I've been thinking of converting

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Sweetcakes

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But after reading so much of this board, with some of the mean-spirited posts, unkind remarks, uncharitible attitudes, put-downs and condemnation of people who disagree, I’ve decided the Catholic Church isn’t for me.

I’m currently a Protestant and reading this board has opened my eyes to the fact that Catholicism isn’t for me. I love my church home and I’ll stay where I am, happily now.

I’ll be in prayer for you all. And I hope some of the posters here will think about how they appear to non-Catholics. Very little of what I’ve seen here has attracted me and made me want to convert.
 
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Sweetcakes:
But after reading so much of this board, with some of the mean-spirited posts, unkind remarks, uncharitible attitudes, put-downs and condemnation of people who disagree, I’ve decided the Catholic Church isn’t for me.

I’m currently a Protestant and reading this board has opened my eyes to the fact that Catholicism isn’t for me. I love my church home and I’ll stay where I am, happily now.

I’ll be in prayer for you all. And I hope some of the posters here will think about how they appear to non-Catholics. Very little of what I’ve seen here has attracted me and made me want to convert.
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Dearest Sweetcakes

I am very saddened you feel this way. I am sorry we appear to be such a horrible lot. I am sure people don’t wish to be perceived this way and I can confidently say that although people disagree and sometimes fight it doesn’t mean that they don’t love and care for each other.

I understand what you are saying and I’ve had experiences within my faith where it has made me hurt and saddened, but people are people and people sin, no-one is perfect and as such no-one can base their faith on the behaviour of people, it has to be based on where the fullness of truth lies, and the fullness of truth in Christ Jesus lies in His Catholic Church where He is truly present in the Eucharist, where forgiveness is found and bound on Earth and in Heaven in the sacrament of Reconciliation.

If all this has saddened you… what you have found here on these message boards, remember this is not a complete reflection of Christ’s church, we are only human striving to be Christ-like. Personally I have seen many charitable and loving caring comments on these boards, I have also seen people say rude and offensive things, do you think in all honesty that this is what you should base your faith on?

If people based their faiths purely on how other people conduct themselves then faith would die out altogether. It is not each othewr we fall in love with first, we fall in love with Christ first and then we SHOULD give that love to all we meet, but we sin, we are human.

If you would let this deter you from seeking your Jesus in the Catholic faith, with serious intent, sweetcakes dear friend, were you serious, or were you just checking out if being Catholic makes you a superhuman person who is better than the rest of the world?

My heart and love is with you and I’d really love to ask you in the spirit of being charitable to others yourself to give us all another chance…

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa xxxxxxxxxx
 
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Sweetcakes:
But after reading so much of this board, with some of the mean-spirited posts, unkind remarks, uncharitible attitudes, put-downs and condemnation of people who disagree, I’ve decided the Catholic Church isn’t for me.

I’m currently a Protestant and reading this board has opened my eyes to the fact that Catholicism isn’t for me. I love my church home and I’ll stay where I am, happily now.

I’ll be in prayer for you all. And I hope some of the posters here will think about how they appear to non-Catholics. Very little of what I’ve seen here has attracted me and made me want to convert.
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I am sorry that these forums have given you such a negative view of Catholics! I can tell you that most Catholics are not mean-spirited or anything of that sort. There are people who give every religion a bad reputation, but I don’t think it is fair to judge a religion based on that. Search for the truth in love and see where it leads you.
 
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Sweetcakes:
But after reading so much of this board, with some of the mean-spirited posts, unkind remarks, uncharitible attitudes, put-downs and condemnation of people who disagree, I’ve decided the Catholic Church isn’t for me.
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It’s true, scandal’s a very bad thing. Jesus had stern words about people who scandalize. Something about millstones. I apologize for their actions.

But as one person said, judge a medicine by the people who take it and follow the directions, not merely by the people who buy it and take it only when they feel its convenient. If you allow yourself to be scandalized-- if you end up confusing the messenger with the message-- then you risk missing out on great things.
 
The Catholic Church is totally about Jesus. Because He came into this world and died for our sins, we are able to recieve His grace through the new covenant, the Church. Those sacraments we recieve are to bring us closer to Him. Reconciliation, confessing our sins, is there to help and guide us to become better Christans.

