Faith Suddenly Shot, Feeling Depressed

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smallcat said:
Agree with what’s been said above, but I’d like to add- even if these statistics are true (and I don’t know where this poster got his/her “data”), my guess is those reverts back to Protestantism weren’t the same ones, most of them, who spent time in diligent prayer and study, who felt called to the Holy Church by the beauty and truth of the Magesterium. Unfortunately, many Protestants convert to the Catholic Church without much thought at all- often because they’re getting married to a nominal Catholic.
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Great point.

If it had been me, I would have felt discouraged for about .000006 of a second, and then gotten

:mad:

And thought, “Well I am going to be one who STICKS IT OUT!”

😛

So there.

but no one calls me mature…
 
Please try not to let someone else’s rancor upset your faith or your quest for discernment. Remember that faith isn’t a feeling, it is the certain knowledge that God is present and active in your life. My son is going to be confirmed this year and every night I read to him one chapter from a book titled, To Whom Shall We Go? by Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan. It’s a very thin book and took no time to finish, but I wish it never did. It turned out that I needed the information in the book as much as my son. Just remember, to stay afloat, Never Take Your Eyes Off Christ! (No matter what storms are blowing around you)
May God keep you close and protect you
 
Hi, Zeldarocks,

What a hateful message for a truly despicable person. You have received a number of really supportive posts - and, I would like to add my own. 🙂 But, this is just a straight look at the information this pm contained.

First of all there is no more an ‘average Protestant’ than there is an ‘average Catholic’ - this is truly a Straw Man argument. So, the logic starts out flawed.

Notice, no sources are quoted - for all I know this character just made up these numbers. And, when you just look at the numbers - they don’t really make sense. Of course some people leave the Catholic Church after going through the RCIA program - some Catholics who were baptized as infants do the same. History is full of famous people who turned their back on Christ. But I am not aware of any real numbers on this. And, there is the rub - phony statistics are intended to support an agenda - not genuine research. This is like quoting abortion statistics from the Guttmacher group - totally supported by Planned Parenthood…:eek: Here is a link: guttmacher.org/sections/abortion.php Garbage in - garbage out! But, this is hardly a novel approach to swaying someone.

You may not know this, but the cigarette companies used to hire scientists to do research on the beneficial effects of smoking tobacco… and studies that show that tobacco was harmful were trashed, the scientists paid and then not retained for other studies while those who showed some good were published, and the scientist was retained for another study to further prostitute themselves. Here is a link: who.int/tobacco/media/en/TobaccoExplained.pdf

Now, this is just for the statistical portion of this pm - when the poster talks about the Sacraments he is simply filled with false teaching. He is simply equating the emotionalism of Protestantism to the genuine power of Grace from the Sacraments. Sometimes God provides spiritual consolation with the receipt of a Sacrament and sometimes He doesn’t - but He ALWAYS provides Grace. And, as St. Paul tells us, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13). Your pm writer knows nothing of the Sacraments… and this person is simply tempting you to abandon your Faith.

Reporting this pm writer to the Mod is the most appropriate action to take. Ignoring further posts from this person would be prudent.

You know, after re-reading the pm you received, I wondered to myself how this person is able to put on a hat … with those horns sticking out of their head! 😃

Anyone leaving the familiar to go to something different - even if they believe with all their heart that the different is better - will feel a certain sense of apprehension. It is really only a question of how much. Some are frozen with fear while others dismiss it like looking at a grey sky and dismissing the idea of needing an umbrella. Right now, you are vulnerable - and the poster who identified that this pm person was trolling for RCIA people has probably hit the nail on the head! It really never dawned on me that someone would stoop so low. Live and learn - and here is your chance to move forward in RCIA, learn all you can and be strong in your Catholic Faith.

God bless
Zeldarocks said:
The average American Protestant who converts to Catholicism is a devout Christian who takes his/her faith very seriously, has impeccable character, and researches Catholicism diligently for at least a year or two before deciding to be baptized Catholic.
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There are very few good statistics on conversion but one I ran across from the PEW institute I always remember because it is something I have run across so often when talking with people. They gave the reasons protestants leave for another protestant faith. The number 1 reason (39%) that a protestant leaves for another protestant faith is because they move. Not study or reason, because they move! America is only 25% Catholic and yet there are almost 70 million Catholics, the next largest denomination is Southern Baptist at a little over 16 million. The Sacraments must have something going for them since most people won’t give them up just because they move. When you don’t have them then one church isn’t much different than another in most cases.
 
Hi Zelda

I’m truly sorry that this man or woman did this to you! I find it awful especially since you are in a vulnerable period right now. As others have posted we are nearing the Easter Vigil and this is when Satan attacks the most. He will use anything and anyone willing to block your entrance to Holy Mother Church.

I can personally tell you that if you have faith the sacraments are incredibly effective. If you want very specific examples you can PM me and I can tell you in detail how much the sacraments helped me grow closer to Christ and to overcome sins that I thought were impossible to conquer.

I can also tell you many instances in which the evil one has tried to keep me from doing God’s will and he tries very hard believe me. I work in ProLife ministry and he really hates that! It just gives me more incentive to continue hehe.

I agree with other posters on going to an Adoration Chapel and sitting with Jesus for a while. Tell Him how you feel and ask Him to guide you. He won’t fail you believe me.

I will pray for you!
 
