I'm not sure I want to be Catholic

[cmom4]

Malia,
I did not read all the responses to your post so forgive me if I am repeating something. First of all it can easily be said that Catholics feel Protestants ‘hate’ us as well. Neither is true of course. You will encounter some Catholics who feel that way about Protestants and vice versa. But the important thing is to not focus on that but to focus on what is being put in your heart and from what you’ve said that sounds like the Holy Spirit prompting you.

I find it interesting what you felt after reading Scott Hahn’s “Home Sweet Rome.” He definitely is scholarly! He is a professor at Franciscan University at Steubenville. He is a prophet in my opinion. We all have different callings within our faith and Mr.Hahn’s is one of a teacher. Don’t let his way of writing/teaching/speaking discourage you. On the contrare, I would suggest listening to more of his recordings. You can find these through St.Joseph Communications (light house media). You will get accustomed to his style and his purpose. But don’t listen to only one Catholic evangelist…the more you study the more you will learn and see how our faith is so beautifully internalized in so many ways! Fr.John Corapi is another great!! He has his own website and tons of media. “Come Home to the Catholic Church” among many others would be great for you.
EWTN is a limitless source as well. I will pray for you tonight that you will be led and have the courage to go where the Lord is leading you!
In His Love,
cmom.

 

[benedictus2]

I have been curious about and interested in the Catholic faith for quite sometime. I just love going to Catholic church on Sundays and sitting through the service. I think it’s so beautiful and relaxing.

However, I’m just not sure I want to be Catholic. I have all the usual hang ups about Catholicism because I’m Protestant but I find that it’s not the biggest reason I’m turned off by the Catholic faith.

I feel like if I were to become Catholic, I’d be going over to another faith that seems to hate or intensely dislike Protestants. I even get the feeling that many Catholics consider Protestants less intelligent because of some of their beliefs i.e. creationism. I further felt alienated after reading Rome Sweet Home. I felt the guy who wrote the book was all study and very little…I guess the word is spirituality unless he was making his wife feel guilty. I really felt bad for her since I’m not yet convinced that the Catholic church is the Church yet. I just feel the Catholic faith is so academic…I’m not sure how to explain it

There are so many things I’m already struggling with just being Protestant. Now I feel like if I were to become Catholic…that I would be in a faith where people think less of non-Catholics because they have “faith” instead of using their “intelligence” as someone once said. That really upsets me since I love my family; my entire family is Protestant and since I’m not yet convinced that the Catholic church is “the” church I’m almost ready to stop search right here. Maybe I should have waited to read Rome Sweet Home until I’m sure on wanting to become Catholic

Any thoughts, tips, books, advice or movies would be appreciated.

Just a very quick reply regarding the last request for books,tips etc.

Movies: Our Lady of Fatima, The Red and the Black, Quo Vadis

Books: All books by Scott Hahn are excellent but I would recommend first his and his wife’s conversion story Rome Sweet Home and follow that with the Lamb’s Supper which is about the Mass as Heaven on Earth (based on the book of Revelation)

The most important thing to remember when thinking about converting is that Christ did not write a book but instead established a Church.

Also, I have read quite a lot of conversion stories and the one running theme through it all is that they felt they have come home. I suppose that this is built into our souls, this knowledge that the Catholic church really is HOME.

 

[prodigalson12]

The most important thing to remember when thinking about converting is that Christ did not write a book but instead established a Church.

 

[truevaticanii]

I have been curious about and interested in the Catholic faith for quite sometime. I just love going to Catholic church on Sundays and sitting through the service. I think it’s so beautiful and relaxing.

However, I’m just not sure I want to be Catholic. I have all the usual hang ups about Catholicism because I’m Protestant but I find that it’s not the biggest reason I’m turned off by the Catholic faith.

I feel like if I were to become Catholic, I’d be going over to another faith that seems to hate or intensely dislike Protestants. I even get the feeling that many Catholics consider Protestants less intelligent because of some of their beliefs i.e. creationism. I further felt alienated after reading Rome Sweet Home. I felt the guy who wrote the book was all study and very little…I guess the word is spirituality unless he was making his wife feel guilty. I really felt bad for her since I’m not yet convinced that the Catholic church is the Church yet. I just feel the Catholic faith is so academic…I’m not sure how to explain it

There are so many things I’m already struggling with just being Protestant. Now I feel like if I were to become Catholic…that I would be in a faith where people think less of non-Catholics because they have “faith” instead of using their “intelligence” as someone once said. That really upsets me since I love my family; my entire family is Protestant and since I’m not yet convinced that the Catholic church is “the” church I’m almost ready to stop search right here. Maybe I should have waited to read Rome Sweet Home until I’m sure on wanting to become Catholic

Any thoughts, tips, books, advice or movies would be appreciated.

