!!!!

[Paris_Blues]

WHY IS IT?!!?!?!?!!??!?!?

Why is it that non-Catholics and even EX-Catholics say that I am in danger if I convert to Roman Catholic?

Oh boy! If people just say all this about this and that, that and this, then yes, ONE denomination should’ve been the case all along! :banghead: :banghead:

Jesus, please forgive the whole world for having more than one denomination!

Could anyone please explain? Should I ignore it or should I listen to them and go figure for myself?

blessings,
Nicole

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

You mean no-one told you? Why, the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon as described in Revelations, honey. You don’t want to become a pagan, Mary-worshiping harlot of Rome do you? The reason for the persecution, Nicole, is because Jesus said it would be so. “No slave is above his master.” Be glad n persectution, it means you are in the right place. Satan has no need to resist you if you are running in the same direction.
Paris Blues:

WHY IS IT?!!?!?!?!!??!?!?

Why is it that non-Catholics and even EX-Catholics say that I am in danger if I convert to Roman Catholic?

Oh boy! If people just say all this about this and that, that and this, then yes, ONE denomination should’ve been the case all along! :banghead: :banghead:

Jesus, please forgive the whole world for having more than one denomination!

Could anyone please explain? Should I ignore it or should I listen to them and go figure for myself?

blessings,
Nicole

 

[Paris_Blues]

What I want to be is the person Jesus WANTS ME TO BE!!! I guess, and I really hate to say this, I’m trying to find out if Catholicism is the “REAL” ONE and the others are “fake” or vice versa. WHO KNOWS!!!

Sometimes I wish Jesus would come out of the sky and tell the whole world which one to be!!!

blessings,
Nicole

 

[Tom]

Nicole, the reason many Anti-Catholics say these things is they must prove to themselves that the authority of the Catholic Church is false, if they cannot prove the Catholic Church is false, then they must admit that their faith is false, it can’t be both are true, one must be false. Why pick on the Catholic Church? Pride is a BIG part of it. Because deep down, they realize that the Catholic Church is the true Church. Why try to disprove a non-Catholic church, it isn’t the true church anyway. They go to some pretty unusual extremes attempting to “prove” the Catholic Church is wrong. You’ve heard some of them, thank God most are so really far fetched, most are really too obscure to even reply to, which makes them feel they have “proven” their point. The way I approach these people is to research their claims completely, first using Catholic sources, to get the “true” picture, then using their own sources, to get their side, usually their side is so flawed that it’s humorous, however there are some times I have to say, ya know they may have some truth to what they say. When this happens I keep in mind that most lies have a thread of truth. Keep seeking the truth using impartial references, they’re hard to find, but, not impossible. Seeking the truth for 53 years, I have never found the Catholic Church to teach anything false, but I keep looking… LOL

 

[mercygate]

Paris Blues:

What I want to be is the person Jesus WANTS ME TO BE!!! I guess, and I really hate to say this, I’m trying to find out if Catholicism is the “REAL” ONE and the others are “fake” or vice versa. WHO KNOWS!!!

Sometimes I wish Jesus would come out of the sky and tell the whole world which one to be!!!

blessings,
Nicole

I once looked out of my bedroom window on a starry winter night, fixed my eyes on one of the millions of stars in the sky, and prayed: Lord, if I could see you no more clearly than I see this star among the millions, and know that it was you calling me to your Church, I would become Catholic tomorrow. Direct answers do not always come to questions like that. Sometimes we just have to jump in trust, based on the promises he has made.

Asking whether the Catholic Church is “real” and other ecclesial bodies are “fake” somewhat mis-states the question. Insofar as they are true to the Gospel, they are “true.” The Catholic Church has the fullness of the faith and the assurance of that fullness. We are the Church. We are not a “denomination.”

In any event, whether people believe the Catholic Church is an “apostate Church, hands dripping with blood” (as someone recently told me she was), or believe that she is the “Whore of Babylon,” she CERTAINLY is not “fake.”

She is the Bride of Christ, “terrible as an army with banners” (Song 6:4 and 6:10).

