LDS members: What would it take for you to convert to Catholicism?

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dennisknapp

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What it take for you to convert to Catholicism (Roman or Orthodox)?

Peace
 
Well, for me it was a return to a more traditional church.

I looked at a few others, Assemblies of God and Methodist among them, but I like the RCC. I don’t agree 100% with everything it teaches, but then I didn’t agree 100% with any other church I’ve been too either. I agree more with the RCC than any other I’ve ever attended though.

God Bless.
 
What was the specific turning point for you-- was there any one thing about LDS that made you say “Enough is enough”?
 
I would have to know without a shadow of doubt that it was the true church and that Jesus Christ was the head of it. I would have to feel the spirit when attending the mass. I do feel awe when entering a great Cathedral, but I do not feel that warm feeling that LDS are known for having(heartburn).
It definitely would be easier to be a Catholic, there is nothing to give up as far as alcohol, gambling, etc, you can go play on Sunday. But, in other ways it may be more difficult. I would not want to go to confession every week or month. I feel my sins are between me and my Heavenly Father, and he forgives me directly except for very serious sins, as adultry.
The main thing is I would have to know that Jesus Christ was the most important figure in the church and that Mary was not above or equal to him in importance.
The problem is that I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is alive and that he is my saviour. So I would have to have proof positive that He is the head of the RCC and that would be difficult to prove. It is a matter of faith, and my faith is in Jesus Christ.
BJ
 
BJ Colbert:
The problem is that I have a testimony that Jesus Christ is alive and that he is my saviour. So I would have to have proof positive that He is the head of the RCC and that would be difficult to prove. It is a matter of faith, and my faith is in Jesus Christ.
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AMEN! Our faith is in Jesus Christ too! And we have a “testimony” of Him as well! To become Catholic would not mean to end your testimony of Christ, only to make changes to your testimony.
It definitely would be easier to be a Catholic, there is nothing to give up as far as alcohol, gambling, etc, you can go play on Sunday.
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There is giving up of things like that. All things in moderation. Those who gamble excessively and drink to the point of getting drunk are sinning. Also, there are many Catholics who don’t do one or both of those.
But, in other ways it may be more difficult. I would not want to go to confession every week or month. I feel my sins are between me and my Heavenly Father, and he forgives me directly except for very serious sins, as adultry.
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I had that exact same attitude for a long time. I totally disagreed with The Church about Confession for many years. Then I read a book by Scott Hahn about Confession. I decided to take a chance and go. It was one of the best feelings I have ever had. I was so terrified to go in to the confessional and tell someone else all the things I had done for several years. But each time I confessed something, it felt like my body was getting lighter. When I went back into the church and prayed my penance I continued to feel lighter and more loved. It was such an amazing experience that I couldn’t even listen to Christian radio on the way home because it felt so inadequate for what I was experiencing.
The main thing is I would have to know that Jesus Christ was the most important figure in the church and that Mary was not above or equal to him in importance.
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Ah, BJ, this Mary thing is really a hang-up for you isn’t it? Just as I am sure there are those in the LDS church who place Joseph Smith ahead of Jesus Christ, I am sure there are those in the Catholic Church who place Mary ahead of Christ. Let me ASSURE you that Jesus Christ is the very CENTER, the head, of our church.
 
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Jerusha:
What was the specific turning point for you-- was there any one thing about LDS that made you say “Enough is enough”?
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That’s something I would love to hear from all of our former LDS members. What caused you to realize the LDS church wasn’t the true church?
 
I would not want to go to confession every week or month. I feel my sins are between me and my Heavenly Father, and he forgives me directly except for very serious sins, as adultry.
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Catholics are not REQUIRED to go to confession every week or month. It is the person’s own conscience that drives it. It is essential to confess very serious sins, however. Spiritual guidance is one of the benefits, as well as to get assurance of forgiveness. Priests do not give out pieces of paper to grant the person full participation in the church.
heartburn
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:confused: Heartburn is indigestion-- sometimes caused by emotional distress.
 
