If you weren't raised Catholic, but still Christian, how open to Catholicism would you be?

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CatholicDetroit said:
I wasn’t raised Catholic but became one last year. If I had took the time to research the child abuse scandals or if things like the Pennsylvania coverup had hit the media like it did this year- - - I definitely would’ve never joined the Catholic Church.
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Do those things somehow change the truths of the Real Presence found in the Eucharist?
Did you convert because of the clergy and because you thought they were perfect people that don’t sin? I hate to break it to you, but other religions have scandals as well. The media does like to bash Catholics. Maybe you didn’t know that.
 
I’ve studied the Catholic faith. I’ve read encyclicals and writings of the saints, Popes, etc. I spent a year in RCIA. I studied Catholicism, as a religion. I neglected to study Catholicism, as a culture. Catholicism isn’t just about faith, hope, and love and developing a relationship with Christ. Catholicism is a worldview based on absolute obedience to the magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church. It’s about canon law. It’s about hierarchy and autocracy. It’s being told independent thought is wrong, unless it aligns with the “wisdom” of fallible men. It’s about being called an apostate when you dissent. It’s about not being allowed to oppose the Church on any subject. It’s being denied free will. It’s tradition for traditions sake. I love Jesus. I’ve grown to hate Catholicism, as a culture. I now define myself as just a Christian.
 
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@glencor63,
I’m sorry that you see the Catholic Church in this way. Rather than viewing the Church as being a big, bad institution that makes up rules arbitrarily to ruin your life, I see the Church as “the pillar and foundation of truth,” (1st Tim. 3:15). The Catholic Church was founded by Christ Himself and was given authority to proclaim and protect the Gospel, being assured that “the gates of Hell will not prevail against it,” (Matthew 16:19). You describe the Church as being overly bossy or autocratic and just a bunch of rules, rules, rules and all of this is not what Jesus wants. However, don’t you think that Jesus desires us to know the truth? After all, He is the Truth. He founded the Church FOR US to guide us down the path of sanctity that we may know Him and make Him known.
glencor63 said:
It’s about being called an apostate when you dissent. It’s about not being allowed to oppose the Church on any subject. It’s being denied free will. It’s tradition for traditions sake.
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Well, since Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, He desires for us to know Him and thus to be happy. “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32). Jesus wants us to be in perfect communion with Him and He has given us the means to do so through the One Church He has established. Why does the Catholic Church care if I oppose it on certain subjects? Why do they think they’re so important and are always right? Well, you see, we need an authority to lead us in this world. Jesus did not intend for it to be just the believer and the Bible for, as we read in 2nd Peter 3:16, “…In them there are some things hard to understand that the ignorant and unstable distort to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures.” Not wanting us to be left helpless without a guide, Jesus gave us One Church possessing His authority. Rather than making up traditions, the Church preserves the teachings and traditions given to it by Christ Himself. Ultimately, we must remember that the Church isn’t here to be bossy and make up rules arbitrarily. It is rather here to guide us into all truth, with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
 
But do you think that there are an objective truth? Because I believe so, and I do for sure believe that the objective truth is the same no matter what people think about it. It´s politically incorrect, but that is what I believe is right.

Catholicism itself is based on The Sacred Scripture, the traditions and as you said Canon law. The Sacred Scripture is essential as a Christian. Furthermore the traditions together with Scripture are the foundations of the Church. Tradition has led the Faith all the way from the apostles. For me personally, it means quite a lot to stick with the same Faith and the same Church that our Lord Jesus once established. Canon law on the other hand is telling us about the teachings of the Church, and how the Faith is supposed to be practiced. The teachings of the Church is established based on both Traditions and Scripture, that is why a lot of us want them to remain the way they are. I don´t know if there are any specific teaching that you question. All teachings are reasoned, it may potentially be affected by if explanation are accepted by the ones questioning it or not.