Sure we have our weakness! We are only human. 🙂 Sure we have our differences! The Catholic teachings are black and white. Some people don’t undrstand what we believe in but they are truths that have been passed down for centuries.

I will pray for you, my friend in Christ. I fear that maybe the devil is using this forum to try and pull you away. Making you see and understand what he wants you to see. I pray you will fight back.

Join the Church for what you believe in, all the reasons you were initially looking at joining, not what each member believes in or says. After all you will spend eternity with Jesus, not us in our miserable states of petiness and bloated pride!

May God open your eyes and ears so you may see and hear the what He wants you to see and hear.

Jen
 
Sweetcakes,

I understand your sentiment, my friend. There is no way around it…the political forums were horribly unchristian let alone catholic. I do agree with your discernement…you are not wrong. There was a lot of arrogance and self-righteousness and I cannot even imagine what this would look like to an outsider let alone I was dumbfounded by such rabibity (?). I empathize with you and I ask for your forgiveness for witnessing such childish behavior. We tend to forget that the whole world could be reading this, not just catholics.

This being said, please reconsider your stand on all of this. The political thread is not a reflection of ALL catholics. Most Catholics would prefer putting most of their energy in the faith and not in politics. The faith is what is important…the faith that Jesus Himself instituted in the Catholic faith. There is always a lot to learn from the faith with all the wonderful books and people to enjoy for the rest of your life. History is proof that Catholicism was the only faith for 1500-1600 years…and it is still standing strong. People come and go but the faith will always remain intact. We are human and that can be seen with Peter and Paul having disputes way back when. The disputes still exist. Please reconsider…

Just stay away from the Politics and enjoy all the other forums. Most threads are civil and gentle. If you find rudeness, well, you only have to click the mouse. It would be devastating that we would lose you for what happened on the political forum…and I hope they do close it…period.

Give us another chance and you just may be surprised…😃

Blessings,
Shoshana
 
I’m a convert to the Catholic Church. I’ve played organ at countless Protestant churches. Also, I was raised in a Methodist Church. I’m a bit confused. Don’t all churches have people who are rude, mean-spirited, uncharitable, etc?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you told us instead of just leaving with a bad feeling in your heart.

Remember, this is computer talk here. (smile). We have to guess the best we can what everyone means by their posts. After all, we’re doing this without the benefit of facial expressions and body language.

We’re a church of sinners, that is true. Someone said that the church is a hospital for sinners rather than a museum of saints. (I like that, don’t you?)

I don’t know but I wonder. Did you really come here to look for the truth about the Catholic Church or just to find something to critique us about. If I had to base my conversion on people instead of the teachings of the church, I would have never have come. I have found too many bad apples mixed in with the good ones. (Just like every other church). I knew better than to trust just the behaviours of people. I felt a need to find out the truth about the teachings.

Please reconsider. Choose real fact-finding. I guarantee you will be surprised.

Sue
 
I’m sorry to hear that we’ve turned you off. I know this isn’t an excuse, but Catholic’ apololgists are so accustomed to taking heat for our beliefs that we can get a bit over zealous when going on the defensive. I’m sure you would find the same tone of discussion on other Christian forum sites as well.
 
Dear Sweetcakes,

As a born Catholic, I am new to this site and am rather surprised at some of the remarks myself. But I will die Catholic.

Being Catholic is…well…we are family. Our church is part of us and we are part of it. I have been to many countries, and it is always there. We are the body of Christ. We Catholics are not perfect, but we seek the perfect one.

I love my church because of its relationship with Christ, because it is His church from the start, now and till the end of time.
 
i’ve posted this before, but i think it bears repeating: i became catholic despite the fact that i didn’t like a single person i knew who WAS catholic.

i certainly wouldn’t recommend becoming catholic, or not, just based on how nice the people are who are. if you did that, you’d probably become mormon without too much trouble. they’re VERY nice.

thing is, you need to go where the truth is. or, more accurately, where the Truth is. seek Jesus, and go where He is, whether the people surrounding Him are saying ‘be quiet’, like His disciples did to the blind man, or ‘suffer them to come to Me’, as He Himself said.

you’ll find meanness in every church. and the meanest members are also usually the loudest.

but i can tell you that some of the most wonderful, loving, Godly, kind, sincere people i’ve ever met are often standing right behind them.

i’ve got lots of catholic friends now.

follow Jesus. He’ll lead you home.
 
