusations. If you are going through something like this, then remember that God is faithful and His grace really is sufficient. He will get you through it. In addition, the experience will give you a new appreciation for the rejection and misunderstanding which Jesus endured for our sakes. He left the love and appreciation of Heaven to come here to earth and be falsely accused, misunderstood, rejected, and mocked, in order to save us. The Apostle Paul said,
You are sharing in the fellowship of Christ's sufferings. This will give you greater love for Him, and more gratitude for what He has done for you. It will enable you to know His heart in a new way. It will also qualify you to receive the blessing of one of the Beatitudes. Jesus said,
The process of qualifying for that blessing is no fun at all. But if we see the eternal perspective, then we will be able to endure it and to trust God while we are going through it. The Bible says,
Try to find an understanding friend or prayer partner to stand with you as you go through this. You can pray together. Your friend or prayer partner can help you keep a biblical perspective when you are under emotional pressure. If your family is pressuring you to come back to the Catholic Church, then this is probably not a good time to try to share your new-found Biblical faith with them. MIND CONTROL The Catholic Church claims that it has the right to control how Catholics think. We were taught to believe whatever we were told and to obey the priests. During Mass, we were told when to stand, when to sit, when to reply to what the priest said, and what to say. This attitude of passive compliance is constantly reinforced. This is more than just our personal experience. It is official Catholic doctrine. Following are some examples. According to "The Catholic Encyclopedia," the idea of freedom of religion is wrong. People are not supposed to use their own personal judgment to determine their religious beliefs. (This article is online.) [Note 1] According to Canon Law (the official laws governing the Roman Catholic Church), Catholics are required to submit their minds and wills to any declaration concerning faith or morals which is made by the Pope or by a church council. They are also required to avoid anything that disagrees with such declarations. And they can be coerced if they don't comply. (You can read these laws online.) [Note 2] The Catholic Church teaches that only the Magisterium of the Catholic Church (the Pope and the bishops in communion with him) has the right to interpret Scripture. People like us are not allowed to interpret Scripture for ourselves. We have to check it out with Church authorities. (This is online.) [Note 3] Catholicism teaches that Catholics are supposed to "receive with docility" any directives given to them by Catholic Church authorities. (This is online.) [Note 4] According to "Webster's Dictionary," "docile" means "disposed to be taught; tractable; as, a docile child". "Tractable" means "capable of being easily led, taught, or controlled; docile." This sounds like young children who accept without question whatever their parents tell them. In fact, I believe that is precisely what Jesus warned us against when He told us to "Call no man father". (Matthew 23:9) In contrast, the Bible commends the people of Berea because they "searched the Scriptures daily" in order to "see whether these things were so". (Acts 17:10-11) God wants His people to check things out for themselves, using Scripture as their yardstick. So how do we overcome this? The Bible gives us the answers.
(If you have a Catholic Bible, try Psalm number 22. The numbering of many of the Psalms is different in Catholic Bibles. Both the chapter numbers and verse numbers are often different. If you have a Catholic Bible, I strongly recommend that you replace it with a Protestant Bible.) God is able to restore our soul. He can undo the damage which the Catholic Church did to our thinking and our emotions. God is able to change our minds and our emotions so that they will reflect His truth, and agree with His Word (the Bible). We need to agree with God instead of agreeing with the Catholic Church. God tells all Christians to be transformed by the renewing of their minds. (Romans 12:2) And He always enables us to do what He tells us to do. This renewing of our minds is especially necessary for former Catholics because we have been indoctrinated with unbiblical beliefs and subjected to mind control. God is willing and able to teach us how to lead righteous lives. The Bible and personal prayer are keys to this. We need to ask God to change our hearts. We can pray, with Scripture, which says,
The Bible can correct our thinking and instruct us in how to live righteously. It can enable us to understand whether or not doctrines are biblical. It can equip us to live godly lives. The Apostle Paul said,
When reading the Bible, it is important to approach it with a spirit of humility, and to ask God to help us understand it. If we are faithful to do this, then our thoughts (and therefore our actions) will line up more and more with God's thoughts and God's ways of doing things. This is a process. It takes time. God is patient with us. We need to be patient with ourselves. We not only need to read the Bible, we also need to study it. The Apostle Paul says,
