I am scared to become Catholic

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jacobthompson16

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I want to be Catholic because I want to get closer with God but I am too scared to choose convert. What if were wrong… What if Catholicism is wrong and I go to hell. The same goes for protestantism. Is there any absolute proof that the Catholic church is the one true church?
Protestants websites like: gotquestions.org/ and carm.org/ seem to have answers as well as catholic sources do to.
What do I do… I want to convert but what if Its wrong? Is there any absolute proof that the Catholic church is the one true church?
 
I find it kind of funny that you are asking this on a “Catholic Answers” website…

Catholics have, among many other things, Apostolic Succession leading back to the original 12 Apostles. Show me a “protestant” church that has that.

Other than that, I think we must, at one time or another, all take that leap of Faith that we are called to. Falling back into the arms of Christ, knowing he will catch us. This is what faith is all about! We must have some trust to have faith.

God bless you in your search for the Truth. I know I have it in my Catholic Faith.
 
I respect that you want to be sure that the Catholic Church is the one true church. It is. I know that because Christ founded the Church to be One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, that is, He wanted all of us to be one, even as He and the Father are one. He didn’t mean for us to belong to some denomination, but to the Church that He personally founded on Peter, the Rock. He made the Church Holy, that is, He sent the Holy Spirit to remain with us until the end of time, to guide His Church so that the gates of hell would never prevail against it, and they haven’t for 2000 years, and He promised they never would. You won’t find another Church that goes back to when Jesus Christ was here. He told His apostles to go out to all nations, that is to make His Church Catholic, universal, so that no matter where you went in the world you would find the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the same sacrifice celebrated somewhere in the world at every hour of the day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. And He made it Apostolic, so that the Church could be traced back to Christ and His apostles, that there would be an unbroken line of succession to the beginning.
He gave us the sacraments that other churches don’t have. In particular He left us the sacrament of Holy Eucharist, His very body and blood.

I love being a Catholic. I could speak to you of its beauties all day, but I hope you will at least speak with the local parish priest, come here often, and listen to EWTN radio, especially Catholic Answers Live which is on every afternoon from 6:00-8:00 pm Eastern Time. You will get answers to many of your questions in a short time. Before long, you won’t be afraid. You will know the Catholic Church is where you belong.

God bless you.
 
The “CARM” website seriously distorts and misrepresents the Catholic faith. (I didn’t look at the “got questions” site.) Ultimately, Protestantism just isn’t logical. It began by a man breaking away from the Catholic Church, and his group and others have continued to splinter away from each other into smaller groups, drifting further and further away from the Church founded by Christ. “Sola Scriptura” (Scripture Alone), the key doctrine of Protestantism, is neither logical nor possible. (To read a very short but excellent little booklet on that subject, see Scripture Alone? by Joel S. Peters.) The early Church Fathers were very Catholic – look up the writings of St. Justin Martyr, St. Ignatius, St. Irenaeus, St. Clement, for example.

But if there were “absolute proof” of anything, we wouldn’t need faith. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you in your search for the truth.
 
jacobthompson16 said:
I want to be Catholic because I want to get closer with God but I am too scared to choose convert. What if were wrong… What if Catholicism is wrong and I go to hell. The same goes for protestantism. Is there any absolute proof that the Catholic church is the one true church?
Protestants websites like: gotquestions.org/ and carm.org/ seem to have answers as well as catholic sources do to.
What do I do… I want to convert but what if Its wrong? Is there any absolute proof that the Catholic church is the one true church?
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Jesus is the founder of the Catholic Church. That’s as good as it gets.

DGB
 
Dear friend, spend some significant time in deep prayer and scripture study with our Blessed Lord. The Holy Spirit will take care of the rest. Also, have you considered studying the early church and what they believed and taught? God bless you. In Christ, Shannon
 
I too know what you are talking about. When you are taught one thing all your life it is very hard to trust. I too felt like I could go to hell. My family thinks I am crazy but I do understand their thinking. They think they are right and have been taught that all their lives.
 
I don’t believe that God plays the game of “gotcha - make one little mistake and you are out.”

I believe that the Catholic Church it is the One True Church of God. But I did not come to that realization out fear but out of love for God’s great mercy.

It isn’t the Catholic Church that teaches that people of other faiths are necessarily going to Hell but many Protestants Churches do teach that Catholics are necessarily going to Hell.

