Converts: Your No. 1 stumbling block to conversion?

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My first concern was with my family, who are Methodist’s, and still are. But as a kid, we would church shop for the right preacher. I always had a problem with this, in that the preacher was not what we were going to church for. The also on alot of the alters (or table on the dias) the words “Do this in Rememberance fo Me” were boldly written. My problem was that we did not do this. When I started dating my wife,(cradle catholic) I awoke to the realization that the Catholic church was doing this, not only on sunday, but EVERY DAY. How much closer to God, His Son, and Holy Spiritl, can you get.

Deo Gratias
 
Toughest for me was the sacrament of Reconciliation; the idea of confessing to a man in addition to God.
 
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copland:
My biggest stumbling block right now is the lack of out-reach from Catholics in my area. Catholics seem to not be evangelistic minded like they are in Protestant churches. If it had not been for discussion forums I would not have ever been thinking about convertin to the Catholic Church.
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Growing up Episcopalian in an all-Catholic neighborhood, I was given the decided impression that Catholicism was just for those born into it or those who wanted to marry into it. T’was a closed club.

This was confirmed by a priest (circa 1970) with whom I worked as the high school Episcopalian youth representative to and ecumenical service group. I asked how to become Catholic and his response was to ask who I was dating. When I said that was not an issue, he advised me to “grow where you’re planted.”

Jump forward a couple of years to college, Newman Center had an open Charismatic Mass on Tuesday evenings run by a priest and sister. I was encouraged to participate fully, but was told it was not necessary to convert. At the first Tuesday after Christmas break, Father and Sister were gone and a new priest had a “snitch” standing next to him when he distributed Communion – no warning given to anyone in advance. The “snitch” told Father I was not Catholic and, as I felt at the time, I was “stiffed”. The galling part is that my roommate, a cradle Catholic and practicing public Wiccan was allowed to receive.

Jump forward 15 years, and, given the serious slippery decline of the Episcopal Church, I attended a Catholic Mass (at Christmas time) to inquire once again. The homily included the statement, “The Father needed someone to straighten out the world, that’s why he made Jesus.” With the phrase from Adeste Fideles, “genitum non factum,” running through my brain, I made a hasty departure.

Only recently, since the gay bishop debacle of the Episcopal Church, have I discovered Catholic Answers, EWTN, and have found myself in a very conservative, faithful diocese with a wonderful local parish. I finally was able to come into Catholicism!!!

There is a lot of historic damage to be undone, and I wonder how many non Catholics there are like me who’ve been turned off in similar ways, never to return???
 
Well, growing up I didn’t meet many catholics. For a couple of years we lived down the street from a catholic family. For the most part, we kids got along. But occasionally, something would come up, and they’d get a “holier than thou” attitude. The only other catholic I remember meeting was when I was in the Army. She was rather stupid, and she acted like she was smarter than anyone else. So irritating! I mean, everytime I made any sort of comment, she thought she had to “teach” me something.

So, for years I didn’t even consider becoming catholic. That, and being taught that catholics had NOTHING right. When I got to the point where I was seriously considering the move, I still had a problem with Mary. Sometimes I still do. This is partly due to my upbringing. Also, my mom has made a comment a couple of times about it. She has accused me of “worshipping” Mary! Why? Because I have a couple of statues of her!
 
Currently in RCIA. My biggest stumbling-block is the total chasm between what the Catholic Church teaches – the traditional dogma, teachings, deposit of faith preserved through the ages – and the Intellectual Pride and ‘concillar nonsense’ (I think it is referred to as) that I see in the churches I visit. uck. I suspect I am not alone, either within the CC or in converts. There is so much ‘feel-good’ sentimentality and SO LITTLE of substance taught.
 
Definitely the Magisterium, and papal infallibility, and I finally resolved it for myself by deciding that it didn’t matter. I’m with that Cardinal from Arkansas who was one of the only two to vote against papal infallibility in 1870! Though many, many others left the Council so that they wouldn’t have to go on record as being against papal infallibility.

I’m a medieval historian, and I just know much too much about the development of orthodoxy to take the magisterium as seriously as some people here seem to. Tis a fine fine line between heresy and orthodoxy, and I just don’t believe that God is parsing it as narrowly as some of us humans.

Naprous
 
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Tirian:
I was helped a whole lot by the writings of John Henry Cardinal Newman. In fact, it was his writing that finally cleared away my objections to the Immaculate Conception.
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What would you recommend I read of John Henry Newman to help me better understand Mary and the Immaculate Conception?

