List of former Catholics

Last updated

Former Catholics or ex-Catholics are people who used to be Catholic for some time, but no longer identify as such. This includes both individuals who were at least nominally raised in the Roman Catholic faith, and individuals who converted to it in later life, both of whom later rejected and left it, or converted to other faiths (including the related non-Roman Catholic faiths). This page lists well-known individuals in history who are former Catholics.

Contents

One 2008 Pew Research Center study estimates that 10.1% of people in the United States describe themselves as former Catholics in some sense. In total the study reports that 44% of Americans profess a different religious affiliation than the one they were raised in. A majority joined another Christian denomination while a substantial minority are counted as currently unaffiliated. [1] A significant number of former Catholics join mainline Protestant denominations with a similar worship pattern, such as Lutheranism or Anglicanism, while others have become Evangelical Christians. [2] [3] [4]

Note: The list includes those who leave the Catholic Church including any Eastern Catholic Church which is in communion with it. People such as Eddie Doherty, who were allowed to transfer from the Latin Catholic Church to an Eastern Catholic church, or vice versa are not considered as "former Roman Catholics", while Eastern Catholics who convert to a non-Catholic church or another religion are considered as such, even though Eastern Catholics do not typically refer to themselves as "Roman".

Individuals who converted to other Christian denominations

Eastern Orthodoxy

Tom Hanks. Tom Hanks 2016.jpg
Tom Hanks.

Protestantism

Lutheranism

Anglicanism

Henry VIII who made himself Supreme Head of the Church of England 1491 Henry VIII.jpg
Henry VIII who made himself Supreme Head of the Church of England

Reformed

John Calvin, Protestant Reformer. John Calvin - Young.jpg
John Calvin, Protestant Reformer.

Pentecostalism

Seventh-day Adventism

Marianne Thieme. Mariannethieme.jpg
Marianne Thieme.

Other Protestant

Old Catholic and Independent Catholic churches

Christian Science

Mormonism

Ultra Violet. Ultra Violet by David Shankbone.jpg
Ultra Violet.

Individuals who converted to other religions

Gottgläubigkeit

The gottgläubig movement was an officially sanctioned unorganised religion in Nazi Germany. Several prominent Nazi leaders started leaving their Catholic or Protestant churches over the course of 1936 as an act of political protest after a gradual worsening of relations with the churches, whom they accused of meddling in Germany's internal affairs. The Gottgläubigen stressed they still believed in a creator-God who guided the German nation, and rejected atheism and irreligion. The movement disappeared shortly after World War II.

Other former Catholics

Magdi Allam, left Islam for Catholicism, then left Catholicism. Magdi Allam 02.JPG
Magdi Allam, left Islam for Catholicism, then left Catholicism.

Buddhism

Islam

Diana Haddad Diana Haddad (8619111489).jpg
Diana Haddad

Judaism

Campbell Brown Campbell Brown 's Advice for the Next President still.png
Campbell Brown

Kabbalah

Raëlism

Scientology

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in May 2009 Tom Cruise & Katie Holmes WHCAD.jpg
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes in May 2009

Debatable

This section lists some who, while adopting ideas that some others would consider incompatible with the Catholic faith, may have defected from the Church neither by a formal act nor even informally by an act of heresy, schism or apostasy. Mere attendance at services of another religion or adoption of certain meditation techniques need not signify abandonment of one's own religion. According to a 2009 survey of the Pew Research Center Forum on Religion and Public Life, one in five American Catholics report that they at times attend places of worship other than the local Catholic parish (which does not have to mean non-Catholic places). The same survey noted that some Catholics incorporate "yoga as a spiritual practice", emphasize psychics, and draw on and involve themselves in other religious movements. [58]

Atheism, agnosticism, or non-religious

Alex Agnew Alex Agnew.JPG
Alex Agnew
Marie Curie, double Nobel Prize winner Marie Curie (Nobel-Chem).jpg
Marie Curie, double Nobel Prize winner
Francois Hollande Francois Hollande 2015.jpeg
François Hollande
Dara O Briain Dara O Briain.jpg
Dara Ó Briain
Julia Sweeney Sweeney julia.jpg
Julia Sweeney