Just to let you know, I’m a Catholic who does not believe in evolution, and I don’t think I can buy into the Big Bang Theory… they need to give me more evidence on that one. I also have some protestant friends who are trying to find the Truth, and yes, I do believe that I know that the Truth is in the Catholic Church, but I go tto where I am today because of how God blessed me on my path to holiness… some people like certain Protestants do not have it so easy, but so long as they are earnestly trying to know the Truth and they are nto ignorant by their own fault, who am I to judge them as dumb or something?

All Catholics want you to know is that you may come ot know God through Faith AND reason… you may come to salvation through Faith AND works…

I would suggest that you actually learn about Catholic doctrine (perhaps from EWTN.com or this site or Vatican.va), then try to find the evidence of this doctrine in the Bible… then see if the doctrine makes sense in light of Scripture… you might even do what I once had to do for a Theology class… pretend like you have never seen the Scriptures before and you just so happened to pick up a Bible and read it… pretend like you have no knowledge of the Scriptures (you may want to use a Catholic Bible)… Pray about it too before reading the Bible…

 

[benedictus2]

I feel like if I were to become Catholic, I’d be going over to another faith that seems to hate or intensely dislike Protestants. I even get the feeling that many Catholics consider Protestants less intelligent because of some of their beliefs i.e. creationism. I further felt alienated after reading Rome Sweet Home. I felt the guy who wrote the book was all study and very little…I guess the word is spirituality unless he was making his wife feel guilty. I really felt bad for her since I’m not yet convinced that the Catholic church is the Church yet. I just feel the Catholic faith is so academic…I’m not sure how to explain it

There are so many things I’m already struggling with just being Protestant. Now I feel like if I were to become Catholic…that I would be in a faith where people think less of non-Catholics because they have “faith” instead of using their “intelligence” as someone once said. That really upsets me since I love my family; my entire family is Protestant and since I’m not yet convinced that the Catholic church is “the” church I’m almost ready to stop search right here. Maybe I should have waited to read Rome Sweet Home until I’m sure on wanting to become Catholic

Any thoughts, tips, books, advice or movies would be appreciated.

Hi Malia,

I mentioned Rome Sweet Home in my earlier reply as I only did a very cursory look and happened to glance at the end of your post.

Sorry about that. I was doing a quick post during my lunch hour.

To the rest of your post.

About Catholicism being too academic… I think in fact that is the strength of Catholicism, that it is actually grounded in both faith and reason.

It must be remembered also that faith is not just that nice feeling we have when we think of God.

I am not quite sure what you meant by Scott being all study and no spirituality because if anything he was a very spiritual person but at the same time it could not be denied that he is also a very intelligient man. And this is the beauty of Catholicism, one can actually defend it’s doctrine both Biblically and rationally.

If you notice, his wife did not convert for sometime because she refused to read. But once she started reading, she too was convinced by the truth of the Catholic Church.

It is important that what we believe in is the truth because Jesus said I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. Faith and intelligence are not mutually exclusive, as though if you have one you cannot have the other. For one thing, how can one defend one’s faith against attacks against it one does not have the necessary rational support.

Catholics have been accused of not believing enough in the Bible and yet that is what Scott Hahn showed in his book, that the Catholic church is very Biblical and is the Church that Christ founded here on earth.

In the end what you need to ask is this: What is Christ’s will with regards “church”. We can very clearly see in the Bible that he did not write one single verse. What he did do though is establish a Church. And this Church through the guidance of the Holy Spirit wrote the New Testament and set the canon of the Bible.
You must also bear in mind that He did not establish several churches. For 1500 years there was only the Catholic Church. And this is Christ’s church.

Our personal preferences as to “church” in the end does not matter, because what matters is what Christ willed His Church to be.

And since this is what Christ willed, therefore if we are truly sincere that we want to follow Christ, then we must follow Him into the Church that He established.

Otherwise we are not really being truthful when we say we want to follow Christ and have faith in Christ and at the same time insist on our own will by remaining in a church that He did not establish at all.

Protestants are not less intelligent but I think protestants want their own way. They like a faith that let’s them be, where they basically can make their own rules and this is the reason why there are so many denominations.

What is needed is a good dose of humility and obedience. And the sad thing is these virtues are at war with the I/Me/Myself culture in this age of individualism, where the self, rather than God matter more.

In the end, what needs to convict you is the force of Truth. So seek Truth and you will find Jesus who is also the Way and who is Life.

But in your quest for truth you will need a lot of courage for as Scott and Kimberly found, following the Truth where ever it may lead them is not easy.

Ask for the grace to follow the Truth where ever God may lead you.