You may disagree with me and other Catholics on how we reason the Catholic teachings, but be open to hear our reasons even though you have spent time reading about Catholicism. If you have any specific questions on Catholicism I´m sure your parish priest would want to try to answer them before you decide on anything. I hope you will find back to the Catholic faith.
 
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It is not a cop out, and you are avoiding what I asked you. The Real Presence is Christ which we receive in the Eucharist, body, blood, soul and divinity. It is not to be found elsewhere, or now missing from the Catholic Church. You are confused if you believe you would find it elsewhere. You are confusing people/priests with the Church.
 
It’s found in the Orthodox Church. The “Real Presence” is used to stifle dissent. It’s used to keep the laity under control. “If you leave the Catholic Church, you leave Christ”! I no longer believe that the Eucharist is enough of a reason to remain Catholic. The Catholic Church is a religion and culture. They’re intertwined. I reject the culture. I accept Christ. Christ and the Roman Catholic Church are two separate things. Christ is found outside the Catholic Church. I knew Christ before I became Roman Catholic. I made a decision to be baptized as a 10 year old child. My decision. My choice. I neither want nor need a hierarchy dictating my life. In the new year I will visit multiple churches and take back my relationship with God. I’m redefining myself as a Christian with capital c, instead of Catholic.
 
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glencor63 said:
I neither want nor need a hierarchy dictating my life.
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We need an authority @glencor63, or else major issues could arise, like wrong teachings regarding abortion, marriage, salvation, ect. Hierarchy and authority are not bad things but are vital things that we need to find the Truth. There is much I admire in Protestantism like their personal relationships with Jesus and their enthusiasm for Scripture but why would you leave the Church to pursue those things? We need a personal relationship with Jesus for sure and we find that most fully in the Catholic Church in which we may be assured that we know the Truth. Without authority, we are left to our own devices and ultimately, we will be separated from Christ.
 
We see the effects of no earthly authority clearly in the plight of the Protestant churches; they’re constantly splitting off from themselves. They don’t call the Presbyterians the Split P’s for nothing.

Even I belong to a splinter group off the Episcopal Church in the US (ACNA). I find it difficult to recite the Nicene Creed on Sundays now, because how can I say honestly that I believe in “one holy Catholic and apostolic church” if I don’t even believe in one holy Anglican church?

The idea that the word “catholic” in there refers to the spiritual communion of all professing Christians is preposterous to me; how can we say that old-school Calvinists, who maintain that the Pope is the Antichrist and the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon, and the Catholics whose beliefs they so loathe, are part of one body of believers? How could the body of Christ loathe itself, the right hand believing the left is out to destroy Christ and the left believing the same of the right, and both disdaining the legs?
 
I have found Christ in the Catholic Church. It is therefore reasonable to say Christ and the Catholic Church are not separate from each other.

The Orthodox Church believes in the Real Presence as well.

Where did/do you find Christ?
 
Are you saying you see Christ in the Catholic Church and other places?

What other places?

I (try) to see Jesus in others. I see him in nature as well.
 
I see him in most Christian as well as non Christian communities. I see him where I see love.
 
You see Jesus in the people of non-Christian religions or are you saying all religions are equal?
 
To whom ever flagged my post I was speaking on what I would’ve thought prior to converting. No need to get offended.
 
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“To whomever flagged my post?”

I believe I said what I wanted to say to you.
 
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CatholicDetroit said:
I wasn’t raised Catholic but became one last year. If I had took the time to research the child abuse scandals or if things like the Pennsylvania coverup had hit the media like it did this year- - - I definitely would’ve never joined the Catholic Church.
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Sadly, the scandals have kept many from converting. When I was attending Protestant churches, the day came when I knew I had to make a choice of whether or not to remain solely in the Catholic Church attending Mass only or continue going to Mass first and then go up the street to the Protestant church I was also attending (trying to please both parents).

The scandals weighed heavily on me. I had to search my soul and see if I could accept everything about the Catholic Church, good and bad. If not, I needed to jump ship. In the end, I put my faith and trust in God and remained in the Catholic Church.
 
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