(In reverse)

My issue would be to show some sort of proof for the total apostacy, as the LDS will admit that without this total apostacy they would have no basis for their faith at all. Now, as I see it, this total apostacy is not historical or biblical…I have read plenty on history, especially on Church history, and it is extremely clear that their was never a total falling away, the early Church fathers never write of it. Sure the was and is always a constant “falling away” but it was never and will never be a complete falling away, and Jesus himself gives us this promise in Matt 18 when He said that the gates of hell will never prevail against His Church.

And you can also clearly see an unbroken line of succession straight to Peter.
 
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tkdnick:
AMEN! Our faith is in Jesus Christ too! And we have a “testimony” of Him as well! To become Catholic would not mean to end your testimony of Christ, only to make changes to your testimony.

There is giving up of things like that. All things in moderation. Those who gamble excessively and drink to the point of getting drunk are sinning. Also, there are many Catholics who don’t do one or both of those.

I had that exact same attitude for a long time. I totally disagreed with The Church about Confession for many years. Then I read a book by Scott Hahn about Confession. I decided to take a chance and go. It was one of the best feelings I have ever had. I was so terrified to go in to the confessional and tell someone else all the things I had done for several years. But each time I confessed something, it felt like my body was getting lighter. When I went back into the church and prayed my penance I continued to feel lighter and more loved. It was such an amazing experience that I couldn’t even listen to Christian radio on the way home because it felt so inadequate for what I was experiencing.

Ah, BJ, this Mary thing is really a hang-up for you isn’t it? Just as I am sure there are those in the LDS church who place Joseph Smith ahead of Jesus Christ, I am sure there are those in the Catholic Church who place Mary ahead of Christ. Let me ASSURE you that Jesus Christ is the very CENTER, the head, of our church.
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Tdknick,
You have such a beautiful understanding of your religion and I just wish all Catholics made things so beautifully clear. I understand your feelings and it is wonderful. If I felt as you do about the Catholic Church, I would definitely join. You are a great example of a really good Catholic.
I have those same feelings about my Church.

You are right, I do not understand the Mary thing very well. Some Catholics explain it very well and I think I understand, and then another Catholic comes along and explains it differently, and I get all mixed up about what position she holds. I know she is very important, and one Catholic said since she is the Mother of God, she would be above him as his parent. That left me massively confused again. Pope Benedict the 1st? supposedly equated Mary with God in calling them Father and Mother in Heaven. That is just something our priest said in Mass on Mother’s day, so I am not sure what that means. Actually, that comes very close to what I believe. She may be our Mother in Heaven(the wife of God) I don’t know that(pure speculation on my part), because the Bible does not elaborate on her position, except to say she is the virgin mother of Jesus.
It is very difficult to for me to understand praying to anyone but God. That is just because I am not used to it, for Catholics it is perfectly normal and something you are taught from childhood. I understand that the prayers to Mary and the saints are to God through asking them to pray for you. That is the part that is difficult for me to understand. I have never asked someone who has died to pray for me. I have asked friends to pray for me, and I understand it is kind of like that, but still it is different. My mind just does not comprehend it completely. I guess that is one reason I am not Catholic.
:confused: BJ
 
BJ Colbert:
Tdknick,
You have such a beautiful understanding of your religion and I just wish all Catholics made things so beautifully clear. I understand your feelings and it is wonderful. If I felt as you do about the Catholic Church, I would definitely join. You are a great example of a really good Catholic.
I have those same feelings about my Church.

