In my most recent video on my YouTube channel, I discuss a variety of reasons for why I am not a Catholic. While I do discuss this in further depth on my video, I do want to share my thoughts here and also direct you to the video if you are interested in learning more.
Reason 1:The Role of the Church:
To me, the emphasis on the Catholic Church is a major stumbling block when it comes to me accepting Catholicism. While I do not have any problem with recognising the benefits of the Church and a governing body to help people stay on track and follow the truth, I do believe that when it comes to Catholicism, they are given way too much power and authority from the perspective of infallibility.
To me, it is one thing to say that there is a governing body filled with wise men who can provide guidance and wisdom for Christians, and another thing to claim that such teachings are protected by the Holy Spirit to be infallible. What makes this even more confusing and difficult for me to accept is the centralisation of the protection given to one church and not the universal Church of all believers.
Reason 2: Exclusivity of Roman Catholicism:
Another problem I have with Roman Catholicism is that it is way to exclusive. During the numerous Masses that I have attended, I have always withheld myself from taking the communion as I do not consider myself under the Catholic Church. I believe this is theologically problematic. Despite believing in Christ and also believing in Him as Lord and having risen from the dead, it would be incorrect for me to take Catholic communion as I do not believe in the Catholic Church.
One must question whether such beliefs should be seen as such big deal-breakers as to cut someone out of the communion, or whether there are mere doctrinal disagreements which have little to no effect on broader salvation or communion.
For the full video:
If you are interested in watching the full video, you can check it out here:
Reason 3: Nietzschean Criticism
The third reason for why I am not a Catholic is most akin to Nietzsche’s criticism of Christianity. According to Nietzsche, the Catholic Church, by taking upon itself the role of exegesis and interpretation of scriptures, has taken away the individual freedom and ability to wrestle with the scriptures and shields the Christian from total responsibility. I believe that this over-reliance upon the interpretatitve power of the Church opens one’s faith up to serious criticism and can take away from one’s individual walk with Christ.
In conclusion:
I hope you enjoyed my ponderings on this issue, let me know your thoughts in the comments, and of course, if you want to learn more about this topic, go check out our YouTube channel for more information.