I have left The Mennonite denomination. The reason I did was I believe they put to much stress on the outward things. Such as dress and the things you do or don't do. Although some of that is important it is first off the change of the heart that makes the difference. I feel they stress to much what or how we do things and not enough on the change of heart. Even though I can go back there and worship God with them. And I know there are those there that are Christian people. I just would rather be a part of a church that believes a little more like I do. I feel I can be a better testimony to others that way. 

I was a lutheran once, and my brothers and I jokingly called the Lutheran church "Catholicism's younger brother". There were a lot of unnecessary rules and traditions, as well as boring Sunday School classes. We switched over to a Christian and Missionary Alliance church, which is more non-denominational, and I never looked back.

I could never switch over to Catholicism but it's my personal belief that praying to Mary is idolatry. I also don't believe in confessing to a priest if you can confess straight to God. Not trying to start an argument, just stating my opinion.

I grew up in a NE Baptist church. Lots of gospel preaching and self-improvement sermons, as well as great foundational teaching. It was a good place to start, I think, but by the time I reached high school I had "outgrown" the level of teaching going on. I don't belittle my old church for this; it's where they were at the time. God was calling me forward and I was doing so while respecting my pastors and elders. But when I got married at 19, I went with my husband to his home church, which is a nondenominational/Pentecostal type. Now THAT was a big change for me at first. I love new experiences like that, and the transition was pretty painless because I was always open to other forms of worship besides the old grey hymnal and things like that. But the idea of speaking in tongues and healing... those were hard for me to swallow. My Baptist church had expressed a conviction that speaking in tongues was dead, that apostles were no longer necessary, that all we had to do was make ourselves better Christians and tell other people about Jesus and we'd be fulfilling all God wanted for us.

I believe I have done something other than a denominational switch. At the risk of sounding pompous or holier-than-thou, I believe God has shown me a way to rise above denomination. He's shown me that the way to worship and encourage both my Baptist church and my current church is to learn the way of love and the Kingdom. I love my old church and I love my new one. I know both are sincere about following God and both have strengths and weaknesses, which, if they worked together, would be a great combo. I want to do all I can to bring the order and principles of God into all areas of life: myself, my family, the Church, the business world, and the civil government.

And just for the record, I don't believe tongues is dead, nor do I believe that apostles are no longer necessary. Of course, this is a discussion that can last forever and never change anyone's mind, but I wanted to be open with you all.
Denominations and loyalties to them are, in my opinion, providing a great way to "divide and conquer" the Church. Ultimately, Christ will be victorious and He will have His Bride, but for now I think the Church is grievously fragmented. I'm doing what I can to bridge the gaps relevant to me and bring the unity of the Body of Christ into reality.

~Victoria

The idea of denominations is totally unbiblical and the catholic chuch itself is unbiblical.

I think many people go back and froth between protestant and catholic... I think people are just more open about it than they use too be because of the breakdown between (the importance of) denominations now days.

I've never heard of someone going from "Protestantism" to Catholicism. After attending a "Protestant" church for a while, you're usually going to get used to Biblical accuracy, feel mere traditions have no place in worship, and find the idea of a pope unbiblical and silly. The whole view of saving-faith is a lot stronger and Christ based in a "protestant" church than in a catholic church as well (at least for Roman Catholics). I know a ton of people who have gone from Catholic churches to evangelic non-denominational or baptist, but never from anything evangelic to Catholic.

I'd love to hear thoughts from anyone who has actually switched from a "Protestant" church to a Catholic one. I really want to know your reasoning behind it.

@metal_core1@xanga - I know a pretty big number of people who have switched from a protestant church to Roman Catholicism. Personally, I like knowing that every other RC church is doing the same readings and liturgy as I am. The protestant church is so dis-unified. There's so much talk about being one body, but it's really not at all. I also like knowing that things at the RCC is more or less done the same way as it has been for hundreds of years. Also, in a Protestant church, the "biblical accuracy" is really at the discretion of the pastor and elders, while everyone in the RCC more or less believes the same thing.

It kills me that people in protestant churches have such contempt for their brothers and sisters int he RCC. My old pastor at the pentecostal church I went to would preach sermons bashing Catholics at least once a year, using a bunch of lies that protestants usually use against Catholics as truth (Liiike.. we pray to Mary, we believe that works save you and not God. None of that is true.).

@TheMarriedFreshman@xanga - Praying to Mary and the saints isn't idolatry (a common misconception).  It's the same idea as asking a friend to pray for you for something.  When we pray to Mary or the saints we're asking them to pray for us and with us to God.

I was raised Methodist and So. Baptist, and if I returned to the church, it would probably be Episcopalian because of the ritual aspect.  I eventually left the church because it is patriarchal and does not empower women to any spiritual authority (imo).I have been wiccan, pagan and gnostic, and now prefer to claim no religion, because in each one there is a Ray of the Divine, and the differences only lead to war and conflict.  The Christian Church has yet to learn that there is strength in diversity (a generalized statement that does not apply to all congregations, of course).  I still pray to Jesus, but I also pray to the Great Spirit, the Universal Life Force, the Cause of all Causes and Aset (Isis, Mother, etc...), because I believe that each of these appelations contains an aspect of Face of the Divine, Creator.  Most of all, I pray for peace.

@itsaverb@xanga - The problem with that is that scripture is clear that there is only one mediator between ourselves and God (Hebrews 8).  We cannot contact the dead (Isaiah 8), including the dead saints that have gone before us. We cannot ask Mary to pray any more than we can talk to our dead grandparents and ask them to pray for us.  I know the Catholic Church puts a spin on it where you're not praying to Mary, you're asking her to pray for you.

However, like it or not, when someone living is trying to communicate with a spiritual being without a physical body, it's prayer. You can't change the terminology to make it 'OK.'

I'm not a person who has a grudge against the Catholic Church or anything - but I will speak out against doctrines that contradict the teachings of scripture. The immaculate conception, the perpetual virginity of Mary, and purgatory are a few examples of doctrines that simply contradict scripture.

@Theophilus166@xanga - Actually, those doctrines are all biblically based. 

Also, while we can redefine praying all day, the important concept remains.  We aren't praying to the saints and Mary to worship them.  Worship is something we can only give to God.  We ask them to intercede for us.  Though they might be "dead" in the physical sense, they are very alive in heaven and they are constantly praying for us anyways (Rev. 5:8).

A lot of great doctrines are explained on lifeteen.com if you're ever curious.

I myself am a Roman, Charismatic Catholic. :) I know quite a few people who were part of some protestant denomination and switched to the Catholic church. If you're really all that interested, check out books by Scott Hahn.