How can i deal with pressure from my family for leaving the Catholic church???

Question

in terms of religion, i am isolated from my family. i dont want to be Catholic anymore and i never liked or felt comfortable with it. how can i deal with the pressure from my family???

i never did my First Communion or Confirmation!!!

i am no longer Catholic because i dont agree with its teachings!!!!!!!! i dont need it!

Answer 1

I had a friend, who, at the age of 16 told his parents he had no interest in caltholicism at all and wanted to leave the church. His father told him that, as a lapsed catholic, he would receive twice as many lashes in hell as one who had never been a catholic.

Silly isn't it?

Well done for having the courage to think for yourself. You can only try and treat your family with respect. If they don't treat you similarly then they are not true catholics.

Try and surround yourself with friends who think similarly to you and draw strength from them.
Good luck!

Answer 2

When I read your question, I see fear. I see a fear of losing your son in a way... that he is being forced to reject family religion and tradition to go into some unknown group. I went through this with my family, and I'm still facing it in a sense. I'm 32 now, and I am the only LDS person in my family. I became LDS less than 15 months ago. I am now closer with my non-LDS friends and family than I have ever been. I am in a massively Catholic area, and the main social differences that you will notice are the low divorce rate (under 6% for temple-married LDS), no smoking or drinking, and a lot more time spent in the church because we have no paid clergy. LDS dream of going to BYU, and the cost for full room, board, books, & tuition for LDS is dirt cheap for such a fantastic school (around $10k a year, from what I understand). Most LDS who have non-LDS friends and relatives often have large receptions and ring ceremonies after they are joined (which is very short). Weddings are beautiful ceremonies, but your fear over missing one day of your son in a fancy outfit will be swallowed up in years of family happiness if he were to join.

Answer 3

Have you reached the age of 1st Communion or Confirmation?

If so, and you "never liked" or "felt comfortable" with it, why did you go through it? You had the opportunity then to say no.

Sorry you lost your faith in the Church.

To deal with pressure, you just need to tell them how you feel. They will be upset, but that is life.

I faced the same thing when I became Catholic.

Answer 4

Seek to understand where they are coming from. Walk a mile in their moccassins, as the Indians say. For a practicing Catholic, the faith is of utmost importance. Your family holds their faith to be true and they want you to share this faith, not just as a unifying factor but also because they want you to benefit from the sacraments and all the graces found in Christ's church.

The "pressure" you perceive stems from their love and concern. Respect their beliefs and be thankful they care about you. Pray every night that God will open your eyes to the Truth, wherever that may be.

Be willing to talk everything over with them - families should always communicate - but end the conversation should it become too heated or hurtful. Religion is a very personal thing to every person, you and them included.

When you see it through their eyes, you can be more patient and loving.

Answer 5

Start with being very clear with yourself as to WHY you do not want to be Catholic. Do the services bore you, do you disagree with teachings, does it just "not fit"? And I'm not talking a sentence or two - I mean a real solid reason you don't want to be affiliated with this religion anymore. This will help keep you from sounding like a "whiny teenager" cuz that's the last thing you want.

After that, try to find a middle ground, especially if you are still living with your parents. You may want nothing to do with the religion and they might want you to attend mass every week. Could you not make a big deal about not wanting to be Catholic (keeping it off the radar) and maybe go to mass with them on important days. In return, they won't nag you constantly about it. That's one idea, at any rate.

Answer 6

You haven't left the church. If you didn't make your confirmation, you were never a catholic in the first place!!
Congrats on making your own decision and being prepared to stand by it. Most people would just stop practicing and say nothing.
Your family will eventually accept your decision. They'll always think you're weird but they'll adjust.

Answer 7

You either do or you don't. All of my family left the Catholic Church at different times, so we respect the other choices. My dad was a little weird about me being a witch fora while, but then he sat down and learned what it was actually about and is very supportive.

Answer 8

I think you should say to your family that religion in its nature is a personal act, everyone's right to make his and her own decision about. It will not please them but maybe they will finally respect you.

When religion becomes too organised by authorities, or even worse, by political power, its not religion anymore, just a tool to control people. That's why it has to build on personal acts and stands.

Answer 9

Dont talk about it. Or say that you respect their religious views, and they should respect yours. I used to get into this with my folks too, but now theyve just kinda gave up.


Oh well.

Answer 10

You can still love your family. But you have to hold fast to your own beliefs and not cave in to pressure or guilt trips.