Advice to protestant converting

  • Thread starter Thread starter Pilgrimbygrace
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Rather than thinking about Catholic vs. Protestant in terms of apologetics books and such, I would just start on re-learning your faith. Otherwise you might get this impression that the Christian faith is a set of propositions, with Catholics and all number of Protestant denominations taking different positions. But it’s not about making propositions about God, the faith and moral teachings, it’s about something which is a comprehensive unity.

My favorite expression is from a wonderful apocalyptic novel by Msgr.* Robert Hugh Benson called “Lord of a the World”:
Well, what they call the Incarnation is really the point. Everything else flows from that. And, once a man believes that, I must confess that all the rest follows – even down to scapulars and holy water.
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Or as I have put it elsewhere, orthodoxy is one thing and one thing only ~ a proper understanding of the Incarnation. Once you understand not only the nature of Christ’s Incarnation (as defined at Constantinople) but it’s consequences, everything falls into place.

The first place to start might be the Baltimore Catechism. This is the classic American school child’s catechism. There are three books, each discussing the same topics in succeeding levels of detail (as children get older).

More comprehensive and authoritative is the Roman Catechism (Catechism of the Council of Trent)

St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica (and his other works) brilliantly and logically answers a great many questions regarding the faith and I refer to it all the time, especially when dealing with confused Catholics.

Ask many questions, never stop asking questions and learning because there is always more to know. Talk to your priest. There is a lot of misinformation on forums and websites, but you can always learn from papal encyclicals and writings of the saints. The best way of learning is not just studying but praying. Develop a devotion to Our Lady and the Rosary. Go to Mass not only on Sundays but also whenever you can manage during the week. When I lived near my former parish, it was a good thing to be able to go to Mass whenever I had a day off. Now I travel a long distance to go to my traditional parish (FSSP), I’ve thought about attending the daily NO Mass nearby but have not yet.

So read, especially classic books more than more recent ones. For example, I very much love St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin” and I didn’t really “get” Marian devotion until I read that. I had icons of Our Lady and prayed the Rosary but it did change the way I relate to my Mother. It is definitely something which everyone should read.

I also very much love St. Catherine of Siena’s Seraphic Dialogue. It’s a mystical look at the faith, but it explains things very well, rather than confusing them.

To me, who admittedly doesn’t have a very deep understanding of Protestant theology and culture, Catholic theology and culture is much deeper and more comprehensive. It’s a very rich faith and there is much to learn. Step by step.

I will be praying for you!
~ PilgrimToChrist
* Msgr. - Monsignor (Italian for "My lord"), an honorific used for certain distinguished priests.
 
Pilgrimbygrace said:
But I’ve been watching Scott Hahn video’s and it’s been very helpful to me.

Thank you again everyone.

Dave
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Have you seen “The Lamb’s Supper?” It is also in book and CD form. It’s an awesome testimony to our Jewish roots and how the Early Church developed.
 
Pilgrimbygrace said:
So now after going to my first Mass last week, ( done in mostly all Latin ) I realize that there is a lot for me to learn. I know that I’ll be going through formation classes, but I was wondering if anyone could suggest some good books to help me understand the Catholic Faith better and also help strengthen my faith.
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Welcome and may your discernment be fruitful.

One text that you might find helpful coming from a Reformed faith is Jimmy Akin’s “The Salvation Controversy”. It’s rather dense but brief - he gets right to the point - and he addresses the book primarily to contrast Catholic with Calvinist teaching on soteriology - taking the TULIP roadmap rather than a Confession-Purgatory-Heaven-Hell roadmap.
 
losh14 said:
Welcome and may your discernment be fruitful.

One text that you might find helpful coming from a Reformed faith is Jimmy Akin’s “The Salvation Controversy”. It’s rather dense but brief - he gets right to the point - and he addresses the book primarily to contrast Catholic with Calvinist teaching on soteriology - taking the TULIP roadmap rather than a Confession-Purgatory-Heaven-Hell roadmap.
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I started a post on TULIP in response to this thread, I think I got through 'L’imited Atonement. I will finish it when I have time, perhaps after Mass tomorrow.

I wrote another long post in response to a thread on a different site, in response to the question by a Fundamentalist (and virulent anti-Catholic) who I spar with from time-to-time (when I can get a word in between the conspiracy theories). It started when he brought up Purgatory and we discussed the allusions to it in the Gospels but I decided to cut to the heart of the matter and start discussing exactly what happened when Christ died and how do we apply the effects of that to our lives?

So I focused on opposition to the idea that the guilt of our sins were transferred to (imputed) Christ, as both Luther and Calvin asserted. It uses many Scriptural verses and although it could be refined, of course, I would be comfortable posting it here if it would help the OP or anyone else. It is >13,000 characters so I won’t take up all the room here if no one is interested but I would like people’s comments on it.
 
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