Catholic-Converts: Why did you leave the Protestant Church?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mannyfit75
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
I turned away from Protestantism long ago because I just didn’t buy the guarantee of salvation a lot of Protestant churches teach, and I was really dissatisfied with the treatment of Mary (even during my anti-Christianity phase I always felt an affinity for Mary). It was a long time before I could even look at Christianity. I came to the Catholic Church after being brought back to God through personal revelation and doing a lot of studying of scripture and history. I can’t find any other Church that even comes close to what the Catholic Church has (fullness of Truth, transubstantiation, veneration of Mary, emphasis on good works, etc).
None of the Protestant Churches has fullness of truth. They all lack it, they only have partial truths.
 
I turned away from Protestantism long ago because I just didn’t buy the guarantee of salvation a lot of Protestant churches teach, and I was really dissatisfied with the treatment of Mary (even during my anti-Christianity phase I always felt an affinity for Mary). It was a long time before I could even look at Christianity. I came to the Catholic Church after being brought back to God through personal revelation and doing a lot of studying of scripture and history. I can’t find any other Church that even comes close to what the Catholic Church has (fullness of Truth, transubstantiation, veneration of Mary, emphasis on good works, etc).
Welcome home
 
My parents were never very religious, although I was baptised an Anglican, but my Grandmother is a High Anglican with a great deal of respect for the Catholic Church.

When I found God and decided that I sould practice religion, I had no idea where to go. What first drove me to looking at Catholicism was the fact that Christianity is the world’s largest religion, and Catholicism is the oldest and largest demonination.

This was not a good enough reason on its own, but God works in mysterious ways and it got me in there. Once I was there, I began to see the truth behind the sacrements, the veneration of the saints, the hypocrisies of the Reformation leaders, the arrogance of personal interpretation, the impossibility of Sola Scripture and how, contrary to popular belief, the Catholic Church has done far more good than harm in the last 2000 years.

On a more personal level, I felt during my conversion and since that I became very close to Our Lady and that it was she who was encouraging me on this path, and for that I can never thank her enough.
 
  1. Because God. made. me. The header for my blog is a quote I “lifted” (with her blessing) from another former Protestant
    :
    “I did not leave my Evangelical Roots because I was unhappy there. In fact, I left my Evangelical roots loudly protesting to the Lord that I was very happy where I was thank you very much and did He really think this was necessary.”
  2. Because doctrine matters.
  3. Because I couldn’t reconcile what I was hearing preached with what the Bible actually said, particularly John 6.
  4. I studied the Early Church Fathers and they all sounded so darn CATHOLIC! They didn’t sound very Baptist at all, which is what I was always taught that the Early Church was. :rolleyes:
 
I addressed part of this in the new members area, but the facade of the protestant argument just fell apart in front of me. The more I read the Bible, the more I prayed, and the more I researched history, the more Protestant ecclesial communities I went to, the more books I read the more radio pastors I listened to, the more I realized that the it just doesn’t make sense therefore it doesn’t work. History then points to 1 of 2 Orthodox vs Catholocism. Just based on non-biased historical logic Catholcism then wins hands down…ergo I must become Catholic. NO WAY!!! HUH UH!!! :eek: I got confused so I prayed to the Holy Spirit and asked him to lead me. He pushed me toward the inevitable, but I resisted. It got to the point where I couldn’t resist anymore. Scary at first…but to see truth and not go for it is a lie so no longer able to protest anything the conclusion is foregone…its the Catholic Church baby.
 
Yea, they were pretty good…plus they just look tight anyway. More Priests need to wear them…people would come to Mass looking for an action hero and come away with a bit more
 
  1. Because God. made. me. The header for my blog is a quote I “lifted” (with her blessing) from another former Protestant
    :
    “I did not leave my Evangelical Roots because I was unhappy there. In fact, I left my Evangelical roots loudly protesting to the Lord that I was very happy where I was thank you very much and did He really think this was necessary.”
I was the same - I was very happy in my liberal feminist Protestant church, and I argued with Jesus about it for three days straight before I ran out of excuses to remain Protestant.
  1. Because doctrine matters.
I didn’t really realize that part until later, but I have since become convinced that you can’t be a Christian if you don’t know for sure what Jesus really taught.
  1. Because I couldn’t reconcile what I was hearing preached with what the Bible actually said, particularly John 6.
I always took John 6 literally - it wasn’t until after I left my church that I found out the official teaching of my former denomination understands that passage as being “symbolic.” (“Symbolic” of what, I wonder? :confused: )
  1. I studied the Early Church Fathers and they all sounded so darn CATHOLIC! They didn’t sound very Baptist at all, which is what I was always taught that the Early Church was. :rolleyes:
I was completely freaked out the first time I sat down and read the Fathers - they made the Rosary ladies at my parish seem downright normal. 😛

But I think that’s when I really realized that the Church of Jesus Christ was not a group of proto-Presbyterians living in caves.
 
It was awful chilly, empty, and hungry in there. I had to go to the warmth of the Fire of Christ and feast on the Bread of Life.
 
WHAT!!!??? This is the most unbelievable story I have ever heard! They actually called you ‘unlovable’? And asked you to leave?

Thank God you found your way back home, if that happened to me I probably would have been wondering the earth for the rest of my life hating everybody.
Believe me, I believe it! Something similar happened to me! And I was serving as clergy in another denomination. My “bishop” essentially told me that I was too @#$%^&^ Catholic and to get the $%^%& out!

I praise God for leading me Home!
 
I was born & raised Episcopalian & for years I thought I was “almost Catholic” except for the whole “Hail Mary” thing. HA! Boy did I get that wrong!

At some point, I realized the Episcopal church was so “out there” that it no longer worked for me. I used to think of the Episcopal church as a “big tent” and was glad that there was room for everyone, then I realized that the “room for everyone” was coming at the expense of standards, morality & basic theology.

But the real “kicker” for me was my son marrying a Catholic girl, and he himself converting, for the good of his (as yet unborn) family. That got me thinking, and then acting on those thoughts. Next thing you know, I was at an RCIA class. Never a moment of doubt ever since.

Bonus ~ The RCC has the only theology that makes sense, something my son & I have discussed at length. We know we are where we belong.
 
Bonus ~ The RCC has the only theology that makes sense, something my son & I have discussed at length. We know we are where we belong.
Isn’t that the best!

I know that in other Churches I have been in, when I confronted things that didn’t make sense, I was told things like, “Well, we just have to have faith”

But the wonderful thing I find about the Catholic Church is faith and reason can walk together.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top