I want to switch religions...?

Question

I don't want to be Catholic. My parents are Catholic, and all of my mom's side of the family is Catholic. My dad and I were talking and he said that he didn't care if I switch religions. He became Catholic when he was 32 so he could go to church with my mom, but that was it. I am only 13. My mom would FLIP OUT if she heard that I wanted to do this. It isn't like we are what you would call "devout" Catholics. We skip church a few times a month and we don't pray everyday, but she would still flip out. I know this because once I told her that I wanted to be a "Precatarian" which means I don't want to eat meat but I can eat dairy and fish. She thought I said "Presbytarian" and she said, "WHAT?! WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" I explained it to her again. But what do I do about this? I just think this whole thing about your communion and stuff is dumb, and I am 13 and still haven't made my communion, and I don't want to make it. What do I do? Am I allowed to switch religions by law?

I am asking "by law" because I am a citizen of the United States and on the Constitution it says I have religious freedom. So don't I?

And what religion are you? I mean, I still believe in God, and I don't want to be Jewish or Muslim. I want to be non-denomination or something.

I don't want to rebel against them! I just want to switch faiths! I want to follow my heart, and it isn't with Catholicism.

Answer 1

If you want to learn what the Bible really teaches, go to this website:
http://www.derekprince.org/site/PageServer
peace to you!

Answer 2

You are free to follow any religion you choose. You may even choose to follow no religion. Usually people are thligion of either their parents, or what ever the predominant religion is where they live- for example if you had been born in Pakistan, the chances are that you would be considered a Muslim. This of course totally removes you from the process of deciding--

Congratulations on wanting to explore your spiruital side and feel confident that you can differ in faith from your parents.
Many times young people (13) are told to wait for many important things- wait to have sex, wait to drive, wait to stay out late- because you haven't grown enough emotinally and mentally to deal with these events. That's why I'm suprised that young people are encouraged at a young age to declare a religion, a philosophy and a world view of right and wrong. If you can't be trusted to have sex or drive, how can you possibly be equipped to really, honestly, declare a religous belief.

Maybe a good thing to do is treat religion as you would any of these other things- wait for a while. Visit lots of different churches, and even learn about secular and atheist philosophies. Take your time before jumping into a belief. Or put the whole thing on hold and stay out of church until you're 21. There is no law that says you must have a religion.

If anyone gives you a hassle just say
'My religion is between me and God"

Hope this helps

Answer 3

Well since you are so young, what your Mom says does make a difference. If you make a deal out of it, the whole family might get in an uproar. What you could do is look up different religions on the inter-net and at the library and start reading about all of them. The more you learn the better you can choose in the future. I was Baptist until about age 17 because my Mom made a stinking big deal out of me not wanting to go to church so I ended up going with her. I then left home and went to a Brethren congregation. Then I went to a Methodist. Then none at all, I was agnostic. Now I am Buddhist. There are so many religions and it is so interesting. So bide your time and keep the peace for now.

Answer 4

No, by law you are stuck with what your parents tell you until you are an adult.

Of course, you don't have to believe what they are teaching you. You can add a "yeah, right!" or a "not!" anywhere you see fit. I would, however, recommend adding it to yourself or under your breath.

As far as non-denominational religions, I would suggest from your comments that you might want to check out the Unitarians. However, if you don't want your mother going apoplectic on you, this will probably have to wait till you are in college.

If you want to try and nudge your way out from the catholic church, the closest church would be the Episcopalians. Their ritual is very similar to the catholics and they have the advantage, in most parishes, of being significantly more liberal than the catholics.

Perhaps you could find someone in school who goes to a different church and ask your mother if you could go some Sunday with them.

By the way, I started life as a Presbyterian (but never a precatarian). I then moved to Episcopalian, then Agnostic, and now Atheist.

Good luck in your spiritual journey.

Answer 5

You sound exactly like me when I was 12. One year younger than you. I believed in God and Jesus and went to church (I'm also Catholic BTW) but I didn't bother too much about Catholicism. Around 14 or 15, I gave it a try and learned about it and completely fell in love with it.

Now you're only 13 and, like me, you don't have much credibility to know much about religions right now. Don't get me wrong- I admire your interest to discover something new.

My advice is: Be patient. Keep studying Catholicism and if you decide that it's definitely not for you- then find another good faith.

