Ex-Mormon Turned Agnostic, Learning about Catholicism

[giddyromilly]

If you want I can private message you catholic sites for asking for prayer if that would help.

That’d be great! Thank you.

 

[HopkinsReb]

HopkinsReb:

The Catholic Church holds that, in the “works vs faith debacle,” Peter and Paul are on the same side. As C.S. Lewis put it, asking whether faith or works are more important is like asking which blade of a pair of scissors is more important.

Thank you! I meant to pose them as separate, not necessarily that Paul and Peter disagreed on faith vs works. I was mostly referring to the incident at Antioch where Peter and Paul got into a fist fight? I’ve heard stories about it but was never sure if it was true.

I meant to say James and Paul, not Peter and Paul. In other words, the faith and works debate is not a matter of trusting the Bible; the Bible explicitly states that both justify.

 

[Wesrock]

It was recommended that you attend mass weekly. I agree!

A parish near you may have a group subscription to FORMED.org which they let parishioners use. FORMED has many Catholic resources (video, audio, books) that may be helpful to you. If you call the office and ask if they have a subscription to that website and express your interest, they may be able to give it to you.

A lot of RCIA programs formally run from fall through Easter. That was the case with my wife’s RCIA experience. But they did have informal weekly meetings over the summer. You may also ask for details about their program.

A good introduction video series to Catholicism is titled Catholicism and is led by (now Bishop) Robert Barron. I recommend seeking that out and giving it a watch.

 

[AlbertDerGrosse]

Fellow ex-Mo. You’ve got some good advice here. For me what was important was realizing that everything I thought I knew about God, salvation, grace, and redemption was completely wrong. Mormonism isn’t just a strange form of Christianity. It’s not Christianity at all, no matter how much Mormons might argue otherwise. I had to start at square one learning who God is, what his plan is for us, how it is we enter into a relationship with him, how we cultivate that relationship, etc. and this is something that really constitutes a lifetime of learning even long after one’s baptism. Without a doubt the best thing to solidify all this learning is to attend Adoration.

 

[AngelaMarie]

Giddy,

Hello and welcome. I’m a former Mormon and I understand perfectly what you are saying. From the time I decided to check out Catholicism to coming into the Church it was 2 years.

I agree with those who say just check it out. Go to Mass, pray. Bishop Barron’s Catholicism series is a great into. (Google it) Also, the St Paul Center for Evangelization out of Steubenvill PA is a good resource.
See if there is Catholic radio in your area, or even Catholic programming. EWTN has a radio program called “Called to Communion” that can be streamed online. (YOUTUBE)

There is all kinds of resource with z.e.r.o. pressure. Talk with the RCIA director if you are so inclined to in the fall.

Take your time. Discern. Pray, Study. We are here for you.

AND Lent starts this Wednesday with ASH Wed. Go if you can. Immerse yourself in Lent and read up on it. It’s a great way to look towards Easter.

 

[Wesrock]

HopkinsReb:

The Catholic Church holds that, in the “works vs faith debacle,” Peter and Paul are on the same side. As C.S. Lewis put it, asking whether faith or works are more important is like asking which blade of a pair of scissors is more important.

Thank you! I meant to pose them as separate, not necessarily that Paul and Peter disagreed on faith vs works. I was mostly referring to the incident at Antioch where Peter and Paul got into a fist fight? I’ve heard stories about it but was never sure if it was true.

Paul says, I think in Galatians, that he rebuked Peter’s actions in regards to dining only with Jews, or something along those lines. In not trying to scandalize the Jews, Peter was perhaps scandalizing gentile converts.

However, it should be noted that Peter was the one who proclaimed that gentiles should be baptized and had a vision (which he brought up at the Council of Jerusalem) about all foods being clean. And Paul likewise in Romans cautions against doing things that scandalize members weaker in the faith, going so far as to suggest avoiding certain foods and drink so as not to offend them. Paul also had Timothy circumcised so that he could go to the Temple.

