Converted Catholics, what denomination were you in before your conversion?

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Wow,great topic…I see God calling us in our darkest days to brought us to His house and grow in love against the dark.Thanks to all and To God!!!
 
Born into a historically Southern Baptist family. Historically as in My ancestor that migrated to the shores of South Carolina from Wales in the early 1700’s was Baptist of the Particular Baptist persuasion. Entire history of the family tree is Baptist, Southern Baptist from the beginnings of the SBC in the 1840’s. Raised by my Aunt and her husband who did not attend any church. I was sent to Sunday School and Church but at home there was little faith. I had a friend in my early teens who was Catholic, I became interested in the teachings and Faith practices and started to study the Catechism and Church Fathers. Converted and was Confirmed at 17 in 1973. Caused a bit of a stir with my relatives.
 
I was ALWAYS a believer in God, since my
mother was baptized when she was pregnant
with me. But it wasn’t until I was 14 that I accepted
Jesus’ New Covenant in the protestant OSAS
tradition. I came home when I was 57 y.o. and
has been growing to love the Liturgy and Sacra-
ments!!
 
I was raised Catholic but I rejected the Church, organized religion and especially Christianity early on. I spent a lot of years researching and practicing Eastern religious traditions, as well as New Age stuff like shamanism (not new) and the like. I eventually became drawn to Judaism, specifically the Hasidic flavor, and studied Judaism almost exclusively for close to two years. In the midst of that I got married and my wife encouraged me to read the Gospels. It took some time but I decided if I was really looking for TRUTH I could leave no stone unturned. So I did my best to lay aside my own biases and read the Gospels objectively. I also read Mere Christianity and Case for Christ at the same time and became convinced of the truth of Christianity, but Catholicism was as far off the radar as could be. I eventually committed my life to Christ and attended Baptist churches with my wife and kids for about 5 years. But early on I had issues with the theology. At the time I did not realize it but what I really had a problem with was the lack of authority, but I just knew deep down something wasn’t fitting together very well. I mostly chalked this up to being a neophyte and just did my best; I read the Bible daily, I studied it, did church services twice a week with group Bible studies, I got involved in the youth ministries. Eventually some things in my life changed and I began to fall away from my faith. Then my wife and I filed for a divorce and separated for a year. We did get back together and I knew if I was going to make my end of the marriage work I needed God. I needed Christ. But I’d become so disenchanted with Protestantism I almost thought I’d have to become some kind of rebel Christian without a church. I decided I needed to get to the bottom of the theological and historical issues I had, and I started at the Reformation (for me I never even considered there was stuff pre-Reformation, it was like a big blank/dark space). Eventually I found more and more references to the Early Church Fathers so I started digging into that material and discovered the Early Church looked surprisingly Catholic. My research started to change from “What does the Catholic Church get wrong” to asking “What does the CC get right?”. Once I started to be fair to the Church I read more, I bought a Catechism and was blown away by it. All the pieces began to fit together and I knew I had to make a decision. I went through RCIA so I could be confirmed two years ago. In a lot of ways I consider myself a convert because I never really bought into Catholicism in my youth and as a Baptist I had completely written it off as a heretical monolith that twisted the Gospel and led people astray. But, by the grace of God, I’m home now.
 
I was raised in a “progressive” Baptist church and then later joined a conservative Presbyterian church. I became a Catholic after much thought when I found that the Presbyterian denomination was involved in much splitting and changing. Churches would leave the denomination and reverse their teaching.

There were other reasons too and I have not regretted becoming Catholic. I only wish I had converted much earlier.
 
Me three, but also not, in a sense. I wasn’t ready for it. I was very liberal, rarely prayed, God just wasn’t a factor in my life. I needed the journey that God took me on to gradually get ready for the big stuff.
 
Sugabee43 said:
Once the Episcopal Church began ordaining women to the priesthood, and practicing homosexuals as well, I knew it was time to flee.
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Ummm, you know that there are also homosexual priests in the Catholic Church, yes? No women, except for those who have been ordained via the Womenpriests community, but they are there and active.
 
ComplineSanFran said:
No women, except for those who have been ordained via the Womenpriests community, but they are there and active.
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These women are not priests. Practicing homosexuals are not ordained. If a priest becomes a practicing homosexual, he is removed as they would remove any one know to have entered an open heterosexual relationship.
 
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I am sorry. I did not mean to highjack the thread. I won’t post any more on this topic.
 
I started out as an Atheist. Upon being introduced to philosophy I quickly transitioned into being an agnostic, then a deist, then a Classical Theist stuck between Tenrikyō and Christianity, then a Non-denominational Christian for a few years.

Note that I wasn’t non-denominational because I agreed with it, but rather because I was looking for a denomination, for the most part all apologists for a denomination I encountered were fairly inept.

Actually, much like how William Lane Craig and Alvin Plantinga were two of the most influential thinkers for convincing me Christianity was true, it was Jimmy Akin who ended up convincing me that Catholicism was true. Although, I still find Protestant thinkers more helpful than Catholic thinkers in understanding Catholic doctrines at times. Took unreasonably long to find a decent explanation for Transubstantiation, but then Frank Tipler (a Baptist) happened to make it accessible to me. Go figure.
 
Ummmm, there are. But the Catholic Church has not ever changed her teaching to allow those homosexual priests to practice their disorder. One faith openly allows and celebrates it; the other does not.
 
Also- while there might be women who call themselves Catholic Priests, they most certainly are not valid. The Episcopal Church has changed their doctrine to allow it.
 
Sugabee43 said:
Also- while there might be women who call themselves Catholic Priests, they most certainly are not valid. The Episcopal Church has changed their doctrine to allow it.
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You are quite correct in this. Priests and Bishops alike. I appreciate that the Pope has welcomed our Bishops with open arms, both men and women. It makes my heart happy to see the joy and welcome he has given Anglican clergy (and Lutheran too) who are women.
 
Pope Francis may have welcomed them in the spirit of Christian charity, but he has no authority to change Catholic doctrine on the ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood. This has already been proclaimed many times over.
 
Its a sin but i also have been suspicious about one priest.
But cant judge because my boss is also this way ,but both are very smart,nice.
Hope God will guide them,because this is not natural.
I am far from the idea that somebody is saved/immunized from disorders and mistakes.
 
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It is this interpretation of actions which often makes people hesitant to act because of the misconstrue. Opening ones arms to humanity does not flow down to open doors to our own personal agenda’s.

Pope Francis, has a good friend, a Jewish Rabbi, Abraham Skorka. A man with whom he had dialogue while he was known as Jorge Mario Bergoglio. It is captured in a book entitled “On Heaven and Earth”. Perhaps a reading of this book would be worth it, to get a true witness, a true account of the mind of Pope Francis.
 
Born into a family with a “cultural Catholic” dad and fallen-away mom who calls herself atheist. Baptised Catholic, never practiced.
Went through a couple years of atheism.
Explored spirituality.
Came home.
 
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