Godspeed, Paris

 

[MountainMan]

Nicole -

The reason non-Catholics and even ex-Catholics say you will be damned if you convert to Roman Catholicism is that they are under the false impression that Catholicism is ‘non-biblical’ or even contra-biblical. They reject the teaching authority of the Church and denigrate the role of tradition in Church teaching. What I suggest you do is continue your studies and your questions, and look for your answers on the Catholic Answers web site (www.catholic.com). Every issue I have heard raised by anti-Catholic groups and individuals is addressed on that web site. May God bless your interest, your questions, and provide the answers you need, and may all of us Catholics welcome you to Roman Catholicism next Easter!!

Chuck

 

[Paris_Blues]

MountainMan:

Nicole -

The reason non-Catholics and even ex-Catholics say you will be damned if you convert to Roman Catholicism is that they are under the false impression that Catholicism is ‘non-biblical’ or even contra-biblical. They reject the teaching authority of the Church and denigrate the role of tradition in Church teaching. What I suggest you do is continue your studies and your questions, and look for your answers on the Catholic Answers web site (www.catholic.com). Every issue I have heard raised by anti-Catholic groups and individuals is addressed on that web site. May God bless your interest, your questions, and provide the answers you need, and may all of us Catholics welcome you to Roman Catholicism next Easter!!

Chuck

So even if I made up my mind to join the CC like let’s say next month, I can’t get literally converted until Easter?!?!?!


blessings,
Nicole

 

[alyssa]

Yep, that is how it is usually done.

RCIA wants to be sure you know what the Church teaches, and what you are “getting into,” basically. Not a join and learn-as-you-go type thing.

 

[sweetchuck]

Scott_Lafrance:

Be glad n persectution, it means you are in the right place. Satan has no need to resist you if you are running in the same direction.

Profound. Never heard it put that way. Makes sense though.

Nicole, an ex-Catholic and a non-Catholic who knows the teachings of the Catholic Church will both discourage someone from becoming Catholic for this reason: Human pride.

If a non- or ex-Catholic encouraged you to become Catholic and they knew the principles of our faith, they would know that they are encouraging you to join a Church that claims to have the fullness of truth, this would be a de facto admission of Catholicism’s fullness and infalliability, and, subsequently, an admission that their faith (or nonfaith, depending on if they’re atheistic) is falliable in places where it dissents from Catholicism and is not wholly true.

But ex-Catholics are especially vehement (as we’ve seen in these forums) in their disdain for Catholicism, since they know the Church’s teaching on the fullness of truth. They believe that they are not forsaking truth, therefore, they believe the Catholic Church to be a grand deciever. And since Satan is “the author of all lies”… well, you see where they draw the connection.

Isa. 5: 20-21
"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who change darkness into light, and light into darkness, who change bitter into sweet, and sweet into bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own sight, and prudent in their own esteem!"

 

[Paris_Blues]

alyssa:

Yep, that is how it is usually done.

RCIA wants to be sure you know what the Church teaches, and what you are “getting into,” basically. Not a join and learn-as-you-go type thing.

If that’s what it takes I will wait!!! Though I will have to spend 4 months at least with NO communion!

Oh that reminds me! If you do convert, are you allowed to take communion in a Protestant church? My parents are Protestant (the good part is, they don’t care if I’m Catholic or not, as long as I’m happy!) and if I got to church with them once in awhile, will I be allowed to take communion there or would I be considered a hypocrite?


blessings,
Nicole

 

[mercygate]

Paris Blues:

So even if I made up my mind to join the CC like let’s say next month, I can’t get literally converted until Easter?!?!?!


blessings,
Nicole

Nicole, I LOVE this! One of the hardest things in my life was the wait from the time I approached the Church until I was permitted to receive Sacraments (but mind you, my journey took 4 decades, so by the time I rang the rectory doorbell, I KNEW what the Catholic Church was, and I had the education of a priest, so I thought it would be like it was in the “old days” – have a few private sessions with a priest and then go off, make my general confession, be confirmed, and voila! I’m Catholic.

The Church is 2000 years old. When you become Catholic, you make some VERY serious, irrevocable promises to Christ, Our Lord. You might be able to become an “overnight Christian” but it’s impossible to become an “overnight Catholic” because living for Christ AS a Catholic entails a tremendous commitment. And it’s not just “learning stuff.” Building your interior commitment is something that requires give-and-take between you and the Body of Christ (which is another name for the Church).

Let me assure you that the months of waiting to be admitted to the sacraments can be a very graced time for me. One sometimes thinks of grace in our lives as bread: the bread of humility, the bread of charity, the bread of peace. For me, the “bread of desire” during those long months was very wholesome fare.

