Converts: What objections did you hear?

[LSK]

arieh0310:

I am really, really close to joining the Church. My entry into the Church seems inevitable, but I am still exercising caution (I have only been investigating Catholicism for 6 months).

Even if the Church is filled with heretics I will still join, because in the Catholic Church is found the fullness of truth. I guess I am just a little disheartened because I wanted a little more company.

Don’t worry, my brother in Christ, we’re here…it sometimes feels like we are hiding our lights under bushels, but we are here…do NOT feel alone and remember what Christ said (and JPII reminded us of): “Do not be afraid”.

This is a wonderful thread. I’m a cradle Catholic, living in anti-Catholic Country, who came Home about 4 years ago…thank you for sharing your conversion stories with us.

 

[Lizbert]

I am not a convert but I returned to the Catholic faith about 6 months ago after being away for 25 years. I mentioned several times over the last few years that I wanted to go back but my husband and his family kept saying it would “interfere” with my marriage, whatever that means. I was even called a “papist” by my brother-in-law. Well the desire to return to my Catholic faith was so strong that I could no longer turn away. In July my husband and I were married in the Catholic church with the brother-in-law as best man. He is now taking classes at his local parish and will recieve the Holy Eucharst at Easter of next year. God does work in mysterious ways.

 

[Semper_Fi_1]

arieh0310:

I am really, really close to joining the Church. My entry into the Church seems inevitable, but I am still exercising caution (I have only been investigating Catholicism for 6 months).

Even if the Church is filled with heretics I will still join, because in the Catholic Church is found the fullness of truth. I guess I am just a little disheartened because I wanted a little more company.

Of course the Church is full of heretics… it’s full of people. Which is why I love Confession.

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

janelle:

The Church hierarchy is trying to take over the world, and they hide their “real” teachings to try to get more converts and more power; .

Is there a point at which they let Catholics in on these “real” teachings or do we remain in the dark our whole lives? Is there a point to hiding “real” teachings?

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

Lizbert:

I am not a convert but I returned to the Catholic faith about 6 months ago after being away for 25 years. I mentioned several times over the last few years that I wanted to go back but my husband and his family kept saying it would “interfere” with my marriage, whatever that means. I was even called a “papist” by my brother-in-law. Well the desire to return to my Catholic faith was so strong that I could no longer turn away. In July my husband and I were married in the Catholic church with the brother-in-law as best man. He is now taking classes at his local parish and will recieve the Holy Eucharst at Easter of next year. God does work in mysterious ways.

Oh wow! That’s awesome!!

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[janelle]

Catholic4aReasn:

Is there a point at which they let Catholics in on these “real” teachings or do we remain in the dark our whole lives? Is there a point to hiding “real” teachings?

According to our friends, who got their info from the likes of Mary Ann Collins, the “real” Catholic beliefs include the following: every person who’s not a card-carrying Catholic is going to Hell, Jesus is crucified at each mass, women are inferior beings, stuff like that. I think the whole conspiracy is only known by the Pope, his immediate advisors, and Mary Ann Collins.

The point of hiding is that if people knew the Vatican hierarchy believed these ridiculous things, no one would want to be Catholic. Indeed, if the Church actually believed these things, I wouldn’t want to be Catholic. The hard part (impossible, actually) was convincing our friends that these are not Catholic beliefs. They think we’ve completely lost our ability to reason. Oh, well. I can only hope we planted some seeds of truth.

Janelle

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

janelle:

According to our friends, who got their info from the likes of Mary Ann Collins, the “real” Catholic beliefs include the following: every person who’s not a card-carrying Catholic is going to Hell, Jesus is crucified at each mass, women are inferior beings, stuff like that. I think the whole conspiracy is only known by the Pope, his immediate advisors, and Mary Ann Collins.

The point of hiding is that if people knew the Vatican hierarchy believed these ridiculous things, no one would want to be Catholic. Indeed, if the Church actually believed these things, I wouldn’t want to be Catholic. The hard part (impossible, actually) was convincing our friends that these are not Catholic beliefs. They think we’ve completely lost our ability to reason. Oh, well. I can only hope we planted some seeds of truth.

