Reasons for Converting to/from Catholicism

[pegmo]

1. The Holy Catholic Church was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, it is not man-made.


No, the Body of Believers, those transformed by the born again spirit of Jesus Christ, was founded by the Lord Jesus Christ. The Roman Catholic Church, with a Pope instead of Jesus as the head and with their own doctrine that conflicts with the Spirit inspired Bible is clearly man-made and man inspired.

2. I agree with you 100% that the Church requires the unity ot believers. However, the only Church that professes a unity of belief is the Holy Catholic Church. How can there be unity in Protestantism with thousands of man-made churches that profess different beliefs. I have been told that my former denomination (Presbyterian USA) is considering changing their belief on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Also as the Nicene Creed professes, the Church is to apostolistic. Meaning have succession of the apostles.


The Catholic church is not the only church that believes in the unity of believers. The difference is that the Roman Catholic Church believes it is a "physical" unity under the authority of men. This fully underestimates the ability of the Holy Spirit to maintain unity in true believers. It also demonstrates a complete lack of faith in Jesus to build His own church for His own purposes in the way He chooses to lead it. Whether you understand the tapestry He is weaving is really unimportant - He is the architect and will prevail.

As to apostolic succession, you need to get up to speed on the discussion on this board. I won't rehash it in this thread, but there is strong evidence to contradict the Peter as Pope myth repeated by the Roman Catholic church, rooted primarily in the biblical evidence that Peter was assigned by God to be the apostle to the Jewish congregation in Jerusalem and that Paul was tasked by God to build the Gentile community in the Roman Empire. Both were obedient to their assignments.

Is their apostasy and false teaching in the protestant church? Yes. Is their apostasy and falst teaching in the Catholic church? Yes. Are their wolves disguised as sheep calling themselves Christian scattered throughout the physical church. Yes. But Jesus knows who are His. And those who build on the Truth of Jesus Christ, His Word and the Holy Spirit will not be deceived. We have the promise of God on this. However the promise does not say if we build our foundation on the doctrine of the RCC that we will not be deceived. So you need to be extremely careful where you place your trust.

There have been warnings about apostasy in the church since the epistles were written.....but it is not isolated to a physical denomination or physical church. Men are in all of them, men are fallible, men will deceive. Christ alone is the Truth.

[Abigail]

There have been warnings about apostasy in the church since the epistles were written.....but it is not isolated to a physical denomination or physical church. Men are in all of them, men are fallible, men will deceive. Christ alone is the Truth.

:thumb I believe that to avoid being led into error we must be "Bereans" and check the teachings of our leaders against biblical truths. Every denomination is composed of fallible men and women.

I'd be sad to see this thread degenerate into yet another denominational dispute; we've been doing too well avoiding that so far!!!

I do think you've pointed out the issue where the disputes get started, Pegmo. If any of us blindly and without question follow a leader, teacher, or denomination, it makes us vulnerable to false teaching and deception.

Good post! :hat

[Abigail]

Reasons for Converting TO the Holy Catholic Church (too many to list):
1. It is the Church founded by Jesus Christ. Protestant churches were founded by Luther, Calvin, Wesley, ect.
2. One of the only Churches with apostolistic succession. Read Acts if you don't think succession is important.
3. Only Church that recognizes the leadership of St. Peter's successor as the Bishop of Rome. The Pope still has the "keys to the kingdom" my friends.
4. Only Church I know that teaches the proper teaching that birth control violates the natural law and constitutes a mortal sin.
5. Mass everyday like they have had since the beginnings of the Church.
6. The Holy Catholic Church is the less elitist church that I have ever experienced. There isn't a rich parish and a poor parish in the same area. Also, one of the basic tenets of protestantism is elitist that everyone should be able to read and interpret the Bible for theirselves. That sounds nice but what about people who can't read? We take that for granted in our country but a large percentage of the world can't read.
7. You get to have the living Christ in the Eucharist.
8. The success of the individual parish is not determined by the quality of the pastor. Unlike protestant churches, the Catholic homily is not the centerpiece of the service,the Holy Eucharist is.
9. 2000 years of tradition.
10. UNITY. Nowhere in the Bible is it permissable to have 40,000+ different churches. We are the ONE body of Christ.


:wave Hello, Catholic Convert. It's interesting to me to hear from someone "from the opposite viewpoint." I'm trying to stick to the guidelines in my original post, to avoid derailing the thread over areas where we obviously disagree.

There were apparently compelling reasons for you leaving your former denomination and to seek another church home. This is what I am trying to focus the discussion on...In your case, if I'm not reading too much into your list above, "elitism" and "disunity" were areas of concern for you. Were there any others? Would you be willing to share some more concerning the motivating factors behind your leaving your former denomination? Did you consider any other protestant denominations? Any nondenominational congregations? Was a particular person or persons influential in your choice to join the Catholic church?

I'm hopeful that by trying to focus our discussions around "heart" issues...why we feel closer to God within a certain fellowship of believers as opposed to another...we will gain insight into each other's journey towards spiritual maturity and greater likeness to Christ.