It helps to have a good Study Bible. You can ask your pastor to recommend one. There are also some helpful computer programs. FEAR Until the Second Vatican Council, Catholicism taught that there is no salvation apart from the Catholic Church, its sacramental system, the priesthood, and the Pope. (Since Vatican II, there have been a variety of teachings about salvation. These range from saying that there is no salvation outside the Catholic Church, to saying that salvation can be found in nonChristian religions.) This is not Biblical, but it can still be deeply ingrained. Once we learn better, then our minds understand, but it may take time for our gut feelings to catch up with our thinking. There can be other forms of fear. One man told me that when he was a child in parochial school, the nuns terrorized him. For example, they said that the children would burn in Purgatory for every minute that they talked in class. What kind of picture does that give of God? There are also official curses. When I was confirmed, the ritual (which was in Latin) included a curse which was supposed to come upon me if I ever left the Catholic Church. The anathemas of the Council of Trent still curse anybody who disagrees with any of the doctrinal statements of the Council of Trent. The Blood of Jesus is more powerful than any curse. God is able to protect us, and to bless us, whether or not the Catholic Church wants Him to. God is in control--not the Catholic Church. The Bible says,
ANGER Many former Catholics go through a period of being angry. One reason is a feeling of betrayal. For some former Catholics, it has taken years before they were able to trust again. In addition, anger is one way of handling fear, rejection, and the pressure to return to the Catholic Church. It can provide emotional strength, and it can help you stand your ground instead of allowing yourself to be controlled and manipulated. However, long-term anger is not spiritually or emotionally healthy. Jesus told us to forgive people. He said,
No matter what has been done to us, we cannot afford to become bitter. Bitterness defiles people and it spreads like a spiritual cancer. The Bible says,
It can be difficult to forgive the people who taught us false doctrines and ungodly religious practices. However, you don't have to do it alone. God will help you. Jesus said,
If you are willing to forgive, then God will enable you to do it. Ask God to increase your desire to forgive. Ask Him to change your heart and help you forgive. NOBODY HAS ALL THE ANSWERS When we were Catholics, we mistakenly believed that the Pope is infallible. It is easy to carry this mindset over to other things after we leave the Catholic Church. Nobody is infallible. The Apostle Paul wrote about a fourth of the New Testament. Much of our theology is based on his writings. He was taken up to the Third Heaven, where he learned things which he was not allowed to tell other people about. (2 Corinthians 12:1-4) But Paul made a point of telling us that even he does not have all the answers, and some things about God are beyond our comprehension. He said,
Paul said that he only knew "in part" and that his understanding was like looking in a mirror ("glass") which doesn't give a clear reflection. If the Apostle Paul didn't have all the answers, then nobody does. Not Luther, not Calvin, not other great men of the Reformation. They loved God and they did the best that they could, but they were not infallible and they did not have all the answers. We should love them and be grateful for them, but we need to be careful not to wind up treating them like infallible popes. The same thing is true of our pastors, our church leaders, and the people who wrote the notes of our Study Bibles. The same thing is true of theologians and seminary professors. These men base much of their teaching on the writings of the Apostle Paul. But even Paul did not expect people to accept what he said just because he was the one who said it. The Bible commends the men of Berea because they didn't accept Paul's teachings on his authority. Rather, they checked everything out against Scripture. The Book of Acts says,
The Bible commends the men of Berea because they checked out everything against Scripture. We need to do the same thing. The Bible says,
According to "Strong's Concordance, the word "prove" means to test or examine. We need to test everything against Scripture. This is especially true today, because there is so much deception and false teaching in the world. We need to develop the habit of automatically checking everything out against Scripture. GOD IS FOR US, NOT AGAINST US Some Catholic traditions give the impression that God enjoys making us suffer. For example, Teresa of Avila told of a time when she was sick, in pain, with a fever, and she fell out of her carriage and into the snow. According to Teresa, God told her, "This is how I treat my friends" and Teresa replied, "No wonder you have so few". Another example is some apparitions of "Mary" which portray Mary as a loving mother who is trying to protect us from the wrath of Jesus. The picture is that of a loving mother trying to protect her children from a child abuser. Another example is the teachings of some nuns in parochial schools. One man wrote to me saying that when he was in a Catholic school, the nuns told the children, "For every minute that you talk in class, you will burn in Purgatory". The children were terrified of God. These things are totally contrary to the picture of God which is given in the Bible. God the Father loves us so much that He sent Jesus to save us from our sins. Jesus loves us so much that He was willing to die a horribly painful and humiliating death in order to enable us to become children of God. Ephesians 3:19 speaks of "the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge". Many Scripture verses speak about the love of God. A few of them follow.