Read these articles (http://www.lifeteen.com/default.aspx?PageID=BGHOME) written by the "Bible Geek"- a Catholic himself who as a child was strictly raised Catholic, went to church, was even an altar boy, and still felt like Catholicism wasn't for him. He thought this because he never really tried to understand it until college!

Be patient and open-minded. I hope God blesses you whether you decide to stay Catholic or not :)

Answer 6

By law, of course, you can be any religion you want, no matter how old you are. You might ask your mom why she's so upset at the idea of your not being Catholic. She still might not understand, but you can believe whatever you want. My parents are both Baptist, and they are very religious. After I went to college, I stopped going to church, and I don't consider myself a Christian anymore. I guess I'm more of an agnostic. With Baptists, things aren't as official as with Catholics (from what I've heard--I've had Catholic friends). But the basic principle is still the same.

Since you're still 13 and you live with your parents, obviously they have more control over you--they can punish you, or whatever, if you don't go to church. But you can always believe what you want. Just pick your battles: decide whether it's worth it to you to refuse to go to church and deal with the consequences that your parents give you, or grit your teeth and go to church and make communion.

Answer 7

You have a right to be whatever you want to be. I was born baptist, my parents then converted to Catholicism when I was six and they were the picture of "devout". Now at 27 I have found that I don't necissarily agree 100% with any conformed religion. What I do have is faith though and you know what, I don't have to go to Mass every week or reconciliation every month to feel peace with my God. My God is your God and everyone else's on here. How we praise him is a completely personal choice. I firmly believe God gave us the ideas of so many different religions and sects in order to give us the option of finding which one best fits our personality and lifestyle. You see as long as you worship him in your heart he doesn't care where you go physically.

In college I was a religious studies major. I will honestly say that I have dappled in every religion from the Mormon Church to Apostolic Penticostal. What I believe as far as my faith is almost a pot luck of all of religions combined.

One thing to add to though, be very careful to join the Apostolic Penticostal Church, although they are very charasmatic they are also extremists. Like the lady before said they have "No rituals, no dogma, just good ole King James Bible Study and powerful Holy Ghost worship and praise singing!" -They also have no t.v., no makeup, no pants and the women rarely have a mind of their own.

Good luck in finding your own niche, but no matter where it is God will never leave your heart.

Answer 8

Ok, it's not about what religion you are, rather it's about having a relationship with God.

I am agnostic, I say this because I cannot prove to anyone that God exists or doesn't exist. But I have had a spiritual awakening that made me believe in God. God is not some man in the clouds dealing out death, punishment, and salvation. God is existence, the very life which flows through us, the very life that we see and cannot fully view all at one time. God is the air, the sky, the dog, the feeling of being that you have. God exists in all of us and all around us. THIS IS GOD, everything. Genesis 3:14-3:15 if you want a biblical example.

God is existence and that is everything you need to know. Just be.

You are allowed to do whatever because you are your own person. Your parents can't make you believe in anything, they can only make you go to church. But you don't have to do anything you don't want to or believe in.

Answer 9

You have 5 years to go, but 10 years from now, that will seem like it was just yesterday. Maybe you could just sit down with your mom and tell her what you believe or don't believe, not really mentioning the fact that you want to switch churches. While this may not open any doors for you right now, it could pave the road to a smoother transition later on. Don't say anything that would make her act apologetic either, just tell her that you flat out don't believe or do believe something, proof or no proof, otherwise she might start the apologetic stuff on you.

Answer 10

In the U.S., it's separation of religion and law. The law won't deny you the right to choose your own religion, regardless of age.

Some parents take these sorts of things hard. Others are ok with it. Sounds like you have one of each.

You're at an age where you're figuring yourself out. Religion is one part of that. My suggestion is that you not make a big deal of it with your mom. Go to church sometimes and listen to what they're saying and think about it. Are there things that you agree with? What do you disagree with? Use this as an opportunity to learn more.

See if you can find some books on other religions at the library. Changing religion is a serious decision, so take the time to learn as much as you can first.

Answer 11

My parents let me decide what religion (if any) I would take up and as yet, I haven't decided. I am very pleased to hear you say you still believe in God but don't want to be a Catholic. Your Mum shouldn't have too much of a problem because you still want to worship the same God, just in a different way. My friend recently gave up on Catholocism because she hated being blamed and punished during confession just for living her life. Speak to your Priest or Father and see what he has to say, if he's a good Christian he'll be able to guide you into a different branch of the faith and that should still keep your Mum happy!