Confused catholic friend

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Discerningcatholic

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My friend and I are both Catholic. In one of our conversations talking about different religions I was asked how do we know that Catholicism is the right religion out of the Christian faiths. They wholy believe in the Eucharist and everything the church teaches. But they’re curious about exploring the other forms of Christianity. Can someone help me know what to do or say. I know I need to pray and I definitely will. But how can I help keep them from straying from saving grace here?
 
I am not trying to prevent that. It’s that I do not want them to fall away. The way they were talking about it just concerned me. It made me think is this just a curiosity or could it become real doubt about the truth.
 
Good morning. You were asked how do you know that Catholicism is the right Religion. My answer would be what Jesus said to Peter… " You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ Pray that your friends, if they do explore, will come back. Will remember them at Mass today.You also are in my prayers.God bless you.
 
Historically if Christianity is true the only Churches that could be the Church Jesus founded are the Catholic Church or the Orthodox Church.
 
It may do them good, they will find that by comparison our Church and faith is gloriously rich and authentic.
 
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Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman once said, “To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant.” (source)

Perhaps your friend should look into the historical origins of the other forms of Christianity.

This list, entitled “How Old Is Your Church?” might be a good start.
 
You should allow them to explore other Faiths, otherwise if they have many questions left unanswered, this may be the factor which would springboard their departure from Catholicism in the near future. Faith should be built on knowledge and reasoning. I’ve done some studying on the validity of Catholicism back in 2016 and from that point I was wholly convinced that Catholicism is the Truth.
 
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@Discerningcatholic

Catholic Church follow and which is GUIDED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT and JESUS CHRISH HIMSELF THROUGH HIS TRUE CHURCH AND THE POPE Matthew 16:16-18 7 And Jesus answering, said to him: Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven.18 And I say to thee : That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

2 Timothy 2:2 and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.

Jeremiah 3:15 “‘And I will give you shepherds (Popes)after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.Catholic Church states traditions as the orally “by the apostles who handed on, by the spoken word of their preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established, what they themselves had received - whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life and his works, or whether they had learned it at the prompting of the Holy Spirit”; 2 Thessalonians 2:15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.
Discerningcatholic said:
But they’re curious about exploring the other forms of Christianity. Can someone help me know what to do or say. I know I need to pray and I definitely will. But how can I help keep them from straying from saving grace here?
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No don’t do it, you may put yourself and together of risking your faith and your soul.
2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by its cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure[[a]devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you submit to it readily enough.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world. 4 Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5
Romans 10:17 So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.

Jude1:19 It is these worldly people, devoid of the Spirit, who are causing divisions. 20 But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; 21 keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to
eternal life. 22 And have mercy on some who are wavering;
 
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Just remind him that when he does his search, he will find that the Catholic Church is the only Christian Church that can trace back its origins to Jesus and the Apostles.
 
Discerningcatholic said:
My friend and I are both Catholic. In one of our conversations talking about different religions I was asked how do we know that Catholicism is the right religion out of the Christian faiths. They wholy believe in the Eucharist and everything the church teaches. But they’re curious about exploring the other forms of Christianity.
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If you wholly believe the Eucharist is the body & blood of our Lord, then there is nowhere else to go.

I was baptized as a baby. My mom is Catholic & my dad’s mom was Baptist. So I attended both churches as a kid. Then later when my dad remarried & found religion he went through several little bible churches & drug us with him.

That experience turned me off to religion all together. Later, when I couldn’t refuse the existence of God any longer I looked at many forms of Christianity.

I was convinced the RCC was Satan’s spawn & whatever “church” i choose, it wasnt going to be thr RCC.

Then one day, I don’t even remember how, but I had an epiphany. Catholics believe the Eucharist is the body of Christ. Not merely a symbol. But a mystical presentation of the new Passover.

At the same time I see God working in this world through the other denominations. I haven’t discerned what or how He plans for all this to come together.

But I’m sure there are many a protestant in purgatory. & there are many a Catholic who are not.

But if you see the body of Christ in the Eucharist & choose not to partake… I just don’t understand that decision

Sorry, lost my train of thought. So for me, it started with the Eucharist. If the Eucharist is the body of Christ then it’s a sacrifice. If it’s a sacrifice then you have to have priests. & in my mind, priest don’t come out of thin air. They have to be taught, trained, & ordained. You can’t declare yourself a priest, you have to be ordained.

Everything else sort of fell into place for me.

So, to answer your question… why do you fully believe? Tell him your story, how/why you’ve made up your mind, then leave everything else to the blessed Virgin & her Son.
 
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People have to be able to explore.If it turns out that that what we believed at the outset of an exploration is in fact the truth, then it will prove itself out in the process. I would imagine that the real deal can stand up to whatever you throw at it. That said, I have spent a good deal of time in my life studying other religions, including non-christian traditions and I see a concrescence at the core of all of them. You had mentioned believing in the Eucharist. Like some other Catholics , I had always found the idea of the Eucharist a bit dubious although I would never say so in public. There are probably some readers with whom that resonates. It wasn’t until I studied Hinduism for a few decades that I was able to lay my reservations to rest about the Eucharist. It is only now that I can say that I believe it, but I would never have come to that conclusion without the help of Vedic scripture.

All the best!
 
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