Has there ever been a lifelong anti-Catholic who converted?

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MarcoPolo said:
Browsing the forums, I was reading about Dr. Beckwith’s conversion to Catholicism and James White’s rather panicked reaction.

I was wondering if someone knew of a person in history who did apologetics AGAINST the Catholic Church most of his/her life and converted to Catholicism late in life or on a death bed or something.

What I am trying to see is if there have been people whose lives paralleled the likes of James White who were still able to see the truth in the end.
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Yes, St. Paul is the first and most famous who comes to mind.

Then the list is enormous: The Graymoor Friars, Hillaire Belloc, John Cardinal Newman, Cardinal Avery Dulles. Then Orestes Brownson, who’s bio is quite fascinating. In 1852, in England, 50 priests and one Bishop converted all at once. C.S. Lewis, whom the Protestants still love madly. Graham Greene, who wrote many novels where his priest heroes were all too human. G.K. Chesterton, another famous author.
I understand that all the Finnish Lutherans want to come home to Rome. Evelyn Waugh, another great novelist. Oscar Wilde.
(what is it about writers?)
And if you want a list of 500 famous GOTO: beutel.narod.ru/write/convert.htm
(that list starts off with my favorite too, St.Paul).
Enough?
mgrfin
 
myfavoritmartin said:
This is ridiculous, your inferring that Christians who disagree with Rome are persecuting Christ!!! I AM OFFENDED!
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Jesus founded One Church. Paul converted to Jesus’ One Church. Protestant churches didn’t exist and lack apostolic succession. So yes, Paul is a member of the Catholic Church even after death.

Since we Catholic fully acknowledge that we are united with them through the Communion of Saints. Tell me do Protestant venerate and honor the saints?

When do they celebrate the feast day of St. Paul and St. Peter? Last time I check, we Catholics as well as Orthodox churches keep honoring saints.

Without Apostolic succession, Protestantism cannot trace its history to Paul. Be offended if you like…
 
MarcoPolo said:
Browsing the forums, I was reading about Dr. Beckwith’s conversion to Catholicism and James White’s rather panicked reaction.

I was wondering if someone knew of a person in history who did apologetics AGAINST the Catholic Church most of his/her life and converted to Catholicism late in life or on a death bed or something.

What I am trying to see is if there have been people whose lives paralleled the likes of James White who were still able to see the truth in the end.
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There have been PLENTY of anti-Catholics who have converted.
Try watching Journey Home on EWTN - you’ll see lots of converts. Typically, however, it is not those with as public a profile as James White. Why not? Realize that someone who places themself in the position he places himself - the arbiter of Truth based upon his personal opinion with little accountability to any visible authority and to publicly attack those with whom he disagrees - takes a bit of pride. Pride makes it very, very difficult for someone like him to even entertain conversion. There is simply too much at stake.
 
mgrfin said:
Yes, St. Paul is the first and most famous who comes to mind.

Then the list is enormous: The Graymoor Friars, Hillaire Belloc, John Cardinal Newman, Cardinal Avery Dulles. Then Orestes Brownson, who’s bio is quite fascinating. In 1852, in England, 50 priests and one Bishop converted all at once. C.S. Lewis, whom the Protestants still love madly. Graham Greene, who wrote many novels where his priest heroes were all too human. G.K. Chesterton, another famous author.
I understand that all the Finnish Lutherans want to come home to Rome. Evelyn Waugh, another great novelist. Oscar Wilde.
(what is it about writers?)
And if you want a list of 500 famous GOTO: beutel.narod.ru/write/convert.htm
(that list starts off with my favorite too, St.Paul).
Enough?
mgrfin
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When did C.S. Lewis ever convert?
 
SyCarl said:
When did C.S. Lewis ever convert?
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He didn’t—J.R.R. Tolkien did his best but didn’t get Jack across the Tiber.

I don’t blame the Protestants for loving Lewis madly—the man was a great Christian.
 
Ani_Ibi said:
How is naming Saul of Tarsus an ‘outburst’? :confused: Yikes!
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Yes, you are confused. :eek:

I wasn’t referring to you as being the one who had the outburst, I was referring to myfavoritmartin, he was the one who took offense at the inferrence that being anit-Catholic is being anti-Christian, as was Paul when he was Saul.

Chill, I’m on your side. 😉
 
Teflon93 said:
He didn’t—J.R.R. Tolkien did his best but didn’t get Jack across the Tiber.

