If you have converted to a Protestant denomination...

[Anonymous]

When you you start describing yourself as such? After a few services attended, after a year, some other milestone?

I want to leave Catholicism and identify with a Protestant denomination instead. I know that, for the opposite, there's a clearly marked timeframe in which a concert to Catholicism goes theough classes and similar and then is officially finished with RCIA usually around Easter.

But when does someone catholicism for protestantism start referring to themselves by their chosen denomination?

[Anonymous]

I normally say that I'm a Catholic who attends an Episcopalian church. And many times the other person will say "Us too! We were raised Catholic and attend the Lutheran Church".

So maybe never?

[Anonymous]

I grew up in the Catholic Church but now belong to a Lutheran congregation. There was not/is not any "conversion" because from the Lutheran church's perspective, a baptized Christian is a Christian. So, I affirmed my baptismal vows as part of the new joiner process, and that was it.

I do mostly identify myself as a Lutheran, but occasionally as a Catholic who worships in a Lutheran church. And I always self-identify as a member of one holy, catholic (not Catholic) and apostolic church.

[Anonymous]

^^^Lutheran PP here. It has been 12 years since I left Catholicism and joined my Lutheran congregation.

[Anonymous]

Ok, to be more clear, I do not want to consider myself Catholic any longer. I definitely want to be Protestant.

[Anonymous]

You are thinking like a Catholic.

Catholics frequently talk about people, usually Christian, converting to Catholicism and have a special reverence for converts. Protestants usually think only of people converting to Christianity from a non-Christian religion. There is a lot of fluidity among Protestant denominations that just doesn't exist between Catholics and Protestants.

Don't think about converting to Protestantism. Just become a Lutheran, Episcopalian or whatever denomination you choose.

[Anonymous]

Why does this even come up? I'm a Protestant, btw.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why does this even come up? I'm a Protestant, btw.

Me again. Just call yourself whatever domination church you're attending. No one is keeping tabs.

[Anonymous]

If you decide to join the Episcopal Church, as a Catholic you can be formally received into the church, during a service similar to confirmation, in which the presiding bishop will receive you into the church.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are thinking like a Catholic.

Catholics frequently talk about people, usually Christian, converting to Catholicism and have a special reverence for converts. Protestants usually think only of people converting to Christianity from a non-Christian religion. There is a lot of fluidity among Protestant denominations that just doesn't exist between Catholics and Protestants.

Don't think about converting to Protestantism. Just become a Lutheran, Episcopalian or whatever denomination you choose.

I was being deliberately vague about the denomination. What I meant was, at what point do I say "I'm [denomination] now; I'm no longer Catholic" if/when asked (especially by relatives)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are thinking like a Catholic.

Catholics frequently talk about people, usually Christian, converting to Catholicism and have a special reverence for converts. Protestants usually think only of people converting to Christianity from a non-Christian religion. There is a lot of fluidity among Protestant denominations that just doesn't exist between Catholics and Protestants.

Don't think about converting to Protestantism. Just become a Lutheran, Episcopalian or whatever denomination you choose.

I was being deliberately vague about the denomination. What I meant was, at what point do I say "I'm [denomination] now; I'm no longer Catholic" if/when asked (especially by relatives)?

It's like others are trying to tell you, you are ____ when you say you are. Protestant churches accept the baptism you received in the Catholic church. Some people might attend a church for years before they feel like identifying as "that denomination" vs. a person that attends a church of the ___ denomination. One of the biggest differences between Protestant and Catholic is that you are one determining your identity as a Christian in a more individual way, rather than the specific tenants set forth by the Catholic Church.

It sounds like you are anticipating some questions from relatives and trying to figure out a response? If you have to answer this question sometime soon, before you've really determined a denomination, you could just say the truth. "I'm no longer a practicing Catholic. I'm visiting different churches (or attending one church) as I explore my new direction for practicing Christianity."

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are thinking like a Catholic.

Catholics frequently talk about people, usually Christian, converting to Catholicism and have a special reverence for converts. Protestants usually think only of people converting to Christianity from a non-Christian religion. There is a lot of fluidity among Protestant denominations that just doesn't exist between Catholics and Protestants.

Don't think about converting to Protestantism. Just become a Lutheran, Episcopalian or whatever denomination you choose.

I was being deliberately vague about the denomination. What I meant was, at what point do I say "I'm [denomination] now; I'm no longer Catholic" if/when asked (especially by relatives)?

Whenever you feel like it -- protestants are a lot looser than Catholics, as others here have been trying to tell you.

Could it be that you still feel catholic, because of your upbringing and your still catholic family, even though you have no intention of ever going back? If so, try not to let that get in the way of your non-catholic practices.

[Anonymous]

Your parents made baptismal promises on your behalf to choose they rcc. You make a liar of them every time you go to your Lutheran service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your parents made baptismal promises on your behalf to choose they rcc. You make a liar of them every time you go to your Lutheran service.

OP here. I'm not going to Lutheran services, but there's a stick somewhere that hasn't seen the sunshine in quite some time, apparently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are thinking like a Catholic.

Catholics frequently talk about people, usually Christian, converting to Catholicism and have a special reverence for converts. Protestants usually think only of people converting to Christianity from a non-Christian religion. There is a lot of fluidity among Protestant denominations that just doesn't exist between Catholics and Protestants.

Don't think about converting to Protestantism. Just become a Lutheran, Episcopalian or whatever denomination you choose.

I was being deliberately vague about the denomination. What I meant was, at what point do I say "I'm [denomination] now; I'm no longer Catholic" if/when asked (especially by relatives)?

Whenever you feel like it -- protestants are a lot looser than Catholics, as others here have been trying to tell you.

Could it be that you still feel catholic, because of your upbringing and your still catholic family, even though you have no intention of ever going back? If so, try not to let that get in the way of your non-catholic practices.

I'm perfectly okay with saying in not Catholic now; I just didn't want to sound "presumptuous" about already "being" the other denomination if I've only been going to their services for, say, a few months.