▁Th es aur us ▁associ ates ▁the ▁term ▁" lapsed ▁Catholic " ▁as ▁one ▁who ▁is ▁back sl iding . ▁L aps ing ▁is ▁thus ▁not ▁necessarily ▁connected ▁with ▁a ▁lack ▁of ▁belief . ▁However , ▁author ▁Daniel ▁Ford ▁links ▁being ▁a ▁la ps ed ▁Catholic ▁with ▁re jection ▁of ▁Catholic ▁teaching , ▁either ▁totally ▁or ▁by ▁being ▁an ▁" à ▁la ▁carte ▁Catholic ". ▁Other ▁sources ▁associate ▁the ▁term ▁with ▁abandon ment ▁of ▁practice ▁of ▁the ▁Catholic ▁religion ▁rather ▁than ▁with ▁re jection ▁of ▁its ▁doctrine . ▁Thus ▁the ▁Cambridge ▁Advanced ▁Lear ner ' s ▁Dictionary ▁defines ▁" lapsed ", ▁again ▁in ▁relation ▁to ▁" lapsed ▁Catholic ", ▁as ▁" no ▁longer ▁involved ▁in ▁an ▁activity ▁or ▁organization ", ▁and ▁the ▁Oxford ▁Dictionary ▁speak s ▁only ▁of ▁" no ▁longer ▁following ▁the ▁rules ▁and ▁practices ▁of ▁a ▁religion ▁or ▁doctrine ". ▁Richard ▁John ▁Neu haus ▁distinguished ▁between ▁Catholic ▁and ▁Protest ant ▁ideas ▁of ▁what ▁it ▁means ▁to ▁be ▁" lapsed " ▁by ▁qu oting ▁G . K . ▁Ch est erton , ▁who ▁remarked ▁that ▁a ▁Protest ant ▁typically ▁says ▁he ▁is ▁a ▁good ▁Protest ant , ▁while ▁a ▁Catholic ▁typically ▁says ▁he ▁is ▁a ▁bad ▁Catholic . ▁For ▁many , ▁being ▁a ▁la ps ed ▁Catholic ▁is ▁just ▁another ▁way ▁of ▁being ▁a ▁Catholic . ▁ ▁Catholic ▁teaching ▁on ▁membership ▁in ▁the ▁Church ▁According ▁to ▁Catholic ▁belief , ▁bapt ism ▁" se als ▁the ▁Christian ▁with ▁the ▁ind el ible ▁spiritual ▁mark ▁of ▁belonging ▁to ▁Christ . ▁No ▁sin ▁can ▁er