Zeldarocks said:
I received a PM recently that just completely demotivated me… I’m not going to reveal the sender out of courtesy and decency, but this is what was said:
The average American Protestant who converts to Catholicism is a devout Christian who takes his/her faith very seriously, has impeccable character, and researches Catholicism diligently for at least a year or two before deciding to be baptized Catholic. During that time, this person (probably you) will wrestle with whatever misgivings and disagreements they have without taking shortcuts. You might even have to deal with some personal cost within your own family, or social stigma with unpredictable friends. You are already well-rooted in Bible study and prayer, and you have a personal relationship with God. But now you’ve discovered and fallen in love with the things that Catholicism offers and Protestantism doesn’t really have- men like Augustine, Aquinas, Newman, JP2, B16. The beauty of European architecture, the sculptures, paintings, and basilicas. The solemnity of the Mass, the feeling of reverence you get from Gregorian chant and things that are said in Latin. Maybe some of those things seemed weird to you before, but now you love them and you feel incomplete without them. And- perhaps more than anything else- you’ve come to believe in the authority of the Catholic clergy and their ability to dispense grace through the sacraments. They can assuage guilt, connect you to the Body of Christ like nothing else, and make you feel full and complete. (Or so you’re thinking right now). Basically, for you, it’s not about doing it before you change your mind. It’s about doing it because you know you’ve found what you need and you can’t imagine being anywhere else.

There’s a lot of people who have been where you are. (Three times as many Americans are moving in the opposite direction at any time, but that’s not the point). Most of them get baptized on Easter, which as you know is quite the event in a Catholic parish. Again, all of these people are as devout as you, most of them have spent more time on it than you, and nearly all of them have more reason than you to think a Catholic baptism will lead to them being Catholic for the rest of their lives.

But here’s the thing. For half of those Tiber swimmers, the Easter of their baptism will be the only Easter that they spend in a Catholic parish. Half! Will leave Catholicism (nearly all returning to some form of Protestantism). Within the first year! That number goes up to 60 after two years, 65 after three, and rises to over two-thirds somewhere between year 4 and 5. So in your class of Tiber swimmers- all of them being converts to Catholicism, mind you- 1 in 2 will be Protestant within a year and it will be a 2:1 ratio of Protestants to Catholics within 5 years. Also, you might be wondering if college-age kids are more likely to revert (in the unconventional sense of the word). The answer is yeah. Yes, you are. Also, there’s several different ways for an American to become a Catholic, which allows you to group them as Cradle Catholics or converts or reverts and so forth. You want to know what you have to do in order to have the very best odds of converting from Catholicism to Protestantism? This is it- just start as a Protestant, convert to Catholicism, then wait for it to happen.

Now we get to the part where we try to figure out why. This is where I’m going to come up with very different answers than what you’ll get from any Catholic you talk to. Here’s the deal- I’ll keep it short and sweet. There are two main reasons why Protestants usually don’t stick with Catholicism. One- the sacraments don’t do the things you’ve heard about. They just don’t. You’ll see. Keep an eye out for it. Catholic priests rely on their efficacy almost exclusively, and they usually don’t offer much else. Problem is, the sacraments don’t do what they say they do. The results are predictable- see the above paragraph. Two- with your experience as a Protestant, you do, in fact, know what you’re missing. You might not feel this way now, and you might not see it until after you convert, but Protestantism does it better. The whole thing with helping you be close to God, live out your faith in a way that’s complete and genuine, and have a meaningful connection to fellow Christians. You’ll find out. You in the right Protestant church is a better Christian than you in any Catholic parish could ever be. Odds are pretty good that you find that out rather quickly, too.

Of course, there’s a slim chance that the way you feel now is exactly how it will really be in the long term. But probably not. Least you can do is take the time to better your odds from their currently abysmal state. Or you can look before you leap- and decide not to leap.
My faith was completely shot on reading that post, I feel almost depressed…
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I can only offer prayer and sympathy, because I agree with what was said in the letter.

I would be a Protestant in a minute, because I have never been unhappier since becoming Catholic. All I get from it is contradictions, joyless condemnation, smug superiority, and finger-wagging, or (perhaps even worse) heresy and apathy. Each time I drag myself to Mass, it’s a struggle.

EXCEPT for the fact that I understand that if God is real, this is the church that He established, and once I delved into the Protestant Revolt, and knew just a little about its theology, I knew it’s completely wrong and misguided.

But for that, Protestants today don’t really know the history of their revolt. They do exactly what that letter states, and are often far better Catholics than most Catholics are.

If you have doubts, explore them. Don’t force yourself. The Church will always be here, even if some of its members and officials fail.
 
TheRealJuliane said:
That was a horrible message to send to someone on The Journey Home!

:tsktsk:

Shame on that member! I am glad you reported the PM. He/She should NOT be using the private message feature to tear down the faith of people converting!

Hang in there, this will not be the last attack you will have from Protestants who HATE the Catholic Church!

Oh, and p.s. - Get in front of the Blessed Sacrament as soon as possible! Jesus Himself will pour out his love all over you!!
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I’m a cradle Catholic who left the Church for many years and returned about 6 years ago. Until a few years ago, I had no idea that so many people hate Catholicism. Zelda, don’t let that bitter person derail your committment to join the CC. S/he obviously has issues – often times people leave the CC after they’ve been told they can’t get remarried after a divorce or some other such thing. They just can’t handle authority.
 
In today’s society you will get pulled every way. But you need to be strong. God Bless.
 
If only half the people that attended our diocese’s Rite of Election last year before the Easter season kept attending each Sunday, that would be a huge influx of parishioners–even for rural Central Illinois. Do not let this one PM get you down, or change your mind for you.

Granted, it is difficult to go to Mass every Sunday when you’d rather sleep in, or you have no family support. But remember, you made the choice to turn toward God by becoming Catholic. RCIA is a choice. Faith is a choice.

Keep the faith. 🙂
 
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