If you used to be an Evangelical/Bible-based Protestant, what made you become Catholic?

[dcsells]

(Cross-posted in the “Spirituality” forum… hope that’s okay. I’m new here.)

I have a very, very good friend who was raised in a strong Southern Baptist/Evangelical Protestant household, i.e., very Bible-based (she has a very strong background in Scripture). She has expressed an interest in joining the Catholic Church, because there are many aspects of it that she appreciates, but she’s coming up against a number of initial hurdles that are giving her pause. It’s just very hard for her to come to grips with the Church’s views on the saints, Mary, certain sacraments, transubstantiation, etc. I’ve tried to have discussions with her about these topics (using a lot of the information I’ve found on these forums), but it’s still tough sledding, particularly since it’s been drilled in her since childhood that these Catholic beliefs are borderline heretical.

But surely there are Evangelical/Bible-based Protestants who have converted to Catholicism out there. If so, what was it that made you switch? What made you move from a faith tradition that was so ingrained in you for most of your life (in my experience, that’s truer for Evangelicals than it is for Catholics), to leaving it for a Church that Evangelicals view with skepticism, if not outright hostility? How did you get past some of the “big” theological differences between the two camps? Did you actually sit down, evaluate both sides’ arguments for their faith, and decide? Or was there something more intangible that drove you to the Church?

I would really appreciate hearing others’ stories. Or if there are resources on the web compiling the stories of evangelicals who became Catholic, I’d love to know of them.

P.S. You don’t have to have been evangelical per se – just hardcore Protestant

 

[Zundrah]

I was protestant only a few months ago, methodist to be precise!

 

[Nine_Two]

I didn’t convert to Catholicism, but I became Orthodox because none of the protestant churches have a link to the foundations of the religion.

 

[DrPiano]

I’m going to have to paraphrase GK Chesterton and say that it was the desire to be “fair” to Catholics that made me head down this road. I joined the church this past Easter and I am so happy.

If I were talking to your friend, I’d challenge her to a) examine what the Church actually teaches and b) examine why she teaches it with an open mind.

For me, this started with listening to Catholic Answers. I admittedly didn’t always agree at first but I continued to listen. And every day, I’d learn something new - and be amazed. It turns out that what I thought the Catholic Church taught wasn’t really what they actually said - and that contrary to what I thought, there were good biblical reasons to believe that.

Ultimately, though, I became Catholic because I became convinced that the Catholic Church was THE Church that Christ established and had the Fullness of Truth.

 

[Lief_Erikson]

I converted because the Virgin Mary interceded for me before God, in my opinion. Praying to her for people we are trying to help are the best way to bring them home.

Other things that brought me from Evangelical Protestantism to Catholicism were:

1. Reading from the Early Church Fathers. They were blatantly Catholic.
2. Finding out that we Protestants had removed seven books from the Bible, that we were using the wrong Bible and had no way of knowing what the right one was because we denied the authority of the Catholic Councils, and finding out that Luther had removed many New Testament books from the canon as well.
3. A broad variety of spiritual experiences God gave me to help me on my way.
4. Researching the history of the Reformation and discovering how vile its first leaders often were. Researching Luther, Zwingli and Henry VIII showed me these were plainly not men of God, yet they were the founders of the whole movement.
5. A general point that I found the logic of Catholicism overwhelming. On every issue I did my research carefully, the Catholics had very, very good answers. I also saw that the Bible much more strongly supported Catholicism than Protestantism.
6. The doctrines, sacraments, and all the rest of what makes up the Church is incredibly spiritually beautiful. My soul was mesmerized by beauty as I looked on them.

I think there was more to it than what I’ve mentioned here also, but these are some of the main items. The biggest thing is to pray to Mary. If you intercede for her faithfully on someone’s behalf, this time commitment is an expression of faith and sincerity. Steady, focused prayer to Mary, humbly determined to accept her decision whether it’s yes or no, ready to acknowledge that any victory is hers and God’s, not yours, is central to victory. Because only the Holy Spirit, Mary’s Spouse, can affect the heart change necessary to conversion.

Your friend might enjoy the articles in the Library of catholic.com, a website that was very influential in my conversion. It explains things like the Queenship of Mary, Immaculate Conception and Perpetual Virginity, the Communion of Saints, Transubstantiation and a great variety of the other doctrines of the Church Protestants have difficulty with. It does so using evidence and refuting objections. It is very powerful, and it also has a great selection of quotes from the Early Church as well as the Bible. That website helped me a lot in my conversion process and it might well help her too .

 

[Luke65]

Have your friend check out Scripture Catholic. She can find the basis for all the Church’s major teachings in Scripture and the early Church. God bless.

 

[dcsells]

Thanks to all who have responded so far. Your narratives and words of wisdom are very illuminating. Please keep them coming!