Can you please give your testimony of being born again and leaving the Catholic Church? Thanks.
My parents put me in Catholic school in 1964. I really liked it, i couldn't wait to serve as a alter boy for the next 8 years.
Never had any abuse issues, but the 80 year old priest used to hand out our report cards smoking and coughing on a cig, if we got a low grade we got a smack on the back of our hand with a ruler. the Nuns, one in particularly had those beads that went all the way to the ground, the size of grapes, she wasn't afraid to use them as a weapon, lol.
Mostly positive experience in grades 1 through 8, but when i went to St. John Bosco, the strictness got ratcheted up some. I went there in the ninth grade, got the best grades of my life. All the teachers had weapons. The History teacher had a stick about an inch round and 18 inches long. he would pace to classroom smacking it on his hand, then sneak up behind someone who might be talking and pop them in the head.
The math teacher had the old short handled paddle, 2 inches thick with holes and tape drilled into it. He would hand out a swat for every 5 points we got under 50 %. so some classes were just guys grabbing there ankles and getting their swats.
The science teacher was the head football coach, he would just tell someone acting up to meet him outside after class, and they would duke it out, not kidding. He did throw a desk at this guy one day. I should have told you in the beginning, it was an all boy school.
The freshman class had to be the slaves of the senior class for a week, and do whatever they said. Nothing bad happened to me at least.
But then in 1987, when i was indulging in that s. California smorgasbord of drugs and alcohol, i went back to that grade school and begged the priest for help. He only said one thing, "go to AA". So i did, and it saved my life. #38 years sober and 38 years in Christ. I've learned something there that the priest never could have taught me, what real Faith and faithing is. It's a long story, but worth the read.
Bottom line, i had no choice where my parents put me in school , but God did. He had his hand on this called out one from the very beginning. You see, salvation isn't a destination, it's a journey. And it doesn't matter where that journey starts, God will make a possible way for His called out ones.
J