Blessings, Abigail

[graceforme]

Primary Reason I left the Catholic Church:

I had a dramatic conversion experience where I was led by the Holy Spirit to:
-come before Jesus
-understand how sinful and desperate my spiritual condition really was
-understand that Christ's work on the cross was to pay my personal debt to God
-that I needed to have complete faith that it was only by HIS blood shed on the cross that would allow me to come into the presence of God
-I was overcome with the real and true knowledge that God existed
-I was overcome with grief at the deepest level for my past sin and unbelief
-I understood for the first time the significance of, the truth of, and the personal nature of the sacrifice of Jesus for me
-I understood for the first time that Jesus was alive
-I became super sensitive to my own sin and sin around me - I could not even watch the tv anymore
-Anger toward my parents that I had held all my life, disappeared
-Jealousy toward my siblings disappeared
-My priorities changed - personal ambition and work lost its lure
-I had a hunger for the bible that was insatiable, for the first time in my life
-I understood both the literal and spiritual message of the bible for the first time
-I knew the bible was true
-I lost any fear of death
-I had a deep desire to pray for others
-I knew I had to be in a bible based church.

This happened with no one witnessing to me. I did not know any born-again Christians. I was born into an RC family, educated K-graduate school in Catholic schools. Married into another RC family. Raised my children Catholic.

However I came to a point where I knew I was spiritually starved and desperate. I knew I had made mostly selfish choices in my life and they had led to a place I didn't like. This is what led me to seek God's help.

None of my Catholic family or friends understood or could explain the experience. I had received ALL of the sacraments of the Catholic Church that were available to me. As had my family and friends. None of them knew Jesus or the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that I was in the midst of experiencing. The bible clearly explained what was happening. My life was turned upside down. I thought about Jesus 24x7. I would wake up in the middle of the night with scriptural answers to questions I had, even though I hadn't even read those portions of the bible yet. By leaning on Jesus and trusting His ability to lead my life and provide for me in EVERY detail, I was able to stop drinking alcohol for the first time in 30 years. I lean on Him.

There is nothing offered to or available to me in the Catholic Church that led me to assured salvation in Jesus Christ. It was only by coming directly to Jesus that I was brought into the light of Jesus and the Father.

Praise His Holy Name. I pray the veil is lifted from every single Roman Catholic I know who feels they need religion or the RCC to attain salvation. They only need humble themselves, be broken over their sin, seek to know Jesus, and trust in His shed blood alone. That's it. They only need Jesus and He will lead them to the rest.

That is why I left. And I am confident through the Holy Spirit and confirmed through His word that it was His mercy that showed me the way....His one and only way.

Pegmo

Beautiful words!

Your testimony touched my heart and brought tear to my eyes. What a beautiful witness of the work of the Holy Spirit to one who was desperately seeking the Truth! I have heard similar testimonies from former Catholics, and every one said that as soon as they had a heart knowledge of what Jesus Christ has done for us and experienced salvation, they got out of the Catholic church as fast as they could. They now carry a heavy burden for those family members who are still entrapped there, who still believe that the sacraments of the church and confession to the priest will save them.

I thought about telling my story of leaving one church for another, but it would probably get me "fried", so I'll not go into it. But, keep in mind that if we go to God to find truth, He will be faithful to reveal to us the truth. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lack wisdom, let his ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

God is so faithful - all we have to do is ask from a pure heart, and He will guide and direct us and reaveal the truth to us. And He never tires of having us come to Him for wisdom. What we have to do is let go of the traditions of man and follow the truth of God.

[pegmo]

Oh Graceforme, it makes me cry when I read it too! And everytime I tell it. And everytime I think about it.

And when I just reread what I posted about Jesus that you copied, I realized it was inspired by the Holy Spirit, I am not that clear and articulate on my own! Praise, Praise His Holy Name.

Pegmo :)

[CatholicConvert]

Abigail, I would love to give my whole conversion story right here but I don't want to bore people. So I am going to try to answer the questions you brought up.

Why I left the Presbyterian (USA) denomination?
My grandma and grandpa left our church that I was brought up in and my mother stopped attending services soon after when I was about 17 (I am 21 now). So I pretty much stopped going to church. When I enrolled at Duquesne University, I never really sought out a presbyterian church in Pittsburgh. So I pretty much went to church once every month or so. Around age 18 or 19 my Grandma started taking classes a Bible institute close to our home. She would discuss things she was learning and a lot of things about Calvinism. I started to study Calvinism and the more I studied, the more I felt it was illogical and wrong. Also, I looked on the website of the Presbyterian (USA) Church and it basically said (and still does) that it supports a woman's right to have an abortion. This was the last straw for me. I knew I was leaving the church.

Did I consider any other protestant or non-denominational churches?
I considered the Presbyterian Church in America, the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and the Lutheran Church. I am sort of a resered person and never tried them out.