You are right, I do not understand the Mary thing very well. Some Catholics explain it very well and I think I understand, and then another Catholic comes along and explains it differently, and I get all mixed up about what position she holds. I know she is very important, and one Catholic said since she is the Mother of God, she would be above him as his parent. That left me massively confused again. Pope Benedict the 1st? supposedly equated Mary with God in calling them Father and Mother in Heaven. That is just something our priest said in Mass on Mother’s day, so I am not sure what that means. Actually, that comes very close to what I believe. She may be our Mother in Heaven(the wife of God) I don’t know that(pure speculation on my part), because the Bible does not elaborate on her position, except to say she is the virgin mother of Jesus.
It is very difficult to for me to understand praying to anyone but God. That is just because I am not used to it, for Catholics it is perfectly normal and something you are taught from childhood. I understand that the prayers to Mary and the saints are to God through asking them to pray for you. That is the part that is difficult for me to understand. I have never asked someone who has died to pray for me. I have asked friends to pray for me, and I understand it is kind of like that, but still it is different. My mind just does not comprehend it completely. I guess that is one reason I am not Catholic.
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BJ,
Thanks for the nice compliments. Though I’m not sure I live up to them. 🙂

I think Mary is something that is really confusing to most people. For me it kinda took a “just do it” attitude. I couldn’t possibly understand praying to anyone but God. I decided to just jump in and start praying to Rosary. I confess that it was very uncomfortable at first, and to tell the truth, after several months I still feel at a loss sometimes. I have read some things on Mary and they make a great deal of sense to me, so I understand why we do what we do. You are correct in that we call Mary our Mother in Heaven, but that does not equate her with God. She certainly isn’t on that level! (as I’m sure you would agree) My best advice for you would be to read about Mary. I’m assuming that since your husband is Catholic, you have a Catechism (the new version). Look up Mary in the index and read all the sections on her. If you don’t have a Catechism, I would seriously suggest getting one. Also, Scott Hahn’s book Hail Holy Queen is a good one. However, I have found his books to get pretty deep, so you have to be prepared for it and you have to be able to follow where he is going and why.

As far as praying to other people in general (Saints), I look at it this way. I can say “BJ could you please pray for me for strength?” No problems there right? By the same token I could say “St. Francis pray for strength for me.” It’s essentially the same thing. Obviously this type of praying does not in any way take away from praying to God. It is a different type. I heard it explained well once…the person said that when we use the word ‘pray’ with reference to the Saints and Mary we are using it in the Old English manner which means ‘to ask’. So we aren’t praying to someone in the sense of them being the end all-be all. We are praying to them in the sense of asking them to add their prayers to ours as we pray to God.
 
Thank you Tkdnick, If I were to join the Catholic Church it would be because of people like you. The people are a big part of feeling at home in a church, God’s spirit shines through His people. I do understand Mary from your point of view and I am going to try not to let other persons explanations cloud my understanding again.
🙂 BJ
 
I was a member of the CoJCoLDS without a testimony for quite a number of years. At one point (long after I had been reading anti-Mormon stuff which I generally found it to be of low quality and always answered) I began to realize I did not KNOW. I hurt. I prayed. Some hurt was lifted, but I still did not KNOW. I found truth in the Catholic Church that I previously did not know existed (within the Catholic Church). I continued to pray and study. I felt that the CoJCoLDS position was stronger, but I found so much within the Catholic Church that was wonderful. I continued to pray and study. I received the second part of my answer to prayer and I felt I could no longer ask if God wanted me to leave the CoJCoLDS. But I was so blessed by my study of the Catholic Church I wanted to continue this for two reasons. One, Catholic thought often is well reasoned and biblical ideas that I can embrace. Also, my logical mind wants the answers to be clear. This reliance on prayer is hard for someone who expects to understand most things. I have felt that the position of the CoJCoLDS relative to the Catholic Church has strengthened as I have studied. Recent good fruit from studying the Catholic Church is associated with understanding “common consent.” Recent avenues of investigation that might finally result in a conclusion that the Catholic Church cannot be what it says it is, is associated with the RCC as it fought against Newman’s ideas. Did CHANGE occur? Was it in accordance with valid development characteristics?

Concerning my conversion to Catholicism. First, I have holy envy for the real presence in the Eucharist. I think it is a beautiful idea. I think the idea of uniting with Christ through the actual eating of the body and blood is amazing. I also think it is biblical and has solid early church witness. So the real presence could pull me to the Catholic Church, and if I am ever converted it will be my supreme joy to believe such things. It is been about 2 years since I spent an hour in an Adoration Chapel. I prayed to God neither actively believing or disbelieving He was more present than in any other place. I should do this again soon, any hour in prayer is an hour well spent.

