Reasons for Converting to/from Catholicism

[Watching & waiting]

Pegmo, wow! You took the words right out of my mouth and the feelings right out of my heart! This too is exactly my experience, no witnessing from anyone, it was just my time and I am so thankful. It is awesome how much the Lord changes someone. I had all those things, aversion to tv and sinful things, change in priorities, insatiable thirst for the Bible and all christian reading material, change in taste of music, lost the fear of death and now can't wait to see Jesus, desiring to pray and intercede for others and somehow I just knew I had to be in a Bible based church. I was born again on a Tuesday night, August 2003 and that following Sunday I called a friend and went to church with her and I never went back to my Catholic church. It didn't even bother me a bit because suddenly I KNEW!!! that it just wasn't there. My kids were even still attending the catholic school and for awhile people kind of looked at me odd as they realized I wasn't attending anymore, but even weirder nobody cared or even asked me about it... hmmmm.... anyway I eventually felt led to remove my kids from that school also due to the teachings they were getting. I am so thankful and blessed and sometimes wonder, why me Lord? And I am still praying for other catholic family members.

[jorjean]

I did not come out of Catholicism, but Mormonism. Culturally however there are some similarities. I have been saved for 20 years and my family still think I am going through a phase.

I also experienced a huge sense of betrayal at the lies this culture teaches. One of the biggest lies I had to over come was that the Bible was not translated correctly. What joy to start to read and comprehend the Bible.

I don't want to derail your thread, there just seem to be some similarities.

[goinghome]

I have always heard these wonderful conversion stories where people could point out an exact situation, time, place, where it "happened" for them. I feel like a weirdo because I can't ever remember not knowing Him. My family was full of emotional and spiritual derelicts. As early as I can remember I knew God, I knew who Jesus was, I believed and never remember struggling to believe. It's like I knew it from when I was born. The first thing I remember was when I was around 3 or 4 and there were some little statues of snow white and the 7 dwarves on my dresser. I had no idea who snow white and the 7 dwarves were... was never read to, or had any interest in fairy tale books. But one night I told my mom that those statues were Mary and Jesus, and I guess, some of the apostles or townspeople. She was floored, and to this day has no idea where I learned about Him.

Over the years (I attended a Catholic school because my best friend down the street was Catholic and her parents wanted me to go to the same school, so my mother thought "why not") I had many non-catholics try to reform me and "save" me, and I must have confessed Christ 10 times between the 1st and 11th grade. But it was all a bunch of "duh-uh" moments, I already knew what they were telling me and couldn't understand why they kept trying to convert me. I was never really a believer in Catholicism, but took from it what I could, and am actually grateful for what little biblical knowledge I got from it.

At 18, I switched to Christianity (various churches until I found one I thought was pretty pure in the Word).

Now, the process of sanctification.... a different story entirely and still happening.

Does anybody else feel like they never had a conversion moment but knew it deep down from their first memories?

[pegmo]

To watching and waiting....you know I haven't really met alot of people who have had a similar experience. It is so great to hear that others have had something similar. My conversion was in February of 2004....and to be honest, I never recorded the date. And that's because I really didn't know what happened. I didn't know what "born again" or "born from above" was...so although I knew something significant had happened....I couldn't articulate it to anyone for the longest time. And then when I figured it out, I couldn't remember which day it was....I wish now that I had kept a journal or log or something on those early experiences. Earlier this year I have gone back and tried to capture the events as closely as I can remember.

To Going Home: You know I didn't know Jesus from an early age...but I did take God seriously at an early age - I remember that - prior to age 5. And I did understand the concept of right and wrong from an early age. And I noticed that none of my 8 siblings did. They still don't. So not sure what the difference was....

[true2yeshua]

Abagail, my dh was a RCC all his life. Catholic school, altar boy, attended mass each wk, until age 18. Then that was it!

My dh was of the impression that $$ was very important to RCC. Whenever parents would encounter difficult financial seasons and be unable to remain current in tuition, the Monsignor(sp) lacked compassion and would direct the children be removed, from school, until such time as the tuition could be brought current. This was my dh experience with religion. Bingo, gambling nights, casino night, etc., just did not sit well with him either.

Years ago, upon meeting me, he 'wanted the girl' so while we were dating he attended church with my family. He would drive an hour to come to service and sit under Biblical teaching in a very conservative Baptist congregation. He was born again, baptized and loves the Lord Jesus with all his heart. Now that he knows the Biblical Christ, he is astounded at how little he knew growing up. While memorizing all that information, he says he somehow missed the gospel.

We like to reflect on how the Holy Spirit had plans for dh all the long, and 'getting the girl' had nothing to do with why he found himself under he preaching of a Baptist pastor! Praise God. My dh witnesses to anyone who will listen, but, sadly, his own family wants nothing to do with faith.

