Anyone come to CAF, and then convert to Catholicism?

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I’m not sure if this is best here or in the Apologetics forum.

Either way: Have any of you, since becoming members of Catholic Answers Forums,
  1. Converted to Catholicism since becoming a member of the forums
  2. Or have significantly changed your mind on how you previously regarded Catholicism?
Thanks!
 
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  1. No and won’t anytime soon.
  2. Not Catholicism but Catholics. The only Catholics I know well enough would be my family in law and some people I meet in Poland when we visit them. I do realise now there is a huge spectrum of Catholics and this forum has them all.
 
I am one of those that converted. I had been an atheist since I was a teen. I began having religious experiences with the birth of my Daughter a year ago when I was 29. I was raised protestant but not in any particular church. I came to CAF in January of this year seeking answers due to an interesting post card I received in the mail about Our Lady of Fatima. The wonderful responses that I received helped seal the deal and my goal is to try and start RCIA this fall. I consider my self Catholic spiritually, I just need to make the extra step to join my local parish.

So I would say a combination of divine intervention and the beautiful people on CAF brought me home.
 
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  1. No.
  2. Sort of. I didn’t really know anything about Catholicism before coming to CAF. In some ways it’s confirmed what I thought and in other ways it’s explained to me why Catholics believe what they do, even if I don’t agree with it.
 
I was a Protestant when I first started CAF but I was seriously considering converting when I joined CAF.

I attended Mass five months before I started RCIA. I found that there was a great disconnect between what I learned at Mass and what was posted on CAF. Sometimes I had to ask a question on CAF or search for an answer.
 
I would also like to add that my mind has changed significantly regarding Catholicism in general. Before CAF, I saw Catholics as Mary worshipping, statue worshipping pagans like most other Southern U.S. protestants do, but I realized I was extremely misinformed and had been told outright lies about the Church. All of this was made much more clear largely due to posts on CAF.
 
While the questions are intriguing, I feel the answers are obvious (no slight intended).

Many emerging converts have become members as they explored and embrace their new faith. In the old forum I recall many posters bragging about recently ‘crossing the Tiber’

I also don’t see how regular posters could not be further enlightened about their faith. There are few alternative locations to go and have such a wide range of faith based discussions with such a diverse group of Catholics. I certainly am much wiser and more nuanced in my understanding of doctrine after spending time here.
 
What do you think caused you to make an easy transition from Orthodoxy to Catholicism?
 
1- no
2- also no (although I am new). I am here to hear different points of view on the Christian faith.
 
  1. Kinda. First join here in 2012 then didn’t participate for many years because I was turned off by many of the personalities on the old board. Somewhere along the line I started thinking about converting. Came back to CAF within the last month or two. Asked some questions I couldn’t resolve on my own. Did more research. Prayed. Finally contacted a parish and I’m starting my process now.
  2. No. I’ve always viewed the Catholic Church favorably. I went to a Catholic school, and I had great Sisters and teachers there. I do take issue with some of the attitudes of people who call themselves Catholic, but the Church itself I love.
 
Well having been baptized when I was young I was technically Catholic for most of my life but raised in an agnostic home. I was always curious about religion though and was sent to Catholic school in middle school.

At that time I remember doing a project about Pope John Paul II, but I had no idea why we neeeded a pope. I always felt at peace when we prayed the Rosary but after thinking about it, was wondering why we prayed to Mary and if it was okay. I remember hearing our priest talk about the Immaculate Conception at a school Mass and wondering where that was in the Bible. And why didn’t we have women priests?!! 😮 Yeah I didn’t know much at all 😛 Religion class answered some of my questions and going to a Catholic school was definitely a blessing, but in my early teens I really started questioning it all.

Did God exist? My parents weren’t so sure. And which religion? So I did a lot of research. That included Internet research and one of the forums I learned a lot from was CAF. I also frequented atheist forums, Beliefnet and some Christian ones. Eventually I was convinced that Catholicism was the truth in my head. Part of me didn’t really want to believe it was true… it took me a lot longer to take the plunge, fully start practicing and believe it all in my heart. My teen years were rough-- I waited until I was an adult to revert/convert/???

So yes, CAF likely changed my mind on how I viewed Catholicism, and it definitely helped me become more knowledgeable about my faith.
 
I am sort of stuck in limbo. Completed RCIA, got conditionally baptized (yay for being too old for records to be retained, that was a real feel good moment when I heard that, and I’m not “that” old), but can’t do the first confession/confirmation thing for reasons I can’t discuss. Local parish priest made the comment that basically you are a Catholic once you get baptized in the Church.

So, here I sit, neither fish nor fowl. In some respects, sort of like a pariah. Have kind of come to the conclusion that maybe there really isn’t a “place” for me out there so-to-speak.
 
  1. No
  2. I wasn’t anti-Catholic but I was indifferent. I’ve learned much beyond the superficial. There are many things I feel we ‘non-denominationals’ discarded that shouldn’t have been.
 
Hello.

Some benefits:

the sacraments: communion, confession, anointing of the sick, baptism, confirmation, matrimony, holy orders

salvation → if you keep the commandments

the Bible

intercession of Blessed Virgin Mary

intercession of the saints

… these are just off the top of my head …

You could start reading up on these things to learn more… or, in other words, come and see…

My two cents…
 
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