If you weren't raised as a Catholic, do you believe you would be Catholic today?

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I wasn’t raised Catholic. My father is Catholic and I was baptized as an infant at the encouragement of my Grandmother but “going to Church” was something my father did alone. In fact I wasn’t raised or told anything in regards to God growing up. Whatever my beliefs eventually became, or lack there of, about God or gods before my conversion were all my own forming.

God bless
 
I like to think I would, and I like to think about this question seeing as I was adopted. If my biological mother had raised me, I would have had a wider Catholic family, but she herself is more agnostic if anything. She had two more children after me, and was essentially disowned by her family for not adopting them out. So, chances are good that if she had kept me I would have had no, or very little contact with teh catholic branch of the family.

I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic schools, but it wasn’t until I got out in the real world that I realised my education was sorely lacking in apologetics. I looked into various sects of Protestantism and all of it was rubbish, making no sense, dancing around the hard issues, and simply self serving, ego stroking, happy clappy soothing.

It might have taken me a while, but I think I would have gotten into the Catholic Church.

I do wonder how I would have fared if I was born in Iran or some other questionable country. WOuld I have sought teh truth? Or been too affraid of the pentalty for apostacy if I was born Muslim? Again, I like to think my cynical, curious mind would have pushed beyond any fear of false religions.
 
I was raised by a Master Mason in a lukewarm Protestant household.

Well, maybe not even that warm since we almost never went to church.

I am Catholic today.
 
Greetings Bohm Bawerk,

After a long journey through many religions and much heart ache, I am very thankful to be Catholic today. I cannot imagine being any more at peace than in the Catholic Church. IT is only due to God and His graces that I am home in the Catholic Church. He called and He gave me the graces to answer that call.

It has been a hard and difficult journey, but I am so thankful for this. I cannot imagine doing anything differently.

God Bless.
Anathama Sit
 
I was raised in what could best be described as an “agnostic” household. I became pentecostal, studies to be a pastor and just short of getting my credentials I became catholic.
 
I was not raised Catholic. I was raised with a very faint suggestion of Christianity and spent most of my young life in agnosticism. I’m now in the process of becoming baptized, receiving my first Communion, and enrolling in classes for my Confirmation.

My choice to join the Catholic Church was one made of my own free will.
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
Converts and reverts are free to answer as well.
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God knows. Suppose I was raised as a Catholic and lost faith and then I reverted to being a Muslim who became a suicide bomber and then I had the mission to kill Protestant Missionaries and then the bomb did not explode and the Protestant said: “what are you doing there with your eyes wide open”, and then I would say: “I should be dead. Am I in heaven with all that was promised to me?” and the missionaries said: “Ns, son, you are on Earth but you will be in Heaven if you Accept Jesus!”.And I accepted Jesus and became a Protestan Missionary, but had to unload the bombs into a river that crossed by and the bombs exploded and there were millions of fishes comning up the water.and all the villagers were happy because they had fish to dry and children, women and men all went to the river to catch the fish. I was happilly reaching the Word of God but somehow missing that I had to delay my going into heaven, when the nice and smiling Protestant Missionaries told me to Go to the Shaolin to preach the word of God. But When I reached there, they said that they had heard some other protestant churches preaching and they did not want to hear more so, to spend the time I started to learn Kung-Fu with the monks and we had to meditate everyday. and I started to feel an inner peace that I never felt before since my first communion. And, helas, surprise, the next day a Catholic missionary came into town and he had a smiling face and did not preach and helped the poor, the lepers, the TB man, the sick, and invited me to his mass and tears came to my eyes as I remembered the same gestures, the same words, and I said, I want to become like this holy man that does not talk much but does good and serves the humble and the poor and the destitute. And I said: “Father, I want to be like you!” and He said: “Why my son?”; and I said: “Because you make me remember the face of a man I saw when I was a child in a picture: he had a circle in his head and spines in his heart and was raising his hand with 2 fingers up”: The holy man gave a big laughter and said: “That is Jesus,my son, I am a priest and I am not worthy to tie the chords of his sandals!”; and I said: "I want to be like you; and he said: “You will be like Jesus”. The old man priest died, I visit his tomb every week and here I am, healing the wound, treating the lepers and the TB, helping the poor and fighting for justice. I am not in a hurry to go to Heaven anymore. I have got much to do here.
 
I was raised Catholic but left the church for a long time. I came back of my own free will.

If I wasn’t raised Catholic would I still be Catholic? Well, Catholicism has the advantage of being the church I’m most familiar with. I imagine if I was raised Protestant, I’d be more likely to go back to a Protestant church. I am so thankful that my parents made the right choice for me.

But, technically, anyone that was baptized a Catholic will always be Catholic, no matter what faith or lack of faith they profess. 😉
 
