The term "recovering Catholic" is used by some former practicing Catholics to describe their religious status. The use of the term implies that the person considers their former Catholicism to have been a negative influence on their life, one to be "recovered" from. The term first came into use in the 1980s.
The term is sometimes used with humorous intent, with a conscious parallel being drawn to the 12-step recovery programs often used by those recovering from addictions, although practicing Catholics often find the term offensive.
See also
- Apostasy in Christianity
- Cafeteria Catholicism
- Catholic guilt
- Glossary of the Catholic Church
- Index of Catholic Church articles
- Lapsed Catholic
- List of former Roman Catholics
References
- O'Gorman, Bob; O'Gorman, Robert; Faulkner, Mary (2003). The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism. Alpha Books. p. 239. ISBN 978-1-59257-085-0.
- Flynn, Eileen Patricia (1992). Catholicism: Agenda for Renewal. University Press of America. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-8191-9722-1. Retrieved 2010-10-17. "These people call themselves Recovering Catholics and seek to put behind them the psychic scarring they endured as a result of their upbringing. They experienced the church as cult-like, programming them with rigid ways of thinking and robotlike ways of acting."
- Jenkins, Philip (2004). The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice. Oxford University Press. p. 99. ISBN 978-0-19-517604-9. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- Nielsen, Stevan L.; Johnson, W. Brad; Ellis, Albert (2001). Counseling and psychotherapy with religious persons: a rational emotive behavior therapy approach. Psychology Press. p. 243. ISBN 978-0-8058-3916-6.
- Howell, Patrick J.; Chamberlain, Gary (1990). Empowering authority: the charisms of episcopacy and primacy in the church today. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-55612-360-3.
- Jenkins, Philip (April 17, 2003). The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice. Oxford University Press. p. 99. ISBN 0195154800.
Further reading
- Larsen, Earnest; Janee Parnegg (1992). Recovering Catholics: What to do When Religion Comes Between You and God. HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 978-0-06-064955-5. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
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- Meehl, Joanne H. (1995). The Recovering Catholic: Personal Journeys of Women Who Left the Church. Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-0-87975-927-8. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- Wagner, Wynn (2010). Recovering Catholic. CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1-4505-1149-0. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
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