If your Catholic training gave you reasons to be afraid of God, instead of loving Him and trusting Him, then you need to saturate yourself in Scripture and get to know who God really is. When the negative thoughts and feelings come, you can combat them with the truth of Scripture. The Bible says,
The distorted picture of God which many Catholics were taught is a "high thing" that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. It raises itself up in our minds and our emotions, and blocks us from seeing who God really is. It hinders us from understanding God. We can pull these things down by taking our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. Ask God to show you how to do this. One way of doing this is to become more aware of the chatter that goes on inside your head, and notice when it is talking about God. Then compare what it says with what the Bible says. There was a time in my life when I became aware of a number of false teachings, false impressions of God. As I read the Bible, I found Scripture verses which told the truth which was the antidote to those false teachings. I memorized those verses. When the false teachings raised their head, I quoted those Scripture verses to myself. I kept doing that until the false teachings lost their power in my mind and my emotions. CATHOLIC CONDEMNATION It is not unusual for people who leave the Catholic Church to have Catholic clergy, family members or friends say that they are apostate, that their new church is a cult, and that they are headed for hell. Sometimes family members will say things like, "You were born Catholic and you will die Catholic". In other words, because you were sprinkled with holy water when you were a baby (without your consent), the Catholic Church owns you, and you have no right to leave. This denies the free will which God gave to us. In the face of such condemnation, some former Catholics are afraid because they were taught that they cannot get to Heaven without the Catholic Church. The Bible has the antidote to such fears. It says,
That includes the Catholic Church. It is not able to separate us from the love of God. SELF CONDEMNATION Some of the Catholic saints seemed to think that self condemnation is a virtue. For example, Catherine of Sienna saw a vision of Christ. She looked away for a second, and when she looked back, the vision was gone. She tormented herself with self condemnation because she had looked away from the vision. Another example is Francis of Assisi. He was full of self condemnation, and his biographers interpreted that as a sign of holiness. As Catholics, we were taught to emulate the saints, including their self mortification and self condemnation. Self condemnation may not be as much of a problem for younger Catholics who were raised in a generation which promotes positive self esteem. But it is a problem for many of us. It used to be a problem for me, until the Bible gave me some understanding of what it really is. Jesus called the Holy Spirit "the Comforter". (John 14:16; 14:26; 15:26; 6:7) According to "Strong's Concordance," the word "comforter" means intercessor, consoler, advocate, comforter. According to "Webster's Dictionary," the word "comfort" means "to impart strength and hope to; to relieve of mental distress; console". The Bible calls the devil "the accuser of our brethren" (Revelation 12:10) It's the devil's job to accuse us. Why should we do his job for him? The Holy Spirit comforts, encourages, and strengthens. The devil accuses. We need to follow the example of the Holy Spirit, not the example of the devil. We need to comfort, encourage, and strengthen ourselves and others. Self condemnation is a "high thing" that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. It blocks us from realizing that God loves us. It hinders us from recognizing God's love. According to the Bible, Christians are not under condemnation. The Bible says,
Acts 10:9-16 tells of a vision that Peter had. A sheet came down from Heaven. It was full of all kinds of animals (ones which Jewish law calls clean, and ones which Jewish law calls unclean). A voice told Peter to kill them and eat them. Peter protested, saying that he had never eaten anything unclean. The voice replied, "What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common." (Acts 10:15) According to "Strong's Concordance," the word means common, defiled, polluted, or unclean. When self condemnation hits us, we can remind ourselves that what God has called clean, we must not call unclean. Jesus Christ took away our sins. He paid a horrible price to be able to do that. If God calls us clean, then who are we to disagree with Him? When we sin, the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. This is very different from self condemnation. It is life-giving, rather than destructive. The Bible puts it this way,
We also need to remember that our freedom in Christ is not a license to sin. The Bible says,
EMOTIONAL ISOLATION If you studied and emulated the mystics, or if you were in a convent or a monastery, then you may have a problem with emotional isolation. When I was in the convent, we were told that we should be emotionally detached, that we should only express love in a detached way. We were taught that human attachments interfere with closeness to God. This is contrary to Scripture. Adam was very close to God. He walked and talked with God every evening. But God said that wasn't enough. God said that Adam needed human companionship. ("It is not good that man should be alone." Genesis 2:18) The Bible says that God spoke to Moses "face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend". (Exodus 33:11; also see Numbers 12:6-8) That is an unusual level of intimacy with God. Moses was a married man with children. And he was an emotional man. When the people murmured against him, Moses "cried unto the Lord". (Exodus 17:3-4) When God became angry with the people of Israel, Moses pleaded with God to have mercy on them. (Exodus 32:9-14) When his sister Miriam had leprosy, "Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee." (Numbers 12:10-13) Emotional detachment is a pagan ideal. It is praised by stoic philosophy and Buddhism. But it is contrary to Scripture. The Bible encourages fervent prayer.
