Recovering Catholic

{{Short description|Term used by some former Catholics}}

{{distinguish|Lapsed Catholic}}

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,{{Cite book|last1=O'Gorman|first1=Bob|last2=O'Gorman|first2=Robert|last3=Faulkner|first3=Mary|title=The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Catholicism|year=2003|publisher=Alpha Books|isbn=978-1-59257-085-0|page=239}} one to be "recovered" from.{{cite book|title=Catholicism: Agenda for Renewal|first=Eileen Patricia|last=Flynn|page=120|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6h5af2FMlw4C&dq=%22Recovering+catholic%22+-inpublisher%3Aicon&pg=PA120|publisher=University Press of America|year=1992|isbn=978-0-8191-9722-1|accessdate=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." The term first came into use in the 1980s.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cVwthOtTiI4C&dq=%22Recovering+catholic%22+-inpublisher%3Aicon&pg=PA99|title=The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice|first=Philip|last=Jenkins|accessdate=2010-10-17|year=2004|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-517604-9|page=99}}

The term is sometimes used with humorous intent,{{Cite book|last1=Nielsen|first1=Stevan L.|last2=Johnson|first2=W. Brad|last3=Ellis|first3=Albert|title=Counseling and psychotherapy with religious persons: a rational emotive behavior therapy approach|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gnMsyN3hYRUC&dq=%22recovering+catholic%22+former&pg=PA243|isbn=978-0-8058-3916-6|page=243|year=2001|publisher=Psychology Press}} with a conscious parallel being drawn to the 12-step recovery programs often used by those recovering from addictions,{{cite book | first2=Gary | first1=Patrick J. | isbn=978-1-55612-360-3 | last1=Howell | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u-KjxHDDV50C&pg=PA24 | title=Empowering authority: the charisms of episcopacy and primacy in the church today | publisher=Rowman & Littlefield | last2=Chamberlain | year=1990 | page=24}} although practicing Catholics often find the term offensive.{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1wG0qQSdhOsC&pg=PT101 | title=The New Anti-Catholicism: The Last Acceptable Prejudice | publisher=Oxford University Press | date=April 17, 2003 | last=Jenkins | first=Philip | page=99 | isbn=0195154800}}