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Shoshana:
Sweetcakes,

I understand your sentiment, my friend. There is no way around it…the political forums were horribly unchristian let alone catholic. I do agree with your discernement…you are not wrong. There was a lot of arrogance and self-righteousness and I cannot even imagine what this would look like to an outsider let alone I was dumbfounded by such rabibity (?). I empathize with you and I ask for your forgiveness for witnessing such childish behavior. We tend to forget that the whole world could be reading this, not just catholics.

This being said, please reconsider your stand on all of this. The political thread is not a reflection of ALL catholics. Most Catholics would prefer putting most of their energy in the faith and not in politics. The faith is what is important…the faith that Jesus Himself instituted in the Catholic faith. There is always a lot to learn from the faith with all the wonderful books and people to enjoy for the rest of your life. History is proof that Catholicism was the only faith for 1500-1600 years…and it is still standing strong. People come and go but the faith will always remain intact. We are human and that can be seen with Peter and Paul having disputes way back when. The disputes still exist. Please reconsider…

Just stay away from the Politics and enjoy all the other forums. Most threads are civil and gentle. If you find rudeness, well, you only have to click the mouse. It would be devastating that we would lose you for what happened on the political forum…and I hope they do close it…period.

Give us another chance and you just may be surprised…😃

Blessings,
Shoshana
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I absolutely endorse this post, and that of Teresa9.
As an outsider (I mean non-American) who never ventured into the political forum until last week, I was totally blown away by the vicious personal attacks, and a lot of other things that made me want to wash my hands of all the Catholic Answer forums completely. I am still tempted to do so, because I was simply horrified. But I have to tell myself that it was unwise for me to go into a forum on American politics which I can’t pretend to identify with) So I feel for you, Sweetcakes, but Shoshana is right. I have to balance my distaste with all the positive, caring things I have read from so many great posters. There are some wonderful, truly spiritual Catholics on these forums, and I have been inspired and helped greatly by them. There are also some who are very well informed about their faith, as well as some who are a little severe at times towards any hint of unorthodoxy or carelessness about matters of faith and morals. (I’m NOT advocating liberalism, by the way, just a little compassion - Teresa9 is someone you can always count on for this, so bless you for your unfailing charity, dear Teresa!)
I think you need to realise, Sweetcakes, that the Catholic church welcomes saints and sinners and is big enough to embrace them all, whereas a lot of non-Catholic churches have only “good” people in their congregations! I speak from experience as a convert to Catholicism. I certainly feel that the true Church SHOULD contain a complete cross-section of people at all stages of spiritual development, and some of them may shock a good Protestant!! But I have always felt at home after 37 years as a Catholic, and relieved that a sinner like me can belong.
If you stick to the Spirituality and Sacraments forums, and try not to get too upset by the “tough cookies” in the Non-Catholic Religions forum, you will survive, I hope and pray!😃
God bless you abundantly, Sweetcakes!
 
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ATeNumquam:
As an outsider (I mean non-American) who never ventured into the political forum until last week, I was totally blown away by the vicious personal attacks, and a lot of other things that made me want to wash my hands of all the Catholic Answer forums completely.
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note to self: stay away from the political forum…

i, too, am sorry you feel this way about Catholics in general and actually feel badly you are basing your decision on whether or not to become Catholic solely upon a few posts you’ve read on the internet.

i became a Catholic 9 years ago and it is the one decision i will never regret as long as i live. my faith is so rich because of the Sacraments and Apostolic teaching, i could never imagine going to another church and receiving the same warmth and love i receive when i am receiving Communion or in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. i am a presenter for rcia now and teach 8th grade confirmandi…i wouldn’t trade it for the world.

and i wouldn’t base my decisions on things i’ve read on the internet. go to the Lord about it. keep it at the foot of the Cross when you seek your answers, not an apologetics forum (no disrespect intended, mr. keating ;))
 
This forum is open to anyone, not just Catholics. If you were truely leaning toward being Catholic, read some material, listen to a Catholic radio station, and pray. Catholism is the fullness of faith. If God shows you that, don’t turn away!
 