This section contains people who rejected Catholicism in favor of a non-religious philosophy, including atheism, agnosticism and secular humanism. [59]

See also

Footnotes

  1. "Religion in America: U.S. Religious Data, Demographics and Statistics – Pew Research Center". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 11 May 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  2. Reese, Thomas (18 April 2011). "The hidden exodus: Catholics becoming Protestants". National Catholic Reporter . Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  3. Farragher, Mike (15 January 2019). "Ma: I'm Lutheran now - Catholic Church scandals did me in" . Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  4. Webster, Dan (4 January 2012). "Catholic 'and' Episcopalian". Episcopal News Service. Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  5. Terry Mattingly (25 March 2009). "Mattingly: Tom Hanks talks about religion". Scripps Howard News Service. Archived from the original on 28 March 2009. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  6. "Danish Prince Weds French Bride". cbsnews.com. 24 May 2008.
  7. 403 Forbidden
  8. Fr. Edward Beck, CNN Opinion, US Edition, 2 April 2019. ref.
  9. Pierce, Andrew (1 May 2008). "Peter's fiancée converts to save succession". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  10. "Melissa Joan Hart wrestled with faith, acceptance when son had question about Jewish friend". usatoday.com. 8 September 2021.
  11. "Marianne Thieme voelt zich thuis in de kerk". EO.nl (in Dutch). Evangelische Omroep. 5 February 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  12. Rhina Guidos (14 June 2017). "James Comey makes appearance with father at New Jersey parish". Crux. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  13. Neill Caldwell (31 July 2013). "Next FBI Director is a United Methodist". Umnews.org. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  14. Slisco, Aila (27 April 2022). "Marjorie Taylor Greene Clarifies How 'Satan Is Controlling' Catholic Church". Newsweek . Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  15. Jack Jenkins (23 April 2022). "State Sen. Mallory McMorrow on reclaiming faith from those using it as 'a weapon to hate people'". Religion News Service. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  16. Newton-Small, Jay (29 August 2008). "Transcript: Time's interview with Sarah Palin". Time . Archived from the original on 1 September 2008. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  17. Eason, Rrian (9 November 2016). "Next VP: 10 things to know about Indiana Gov. Mike Pence". IndyStar . Retrieved 4 December 2016.
  18. "Joris A.O.L. Vercammen, aartsbisschop". OKKN.nl (in Dutch). Oud-Katholieke Kerk van Nederland. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  19. 1 2 3 Steigmann-Gall, Richard (2003). The Holy Reich: Nazi Conceptions of Christianity, 1919–1945. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 219. ISBN   9780521823715 . Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  20. "Magdi Allam, Muslim Convert, Leaves Catholic Church, Says It's Too Weak Against Islam". The Huffington Post . 25 March 2013. Retrieved 25 March 2013.
  21. "From Catholic to Chemist to Buddhist Missionary". tricycle.org. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  22. "The Pema Chodron Foundation – The Buddhist Contemplative Tradition". pemachodronfoundation.org. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  23. "Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason". pbs.org. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  24. "漫畫大師蔡志忠 少林寺落髮出家". cna.com.tw. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  25. De Bary, William Theodore (2008). Sources of East Asian Tradition: The modern period. Columbia University Press. pp. 184–185. ISBN   978-0-231-14323-3.
  26. Magida, Arthur J. (2006). Opening the Doors of Wonder: Reflections on Religious Rites of Passage. University of California Press. p. 203. ISBN   0520245458.
  27. Bhikkhu Nyanatusita and Hellmuth Hecker (2008). The Life of Nyanatiloka: The Biography of a Western Buddhist Pioneer. Buddhist Publication Society. p. 17. ISBN   9789552402906.
  28. 凤凰网:梁文道在佛教中寻找人生方向 (in Chinese)
  29. Claire Harvey (31 December 2005). "Free-range soul searching replacing organised religion in NZ". New Zealand Herald.
