The Common Phenomenon of Cradle Catholics Leaving the Church for Non-Denominational Protestantism: a thread.

I was a victim of this. I was born and raised Catholic, attended Catholic school all my life, and have a practicing Catholic family. However, despite all of this, I still fell into Protestantism, what I described as non-denominational, and later reformed Baptist.

I want to talk about why we have so many Catholics leaving the Church for various Protestant denominations. You’ll often hear them say that they are now a true, Bible-believing Christian who has ditched all of Catholicism’s pagan and unbiblical teachings and traditions.

For me, it was the appealing rhetoric. Hearing Protestants talk about how Catholicism’s fixation on Mary and the Saints was unbiblical, how claims for purgatory were unfounded, how Catholicism adds so many “extras” to the Bible, etc. planted seeds of doubt.

Before long, I was saying the same. I was telling my family/friends how what I had fervently believed before was wrong, and not only that, it was unbiblical and contrary to the Christian faith. I fell into the trap of “if something isn’t explicitly in the Bible, it isn’t true.”

Thankfully, the Lord opened my eyes, and I truly believe through the Blessed Mother and the Saints’ intercession, I am once again fully Catholic. Deo gratias! Unfortunately, just because I escaped this, many others do not, and this is why.

1) Poor Catechesis and Apologetics.
It’s no secret that a saddening number of Catholics don’t know much about their faith. Despite attending Catholic school for all those years, I didn’t know nearly enough. I also had no foundation in the “why” of our beliefs.

I knew what it was we believed, but the missing piece of the puzzle was the why. Why does the Catholic Church teach this? Where does this come from? How can we support this? How do we defend this? A multi-faceted view makes a difference; an explanation that touches all bases.

2) Lack of Community and Example.
If a young Catholic’s only exposure to Catholic community is an elderly lady at Mass or their lukewarm parents, how can we expect their faith to be set on fire? If they don’t see anyone being changed, why should they?

If they don’t see anyone passionate about their faith, someone they can relate to, it makes it hard for them. This is where Protestants excel: their communities are passionate and outspoken and everywhere. Young Catholics see these people their age and are drawn to them.

These Catholics want Christianity, they’re just having a hard time with Catholicism. They have the same social values and morals and ethics. Th issue is they perceive the Church and our Faith as dead and old-fashioned and as something that belongs in the past. I’ve been there.

None of their Catholic friends are fervent, faithful and open about their faith. Their Protestant friends, however, are always inviting them to their youth group, to their services, to their Bible studies. We, as Catholics, need to do better at being more forward and outspoken.

3) History.
I am by no means someone who is fully educated in Catholicism and Protestantism’s history, but I do know the basics. Once I started learning about the history and founding of Protestant denominations vs Catholicism, it became evident which one had more to stand on.

Tell them about our saints and their stories! Tell them about our churches and their stories! Tell them about how we’ve survived in the face of every adversity and every hardship!

Our Church is so rich and dense in history, and yet we neglect it. I can’t recall a homily, religion class or catechesis session in which the topic is any of our history, and this is sad. I firmly believe that if we focused on our lengthy past and foundation, it would be helpful.

4) Lack of Spiritual Leader or Mentor.
You have a question? You don’t know what to do? You need help? “Ask a priest!” That’s the common answer we get, but priests are busy, and it’s often a handful of priests for thousands of people! It’s hard finding someone to guide you.

We don’t have enough spiritual mentors, and so young Catholics aren’t getting the spiritual guidance they need. Mentors influence and guide and make a difference. This ties back to # 2, lack of example, and it’s something we desperately need.

5) Protestant Emphasis on Emotional Reaction. This one is not something Catholics should try and emulate, but rather one of Protestantism’s selling points. They are focused on achieving an emotional reaction every time. This is wrong, but it is attractive.

When you see someone break down and cry in awe of God, you want that. You want to feel so close to Him that you are overcome by a wave of emotion. You come to think that if you don’t have this reaction, there is something off with the church you belong to, and thus they leave.

In conclusion, the phenomenon of so many cradle Catholics leaving the Church is a heartbreaking one, but not an unfixable one. Please pray for these distraught Catholics and for their return to the Church and for the deepening of their faith. God bless, and thank you for reading!