Janelle

I didn’t know who Mary Ann Collins was so I looked her up and read her testimony. How very sad. It’s amazing that there are priests and nuns out there who sincerely don’t get it. Sadly, their positions (or former positions) in the Church seem to add to their credibility to those outside the Church. Doesn’t your heart just break for them? I know that they will be held responsible by God for misleading people but I also know that God is infinitely merciful.

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[johnshelby]

Catholic4aReasn:

I didn’t know who Mary Ann Collins was so I looked her up and read her testimony. How very sad. It’s amazing that there are priests and nuns out there who sincerely don’t get it. Sadly, their positions (or former positions) in the Church seem to add to their credibility to those outside the Church. Doesn’t your heart just break for them? I know that they will be held responsible by God for misleading people but I also know that God is infinitely merciful.

In Christ,
Nancy

was Mary Ann Collins … bonafides… every actually verified??
i’ve heard some believe there might not be such a person…
but, i have no idea…

 

[scylla]

There was a thread on Mary Ann Collins and a link I will post here.
speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=134&id=1799

My wife was told she converted because she idolized me. Since I was coming back to the Church she just followed because I was her idol.

As others have said usually this is just a reaction, which is caused by the person feeling you are rejecting them or the truth.

God Bless
Scylla

 

[mercygate]

Well, it wasn’t exactly an objection, but when my long-time neighbor, a cradle Catholic, heard I was coming “in,” he crowed: So! You’re finally coming out of the closet!

 

[catsrus]

I heard:

“Well, you like structure in your life and God knows The Catholic Church is ULTRA structure.”
You’re getting older so getting religion is understandable".

“After the life you’ve led?! You have nerve!”

“You’re joking, right? RIGHT???”

“Well, there goes all the fun in life!”

 

[johnshelby]

scylla:

There was a thread on Mary Ann Collins and a link I will post here.
speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=33&idsub=134&id=1799

My wife was told she converted because she idolized me. Since I was coming back to the Church she just followed because I was her idol.

As others have said usually this is just a reaction, which is caused by the person feeling you are rejecting them or the truth.

God Bless
Scylla

that’s similar to some of the stuff i had heard, and seen…

i saw the interview on csnbc with the woman whose daughter
had left Opus Dei… and heard all that stuff they were
complaining about… and i thought maybe this Collins lady
was like that… entered some vocation without really thinking
it out, or knowing what she was actually getting into, then
changed her mind, and is now saying this stuff to justify
her decision not to go thru with it…

i don’t know this… it’s purely speculation…

 

[drforjc]

Mainly that the “Roman Catholic” Church believed in “works righteousness” and that I was being “hen-pecked” by my Catholic fiancee.

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

I started a thread on Mary Ann Collins.

I have never heard of this person and her existence seem to be suspect according the link on this thread. How strange.

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[CindyGia]

Before I had started RCIA classes (2002), I was friends with a young married couple.

In my journey seeking the “truth,” I had begun attending services at an Alliance Church and took this couple with me. We all enjoyed the “services” with the Alliance Church rock band (which featured the pastor as lead guitarist and vocalist,) and all the singing and clapping and loud shoutings of Alleluia’s and Amen’s from the parishioners!

It was a couple of weeks after attending these services (with this couple) that God profoundly drew me to the truth of the Catholic Church, by ways of a Catholic Bookstore owner. When I announced to this couple that I was leaving the Alliance Church and converting to Catholicism, they couldn’t comprehend my reasons for doing so, even though I tried to explain in detail how the Catholic Church is the one and only church of Christ.

Within a couple of weeks after leaving this Alliance Church, this couple completely shunned me and I no longer heard from them. In an effort to show them the truth of the Catholic Church, as a birthday gift to the wife, I went to their house and gave to the husband, in a large envelope, all sorts of literature, i.e., “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth,” and other pamphlets - and about 4 conversion story tapes; i.e., Scott Hahn’s conversion story and that of Tim Staples and “The Truth About Mary”, and also gave them two sets of beautiful rosary beads with instructions on how to pray the Rosary.