  30. Abdul-Jabbar, Kareem; Obstfeld, Raymond (2007). On The Shoulders Of Giants : My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance. New York City, NY, US: Simon & Schuster. p. 288. ISBN   978-1-4165-3488-4. OCLC   76168045. S2CID   190584066. ISBN   978-1-4165-4991-8.
  31. "Breaking News, Sports, Weather & More – BND.com & Belleville News-Democrat". belleville.com.
  32. "O'Connor becomes a 'priest'". BBC News. 4 May 1999. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  33. "Qui est Wahiba, la femme de Franck Ribéry ?". MSN.com (in French). 7 April 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  34. Anthony Vickers (15 December 2016). "On Reflection: Abel Xavier – a colourful character who was no stranger to controversy". Teesside Gazette. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  35. "<< stephen j. dubner >>". stephenjdubner.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2010.
  36. Van Biema, David (7 December 2008). "Was Saint Augustine Good for the Jews?". Time . Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  37. O'Toole, Lesley (22 December 2006). "Ben Stiller : 'Doing comedy is scary'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 8 January 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2006.
  38. BookBrowse. "Mary Doria Russell author interview". BookBrowse.com.
  39. Literati.net Archived 15 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  40. Kirsch, Adam (9 November 2010). "Convertito". Tablet Magazine . Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  41. Eichner, Itamar (24 April 2018). "The Jews-by-choice of San Nicandro, Italy". Ynet . Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  42. 1 2 Barr, Robert (12 May 2013). "Geza Vermes, renowned Jesus scholar, dies at 88". Times of Israel . Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  43. 1 2 Ivry, Benjamin (15 May 2013). "Geza Vermes, Hungarian Bible Scholar Who Returned to Jewish Roots, Dies at 88". The Forward . Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  44. "Providential Accidents: An Autobiography (Paperback)". Rakuten.com.
  45. Scalamonti, John David (1992). Ordained to be a Jew: a Catholic priest's Conversion to Judaism. Brooklyn: KTAV Publishing House. ISBN   978-0-88125-412-9.
  46. "Ex-Christian ministers now active Orthodox Jews". Jweekly . 15 May 1998. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  47. Carmel, Abraham (1993). So Strange My Path: A Spiritual Pilgrimage (Rev. ed.). New York: Bloch Pub. Co. ISBN   978-0-8197-0040-7.
  48. Bernstein, Fred. "Onetime Catholic Priest Abraham Carmel Celebrates His 25th Year as An Orthodox Jew". People.com. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  49. McLean, Craig (17 October 2014). "Ariana Grande: 'If you want to call me a diva I'll say: cool'". The Daily Telegraph.
  50. "Ariana Grande Reveals Love for Gay Brother Frankie Made Her Question Catholic Faith - MTV". www.mtv.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2022. Retrieved 2 October 2022.
  51. Barnes, Anthony (9 July 2006). "Kabbalah: is Madonna losing her religion?". The Independent. London. Retrieved 21 September 2010.
  52. Clonaid chief backpedals on baby proof, Associated Press. 9 January 2003. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
  53. Grant, Meg (June 2005). "Face to Face With Tom Cruise". Reader's Digest. Archived from the original on 13 May 2006. Retrieved 14 October 2022. RD: You were Catholic originally. Cruise: Well, we went from Episcopalian, to atheist, to Catholic...
  54. "In 1990 Cruise renounced his devout Catholic beliefs and embraced The Church Of Scientology claiming that Scientology teachings had cured him of the dyslexia that had plagued him all of his life."
  55. "Katie Holmes Returns To Catholic Church". Huffington Post . Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  56. "David Miscavige: A Biography of, and resources on, David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center". rtc.org.
  57. "Scientology Effective Solutions". scientologyreligion.org.
  58. Editors, "Believers mix their creeds, survey finds", The Tablet, 19/26 December 2009, 53.
  59. If any of them merely ceased to practice the Catholic religion without renouncing it, in the belief, for instance, that their ideas were consistent with the Catholic faith, they could be considered lapsed Catholics, rather than former Catholics.