I am a convert and strange enough to say is was the love of Jesus that I had learned growing up as a Protestant, that brought me home.

“Do not be afraid.” Trust in God’s love and mercy.
 
jacobthompson16 said:
I want to be Catholic because I want to get closer with God, but I am too scared to choose convert. What if were wrong… What if Catholicism is wrong and I go to hell?
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Your desire to be closer to God is right and good–the devil certainly doesn’t want you to get closer to God–so he is trying to scare you away from what your heart is telling you–that becoming Catholic will give you all you need to be one with God. Cling to that truth and fear not. :console:
The same goes for protestantism. Is there any absolute proof that the Catholic church is the one true church?
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The Catholic Church was founded by Christ on St. Peter and the Apostles. It is the historical Church, the universal Church which the Apostles took into the whole world. If you have been studying Catholicism you know this is true. Ask yourself if Jesus would go back on his promises to: keep the Church, to sustain her, to guide her into all truth, to be with her until the end of time. When did Jesus abandon his Church? Never. People left her to form their own churches, but Jesus never gave up on his Church. Over the centuries he has corrected her and kept her from error, but he has never left her. The Church is both human and divine. In her humanity she has sinned–by her people sinning be they clergy, religious or lay people. But, in her divinity she cannot teach error nor be misled because it is the Holy Spirit who keeps her faithful and true in matters of faith and morals, not merely men.
Protestants websites like: gotquestions.org/ and carm.org/ seem to have answers as well as catholic sources do to.
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Which of these sources has to fudge facts or use scare tactics to attract people or keep people faithful to them? The only scare tactic the Church has ever used is to remind us that we need to be faithful to God in order to be saved. It never has taught that only Catholics will be saved or that leaving her for another body of believers is an automatic sentence to hell. We know and believe that God is more merciful than that–that he understands our fears and our frustrations with other human beings within our faith community. All we need to do to return to communion with his Church is to confess our sins. If you never become Catholic because of misunderstanding God is not going to damn you. If you enter the Church you will be able to receive all the graces of the sacraments, the fullness of the Church’s prayer life, the support of the faithful, the prayers of the Saints, and all that comes with being fully integrated into the Body of Christ.
What do I do… I want to convert but what if Its wrong? Is there any absolute proof that the Catholic church is the one true church?
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You are not wrong. The historical proof that the Catholic Church is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church Christ founded is overwhelming. Denial of this fact doesn’t/cannot change the truth that Christ founded his Church and his kept his Church faithful to him for over 2000 years. The Protestant ones can only trace their history from 500 years or less. Why should anyone put their salvation in the hands of men who founded their own churches when they had no apostolic authority to do so? Jesus founded only one Church, not many. Be not afraid. Let not the devil deceive you or daunt you. Enter Christ’s true Church and find the fullness of faith in Christ that he meant us to have.
 
I agree with the first response. It is a leap of faith in Christ that we may be led in the fullness of truth for our salvation. However, it is also helpful to study church history. Which church was closest to the teachings of the early church? Which has Apostolic Succession? Which has the authority to teach, to bind and loose, based on church history? Which has remained unchanged, being in the world but not of the world?

Study is not sufficient for conversion, but it may aid in a person’s journey to Christ. I’ve always believed in Christ, but my life made me rethink my position in life. What church would Christ lead me to? My studies led me to Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, and I think anyone who studies church history can be led to the same conclusion. Everything after study is then up to you and God, the yearnings of one’s heart to follow Christ. As for me being led to Catholicism and Orthodoxy, it was then up to my faith and trust in Christ to lead me to home.

But most important of all, beyond study, beyond factual knowledge… is prayer. Prayer is the most powerful thing we have in our disposal to bring ourselves to God. Pray unceasingly as 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Pray and may God bring you home, wherever He leads you.
 
You know, you can start taking RCIA classes in your local parish before you decide whether or not to convert. You don’t have to decide before you’re sure.

The simplest thing would be to just ask Jesus to show you the way He wants you to go, and to teach you the truth; and to keep asking until you feel more sure of your ground. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and He will not lead you wrong. Studying is good, but faith is a gift from God; so it would be foolish not to include Him!

St. Augustine had a beautiful and long prayer when he was trying to convert, but some parts are pretty short:

“You, the only God, come to my help! …You alone do I love, You alone do I follow, You alone do I seek… I knock. May Your door be opened to me. Teach me the way to You.”

