Account: Ten Problems for Catholic Converts, After Joining the Catholic Church,

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This one I had never thought of. It seems to explain why some converts go apoplectic when they think something is out of place.
  1. Diversity – This is linked with the first problem. Protestants are used to unity within their congregation. This is because Protestant churches are sects. They’ve split away from others for some doctrinal or moral teaching. Therefore there is an underlying unity of viewpoint. When this is combined with the socio economic factor that unity is a powerful and attractive force. In the Catholic church it ain’t so. It’s a big tent and we’ve got people from all over the world and from every socio economic background. We’ve also got a range of spiritualities and a range of theological viewpoints. This is one of the strengths of the church, but it’s not easy to cope with if you’re used to agreement on all matters with your fellow churchgoers. The only thing to do about this is to think outside the box, listen and learn from those who are different. Catholic means “universal” get used to it.
 
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Hilarious and - “You expected Scott Hahn for your preacher. You got Beto O’Rourke” - occasionally brutal. (But then again, Dr Hahn’s penchant for puns can be painful.)
 
Yeah, parts of it are funny. This one made me laugh, although I have nothing against orange carpet in the sanctuary.
”…in the 1970s some goofy priest named Fr Kevin came through and yanked out the statues, carpeted over the tile floor,…”
 
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I thought this was a beautifully written article with many good points.
Furthermore, you have discovered that a good number of the clergy and people in the Catholic Church also believe the church is primarily here to make the world a better place–not here to prepare us to go to a better place.
This is a very good point and certainly a sizable issue for many converts.
 
His points on fellowship and diversity are particularly strong. The culture shock upon converting to Catholicism is substantial and at times feels insurmountable.
 
Technically not being diverse is part of diversity.
 
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You mean like flipping a coin and having it come up tails 8 times in row?
 
Aside from the lackluster liturgy, insipid music, lectors in team sports apparel, tepid homilies, irritating and officious parish councils, arrogance, condescension, unannounced second collections in an increasingly non-cash society, catching up on sports and weather during the sign of peace, and the unruly and irreverent behavior in the sanctuary…(mea culpa!)…

There are 1.2 billion reasons to leave Catholicism. There is but a single reason to stay: Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Once I fully grasped Who lives in that little “box” behind the altar, nothing else mattered. I mostly close my eyes during mass, but snap to attention when Father calls out “Behold the Lamb of God!” - for therein lies my Salvation.

Sadly, the “Source and Summit” of our faith often languishes alone in the Tabernacle. To me, the sign of a healthy parish is the sign-up roster for adoration. Once apart from all of the negatives, and alone in silence with Him, everything changes.
 
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