  60. Alex Agnew (2009). "Alex Agnew – More Human Than Human – Katholiek Onderwijs". More Human Than Human (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 19 September 2018. I myself have been raised as a Catholic, and I attended a Catholic school. (...) But if they ask me if I am religious, despite or thanks to my religious upbringing, I usually say: 'No. I don't believe, I'm an atheist.'
  61. Matt Coker (1 March 2007). "Godsmack – Page 3 – News – Orange County". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on 16 July 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
  62. Giltz, Michael (22 July 2007). "No one expects Javier Bardem". New York Daily News . Retrieved 22 September 2018. I was raised Catholic by my grandmother". (...) "I don't believe in God, I believe in Al Pacino.
  63. Millea, Holly (15 July 2010). "The Lover: Javier Bardem". Elle . Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2010.
  64. van den Berg, Floris (2017). Hoe komen we van religie af?: een ongemakkelijke liberale paradox (How Can We Get Rid of Religion?: An Inconvenient Liberal Paradox) (in Dutch). Antwerp: Uitgeverij Houtekiet. p. 96. ISBN   9789089245618 . Retrieved 22 September 2018. I'm incredibly happy to have been born in a liberal Catholic nest, where I was spared the subjection to dogmas, authority and rites.
  65. Barton, Laura (12 May 2006). "When albino monks attack". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2018. Bettany was himself raised as a Catholic,...
  66. Adam Rutherford (12 February 2009). "Paul Bettany: Playing Darwin with Creation". The Guardian. UK. Archived from the original on 20 March 2014. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  67. Solomon, Deborah, The Right Stuff, 23 October 2008, The New York Times
  68. Logan, Brian (22 June 2012). "Will Jimmy Carr's career survive the tax avoidance furore?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  69. Smithies, Grant (10 December 2015). "Jimmy Carr talks religion, war and ribald jokes before his NZ tour". Stuff.co.nz . Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  70. Waxmanta, Sharon (28 September 1997). "George Clooney, Uncowled". The Washington Post. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  71. Reid, Robert William (1974). Marie Curie. London: Collins. p. 19. ISBN   0-00-211539-5. Unusually at such an early age, she became what T. H. Huxley had just invented a word for: agnostic.
  72. Bart Zuidervaart (17 September 2018). "Dijkhoff haalt uit naar kardinaal Eijk: 'Monseigneur Eijk, ik schrijf mij uit bij uw kerk. Uit liefde'". Trouw. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  73. "Johannes Grenzfurthner on "Razzennest"", Keyframe, Fandor, 5 May 2023, retrieved 16 November 2023
  74. "The Indoor Kids #58 — Everything with James Gunn (NSFW)", The Indoor Kids, The Nerdist Podcast, event occurs at 49:42 to 52:56, 13 August 2012, archived from the original on 4 March 2016, retrieved 23 October 2016
  75. "Aalmoezenier kan niet lachen met Katastroofclip in Kerkschip". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). 7 July 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  76. Beck, Glenn (4 July 2007). "Honest Questions with Denis Leary". CNN. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  77. Seth MacFarlane – Celebrity Atheist List Archived 13 September 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  78. "Father Ted star reveals she is a confirmed atheist". The Irish Post. 22 March 2020.
  79. Paul Jan van de Wint (2005). "Bioloog minister Ronald Plasterk (1/6)". God bestaat niet (in Dutch). RVU. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
  80. Comedian Chris Rush – Media Funhouse (part one of three). YouTube. 13 October 2009. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021.
  81. Interview: Omar Sharif (English translation) Archived 14 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine El Mundo
  82. Shavershian, Aziz. "What religion are you?". Formspring.me . Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2011.
  83. Rob Trip | Andersdenkenden @ RKK.nl
  84. Tuccille, Jerome (2006). Heretic: Confessions of an Ex-Catholic Rebel: Jerome Tuccille: 9780595384297: Amazon.com: Books. ISBN   0595384293.
  85. Sebastiaan Quekel (31 August 2018). "Peter van der Vorst woest op priester: Ik laat mij uitschrijven bij de kerk". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). Retrieved 18 September 2018.