Thanks! 🙂
 
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Nel:
I’d like to know what was the hardest obstacle or teaching of the Catholic Church for converts to the faith, and how people got beyond that particular thing.
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For me, the most difficult obstacle ( of 40 years! ) was only revealed to me a short time ago…( I’m 54 now ) The obstacle was a demonic presence battling for the possession of my soul that I was unaware of. His name was revealed to me by a special Grace, I believe, from the BVM.The name I heard was “self” Self was the biggest stumbling block to my conversion, by Grace, to Holy Mother Church. Called by God’s Grace, instructed by His Excellency Archbishop Marcel LeFebvre, and confirmed by His Excellency Alfonso DeGalleretta, undeserving as I am. I am Born Again!!! Deo Gratias!!! Instaurare Omnia In Christo!!!
 
Just wondering about those who believe their conversions were primarily through the intercession of Mary…

I have heard it said somewhere (don’t remember where) that when one is converted thanks to her intercession it is a conversion of the heart, a total conversion, unlike any other. Just wondering if anyone’s experiences bear that out.
 
I “heard” it said somewhere…"the blood of the Martyrs is the seed of converts " My debt to Holy Mother Church is staggering. Please pray for me … thanks.
 
Church history. What bothers me is how corrupt the Church became during the 14th to 17th centuries. I posted another thread:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=9457

dealing with an account of unbelivable crimes perpetuated against Protestants in southern France by a church that had made itself the agent of a despotic ruler (granted that atrocities were also committed by Protestants). Leaders in the Church have seemed all to willing to sell out Christian principles for worldly power, such as the current sex-abuse crisis.
 
Most difficult? I am waiting for RCIA class to begin.

a) I want to repent of personal sin. But I need to want this more.

b) Mary isn’t a problem to me at this time. She is a blessing.
But lets get the royalty right. Mary is the King’s Mother.
Will that get me in trouble saying “King’s Mother” instead of Queen?
Mary, Blessed are Thou Among Women.

c) Our Lady of Fatima. It seemed like a stupid superstition tacked onto the Roman Catholic Church. But Bishop Sheen explained it to me in a way I cannot deny – page 202 in “Life is Worth Living” paperback (broadcast in 1954 television season with title “Fatima”). Definitely a must read in my opinion if you are a doubter about Fatima.

d) I haven’t won the Church lottery yet. Better luck next year.
 
Everything I had been taught about the Catholic Church growing up (in a fundamentalist home) was wrong. As soon as I learned the truth, I was so happy to finally have the answers to questions I had been asking since I was around 6 that everything just clicked, I recognized the truth when I saw it.

The only “stumbling block” that I had, which seems silly looking back on it, was the perpetual virginity of Mary. I didn’t think the Church was wrong on the matter I just felt that it was a private thing which couldn’t possibly be known. But now that I have experienced Marian devotion, even that makes perfect sense to me.
 
My No. 1 stumbling block in conversion and defending the faith is to explain the Church’s history. Not many Protestants understand who the Church Fathers were, and the church history they only look at is the Enlightenment Age-Today. If only they truly understood the Church Fathers and Constantine and the Crusades, then they’d maybe understand more about where we’re coming from.
 
Goodness, this is getting lengthy. I didn’t really have a problem with most of the theology. It all made more sense than the Protestant version. I didn’t fully understand that I shouldn’t go through baptism, etc. at Easter if I disagreed with any points, though, so I became Catholic while still disagreeing with the birth control issue. I accepted that the Church had the authority to proclaim in immoral and verboten, but I disobeyed anyway, and didn’t really understand the reasons behind the teaching.

As I read more (This Rock in particular) and became more fluent in my new faith, I grew to understand that I would be a lousy Catholic witness if I said you have to believe and follow everything the Church teaches…but I, uh, don’t. 😦 So, off to confession and NFP classes I went. Now, we teach it. God has a sense of humor.

I also accepted the teaching about Mary, but that’s been the hardest to integrate as a practice (rosary). It takes awhile to get comfortable with that one. I like buying rosaries and pictures of Mary, though…it’s a start!
 
I voted the peer pressure answer.
I lost the love and trust of some of my evangelical friends, and became the freak in my family.
However ~ my darling husband (who is not catholic) supported me all the way.
 