I also get annoyed with people on this forum, but know that the Catholic church is the one true church and I don’t let anyone’s actions change my mind. Before you give up on Catholicism, consider praying before the blessed sacrament during eucharistic adoration and ask God where you belong. Maybe try it a few times. Just a thought. God bless you wherever you wind up.
 
I am offended that you would reject the Catholic faith because of a few people on a web site. You are not really considering becoming Catholic. People are people what ever faith you end up being. Sometimes they are very passionate about what they believe and they get angry because they have no power over another person to change thier mind. I am reminded of how I feel when I know in my heart that abortion is killing a child and my niece is pro-choice. There is nothing I can say to change her mind and that makes me angry. Any Christian forum will be the same.
Go to the other more peaceful threads, the Family Life is peaceful.
Another thought is: If your brother sinned, would you leave your mother? Meaning: mother is the Catholic faith and brother would be the hateful people that you have read thier posts on this forum.
Read the church fathers, Christ started this church. He wanted one church, not 30,000 differant faiths.
I will say a prayer for you.
 
The Catholic Church is instituted by Jesus Christ.

The members of the Catholic Church are fallible human beings.

Fallible human beings cannot change doctrine.

Don’t deprive yourself from the fullness of truth.
 
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faith_ful1953us:
Another thought is: If your brother sinned, would you leave your mother? Meaning: mother is the Catholic faith and brother would be the hateful people that you have read thier posts on this forum.
Read the church fathers, Christ started this church. He wanted one church, not 30,000 differant faiths.
I will say a prayer for you.
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A beautiful thought. Even if your own brother is a terrible sinner, even the worst of criminals, that doesn’t mean you would have to leave your mother, just because she had given birth to someone like your brother.

Gerry 🙂
 
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Sweetcakes:
But after reading so much of this board, with some of the mean-spirited posts, unkind remarks, uncharitible attitudes, put-downs and condemnation of people who disagree, I’ve decided the Catholic Church isn’t for me.

I’m currently a Protestant and reading this board has opened my eyes to the fact that Catholicism isn’t for me. I love my church home and I’ll stay where I am, happily now.

I’ll be in prayer for you all. And I hope some of the posters here will think about how they appear to non-Catholics. Very little of what I’ve seen here has attracted me and made me want to convert.
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Good luck.
 
Sweetcakes, I have been following various topics and threads in these forums for several months and it is’nt just the Politics Forum, its endemic in all of them. I think though to be realistic one must realize that this problem goes all the way back to the first century of Christianity. John in writing Revelation includes a warning in his letter to the church at Ephesus that they have gotten so wrapped up in wrangling over what is the true teaching that they forgot the love that they had for each other in earlier times. He said that they would suffer if this situation was not changed. I think you will find that this situation can and will arise at one time or another in almost any denomination you might chose. My advice would be to put your focus on Jesus Christ and to pray fervently that the Holy Spirit lead you home. If your focus is on the human members of a church it is my opinion that you will sooner or later become totally disillusioned with any denomination. It is a lot like a marriage that lasts. There are always ups and downs, but a couple stays married and love grows in meeting those challenges.
 
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SusanL:
Don’t all churches have people who are rude, mean-spirited, uncharitable, etc?
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Although I am not looking to convert, I can understand what Sweetcakes is saying as I have encountered people here that were uneccessarily rude, insulting, etc.

However, I have to say that not everyone here is like that. I can think of a few who are, but I can also think of some who aren’t. And I also agree with Susan’s comment, that no matter what religion you turn to, there are going to be rude, mean-spirited, etc. people. That’s just life. If you are making a decision about religion, it should be about the message, beliefs, etc. of the religion itself, not just a decision based entirely on some of the followers of the religion (or those that claim to be followers), although it can be a factor.

Either way, good luck on your spiritual journey. 🙂
 
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