Point being, there was a dispute about certain actions Peter took, but if we take the whole Bible in context there’s really no doctrinal disagreement apparent here. Paul maybe even learned a bit between writing Galatians and writing Romans.

 

[AngelaMarie]

I don’t have that massive spiritual feeling of “this is it”

Truth is NOT about a feeling, massive or otherwise.
Try to tell get away from the idea of “feeling” and look more to “discerning truth”

We are made in God’s image= we are creatures of intelligence AND reason.
It’s ok to ask, seek, search, question, doubt, all of it. That is all part of the human experience

 

[AlbertDerGrosse]

There is all kinds of resource with z.e.r.o. pressure. Talk with the RCIA director if you are so inclined to in the fall.

This is important! I was very very reluctant to engage with a parish for years because of my Mormon baggage. I assumed that if I let those Catholics get too close to me they’ll start showing up to my house unannounced like the Mormons, “love bombing” me like the Mormons, and immediately pressuring me to convert… like the Mormons. I spent a couple years studying Catholicism by myself just through books and the internet, and then once I was sure I wanted to convert I found a parish. I was shocked to learn that I couldn’t just waltz in there and then immediately get baptized like you do in the LDS Church where the missionaries ask you to be baptized after their second discussion with you. I have to wait another whole year!?

 

[Diaconia]

When done best, RCIA is a journey to a person.

A journey of encountering Jesus. Not primarily an academic endeavor of reading and study. An experiential encounter of the senses with the God who made you.

The one that loves you, without qualification or condition. He who loves you so much that He dies on the cross that you might have life, and to have it in abundance.

Most agnostic people are willing to learn about God; oftentimes they’ve never had the proper kind of person to journey with them to learn who the personal God is, Christ the Lord.

Both of you are likely seeking the same thing, even if you can’t articulate it. Our hearts are restless until they rest in God.

Mormonism is not just another type of Protestant church, it is a cult. It fails both foundational tests of Christianity (Triune God and Jesus is both fully God and fully Man).

I would humbly suggest that a bibliography of books for you to read will not get you what you need.

Why not schedule an appointment to visit the priest (both of you), he can help or get another one of the clergy to help you. I do this sort of thing regularly for people.

I will pray for you to make an appointment,
Deacon Christopher

PS: Science and Catholicism are joined at the hip: heliocentrism, genome typing, and the Big Bang theory all came from Catholics. All were Catholic priests!

 

[AlbertDerGrosse]

Truth is NOT about a feeling, massive or otherwise.
Try to tell get away from the idea of “feeling” and look more to “discerning truth”

Also important!

First thing’s first: get out of the whole Fast & Testimony Meeting mentality. The truth doesn’t care how you feel about it, and it quite often is cold and impersonal. There are times I feel jubilant and ecstatic at Mass. There are other times that I feel utterly crummy. In both cases Jesus is actually present.

 

[Lemuel]

I feel very unsure, but miss my connection to God that I lost when I left Mormonism.

There are several Formons here (Formon = Former Mormon). As a Formon myself, I can relate.

You may not like me saying this, but you didn’t lose a connection with God when you left Mormonism. You never had a connection with God if it had anything to do with Mormonism. More than likely, you wanted a connection with Him and that’s why he lead you out of the cult of Mormonism. I suspect that you were much more ready than I was when I left. It took God 57 years to get through my hard head that I was walking down the wrong path. I also teetered on the edge of atheism shortly after leaving Mormonism. I felt my whole life had been betrayed.

Don’t sweat it that you lost a year. God knows your heart. Get through RCIA next year. In the meantime, you can rest knowing that God will reward you according to the righteous desires of your heart.

My favorite parable is the one about the workers in the field. Those who showed up at the end of the day got the same pay as those who labored since dawn. God doesn’t care when we show up, as long as we show up. That’s what matters.

You were rightfully concerned about Joseph Smith, his chicanery, his sexual deviance, his lies . . . You are right to be concerned about the manner of “translations” of the books. You are right to doubt. He can’t be compared to the prophets of old any more than Warren Jeffs can be considered to be God’s mouthpiece on the earth today.

