Why I’m Not Catholic Anymore

“Ever since I was a little girl, I would always say that I was Catholic whenever I was questioned about my religious background, never thinking about the implications of my response. I was clueless that by saying that I was Catholic, I projected an image of myself as having certain opinions and values.
To me, being Catholic meant I went to church Sundays with my mother and said my prayers at night. Back then, as a naive, innocent child, I had no idea that being Catholic brought along with it a reverence to the Pope, a pro-life stand, and a decision to abstain from sex until after marriage. (Not to say that all Catholics share these sentiments, although they are traditional Catholic values.)
As I grew older, I acquired my own set of values and opinions. I realized that your religion is an integral part of your identity, a part that must be in sync with the rest of you. And Catholic principles clashed with the rest of me.

I disagree with many Catholic views
I didn’t see the Pope as a great figure worthy of my undying love, but rather as a man to be respected because of his knowledge of Catholicism. As time progressed I became increasingly pro-choice, and found myself disagreeing with the Catholic view that a woman does not have the right to choose what to do with her body. I also disagreed with the withholding of sex until after marriage because this view seemed outdated in modern society.
Not only did I disagree with these particular views, but I was deeply insulted by the lack of female authority figures in the Catholic religion. Never in my life had I seen a woman giving a sermon in church, and I wondered how this was possible in an era where women had come so far. The more I delved deeper into Catholicism, the more I was repelled by it.
Today, although I don’t associate myself with being Catholic, I do not feel like a hypocrite when I sit and unwrap Christmas presents, or when I hide Easter eggs for my cousins. To me, these holidays have never had a deep religious significance, although they have always been a special time for my family to come together and celebrate. I don’t feel we have been celebrating the birth of Christ, or his resurrection, all these years, like most Catholics have. I think we have just been celebrating life itself.
This is not to say that I don’t believe in God or that he does not play a part in my life. I have simply learned that the Catholic religion is not for me. These days, on the rare occasion when I go to church with my mom, I wonder why I am even there. Hopefully one day I will be a part of a religion which has principles that I can agree with, and sit at a religious service knowing why I am there.”

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