We will all be praying for you!
 
You need to not be so afraid. Trust that God will lead you in the correct direction. Study the Catholic Faith. You will soon learn that it is the only true faith.

Do not let fear stop you. Your whole life is going to be filled with moments when you must make a decision. So make that decision based on the truth of the Catholic faith.

God Bless.
 
jacobthompson16 said:
I want to be Catholic because I want to get closer with God but I am too scared to choose convert. What if were wrong… What if Catholicism is wrong and I go to hell. The same goes for protestantism. Is there any absolute proof that the Catholic church is the one true church?
Protestants websites like: gotquestions.org/ and carm.org/ seem to have answers as well as catholic sources do to.
What do I do… I want to convert but what if Its wrong? Is there any absolute proof that the Catholic church is the one true church?
Click to expand...
Just go ask God. I’m sure He’ll know which religion is the right one.
 
Contact your local Catholic parish. Tell them you are interested in finding out more about the Catholic Church and what it means to be Catholic. They should direct you to a real live person you can talk to and help you find out when their groups of inquires (people looking to know a bit more about Catholicism) meet. They may also suggest you come to their RCIA meetings.

Don’t worry, up until you are formally received into the Church you are not Catholic. You can even attend Mass (but not receive communion) for as long as you like before then.
 
jacobthompson16 said:
I want to be Catholic because I want to get closer with God but I am too scared to choose convert. What if were wrong… What if Catholicism is wrong and I go to hell. The same goes for protestantism. Is there any absolute proof that the Catholic church is the one true church?
Protestants websites like: gotquestions.org/ and carm.org/ seem to have answers as well as catholic sources do to.
What do I do… I want to convert but what if Its wrong? Is there any absolute proof that the Catholic church is the one true church?
Click to expand...
Steve Ray is a former Baptist who discovered the Truth of the Catholic Church - Here’s his webpage: catholicconvert.com/

Here is a site that has helped many Protestant Pastors and Evangelists on their journey Home to the Catholic Church: chnetwork.org/
 
There’s a television program on EWTN that you might find interesting called The Journey Home. On that show Marcus Grodi interviews people who have converted or revertd to the Catholic Church from a variety of religious backgrounds (but mostly Protestant backgrounds it seems). It might be interesting to hear the reasons/experiences for conversion that others have found compelling enough to actually do it. You might also check out one of the organizations behind that show: The Coming Home Network, which exists to help non-Catholic clergy who are considering converting to Catholicism.

God bless,
Matt
 
MattofTexas said:
There’s a television program on EWTN that you might find interesting called The Journey Home. On that show Marcus Grodi interviews people who have converted or revertd to the Catholic Church from a variety of religious backgrounds (but mostly Protestant backgrounds it seems). It might be interesting to hear the reasons/experiences for conversion that others have found compelling enough to actually do it. You might also check out one of the organizations behind that show: The Coming Home Network, which exists to help non-Catholic clergy who are considering converting to Catholicism.

God bless,
Matt
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Excellent advice, I love to watch the journey home.

But to the op, I believe Tim Staples said this, try every doctrine that the church teaches, and that Protestants argue. You will see that each time scripture and history backs the Catholic Church.

At the bottom of my post is apologetic information. It’s stuff in regards to the sacraments the church Mary, just to name a few. Check it out.
 
As a former Baptist myself, I know exactly how you feel. I remember the night I began to question whether I had been wrong all my life, and that maybe the Catholic church was the true church. It was positively terrifying! I was afraid of getting it wrong, or maybe that I was being blinded by the devil like our Baptist pastors warned us about. In spite of all of the doubts, I still somehow had this peace underneath the worry.

Keep searching; reading the early church fathers really helped me. I would also encourage you to go to Mass; there are very few experiences in my life that were as wonderful as the first time I went to mass.

Remember, God knows your heart; He knows that you want to really find his church. Trust Him to guide you. He promised never to forsake us.
 
I don’t have a real intention of converting yet.

But I think about the implications if I did.

How would my family react? Should I just keep it a secret from them?
Its very disconcerting and off putting.

Even going to a Catholic Church seems like a daunting task, maybe its because I am really shy person. It feels really nerve wracking to express my personal thoughts to compete strangers.
 
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