My biggest issue with the Mormon church is the great apostasy and the restoration, neither of which happened. Those are purely and simply made up lies. The Mormon church is a house of cards. You would do well to turn away and never look back.

 

[Lemuel]

I was shocked to learn that I couldn’t just waltz in there and then immediately get baptized like you do in the LDS Church where the missionaries ask you to be baptized after their second discussion with you.

I had EXACTLY the same experience. I figured I would just show up to church, tell the priest that I wanted to be a Catholic, and boom, it’s done. What the heck was RCIA and why did nobody tell me about it?

I love that the Catholics take this step so seriously.

 

[whatistrue]

But again, stay away from any in-depth study of the OT, focus on the good stuff they teach you in RCIA, read/learn/love/live the Catechism, and Catholicism might just be the home you’re looking for.

Absolutely disagree. You should NOT avoid the hard parts. Just make sure that you are fully studying them, not just looking at the surface. I recommend reading “Hard Sayings” by Trent Horn, and there are many other similar books available.

 

[rinnie]

I could only imagine how you feel and can understand completely how you would be Leary of any religion. What I can tell you about the Catholic faith is pay attention to the truth of it. When you pray ask God to lead you and he will for sure help you. I believe when you truly understand the truth in the teaching of the church your doubts will disapear. But remember it will happen slowly God works in his time. But from my heart may I say this. Welcome home!!

 

[AngelaMarie]

I was shocked to learn that I couldn’t just waltz in there and then immediately get baptized

DITTO. In fact, after all the time I had put into studying Catholicism prior to me contacting the parish, I was stunned, even a bit put off that I was going to have to go thru RCIA prior to my coming into full Communion with the Church. I was baptized Catholic, but not raised.

In the long run, it was good that I was forced to s.l.o.w. down.
Becoming Catholic is a serious thing, not to be taken lightly. So serious that I was surprised to learn that unless a couple has full intention of raising their child Catholic, the Church discourages having the child baptized.

 

[rinnie]

Don’t ever be afraid to pray. Prayers are how we communicate with God. And for awhile make your own prayers what I mean is talk to God in your mind. Share your fears and trust him to help you. Only he will know what you need and how to get it to you. Lay it all out to him trust me he can handle anything you say. Praying for you

 

[AngelaMarie]

This is very good advice.
When I was going thru RCIA I remember I was still dealing with the doubts due to Mormonism. And I told God in prayer just that.

I made Him a promise. In one hand, I would hold my doubts, because they were real and I wasn’t going to be fooled again. And the other hand, well I would keep that open, as I would keep an open mind.

But I wasn’t going to run away from my doubts. I was not going to “doubt my doubts” as that is foolish. Having doubts can be healthy. Having doubts is one of the ways that we protect ourselves from harm

 

[Lemuel]

But again, stay away from any in-depth study of the OT, focus on the good stuff they teach you in RCIA, read/learn/love/live the Catechism, and Catholicism might just be the home you’re looking for.

Worst advice you could give. In RCIA they want you to ask the tough questions. They encourage it. They want you to know what you’re getting into. No bait and switch like there is with Mormonism.

 

[GKMotley]

MERE CHRISTIANITY, chap. 12, “Faith”, p. 115, I952. Originally published in CHRISTIAN BEHAVIOUR, chap. XII, “Faith”, p. 69 (one of the three books originally given as broadcast talks, and published in 1943-1945, expanded and revised and published as MERE CHRISTIANITY, 1952.

 

[Wesrock]

Regarding reading the OT, I have two comments.

(1) The OT should not be taken out of the context of the gospel. It must be understood in the context of Jesus Christ and the good news.

(2) The Bible should be read with the heart and mind of the Church. If you have difficult passages, ask what the Church teaches in regards to them. Even if there’s not an official position on a given verse, what have Catholic theologians and early church fathers said about it? Are there Catholic Bible commentaries out there? (Yes!)