Update.

[BeeBee]

I just received notice that I am officially no longer a Mormon.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Congratulations!

May you find a spiritual home that is welcoming and inclusive.

[BeeBee]

2. Thank you.

I have never really identified as a Mormon but was baptized as a kid. I have been out as gay and atheist for quite some time now and never bothered with the Mormon church until their involvement in Prop h8. When they attacked my family, I finally took the steps to remove my name from their membership rolls.

[qb]

3. Thank you from another gay atheist.

:hi:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

4. congratulations. you are finally no longer associated with a bigoted religion

who seeks to oppress you.

:toast:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

5. OK, so what happens now?

You go insane and drink coffee until you puke?

Diet Coke with Lime?

Welcome back from The Dark Side. I'm sure all your sins have been forgiven.

[BeeBee]

6. Fortunately, I never went to the Dark Side.

I was Mormon in name only.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

7. Then,

you've always been saved.

Mazeltov, my friend!

:toast:

[mitchtv]

8. from a retired Catholic

GOOD GOING

[Zuiderelle]

9. Congratulations!

:toast:

[FreeState]

10. Congrats! I just got my letter from Mr. Dodge Saturday too! n/t

[BeeBee]

11. Yay!

We've sort of gone through this together...

[FreeState]

12. Yeah we have :)

I was actually surprised that I got the letter from SLC so fast - I was not expecting it until January. I must say though Im a little sad about it. I was active for a long time and its still heartbreaking to me that I had to have my baptism cancelled - I was baptized by Dad - an act Im sure he sees as an act of love. I guess while I know it was an act I had to do Im still numbed by it all.

[Ian David]

14. If you guys want, I can posthumously baptize all your dead relatives into the Universal Life Church.

[FreeState]

15. LOL - that may work:)

well if I believed in life after death that is:)

[yardwork]

19. I believe that your baptism still stands - it was an act of love.

You aren't separated from God. You're separated from a flawed human institution.

[Ian David]

13. Congratulations. You've just taken your first step into a larger world. n/t

[KitchenWitch]

16. That is fantastic.

:hug:

[closeupready]

17. Oh, good!

Was my very first reaction, lol. :evilgrin:

Seriously, I no longer consider myself Catholic, even though I was raised that way, and while I feel an affinity for that culture/way of life, I no longer consider priestly and hierarchical pronouncements of any great significance to me. I also have a mind and can use it, and the Vatican can STFU.

Editing to say that I did struggle with facing my estrangement from the church, but Benedict really sealed it for me. I don't think I could ever go back, without feeling like a living liar.

[BeeBee]

24. Question...

Does the Catholic Church have an official way of resigning similar to this? My husband is a recovering Catholic and wants to resign but he doesn't think they have records like the Mormons do.

[closeupready]

25. I don't believe so. You just sort of stop participating, as far as I know.

I think that there is some sort of official doctrine that if you pledge fealty to another faith, such as Islam or some Protestant sect, that you are, in the eyes of God, a 'heretic'/no longer Catholic, but the Vatican likes to retain their big numbers, so they don't make it easy to leave the fold, such as keeping a book of names or anything like that.

[Ioo]

18. I have my letter right here... Have not sent it yet

[BeeBee]

22. I understand that it can be a difficult decision.

[bluedawg12]

20. I suspect this is a hard thing to do

regardless of the good and right reasons there must be a sense of loss and dashed hopes.

All I can say is that I hope that those of us looking for spirituality find it somewhere.

Organized religion means nothing to me, other than being the enemy.

Yet, every once in a while I'll see a sunset, or something wonderful in nature, or think of the good things in life that I have worked for and sometimes I think a part of it was a gift.

I hope there is someone up there, out there, bigger than us, looking toward us kindly and with love. Then, most of the time I think, that it is there all along and it comes from within.

I am sending good vibes to the folks going through these formal decisions that must be very difficult on a personal level.

wishing BeeBee and FreeState and all still seaching and deciding, much peace and joy in life-

bd12

[BeeBee]

21. Even though I was Mormon in name only,

you're right, it was difficult. I grew up in a suburb of Salt Lake City where around 90% of the people were Mormon. Although most of my immediate family is not active, most of my extended family is...so being Mormon was sort of part of my life.

[beyurslf]

23. Congrats!