You can't do that without feelings. According to "Webster's Dictionary," the word "fervor" means "intensity of feeling or expression," and synonyms for "fervent" are "fiery, vehement, impassioned, passionate, eager, keen". If you are emotionally detached, then how can you pray fervently for someone? Jesus wasn't emotionally detached, and nobody has ever been closer to God the Father than Jesus was. When Jesus saw that Lazarus was dead, and Mary and Martha were grieving for him, Jesus "groaned in the spirit, and was troubled," and he wept. The people saw this as showing the intensity of Jesus' love for Lazarus. (John 11:33-36) The Apostle Paul wasn't emotionally detached. He had a father's affection for Timothy, whom he called his "dearly beloved son". (2 Timothy 1:2; also see 1 Timothy 1:2 and 1:18) Jesus told us that in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we need to become like little children. (Mark 10:15). Children are emotional. They have strong feelings and they express them. Their love is personal, emotional, and affectionate. God designed us for fellowship, not for isolation and detachment. Isolation is spiritually and emotionally unhealthy. That is why prisoners who are kept in solitary confinement for long periods of time often go insane. If you were taught to be emotionally isolated, the first step towards freedom is to recognize it. Then you can pray for God to heal you and give you His perspective. You can also deliberately do things to counteract it. Animals are safe. Can you have a pet? If not, then you can make a point of being affectionate with other people's pets when you have the opportunity to do so. You can go to petting zoos, or to pet stores which allow you to pet the animals. Children are safe. You can pick up babies, and put your arm around young children. As you show affection for them (both verbally and physically), you will become more comfortable with it, and you will enjoy it instead of feeling awkward. It takes time and effort and thought to learn to be affectionate after years of emotional starvation. But it is well worth the effort. And it will give you greater understanding of God, and of the men and women in the Bible. THE CATHOLIC UNDERTOW There is something which I call the "Catholic undertow". Have you ever been swimming in the ocean, and tried to swim back to shore, but the undertow kept pulling you back out to sea? Well, something similar can happen to people who have left the Catholic Church. Several things contribute to this, including fear, rejection, inappropriate guilt, and the practical consequences of mind control. Some Catholics encounter "culture shock" when attending another church. Also, no church is perfect. No matter where you go to church, sooner or later somebody will disappoint you or hurt you (and they may not even realize it). Sometimes people who want you to go back to the Catholic Church will add to the difficulty by putting pressure on you or trying to indoctrinate you with Catholic teachings. One way to deal with the undertow is to just refuse to give in to it. Stand your ground. Be a bulldog and keep holding on. Pray for God to give you strength and wisdom. Realize that what you are going through is not unusual. There is nothing wrong with you. Many former Catholics go through this kind of thing. It is not wise to make important decisions when you are under emotional pressure. Applying this principle will give you strength if you are feeling the pressure of the Catholic undertow. Just refuse to make a decision until the emotional pressure passes. When people get married, sooner or later they will have bad emotions and their level of commitment will be tested. The same kind of thing happens when somebody leaves the Catholic Church and joins a Biblical church. Our emotions change with the weather, with our health, and with our circumstances. But God's truth doesn't change, and our commitment to Him shouldn't change, either. You didn't leave the Catholic Church because of feelings. You left because it had practices and doctrines which are contrary to Scripture. You left because you wanted the truth. Well, don't let emotions pull you back. The truth hasn't changed just because your emotions have changed. Hang on. In time your emotions will come around again. REINFORCING OUR FOUNDATIONS We former Catholics need to reinforce our Biblical foundations. It is important to read Scripture and to have it become a part of us. If you have not yet read my online book, "The Spirit of Roman Catholicism," please read it. You can download the book and keep it for future reference. You might want to print it. That will enable you to underline things and make notes in the margins. The book is the first item on my website. (I have some introductory comments, followed by the book.) If you want to have an actual book, you can print the document and get a spiral binding put on it. (Places like OfficeMax, Kinkos and Staples can do that.) You can also punch holes in it and put it in a binder. You may want to read "The Gospel According to Rome" by James McCarthy (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest House Publishers, 1995). It shows that many Catholic practices and doctrines are contrary to Scripture. McCarthy is a former Catholic. His book is easy to read, thoroughly documented from Catholic sources, and compassionate in its presentation. James McCarthy’s video, “Catholicism: Crisis of Faith,” was life changing for me. It ministers on far more than just the intellectual level. This film comes as both a DVD and a video (VHS). The DVD has several language versions on it. You can order the DVD/ video from D&K Press. They have a website and you can also order by phone.