Influential person to my conversion to the Catholic Church
I want to start this section off by saying that I was never a Catholic-hater or anything like that. I always grew up more-or-less considering them equal to all of the Protestant denominations. My grandma was and still is a militant anti-Catholic who told me many times that she doesn't believe Catholics are saved. I think my Dad being Catholic, even though he stopped going to mass, restriced her from indoctrinating me. My sophomore year at Duquesne University, I needed to add a class to my schedule in the last 2 weeks of summer and saw a class on The New Testament that would fit perfectly around my work schedule. It was taught by one of the Spiritan (a religious congregation like the Franciscans and Jesuits) priest. This old priest from Ireland had such a profound effect on me that I started to really study the teachings of the Catholic Church. The reason he had this effect on me was because he challenged us in class to live a life like Jesus. Much of the first part of the class was focused on the Beatitudes and the Lords Prayer and really studying them opened up a whole new world to me. I also appreciated that he did not inquire into what our religious affiliation was (unless we told him) and focused 100% on the New Testament.

I am actually not a confirmed member of the Catholic Church yet. I am currently doing RCIA and will be a confirmed member at Easter Vigil mass.

Thanks for reading this.

In Peace and Love

[graceforme]

Oh Graceforme, it makes me cry when I read it too! And everytime I tell it. And everytime I think about it.

And when I just reread what I posted about Jesus that you copied, I realized it was inspired by the Holy Spirit, I am not that clear and articulate on my own! Praise, Praise His Holy Name.

Pegmo :)


You have inspired many people with your post. It is obvious that you were being led by the Holy Spirit. What a wonderful blessing that God gives us such a leader and guider to help us along in this world and show us the way.

Keep looking up. And seeking truth.

Resting in peace (but more alive than ever)
GFM

[Watchingthesky]

Just a quick note. 1 Peter 4:8 was cited:

And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

This verse is not a stand-alone as the RCC interprets it. It must be taken in the context of the entire chapter. A little bit of study of the Greek here (as can be found on sites such as Blueletterbible.com) reveals a few things:

1. Charity means love.
2. Notice the qualifier 'among yourselves'. This clearly sets the context for this verse, specifically, and the entire chapter. We are talking solely about fellow believers here.
3. Where English uses 'the' in "the multitude of sins" in the Greek it is really 'a' ('a multitude of sins'). So immediately we see a more generalized concept taking shape "a multitude of sins", instead of the more rigid "the multitude of sins", indicating them all). Peter was clearly making a point here, like saying "an ounce of love cures a pound of pain", instead of "the ounce of love cures the pound of pain". The RCC takes this verse as proof that there are apparently other ways to have sin forgiven in place of Christ and His Sacrifice alone. This is obviously the wrong interpretation. Peter is extolling the brethren to love one another more, to show more charity. This verse, and this entire chapter, have nothing to do with God forgiving one's sins. That application is completely out of context.
4. The context of Chapter 4 is loving your brothers and sisters in Christ.
5. The 'multitude of sins' here in verse 8 is not sins against God, but sins (or wrongs) against one another. If you love one another, you are able to easily overlook slights and other wrongs (sins) done against you by fellow believers. If you deal with one another in charity, that approach covers a 'multitude of sins' among the brethren. That is, it makes it easier to get along. It promotes harmony and goodwill among your brothers and sisters in the Faith.

Hope that helps clear that up and also shows that charity in the sense that it was being applied previously covers no man's sins against God and, like all of our good works, are filthy rags in the sight of a Holy God.

The RCC has co-opted much of Scripture and applied the moniker of "tradition" to it, solely for their own claim to sole divine succession. The people are the Church, not the physical organization.

God bless.

[SpeedRacer]

I am not catholic but find too much chaos in the protestant world. look how much disagrement there is here on this board by so many truely God fearing and God loving people.

For me, I want the quiet worship and the communion centered worship. I am who I am and will offer no apology any more. Nor will I worry about any church rules or threats of hell by catholic insiders or outsiders.

I am His child and I am a Christian.

Thank you for letting me tell my story.

I am close to this as well - I am still a Catholic but I don't know where else to go. The Protestant denominations seem to have their share of problems. I love the people I worship with and offer no apologies as well. But most of the time I feel like a walking Civil War. I am not sure I should stay but don't know where to go. Why don't the answers seem more clear in these situations.

P.s. Loretta - I have always enjoyed your insight into the Catholic mind and the hold the Church has over its people. Thanks!

[goinghome]

I am close to this as well - I am still a Catholic but I don't know where else to go. The Protestant denominations seem to have their share of problems. I love the people I worship with and offer no apologies as well. But most of the time I feel like a walking Civil War. I am not sure I should stay but don't know where to go. Why don't the answers seem more clear in these situations.

P.s. Loretta - I have always enjoyed your insight into the Catholic mind and the hold the Church has over its people. Thanks!


Hi Speedracer, I just wanted to make a suggestion about a church possibility. The Calvary Chapels are usually very straight forward, strictly word based, and although they fit into Protestant category of course, they don't really call themselves by any sect of Protestantism. Their only concern is preaching the Word, verse by verse, chapter by chapter. There's no signing up, they won't call you unless you make friends with somebody & give your number. I too got really sick of the Protestant pinball machine, bounce bounce ping ping, who's opinion will I be afflicted by today? This is the most straighforward system of "church" I've found. None are perfect though. In any case, I'll pray God sends you to the right place for you.