 

[sweetchuck]

Paris Blues:

So even if I made up my mind to join the CC like let’s say next month, I can’t get literally converted until Easter?!?!?!


blessings,
Nicole

Well, if you were repentent of heart of your past sins and if you die between now and then, God would be merciful. So don’t walk through the next few months fearing that you will be struck down before your conversion. Understand, God sees your innermost intentions, and He knows whether you’ve had a conversion of heart, which can be instantaneous. Remember, conversion is Sacramental, the Church encourages understanding before approaching the Sacraments (this is why Catholics can’t run off to Vegas and get married.) The Church does not want its members publicly professing something they neither understand nor believe. So read your Catechism (vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM), learn all you can about faith in Christ and walk in the Light of the Lord all the days of your life. It will make the Easter Vigil all the more special for you. I’ll keep you in my prayers!

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

Interesting conundrum. If you have made teh decision ot convert, it means that you have decided that the Catholic doctrine on the Eucharist is the authentic one, which also means that you reject your current church’s teaching about the “Lord’s Supper”. Participating in this memorial feast means that you are colluding with fraud. I know that sounds harsh, but to continue to take “communion” within the protestant context means that you are agreeing with what it means. Since you cannot believe in two contradictory doctrines at the same time (unless you are Mormon), you need to pick one, and charitably deny the other. You can still go to services with your family, but I would resist taking “communion”. If questioned about it, tell them the truth, that you don’t agree with or believe in what they teach about it. Tell them that the earliest Christian taught and believed that the “Lord’s Supper” was really the body and blood of Christ, not just crackers and grape juice.
Paris Blues:

If that’s what it takes I will wait!!! Though I will have to spend 4 months at least with NO communion!

Oh that reminds me! If you do convert, are you allowed to take communion in a Protestant church? My parents are Protestant (the good part is, they don’t care if I’m Catholic or not, as long as I’m happy!) and if I got to church with them once in awhile, will I be allowed to take communion there or would I be considered a hypocrite?


blessings,
Nicole

 

[sweetchuck]

Paris Blues:

If that’s what it takes I will wait!!! Though I will have to spend 4 months at least with NO communion!

Oh that reminds me! If you do convert, are you allowed to take communion in a Protestant church? My parents are Protestant (the good part is, they don’t care if I’m Catholic or not, as long as I’m happy!) and if I got to church with them once in awhile, will I be allowed to take communion there or would I be considered a hypocrite?


blessings,
Nicole

No, you won’t be able to receive communion at a Protestant Church. First of all, it’s bad form to go into a Protestant Church, receive communion and expect them to come to our church and not receive communion. Second of all, it’s not the true physical presence of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. I know there’s another theological reasoning, but I’m sure someone else will post that, too.

When I go to Protestant Churches, I cross my arms and go up to the priest/pastor for a blessing. I don’t know if there’s anything wrong with that or not, but a blessing is a blessing, and I’ll gladly accept one, from a Protestant or a Catholic. I tell my Protestant friends who come to church with me that they may cross their arms and go up for a blessing, too, as long as they don’t receive. Maybe I’m doing wrong by leaving that as an option for them, but I don’t see anything wrong with it. Plus, they get up there and see the Eucharist up close, they may feel His power and may hear Him calling them. But again, I don’t know the Church’s teaching on that.

 

[MariaG]

Nicole,

You said you were going to wait. Maybe I missed this part, but are you in classes now? If not, you are going to want to look into them soon. You need to have the classes done by Easter. Wait to start classes means you won’t be accepted into the Church by Easter.

I wasn’t sure what you meant exactly by wait.

God Bless,
Maria

 

[Stephen-Maguire]

Paris Blues:

WHY IS IT?!!?!?!?!!??!?!?

Why is it that non-Catholics and even EX-Catholics say that I am in danger if I convert to Roman Catholic?

Oh boy! If people just say all this about this and that, that and this, then yes, ONE denomination should’ve been the case all along! :banghead: :banghead:

Jesus, please forgive the whole world for having more than one denomination!

Could anyone please explain? Should I ignore it or should I listen to them and go figure for myself?

blessings,
Nicole

You can usually tell that something is from God by how much opposition there is to it.
And I don’t know of any Church on earth that is attacked as much as the Catholic Church.
So you will be in a Spiritual battle, I think you should pray a lot about this, and ask God to reveal the truth to you.
You could also pray to Saint Anthony to do this, as some pray to him to find lost objects.
And as you seem to be lost at the minute, maybe he could lead you to the truth.

