Why do Roman Catholics turn to Heathery or Protestantism if they felt RC failed them..?

[poiuytrewq0987]

When they could turn to Orthodox Christianity, the best form of Christianity?

[Osweo]

Because Pravoslavie doesn't proselytise. It's also not so commonly found in the countries where this is occuring. Countries on the religious border often have long standing ethnoreligiious feuds that prevent conversion too.

HOWEVER, there has been some conversion to Orthodoxy from disenchanted Anglicans in England. Never heard of Catholics doing it though.

[Óttar]

When they could turn to Orthodox Christianity, the best form of Christianity?

Because I doubt many of them even know that the Orthodox Church exists, otherwise it would be a no-brainer. Or they are just fed up with Christianity altogether. There also is the fact that many people just assume that if Christianity is full of it, then so must be all other religions. People in America at least, are woefully ignorant of religions, even their own.

[Grumpy Cat]

Or they are just fed up with Christianity altogether.

Yeah most likely.

I do have some relatives who became Orthodox after Pope Benedict became Pope, though, because they hated him. I think it's safe to say he's generally not well-liked among Canadian Catholics.

However, being an Acadian, I believe Catholicism is part of our identity, so I was kind of upset when my sister converted to the United Church of Canada (Protestant sect). Orthodox and Protestant isn't part of our culture. Go Catholic or bust. Although I would give a preference to Orthodox Christianity, since it is closer to Catholicism and because Protestantism is the exact opposite, since it was mainly Protestants who stomped all over our human rights from the mid 18th century to the mid 20th.

[Wyn]

The number of RCs turning to Protestantism must be minuscule? Here at least, those who reject the religion tend to just become agnostics/atheists etc (I suppose in the US, which has its proselytising aggressive Fundie culture, things are different). There aren't many Protestant-born Protestants in Europe these days, never mind ex-Catholic Protestants.

Ex-Catholic Heathens are huge in number, but I don't think it's a rejection of Catholicism per se that drives them to this, but a rejection of Christianity altogether.

As for why they don't turn to Orthodoxy, it's been addressed - they don't make it their business to seek converts and most Catholics aren't familiar with them.

[Grumpy Cat]

The number of RCs turning to Protestantism must be minuscule? Here at least, those who reject the religion tend to just become agnostics/atheists etc (I suppose in the US, which has its proselytising aggressive Fundie culture, things are different). There aren't many Protestant-born Protestants in Europe these days, never mind ex-Catholic Protestants.

There actually were quite a few Catholic-Protestant conversions in my hometown. So many that CBC did an episode of the Fifth Estate about it, and there is also a book about it too (which I will read when my mother finishes with it). Basically, it's because of the sex scandals but this was before they made international news, but locals here know about it. I remember being in school, and in between classes even us teenagers were going on about this clergyman diddling so-and-so, and people tried to raise the alarm with the authorities but the cases always went to court and the clergyman was always found not guilty. This was in the early 90s, and it didn't get revealed until a year or so ago (that's when the mass conversions started). It was just the corruption in the diocese that made people angry, and I mean, it's such un-Catholic or un-Christian behaviour and people got fed up with the lack of action.

Not just that but the church was using money that parishoners donated, money that's supposed to go to help the poor, to pay the legal fees of these clergy who went to court, when it should have went out of the clergyman's salary. That was the straw that broke the camel's back.

I grew up in Northeastern Nova Scotia, which has historically been very Catholic, the main ethnic groups are Acadians, Scots who ancestors came from the Isle of Barra, and Mi'kmaq Indians, all very Catholic people. Really it was mostly Scots who converted over, many Acadians and Mi'kmaq stayed Catholic. I think if Protestants were willing to have mass in French and open churches on reserves, that would change, though, because folks in both cultures are equally pissed.

[Grumpy Cat]

CBC did an episode of the Fifth Estate about it

I should mention, when I watched that episode of The Fifth Estate, it sent chills down my spine. There were a few people I knew, on that documentary who admitted they were molested and I had no idea, and also, an older Acadian lady, who donated a lot of money, thinking it was going to help orphans in Africa, finding out that all her money went to pay a lawyer.

[Magister Eckhart]

Because I doubt many of them even know that the Orthodox Church exists, otherwise it would be a no-brainer. Or they are just fed up with Christianity altogether. There also is the fact that many people just assume that if Christianity is full of it, then so must be all other religions. People in America at least, are woefully ignorant of religions, even their own.

I might also add that the Orthodox Church does not in many cases fulfil the selfish individualism, anti-ritualism, anti-authoritarianism, and primitivist anti-intellectualism that often drives departure from Roman Catholicism.

I will say, though, that not all the people that depart Roman Catholicism do so just because the Church ceases to work within their self-constructed religions belief system; in some cases there is a very genuine spiritual conversion of the heart, and I have known converts of this genuine type who have gone over to Greek Orthodoxy, Folkish Heathenry, and to other faiths (I knew someone who was seriously considering joining the CJCLDS but I don't know if he went through with it). While a minority, the conversion experience is too significant for the small number of persons who experience it to just discount it and say "well why not just join x if you don't like y".

[Bloodeagle]

I have known a few women, who have converted to the Orthodox church after marrying into the Old Believers and one who married an Aleut man.
I have also had a few friends become catholic on their own free will.

The form of Orthodoxy that these Old Believers practice could not be tolerated by the average protestant American. They don't seem to place much importance on having fun.

[Aemma]

Ex-Catholic Heathens are huge in number, but I don't think it's a rejection of Catholicism per se that drives them to this, but a rejection of Christianity altogether.

^This.