Pfaffenhoffen said:
God knows. Suppose I was raised as a Catholic and lost faith and then I reverted to being a Muslim who became a suicide bomber and then I had the mission to kill Protestant Missionaries and then the bomb did not explode and the Protestant said: “what are you doing there with your eyes wide open”, and then I would say: “I should be dead. Am I in heaven with all that was promised to me?” and the missionaries said: “Ns, son, you are on Earth but you will be in Heaven if you Accept Jesus!”.And I accepted Jesus and became a Protestan Missionary, but had to unload the bombs into a river that crossed by and the bombs exploded and there were millions of fishes comning up the water.and all the villagers were happy because they had fish to dry and children, women and men all went to the river to catch the fish. I was happilly reaching the Word of God but somehow missing that I had to delay my going into heaven, when the nice and smiling Protestant Missionaries told me to Go to the Shaolin to preach the word of God. But When I reached there, they said that they had heard some other protestant churches preaching and they did not want to hear more so, to spend the time I started to learn Kung-Fu with the monks and we had to meditate everyday. and I started to feel an inner peace that I never felt before since my first communion. And, helas, surprise, the next day a Catholic missionary came into town and he had a smiling face and did not preach and helped the poor, the lepers, the TB man, the sick, and invited me to his mass and tears came to my eyes as I remembered the same gestures, the same words, and I said, I want to become like this holy man that does not talk much but does good and serves the humble and the poor and the destitute. And I said: “Father, I want to be like you!” and He said: “Why my son?”; and I said: “Because you make me remember the face of a man I saw when I was a child in a picture: he had a circle in his head and spines in his heart and was raising his hand with 2 fingers up”: The holy man gave a big laughter and said: “That is Jesus,my son, I am a priest and I am not worthy to tie the chords of his sandals!”; and I said: "I want to be like you; and he said: “You will be like Jesus”. The old man priest died, I visit his tomb every week and here I am, healing the wound, treating the lepers and the TB, helping the poor and fighting for justice. I am not in a hurry to go to Heaven anymore. I have got much to do here.
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Is this seriously your story?

If it is, all I can say is our God is an awesome God.
 
I was raised Catholic. Or a Cradle Catholic as they would say. Even after attending Catholic schools till the age of 18 There were a lot of time that I only went to Church because my school did. You figure I might have never had any qualms about it, but when your a fresh piece of humanity and still a teen it really doesn’t sink in. I went so far out of my roots that I was a Pagan. I can’t say I would know for sure if I wasn’t raised Catholic I would be a Catholic I am today. I know that I didn’t get here on my own, and that this is the place I’m suppose to be in.
 
I hope I would still be a Catholic if I had not been raised Catholic, so I voted yes. However, it would depend on whether I had had the blessing of learning about the Catholic faith. I can’t imagine not having the sacraments, especially the Eucharist to give me strength to live a good life.
 
I wasbaptized but not raised Catholic–i only got a child’s smattering of the Faith and not much of that.

But I am very happy to be Catholic today 🙂 God gave me a yen for the truth and brought me slowly to it. I am very grateful!
 
Bohm_Bawerk said:
Converts and reverts are free to answer as well.
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I don’t think that my answer can be that I believe that I would be Catholic…but rather that I would hope that I would be.

It’s really impossible to answer this kind of question without knowing what the alternative to being raised Catholic is. There are many options.

  1. *]Raised Non-Catholic Christian? but what type since they range from very near Catholic (Anglican, some Lutheran etc) to very far from Catholic (Evangelical, Baptist, Non-Denoms) and possibly even “Anti-Catholic”
    *]Raised in another faith tradition? (Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Wiccan etc…)
    *]Raised firm atheist or agnostic?
    *]Raised without any sort of faith tradition what-so-ever…

    And of course there are many variations in all of these things.

    I had the advantage of a good upbringing within the Church and having experienced the taste of My God in the mass and the Eucharist. This remained with me during my time away from the Church and resurfaced as a strong draw and deep desire later in life.
    If I had never experienced the great blessings and satisfaction of the Eucharist…If I had never tasted the great depth and breadth and variety of the feast that is the catholic Church, would I have even known to come to the table??

    These are things that are unanswerable.

    I just thank God that I was born where, when, and to whom I was for god gave me great blessings from the beginning.

    Peace
    James
 
I grew up in a family of fallen away Catholics and atheists. I was not baptised and religion was never discussed. But since childhood I had a very strong sense of God, that even atheist brainwashing couldn’t erase. (I grew up in a communist country). When I was 16 I decided to take the plunge and convert. I knew I wanted to be Catholic because of the Real Presence. At that time I did not know the theology behind it but I understood it in different ways: being in a Catholic church had a different feeling than protestant churches. I suppose I can say that I converted because of an emotional experience and mysticism I experienced, rather than intellectual reasons. It has been the best decision of my life.
 
I would think I would be some sort of Abrahamic monotheist Jewish/Bahai/Muslim…
 
I was raised in a pentecostal Church Of God I had reletives who married Catholics and I always heard how lost and without God they were secretly i was always planning to convert to Catholocism when I got out on my own and I did.
 
I was not raised Catholic. I grew up with an alcoholic parent and knew plenty about bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness. To come to the Catholic faith, wrestle with these things in confession, I’ve experienced a great freedom to be Catholic. I’m sorry more people don’t know that they are bound by these sins. To have peace in your heart is a great treasure.

We can hear on Dr Phil how these ugly emotions destroy our health, our relationships, our ability to love others. To be a practicing Catholic puts any good advice that Dr Phil can say into practice, and enables us to be successful, through the power of Christ. I wonder how many people wouldn’t be in jail if they knew this truth.
 
Bohm

It’s impossible to answer the question with certainty since I don’t know what my life would have been like, and what forces had been brought to bear on my life that would make it likely or unlikely that I would choose to be a Catholic.

If I had common sense, I would certainly be drawn to the Catholic Church as the institution most committed in its teachings to the preservation of unborn life and to the sanctity of marriage. Those two issues alone would have me sympathetic to the Church … and then there would be the conviction, after careful study, that only the Catholic Church can trace its origins back to Christ.

I would look at the moral filth pervading the modern world and remember that the Catholic Church once fought valiantly to preserve decency and common sense; and I would consider that if we are ever to get those two values restored, perhaps I should hitch my wagon to the Catholic star.

By the way, I am a reverted Catholic. I think missing the Eucharist brought be back.
 
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