I believe that Joseph Smith asked questions of God repeatedly when he already had his answer. This resulted in much pain and repentance for Joseph Smith. I no longer ask if the CoJCoLDS is God’s church; I have received an answer. I do however ask to always be guided by God’s will, hoping that He loves me enough to pull me through my BIASES closer to Him.

I believe that profound truths or spiritual experiences could pull me to return questioning God concerning which church he would have me walk towards Him in, but BIASED as I am I have not felt the need to do this.

Charity, TOm
 
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TOmNossor:
Concerning my conversion to Catholicism. First, I have holy envy for the real presence in the Eucharist. I think it is a beautiful idea. I think the idea of uniting with Christ through the actual eating of the body and blood is amazing. I also think it is biblical and has solid early church witness. So the real presence could pull me to the Catholic Church, and if I am ever converted it will be my supreme joy to believe such things.
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IMHO, there is no better reason for becoming Catholic than to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, the Eucharist!
John 6:25-71
 
I think the only thing that would convert me to Catholicism is if you had the Preisthood.
 
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LDS:
I think the only thing that would convert me to Catholicism is if you had the Preisthood.
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I find it amusing how my wife and I disagree on this point. She has no problem believing in the LDS priesthood authority and I have no problem believing in the Catholic priesthood authority and the major reason why we have a difficult time being reverent in each other’s church. Hmmmm… :hmmm:
 
E.E.N.S.:
IMHO, there is no better reason for becoming Catholic than to receive the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar, the Eucharist!
John 6:25-71
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Amen to that! I know so many people who were converted by the Eucharist. And I underwent conversion (I was always Catholic, but there’s the whole ongoing conversion thing) because of the Eucharist. It’s a wonderful part of our Church, and really the center of it all. if that were the only reason someone converted to the Catholic Church, that would be the right reason!
 
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tkdnick:
You’re assuming we don’t…😃
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No not assuming, LDS religion believes you don’t. Just what I believe, not to be offensive but that is something we believe.
 
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Jerusha:
What was the specific turning point for you-- was there any one thing about LDS that made you say “Enough is enough”?
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I can’t say that there was one single event that made me say enough is enough.

When I joined the LDS church I was leaving the Baptist church (actually running screaming from our Baptist church. Now I’m not saying that there are not some wonderful Baptist churches out there, but the one I was leaving was nothing more than a Sunday morning fashion show where according to the pastor everyone was going to hell…period). As a result there was a lot from the beginning that I kinda looked skewed-eyed at but thought I’d learn as I went along. I really did feel the spirit quite strongly at first, but as time went by, the more I learned the more I disagreed with.

When I first joined, we read as much out of the Bible as we did the BOM, but over the last few years the church has changed. Now there is almost no emphesis on the Bible at all, everything is straight out of the BOM and I’m sorry, but I’ve never bought into the BOM or Joseph Smith.

I am very much a realitivist. I honestly don’t believe that any one church is any more “true” than any other, it all depends on the person. You need to be where you feel the Holy Spirit the strongest, and I absolutly hate people who want to condemn or cast judgement on others for their denominational choice. I just want to whack them between the eyes with a 2x4 and ask them what kind of Christian are they for casting judgement? I still don’t agree that the RCC is the “One true church” but then I didn’t believe it when I heard it in the Baptist or LDS church either.

By the way, don’t bother quoting and arguing the above. I have heard it all before and have volumes of arguments from every denomination and they all say the same thing.

Over the past few years, I’ve felt more and more like a hyporcrite and started looking at other churches. I was seriously trying to decide between the Methodist church and going back to the Assemblies of God when my sister joined the RCC. It was something I hadn’t even considered, so I got to looking into it. I have to admit, even though I have not yet made my final decision, the RCC is so far out in front, you can clock the rest with a calendar.

God Bless.

.
 
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