FINDING A GOOD CHURCH Do you have a good church? If not, then you need to find one. The first thing to do is to pray for God to lead you to the right church. Keep on praying until you find it. A good church is a place where people believe the Bible, have sound doctrine, and are full of love for God and for one another. Sound doctrine is important. There are some doctrines which are non-negotiable. If a person doesn't believe them, then he or she is not a Christian. These include the Incarnation (Jesus is both God and man), the Atonement (Jesus died for our sins), and the Resurrection of Jesus. However, there is far more to Christian life than just sound doctrine. In Revelation 2:1-5, Jesus is speaking to a church where the people rejected false teaching, did good works, and had patience and courage under adversity. However, He rebukes them because they let their love fade. This was such a serious problem that Jesus told them to repent and rekindle their love, or else He would deal with their church. People have different personalities. So do denominations and pastors and congregations. As a result, individual churches have different personalities. You can find out about a church's doctrine with a phone call to their office, but to get a feel for a church's personality, you will have to visit it a few times. If you are not comfortable with a church that you try, pray about it. The lack of comfort might indicate that there is a problem. However, it could just be culture shock. Any Protestant church will be different from what we were used to as Catholics. The primary reason for going to church is to worship God and to learn about His ways and His character through preaching and Bible studies. Hopefully you will also make friends who will enrich your life and encourage you to become a more mature Christian. In order to do that, you will probably need to make the effort to get to know people. You may not be able to find a church which meets all of your needs and desires. Perhaps you want to have activities with other single Christians, or you have children who need good programs for youth, or you find that the pastor isn't as available as you would like him to be. Perhaps the music is not well done, or it is different from what you are used to. Don't let such things discourage you. Be grateful for what you have. One way to get things into perspective is to remember our persecuted brothers and sisters in other countries. For example, in Indonesia, Christians are grateful to be able to meet together without being attacked by Muslims. In North Korea, Christians have to meet secretly and quietly. They don't dare worship out loud for fear of being heard by hostile people. All of us have strengths and weaknesses. So do pastors. So do churches. There are no perfect churches. It is probably a good thing that there aren't, because knowing human nature, if we found one, we would probably make an idol out of it. Not being able to find a perfect church makes us depend on God. And that's good. PRAYERS Some people have found the following prayers to be helpful in breaking any remaining spiritual or emotional attachments to the Roman Catholic Church. Before you read them, I’d like to say a few words about written prayers. When we were Catholics, we were used to “canned” prayers. We said them during Mass. Many of us prayed rosaries. Some of us recited written prayers, such as novenas, litanies, and prayers which were given to visionaries by apparitions of “Mary.” Some written prayers were “indulgenced.” If you said them, you were supposed to get indulgences. I remember being told that certain prayers always “worked” -- if you said them, you would get what you wanted. This was treating prayers as if they were magic formulas. God is not a Coke machine. You can’t put in the “right” words and have your Coke (the thing you wanted to get) automatically come out. However, there is nothing wrong with using written prayers, if it is done in the right spirit. We pray the Lord’s prayer. Some hymns are prayers. The following prayers are just examples. You may want to use them as prayers, or you may prefer to look at their content, and then share your heart with God in whatever way is appropriate for you. LOYALTY: Heavenly Father, I renounce every form of false loyalty. My primary loyalty belongs to You alone. I used to give the Catholic Church a degree of love, trust, loyalty, and gratitude that should only have been given to You. Please forgive me for that. I repent for every way in which I have put other things ahead of You. Please help me put You first all of the time. Please help me see things from Your perspective. In the name of Jesus. Amen. THE BIBLE: Heavenly Father, please help me understand the Bible, trust it, and apply it to my life in practical ways. Please help me