I don’t blame the Protestants for loving Lewis madly—the man was a great Christian.
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It’s somewhat common to think of Lewis as Catholic, his thinking seemed so much to be there. And it is the influence of his writings about the need for the return to orthodox Christianity, his habitual references to the ancient Creeds, the Councils…, the great Saints prior to the Reformation; all these have opened the door for many Evangelicals to take a closer look at traditional Christianity, and from there, to the Catholic Church, even if he never made that final step himself.

I’m a prime example and forever grateful to him! 😉
 
Jeanette_L said:
It’s somewhat common to think of Lewis as Catholic, his thinking seemed so much to be there. And it is the influence of his writings about the need for the return to orthodox Christianity, his habitual references to the ancient Creeds, the Councils…, the great Saints prior to the Reformation; all these have opened the door for many Evangelicals to take a closer look at traditional Christianity, and from there, to the Catholic Church, even if he never made that final step himself.

I’m a prime example and forever grateful to him! 😉
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I think perhaps one reason Lewis never converted, despite his obvious sympathies and similar theological views, was that he didn’t want to be pigeonholed, by Christian OR non-Christian readers, as a “Catholic writer.” It’s too easy to dismiss people’s arguments when one thinks, “Oh, but of course he’d say that; he’s a Catholic.”

Another reason, of course, was his geographical attachment to certain forms of high-church Protestantism.

P.S. I’m an example, too. 👍
 
cpayne said:
I think perhaps one reason Lewis never converted, despite his obvious sympathies and similar theological views, was that he didn’t want to be pigeonholed, by Christian OR non-Christian readers, as a “Catholic writer.” It’s too easy to dismiss people’s arguments when one thinks, "Oh, but of course he’d say that; he’s a Catholic."

Another reason, of course, was his geographical attachment to certain forms of high-church Protestantism.

P.S. I’m an example, too. 👍
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It’s true, if he were to have crossed over, his writings would be lost to most of the Protestant and Evangelical world, they’d never even look at him. Of course, because most of them are so honestly ignorant of the Catholic position on most things, they don’t realize how Catholic Lewis’ writings really are. It’s almost the best kept secret of the 20th century.
 
MarcoPolo said:
Since you are at 1900 posts on this forum, you know Catholics understand there to have only been the Catholic Church from the beginning, and therefore his comment really should not have been offensive to you.
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This should have been realized after 19 posts. 😉
 
cpayne said:
Tim Staples converted while doing anti-Catholic witnessing, but he’s not so famous outside the Catholic Church. (Maybe not inside the CC, either—I don’t know.)
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Someone on here once mistook me for Tim.
I took that as a high compliment!
 
Jeanette_L said:
It’s true, if he were to have crossed over, his writings would be lost to most of the Protestant and Evangelical world, they’d never even look at him. Of course, because most of them are so honestly ignorant of the Catholic position on most things, they don’t realize how Catholic Lewis’ writings really are. It’s almost the best kept secret of the 20th century.
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Not only ignorant of his Catholic positions, but ignorant of his writings, period. He has grown into a “legendary” figure. I’ve often thought a lot of my Pentecostal / Charismatic friends would not revere Lewis nearly so much, or even like him, if they ever actually read what he wrote!
 
He hasn’t converted, but Dr. John Armstrong has gone from being basically in James White’s camp to being ecumenically minded and considering Catholicism actually “christian” and admiring many Catholics (JPII, Mother Therese, Mother Angelica, etc.)

He edited a book of essays called Roman Catholicism, which while a mixed bag in terms of quality featured William Webster. He also wrote his own book on Catholicism for Harvest House(?) and I think wrote the forward to White’s Roman Catholic Controversy.

Somebody correct me if my details are off.
 
mgrfin said:
And if you want a list of 500 famous GOTO: beutel.narod.ru/write/convert.htm
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Thanks for the list, I will peruse that.

As for others who have posted Scott Hahn or Tim Staples, those are good, but they were still fairly young…Hahn I think in his 20s and perhaps Tim too, or 30s.

Which I guess gives some hope for the likes of White, who is probably over 40 now? Maybe not.

Anyway, I was looking also if anyone knew someone who was anti-Catholic for 50 or 60 years and converted. Maybe that list will show something.
 
Jeanette_L said:
I wasn’t referring to you as being the one who had the outburst, I was referring to myfavoritmartin, he was the one who took offense at the inferrence that being anit-Catholic is being anti-Christian, as was Paul when he was Saul.
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[SIGN]Ani is soothed now!
🙂 [/SIGN]
 
MarcoPolo said:
Anyway, I was looking also if anyone knew someone who was anti-Catholic for 50 or 60 years and converted. Maybe that list will show something.
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We’re working on some Chick guy who seems to have been around since before electricity.
 
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