Goinghome, my walk with Christ has been seemingly 'forever' as well. Your post blessed my heart, because I, too, do not have a 'when moment'. (Some teach if you can't remember when you were saved, you probably aren't.) Raised in an unevenly yoked home, with dysfunction all around, church was part of my escape. Jesus was always there for me. Comforting, leading and guiding. Even through a period of rebellion, He was always waiting to wrap His arms of Love back around me! (Just like the prodigal son) What an awesome God we serve :dance

Shalom in Christ
______________________________
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem :pray :israel

[LisaJo]

I was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Yes, I was a Mormon.
We weren't extremely devout, by that, I mean that my mom drank coffee and smoked and would hide the coffee pot when the elders would come over. They'd just laugh and tell her to take it back out, they could smell the coffee.
I loved my Mormon church. They focused alot on family. I grew up where we had Family Home Evenings once a week where we'd play games together and such. The Elders would come over and play football, hang out and fellowship. I was indoctrinated at a young age. I know the whole story yadda yadda yadda. . .
When I was sixteen, the elders came over one night. I had questions concerning the validity of the Mormon church. I found contradictions in The book of Mormon. I couldn't, in my mind, understand why a patriarch in the Bible saw a burning bush, yet Joseph Smith, a supposed modern day profit saw two identical supreme beings. When I asked the elders this, they told me that Joseph smith saw them with his spiritual eyes. Anyway, they could see I had my doubts. They told me that they brought me the Truth and that if I didn't believe, I would go to Hell. They scared me. . badddd!

I went to my room after they left, dropped to my knees and in desperation, cried to The Lord to reveal to me what I needed to know. I confessed that I was scared because of all the wrong I had done and told Him how much I loved Jesus and Him and how I was so scared. . . . .I was on my knees for a long time talking to Him, Begging Him to save me so I wouldn't go to hell.

Then I felt HIM. . .SOOOOO STRONG. . .I just knew if I opened my eyes, I would see him. The whole room filled with His immense and overpowering presence. I started to thank him over and over and over, and I just sat there, rocking on my knees and thanking Him as I cried my heart out, soaking in his presence. I'm sure I looked like a blubbering idiot, but I didn't care. It was me and HIM.

I went running from the room into my Moms room shouting in excitement,
"Momma, momma. . .he's real! I felt him! I really did!" She nodded, not even looking up from her sewing. She had no idea what had just happened to her daughter.

It was over a year before I heard the term "Being Saved". What's that? I asked a friend of mine. See, I had just enrolled in a private christian school in Anchorage Alaska and I was having a great time!

When she explained what "Being Saved" entailed, I just started laughing. My heart soared!!!!!
You see, Mormons don't teach salvation. I had no idea it existed!

So you see, I have irrefutable proof. I received the Holy Spirit without any knowledge of it. No one taught me how. I reached out with my heart . . .and He Answered.

[Wally]

I'll try to keep it simple - Based On My experiences:

Lutheran : social club, I dont remember any message about a relationship with Jesus. Salvation by association.

Pentacostal: Corinthian Church, people babbling, falling on the floor, the message of salvation was there but the fake from the real were not discernable and we knew some of the fakes. The Spirit drew us out, we could make no friends, we seemed to just be there, it was not where we belonged.

Baptist - reverence for the word, Berean committment, but some loose their first love. Became a clashing cymbal. Legalism is the danger even when they are right.

Some transitional congregations were becoming worldly but the most important item was poor church stewardship of God's Word and God's command to Love one another.
When they failed either or both, our hearts greived and we had to go.

Some started well, but fell apart when God's way was abandoned or modified.

[GodwithUS]

I really appreciate this thread, all of us have some type of testimony to tell. Its great!

[Hope]

Hi LisaJo, I loved your story! Mormons don't drink coffee? I didn't know that.

You know, this is something I thought a lot of. While it's true that Baptists with their altar call are always giving invitations, and I like that, and I wish more churches did that (my own included), your heart, LisaJo, was searching. The Lord was calling you and you searched for Him. A lot of people just don't have that yearning in their heart, no matter what type of church they are brought up in. Even "on fire" churches tend to loose a lot of kids once those kids reach adulthood. Why is that? Is it because there hearts were never touched in all that time of hearing testimony, great music, great preaching?

Hope

"The human mind cannot comprehend the answer to a question it did not ask."

[LisaJo]

[quote=Hope;157264]Hi LisaJo, I loved your story! Mormons don't drink coffee? I didn't know that.

You know, this is something I thought a lot of. While it's true that Baptists with their altar call are always giving invitations, and I like that, and I wish more churches did that (my own included), your heart, LisaJo, was searching. The Lord was calling you and you searched for Him. A lot of people just don't have that yearning in their heart, no matter what type of church they are brought up in. Even "on fire" churches tend to loose a lot of kids once those kids reach adulthood. Why is that? Is it because there hearts were never touched in all that time of hearing testimony, great music, great preaching?

Hope
I think alot of our kids are lost, without that (intense yearning) to be loved by Our Lord. It isn't simply saying the words, "Lord, forgive me. I believe in you and in Jesus Christ." Somewhere, the real message of redemption is lost by simply focusing on words instead of true matters of the heart. I think some of this is the result of a (lack of fear) on the part of the parents and the children. It was this REAL fear that drove me to my knees as a teen. Yet, I don't want to scare my own children. Our Bible says that Fear is the beginning of Wisdom. Respect follows. . .

But as far as reaching those that I believe just haven't "GOT IT", I surely don't know the answer. Maybe you have a few suggestions. I guess I put my testimony in here because in all the talk about which church is right, which one is wrong. . .I really feel that the most important message is our one-on-one personal relationship with The Lord, regardless of which church we attend. May we be a light to those in the world who are walking in darkness.

P.S. We couldn't drink cokes either. Anything with caffeine in it was forbidden, but that was years ago. They might have changed the rules since then.