 

[Paris_Blues]

MariaG:

Nicole,

You said you were going to wait. Maybe I missed this part, but are you in classes now? If not, you are going to want to look into them soon. You need to have the classes done by Easter. Wait to start classes means you won’t be accepted into the Church by Easter.

I wasn’t sure what you meant exactly by wait.

God Bless,
Maria

I meant was, if it takes me until Easter to learn everything as much as I can, I will wait. See, I get so excited about all this that I want to convert RIGHT NOW! But on the other hand, I know I need to wait and look into it more and learn more, etc. When something is exciting like this, I am WAY TOO impatient! :yup: I need to settle down, calm down and learn everything that I need to know!

You asked if I was taking classes. I met with the lady that teaches it and all and she gave me a Catholic bible, the Catechism, etc. and the paper to fill out for the RCIA thing. So yes,. The parish that I attend do not seem to have classes or maybe they do but I misunderstood. They have something where you like meet once a month or something. That doesn’t give me and others enough time to learn and all so I will call the teacher and confirm something then. I know we’re suppose to meet in the basement of the church next Tuesday evening.

blessings,
Nicole

 

[Paris_Blues]

Stephen-Maguire:

You can usually tell that something is from God by how much opposition there is to it.
And I don’t know of any Church on earth that is attacked as much as the Catholic Church.
So you will be in a Spiritual battle, I think you should pray a lot about this, and ask God to reveal the truth to you.
You could also pray to Saint Anthony to do this, as some pray to him to find lost objects.
And as you seem to be lost at the minute, maybe he could lead you to the truth.

Yes, I have been doing this a lot. I sometimes worry if I’m getting myself into trouble by going to the wrong church though I have something deep down that tells me I’m on the right track. I take my religion very seriously and stuff and it’s no wonder why I didn’t grow a lot when visiting other churches. The more I think about it and watch EWTN, read stuff,etc. the more I realize that the CC takes things VERY seriously! So seriously that if I converted and made a mistake that I didn’t know, then I would be sent to Hell! When I learned that you guys must have confession and can’t take Communion until you confessed and all that, I suddenly got the realization that this MUST be HOLY! I understand the feeling! I understand that you guys believe that Christ is truly present in the church during Mass. I can feel and understand that feeling!

blessings,
Nicole

 

[mercygate]

Paris Blues:

Yes, I have been doing this a lot. I sometimes worry if I’m getting myself into trouble by going to the wrong church though I have something deep down that tells me I’m on the right track. I take my religion very seriously and stuff and it’s no wonder why I didn’t grow a lot when visiting other churches. The more I think about it and watch EWTN, read stuff,etc. the more I realize that the CC takes things VERY seriously! So seriously that if I converted and made a mistake that I didn’t know, then I would be sent to Hell! When I learned that you guys must have confession and can’t take Communion until you confessed and all that, I suddenly got the realization that this MUST be HOLY! I understand the feeling! I understand that you guys believe that Christ is truly present in the church during Mass. I can feel and understand that feeling!

blessings,
Nicole

Man! The Holy Spirit has you by the scruff of the neck and is hanging on tight!

You have NO idea how blessed you are. What a privilege fjor us that you share your concerns and enthusiasm here.

 

[Paris_Blues]

mercygate:

Man! The Holy Spirit has you by the scruff of the neck and is hanging on tight!

You have NO idea how blessed you are. What a privilege fjor us that you share your concerns and enthusiasm here.

You’re right, I have no idea! LOL!!! See, before I even thought about converting, I always wondered if I would ever take my religion seriously? When I learned more about the Catholic religion, my answer was found. I truly, honestly believe that ALL Christians (whether Catholic or Proestant, Orthodox, etc.) NEED to take this seriously because this is something that happened 2000 years ago for REAL!!! I was afraid that we all were taking it in vain and all that! I’ll admit myself I felt that I was too and that got me more concerned and I told myself, “What? Nicole, when are you gonna get it through my head and soul that this is suppose to be taken SERIOUSLY???” This has got to be the MOST serious thing on Earth as far as I’m concerned!

blessings,
Nicole