Confused whether or not i should be Catholic?

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XD1993 said:
ok so i’m 19 and in college. i was raised a Hindu, but recently decided to become Christian. anyways, i chose Catholic b/c if i’m not mistaken, Catholics believe that non-Christians can also make it to heaven/purgatory (which is what i want to believe b/c my family is Hindu, but good people who are honestly trying to find God, so i believe God will save them) and didn’t want to choose a protestant group on campus b/c i know many believe you either believe in Jesus and go to heaven, or don’t and end up in hell. so i started RCIA a two weeks ago, and went to mass as well. the RCIA class is mostly people who want to be confirmed (i may be the only non-Christian i think), plus i started late, so i feel a bit behind. what I think i didn’t like about mass was that it seems to strict (like you have to stand up/kneel at certain times, have prayers memorized which i don’t know at all, and everyone’s too quiet etc.)

anyways there is this other methodist church nearby, which seems really Christmasy, 7th heaven style etc…it seems easier to go thorugh (like no RCIA, just sit and listen, no paperwork, no memorizing stuff etc). i actually agree with a lot of Catholic stuff that most protestants disagree (like saints, Mary, purgatory etc) but it just seems easier for me and more relaxed.

my question is, should i continue with RCIA and hope it gets better for me, or just start going to another church like the Methodist one? I like Catholic beliefs a lot, it’s just the style of worship, and all the sacraments like confirmation/baptism requires paperwork and is too officelike structure if u know what i mean.

btw i mean no disrespect to anyone, just saying what i think. sorry if i got something wrong. thanks
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My advice: learn everything you can about the Catholic church - outside of RCIA, too. Understanding the mass will come with time and study. I’m sure it is confusing without the background - but it will come and it is a wonderful experience once you understand. There are some wonderful CDs and MP-3 downloads on www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org that I have found to be really inspiring and educational - including conversion stories from former protestant pastors who have found their home in the Catholic church. If you have access to it - listen to Relevant Radio - they have so much advice and information and archived shows to access. It is so worth the journey. Give yourself time to sort it out. Is there a Newman Center on your campus? Some other campus Catholic group to plug into?

Good luck and God bless!
 
Does the church not have missals? The prayers and readings are in there, altho it can be tricky to sort it out as the prayers which change are in a different place from the parts of the Mass which do not change.

Do *not *worry about getting everything right. I returned to the Church with two small children and didn’t even notice for months what everyone was doing, and no one noticed all the mistakes I was making 🙂 And I couldn’t juggle a missal at that time either! You’ll start getting the hang of it all in time. Maybe you could arrange to go to Mass with someone from the RCIA class? Just ask at your class if anyone else is in your situation, or maybe one of the teachers goes to your Mass.
 
This may help.

You don’t need all 75 pages–almost half is an appendix. The first 11 pages have the Liturgy of the Word, the first part of the Mass. The next 33 pages have the Liturgy of the Eucharist, but there are 4 forms for it and you only need one, as a general rule. Ask which one they generally use at your church, then you can print out just the pages you need.

Hope this helps!
 
thx. as i stated, my parents are Hindus and i haven’t told them about me becoming Christian yet. when and how should i tell them? also should i tell them about Jesus? b/c i heard somewhere (not sure how true this is) but if someone hears about Jesus/gospel etc, and reject it, then they will go to hell. i know my parents, they’ll never convert, so would it be better to not tell them about Jesus and all b/c then they can still be saved since they haven’t heard the gospel? thanks
 
XD1993 said:
thx. as i stated, my parents are Hindus and i haven’t told them about me becoming Christian yet. when and how should i tell them? also should i tell them about Jesus? b/c i heard somewhere (not sure how true this is) but if someone hears about Jesus/gospel etc, and reject it, then they will go to hell. i know my parents, they’ll never convert, so would it be better to not tell them about Jesus and all b/c then they can still be saved since they haven’t heard the gospel? thanks
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Be not afraid. You should discuss this with your priest. He can discuss it in detail with you.

God bless you.
 
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