Related Research Articles

These are articles that list people of a particular religious or political belief or other worldview.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Belgium</span>

Christianity is the largest religion in Belgium, with the Catholic Church representing the largest community, though it has experienced a significant decline since the 1950s. Belgium's policy separates the state from the churches, and freedom of religion of the citizens is guaranteed by the country's constitution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Germany</span>

Christianity is the largest religion in Germany. It was introduced to the area of modern Germany by 300 AD, while parts of that area belonged to the Roman Empire, and later, when Franks and other Germanic tribes converted to Christianity from the fifth century onwards. The area became fully Christianized by the time of Charlemagne in the eighth and ninth century. After the Reformation started by Martin Luther in the early 16th century, many people left the Catholic Church and became Protestant, mainly Lutheran and Calvinist. In the 17th and 18th centuries, German cities also became hubs of heretical and sometimes anti-religious freethinking, challenging the influence of religion and contributing to the spread of secular thinking about morality across Germany and Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Albania</span>

Christianity in Albania was established throughout the country in 325 AD. From 1100 AD, the Roman Empire carried out Church missions in the area. In relation to the increasing influence of Venice, the Franciscans started to settle down in the area in the 13th century. From the 15th century to the 19th century, under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, Christianity was replaced by Islam as the majority religion in Albania during the Ottoman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of religion in the Netherlands</span>

The history of religion in the Netherlands has been characterized by considerable diversity of religious thought and practice. From 1600 until the second half of the 20th century, the north and west had embraced the Protestant Reformation and were Calvinist. The southeast was predominately Catholic. Associated with immigration from Arab world of the 20th century, Muslims and other minority religions were concentrated in ethnic neighborhoods in the cities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Europe</span>

Religion has been a major influence on the societies, cultures, traditions, philosophies, artistic expressions and laws within present-day Europe. The largest religion in Europe is Christianity. However, irreligion and practical secularisation are also prominent in some countries. In Southeastern Europe, three countries have Muslim majorities, with Christianity being the second-largest religion in those countries. Ancient European religions included veneration for deities such as Zeus. Modern revival movements of these religions include Heathenism, Rodnovery, Romuva, Druidry, Wicca, and others. Smaller religions include Indian religions, Judaism, and some East Asian religions, which are found in their largest groups in Britain, France, and Kalmykia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Luxembourg</span>

Christianity is the largest religion in Luxembourg, with significant minorities of non-religious people and adherents of other faiths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in the Netherlands</span>

Religion in the Netherlands was historically dominated by Christianity between the 10th and 20th centuries. In the late 19th century, roughly 60% of the population was Calvinist and 35% was Catholic. Since then, there has been a significant decline in both Catholic and Protestant Christianity, with Protestantism declining to such a degree that Catholicism became the foremost form of the Christian religion. The majority of the Dutch population is secular. Relatively sizable Muslim and Hindu minorities also exist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Guatemala</span>

Christianity has dominated Guatemalan society since its Spanish colonial rule, but the nature of Christian practice in the country has changed in recent decades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in the Republic of Ireland</span>

The predominant religion in the Republic of Ireland is Christianity, with the largest denomination being the Catholic Church. The Constitution of Ireland says that the state may not endorse any particular religion and guarantees freedom of religion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Costa Rica</span>

Christianity is the predominant religion in Costa Rica, with Catholicism being its largest denomination. Catholicism is also the state religion, but the government generally upholds people's religious freedom in practice.

The following is largely a link to lists of notable people who left Christianity, sorted by the religious or non-religious ideology they switched to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Catalonia</span> Religious beliefs in Catalonia (spain)

Religion in Catalonia is diversified. Since the Expulsion of the Jews and the Moriscos in the late XVth and early XVIIth centuries respectively, virtually all the population was Christian, specifically Catholic, but since the 1980s there has been a trend of rapid decline of Christianity, also driven since the 1980s by the religious authorities' association with Francoist Spain. Nevertheless, according to the most recent study sponsored by the government of Catalonia, as of 2016, 61.9% of the Catalans identify as Christians, up from 56.5% in 2014, of whom 58.0% Catholics, 3.0% Protestants and Evangelicals, 0.9% Orthodox Christians and 0.6% Jehovah's Witnesses. At the same time, 16.0% of the population identify as atheists, 11.9% as agnostics, 4.8% as Muslims, 1.3% as Buddhists, and a further 2.4% as being of other religions.