Has anyone asked them why they make the switch instead of just making an observation...We can all make an observation...
There’s no doubt in my mind that they make the switch to a non Catholic religion for the same reasons Americans make the switch from Catholicism to Protestantism...
And in my view, that would be that those folks found out they could have a one on one personal relationship with Jesus
There are plenty of people on these FR pages who have told the world why they switched...
Wife and I spent a week in PR two years ago and were surprised at the number of Protestant churches.
Do you really believe that only "non-Catholics" can have a one on one relationship with Jesus?
What a brilliant idea. Ask the people.
But I suppose that there’s not much money in the form of grants for that.
Anyway, here’s hoping they’re finding Jesus and not just trading one religious system for another.
FWIW, I began buying property in Panama this year. Prior to this I made 4 trips to Panama investigating opportunities and trying to develop banking relationships. The people I encountered were more educated than outside Panama City, but they were pretty consistent about expressing the desire to see the country move forward economically and for them to be able to keep the profits of their businesses. IOW, the Protestant work ethic!
Some of these people were former RC's and others were RC's in name only (because they were born into it).
The ones I know and work with converted so they could remarry after they divorced; I thought evangelical-types frowned on that.
“And in my view, that would be that those folks found out they could have a one on one personal relationship with Jesus”
This world famous former protestant pastor would care to defer from you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Hahn
Here’s a few of the books written by this former protestant, now world-renowned Catholic theologian.
Rome Sweet Home (co-written with Kimberly Hahn), Ignatius Press, 1993. ISBN 0-89870-478-2
Catholic for a Reason (with Leon Suprenant, editor), Emmaus Road Publishing, 1998. ISBN 0-9663223-0-4
A Father Who Keeps His Promises, Servant Publications, 1998. ISBN 0-89283-829-9
The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth, Doubleday, 1999. ISBN 0-385-49659-1
Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God, Doubleday, 2001. ISBN 0-385-50168-4
First Comes Love: Finding Your Family in the Church and the Trinity, Doubleday, 2002. ISBN 0-385-49662-1
Lord Have Mercy: The Healing Power of Confession, Doubleday, 2003. ISBN 0-385-50170-6
Swear to God : The Promise and Power of the Sacraments, Doubleday, 2004. ISBN 0-385-50931-6
Letter and Spirit : From Written Text to Living Word in the Liturgy, Doubleday, 2005. ISBN 0-385-50933-2
Ordinary Work, Extraordinary Grace, Doubleday, 2006. ISBN 978-0-385-51924-3
Reasons to Believe: How to Understand, Explain, and Defend the Catholic Faith, Doubleday, 2007. ISBN 978-0-385-50935-0
Answering the New Atheism: Dismantling Dawkins’s Case Against God, (with Benjamin Wiker), Emmaus Road Publishing, 2008. ISBN 978-1-931018-48-7
Kinship by Covenant: A Canonical Approach to the Fulfillment of God’s Saving Promises, Yale University Press, 2009. ISBN 978-0-300-14097-2
Politicizing the Bible: The Roots of Historical Criticism and the Secularization of Scripture 1300-1700 (co-written with Benjamin Wiker), The Crossroad Publishing Company, 2013. ISBN 978-0824599034