think biblically and have biblical responses to practical situations. Please remove every hindrance to having my thoughts and my emotions agree with Scripture. Please make me hungry for Your truth. Please help me know You, love You, and trust You. In the name of Jesus. Amen. FALSE DOCTRINES: Heavenly Father, I renounce every false doctrine which I have believed. I repent of having believed these unbiblical doctrines. Please uproot them from my heart and from my mind. Please open my eyes to the truth of the Bible and set me free from every false teaching. I renounce pagan philosophy and ungodly mystical experiences. I renounce every belief which is based on them. Please give me a renewed mind and a renewed heart. Please enable me to recognize whether or not teachings are consistent with the Bible and with Your nature and character. In the name of Jesus. Amen. UNBIBLICAL PRAYERS: Heavenly Father, I renounce the repetition of special verbal formulas. I repent for using them. Please teach me how to trust Your love for me. Please teach me how to share my heart with You like a trusting child. In the name of Jesus. Amen. IDOLATRY: Heavenly Father, I renounce every form of idolatry. I repent for every way in which I have participated in idolatry. Only You are holy. Only You can save me. Only You are worthy of worship. Please remove all idolatry from my heart, my mind and my life. If I start to do anything idolatrous, please show me and help me repent. Please help me worship You with all of my heart, with all of my mind, with all of my strength, with all of my soul, and with all of my loyalty. Please teach me to worship You in spirit and in truth. In the name of Jesus. Amen. AUTHORITY: Heavenly Father, I used to give priests and popes a kind of trust that should only be given to You. I put my conscience in their hands, instead of looking to the Bible to show me what is right. I accepted what they taught me, without questioning it, instead of testing it against Scripture. Please forgive me for these things. Please help me trust You directly. Please help me find the moral guidance I need in the Bible. Please help me become a mature Christian who takes responsibility for my own beliefs and my own decisions. In the name of Jesus. Amen. RITUALS: Heavenly Father, I repent of trusting in rituals and objects instead of trusting directly in Your love for me. I repent of attributing power to rituals and objects instead of believing in Your power, Your love, and Your faithfulness. I repent of praying to dead people (Mary and the saints). I renounce every form of communication with dead people. Please get these things out of my heart and out of my life. Please set me free from any influence of paganism or the occult. Please set me free from any spiritual or emotional harm which was caused by these things. Please increase my faith in You and help me trust you more. In the name of Jesus. Amen. OBJECTS: Heavenly Father, I am willing to get rid of any object which is associated with idolatry or other false religious practices. Please make me aware of these objects and help me get rid of them. Please set me free from any form of spiritual or emotional bondage. Please set me free from any influence of false religion. Lord God, You are my protector and my deliverer. Please increase my confidence in Your love for me and Your ability to take good care of me. In the name of Jesus. Amen. MARY: Heavenly Father, the Bible says that Mary was an ordinary woman who needed a savior just like the rest of us do. The Bible tells us not to try to communicate with dead people. I repent of praying to Mary, venerating Mary, and singing songs in her honor. I renounce every special title that the Catholic Church has given to Mary. I repent of anything I have said or done because of apparitions of "Mary." I repent of any way in which I have consecrated myself to Mary. Please forgive me for believing Catholic doctrines that exalt Mary above other people. Please get these things out of my heart, out of my mind, and out of my life. In the name of Jesus. Amen. FORGIVING: Heavenly Father, I choose to forgive every person who taught me false doctrines or ungodly religious practices. Please work in my heart so that I will completely forgive these people. In the name of Jesus. Amen. GIVING THANKS: Heavenly Father, thank You for setting me free from every form of bondage to the Catholic Church. Please help me live according to the freedom which You have given me. Please help me grow into a strong, mature Christian. Please increase my faith in you, my trust in You, and my loyalty to You. Help me trust Your goodness, Your faithfulness, Your love, and Your mercy. I want my life to glorify You. I want to demonstrate Your love and Your character. In the name of Jesus. Amen. PRAYING SCRIPTURE Many Catholics spend