APRIL 2011
1
Consequences of Leaving the Catholic Church "The truth will set you free."1 Note: In this report I may occasionally use bold print, Italics, or word underlining for emphasis. This will be my personal emphasis and not that of the source that I am quoting. Any footnote preceded by a number in (parenthesis) is my personal library numbering system.
Q:
I was born into the Catholic Church and received the sacraments. As a youngster my family and I converted to the Lutheran Church. Are there any consequences to this? Sandi
A:
To begin, God holds us accountable for what we do based upon our true understanding and knowledge we had for the act at the time of the act. As an example, a fourteenyearold takes an apple from a store, does not pay for it, goes outside and eats it. This is a violation of the Commandment to 'Not Steal' and is thus a sin. It is probably a venial sin because of the limited value of a single apple. Next, a four yearold commits the same act. For him it is most likely not a sin because all he knows is that apples are food and he was hungry. He was not yet old enough or mature enough to understand the Commandments or sin. So, age, maturation and what you know based on what you were taught are all considered by God when He determines if you sinned and to what degree you sinned. In your particular case I do not know what your age was at the time of conversion to Lutheranism nor do I know how much you had been instructed about making such a change, the consequences, etc. So only for the purpose of clarity in this report we will 'create' the scenario that you had been thoroughly catechized as to the sinful nature of voluntarily leaving your Catholic faith. IF this had been the case, the Church (the Church decides and speaks 'in persona Christi' or in the person of Christ) would determine that you were guilty of committing mortal sin, which would place you in danger of loosing your soul upon death if you did not repent! "When the intelligent creature (you or me) knowing God and His law, deliberately refuse to obey, moral evil results. Sin is nothing else than a morally bad act, an act not in accord with reason informed by the Divine Law. God has endowed us with reason and freewill, and a sense of responsibility; He has made us subject to His Law, which is known to us by the dictates on conscience, and our acts must conform with these dictates, otherwise we sin (Rom. 14:23)"2 "In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path, we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord's Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church."3 "A wellformed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator. Everyone must avail himself of the means to form his conscience."4 "Conscience must be informed and moral judgment enlightened."5 "Man is obliged to follow the moral law, which urges him 'to do what is good and avoid what is evil'. This law makes itself heard in his conscience."6 "Deep within his conscience man discovers a law which he has not laid upon himself but which he must obey. Its voice, ever calling him to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in his heart at the right moment. . . . For man has in his heart a law inscribed by God. . . . His conscience is man's most secret core and his sanctuary. There he is alone with God whose voice echoes in his depths." 7 1
The Catholic Bible, ISWBN. 0195284054, (1995), Nihil Obstat & Imprimatur, Oxford University Press, Oxford, N.Y., John 8:32, P. 163 The Catholic Encyclopedia – Vol. XIV (1912), Nihil Obstate & Imprimatur, Robert Appleton Co., New York, NY., P. 4 3 Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 9780860123279, (2000), Burns & Oates, London, England, Paragraph 1785, P. 397 4 Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 9780860123279, (2000), Burns & Oates, London, England, Paragraph 1798, P. 399 5 Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 9780860123279, (2000), Burns & Oates, London, England, Paragraph 1783, P. 397 6 Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 9780860123279, (2000), Burns & Oates, London, England, Paragraph 1713, P. 385 7 Catechism of the Catholic Church, ISBN. 9780860123279, (2000), Burns & Oates, London, England, Paragraph 1776, P. 395 2