Not that I expected anything, but I never received acknowledment that they were received from the wife, nor did I receive a little “thank you” - nothing. A few weeks later while shopping at the local grocery store, the wife saw me walking down the aisle and turned her back to me as if to “not see” me. Rather than say anything to her, I just continued on my way and decided not to say anything. I never regretted not saying “hi”. It would have been very uncomfortable for both of us since she did turn her back to me in the first place. I’m sure everything I gave them was quite literally thrown out - since the pastor of this Alliance Church hated with a passion, the Catholic Church, as he was always bashing it in some way during their “services”.

I pray for them. The reformation that is called Protestantism makes me sad and sometimes angry that millions of people are so blind, and (blissfully) ignorant to the one True Church of Christ.

God Bless you all.

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

CindyGia:

Before I had started RCIA classes (2002), I was friends with a young married couple.

In my journey seeking the “truth,” I had begun attending services at an Alliance Church and took this couple with me. We all enjoyed the “services” with the Alliance Church rock band (which featured the pastor as lead guitarist and vocalist,) and all the singing and clapping and loud shoutings of Alleluia’s and Amen’s from the parishioners!

It was a couple of weeks after attending these services (with this couple) that God profoundly drew me to the truth of the Catholic Church, by ways of a Catholic Bookstore owner. When I announced to this couple that I was leaving the Alliance Church and converting to Catholicism, they couldn’t comprehend my reasons for doing so, even though I tried to explain in detail how the Catholic Church is the one and only church of Christ.

Within a couple of weeks after leaving this Alliance Church, this couple completely shunned me and I no longer heard from them. In an effort to show them the truth of the Catholic Church, as a birthday gift to the wife, I went to their house and gave to the husband, in a large envelope, all sorts of literature, i.e., “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth,” and other pamphlets - and about 4 conversion story tapes; i.e., Scott Hahn’s conversion story and that of Tim Staples and “The Truth About Mary”, and also gave them two sets of beautiful rosary beads with instructions on how to pray the Rosary.

Not that I expected anything, but I never received acknowledment that they were received from the wife, nor did I receive a little “thank you” - nothing. A few weeks later while shopping at the local grocery store, the wife saw me walking down the aisle and turned her back to me as if to “not see” me. Rather than say anything to her, I just continued on my way and decided not to say anything. I never regretted not saying “hi”. It would have been very uncomfortable for both of us since she did turn her back to me in the first place. I’m sure everything I gave them was quite literally thrown out - since the pastor of this Alliance Church hated with a passion, the Catholic Church, as he was always bashing it in some way during their “services”.

I pray for them. The reformation that is called Protestantism makes me sad and sometimes angry that millions of people are so blind, and (blissfully) ignorant to the one True Church of Christ.

God Bless you all.

I’m sorry you had to experience this. Do you think that they were shunning you for the same reason the Mormons and Amish shun those who leave their folds, in the hopes of helping you see the error of your ways and coming back to the 'truth" as they understand it?

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[CindyGia]

Catholic4aReasn:

I’m sorry you had to experience this. Do you think that they were shunning you for the same reason the Mormons and Amish shun those who leave their folds, in the hopes of helping you see the error of your ways and coming back to the 'truth" as they understand it?

In Christ,
Nancy

I can’t say for sure.

However, I got the feeling (back then) that they felt it was me that did not want to be their friend. Since I was already being guided by the Holy Spirit and began looking extensively into Catholicism, I would talk about the wonderful feelings of love toward God and His Church, which they just couldn’t comprehend. They started frequently asking me how they could also get the Holy Spirit “in them.” (This made me feel such pity for them since they seemed to be filled with the HS at the church services). When I told them the Holy Spirit guided me to the Catholic Church and that I was converting and tried convincing them that this Church is the one true Church of Christ, I think they might’ve become a teeny bit jealous - since I mentioned “feeling” the Holy Spirit and that He was guiding me. I believe that they took this as some sort of prideful act on my part. Also, since this pastor frequently bashed the Catholic Church, and they really enjoyed this guy and praised his sermons after the services, I’m sure that at some point they spoke with this pastor about my converting, and his advice to them was to stay away from me.

But that’s just speculation on my part.
.