Mary was probably the number one stumbling block, followed closely by Purgatory and statues. On the other hand, the doctrine of the Real Presence was probably the easiest to believe in. I’ve had a great regard for the Lord’s Supper, even as a non-Christian.

If this sounds weird, let me explain. I grew up as a nominal Methodist (my Dad is Methodist, my Mom Catholic, neither one practicing). When I was about 9 or 10, I went to Sunday school for a few months because my Mom felt I should have some religious exposure. However, it didn’t really ‘take’, I was a staunch agnostic through childhood. Besides, I thought church was rather boring- saccharine songs and boring sermons- one time when we went to church for my cousin’s christening, the minister actually performed magic tricks on the altar! However, there was one time that did leave an impression on me. My grandmother attended church (she was Methodist) quite regularly, and one time when my family was visiting her (I was a teenager at the time), it was decided we would accompany her to church. As it so happened, they were having a communion service that Sunday (the only one I ever saw in all the times I went). The congregants went up one pew at a time, kneeled around the altar, and partook of the bread and wine. I had no clue what it was they were doing, but I
felt this was different: it wasn’t a droning sermon or some antique hymn, this was something REAL. I asked my Dad why we didn’t go up, and he replied “because you wouldn’t have wanted to.”
I encountered this feeling again when I was in the Navy. The first submarine I was assigned to had regularly scheduled religious activities (the only submarine I served on that did). Every Sunday the Protestants would hold their service in the mess deck and the Catholics would hold theirs in the wardroom. One Sunday I was passing through the mess deck to get a cup of coffee when the Protestant crew members were preparing for a communion service. I was invited to join, but turned the offer down as “I didn’t believe in that stuff” but I still had the feeling that I was passing up on something.

Continued next post…
 
Conclusion…

Fast forward some 8 years later when I was out of the Navy, and had become a believer attending a Southern Baptist church. I remember how I looked forward to the first communion service I partook in. While I didn’t believe in the doctrine of the Real Presence at that time, I still felt the Lord’s Supper was something important for Christians to partake in. However, I was rather disappointed that the church I attended only did it once a month, which I thought wasn’t enough.
At this time I was sharing a place with a friend who was Roman Catholic, however I had a staunch anti-catholic attitude (towards the institution, not it’s members). My friend tried to get me to go to RCIA classes to learn more about what the Church tought, but I had my Bible and I ‘knew’ better. Eventually he did talk me into going to a weekday Mass. When we entered the church there was a group of people reciting the Rosary. HORRORS! Praying to Mary, and with vain repetitions even! Anyhow, the Church service started, with the lector holding the lectionary aloft. I asked my friend what he was carrying, and he said it was the Bible, and he was holding it up because it was God’s Word. I had to admit, I was impressed by the Church’s respect for the Bible, yet with my Protestant pride I couldn’t help thinking, “Now if they’d only READ it.” When they time came for communion I wanted to go up badly, but my friend held me back, saying it was for Catholics only. Even though the Catholic church had Communion daily, my prejudice against the church ran too deep. However, a short time, later, one of the residents at the building where I worked as a security guard happened to be Eastern Orthodox. Orthodoxy was different enough from Catholicism for me to get past my bias, but close enough to give me a better understanding of Catholicism. I attended a Greek Orthodox service, which was very beautiful, but I felt rather out of place as a non-Greek, as most of the congregants were of Greek heritage (the priest himself came from Greece). While I was pondering this, my friend mentioned the RCIA class for the umpteenth time, and this time, I decided to go. At the same time, I checked out all the books on Catholicism I could find at the local library. The RCIA instructors were warm people who helped me overcome my doubts and really made me feel at home. What was really nice was that I was able to enter the Church in Easter 1996 after having been in RCIA for only 4 months (all that reading I did really paid off!). I remember how happy I was when I was able to TRULY partake the Body and Blood of Our Lord for the first time.
 
I think one of the stumbling blocks for me centered on misconceptions about Mary by some Catholics–e.g. “Co-Redemptrix”. When one examines what the church really believes and holds to–rather than what may be believed by a few–it begins to make more sense. Vocabulary is also a challenge sometimes. Protestants infer worship with prayer, but Catholics may say “prayer” to really mean something more akin to veneration.

On the topic of “Co-Redemptrix” in particular, some of the arguements for it are not that poorly constructed, but what it really needs is a name change. The ending “trix” brings about unpleasant and distracting words of a similar sound. I am digressing, however…
 
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