their lives praying written prayers. They have not learned how to pray naturally and spontaneously from their heart. I have found it helpful to use the Bible as a springboard for personal prayers. That isn't the only way that I pray, but it is something which I often do when reading Scripture. If you are not used to praying spontaneously, Scriptural praying can help you get started. There are many prayers in the Bible. Have you ever prayed through them, like they were your own? It is one way of having Scripture become a part of us. It is also a way of knowing that we are praying according to God's will. For example, if God showed the Apostle Paul that Christians need wisdom and revelation, then we know that praying for those things is according to God's will. We can use Paul's prayer as a springboard for our own prayers. When we pray the Lord's Prayer we are praying according to Scripture. But there are many other Biblical prayers that we can pray. We can appropriate them and make them our own. For example, here is one of Paul's prayers for the Christians in Ephesus:
At first, this may look intimidating. Most of this is one long, complicated sentence. However, we can break it down into bite-sized pieces. There are many ways that this passage could be approached. I will just give an example. As you pray, you will find something that is more appropriate for you. Also, every time you come to this passage, you may find new treasures in it, and new ways to pray it. Please take the following as just one possible working example of how this Scripture passage could be prayed.
As you read the Bible, you will find many prayers. You will also find many other things that are clearly God's will for us, and which can be the basis for prayers. Some passages can be prayed directly, word for word. One of my favorites is Psalm 139: 23-24:
I also like to participate in the heavenly worship that was shown to the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation. I love to pray, and to sing, Revelation 5:12. (This text is used in Handel's "Messiah". A wonderful chorus is based on it.)
Isaiah also had a vision of heavenly worship. I like to join in the prayer of the seraphim, which is given in Isaiah 6:3:
CONCLUSION We former Catholics have habitual ways of thinking which are contrary to Scripture. We also have emotional responses which are rooted in false teachings. With God's help, we can overcome these things. God has enabled His people to overcome everything which exalts itself against the true knowledge of God. The Apostle Paul said,
We may have struggles from time to time. Trials and tribulation are a normal part of life. However, God is able to keep us from falling. (Jude 1:24) We can overcome every obstacle because God is faithful and He loves us. May the Lord bless you, comfort you, strengthen you, and encourage you. May He make the Bible come alive to you and give you greater understanding of it. And may He give you an ever increasing revelation of how much He loves you. USE OF THIS ARTICLE I encourage you to link to this article. You have permission to quote from this article, as long as you do it fairly and accurately. You have permission to make copies of this article for friends and for use in classes. NOTES 1. "Inquisition" in "The Catholic Encyclopedia,"Volume VIII (8), 1910 (online edition 2002). The statement opposing freedom of religion is in the second paragraph of the article. The Office of the Inquisition is an ecclesiastical institution for suppressing heresy. It is a permanent office with headquarters in Rome (described on pages 1 and 23-24 of my print-out). For a Protestant perspective on the Inquisition, you can go to the following article. It is on the web site of Bart Brewer, who is a former Catholic priest. 2. "Code of Canon Law," Latin English edition, New English Translation (Washington, DC: Canon Law Society of America, 1988), pages 247 and 409, Canons 752, 1311-1312. The 1983 "Code of Canon Law" was translated into English in 1988. It is available online. The following links go to the Index of the book, which has links to the laws. Canon 752 is near the beginning of Book III. Canons 1311-1312 are in the beginning of Book VI.
3. “The Catechism of the Catholic Church,” Paragraphs 85, 100, 891, and 2051. The “Catechism” summarizes the essential and basic teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. It comes in numerous editions and languages. Because it has numbered paragraphs, statements can be accurately located in spite of the variety of editions. You can get the book in regular bookstores and at Amazon.com. 4. "Catechism of the Catholic Church," Paragraphs 87, 1310, and 2037. |
Copyright 2002, 2007 by Mary Ann Collins. All rights reserved. www.CatholicConcerns.Com
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