Looking to convert, seeking advice

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Crow_and_dove

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Hello all! I am new to these forums and hope I can get some wisdom from you fine folks. I am thinking about becoming a Catholic. My religious background is in (secular) Christianity and (Neo)Paganism. I have TONS of questions and will list those specifically in the relevant areas of these forums, but I was hoping for some general advice about entering the faith. I will be meeting with a local Deacon in about a week and look into starting classes, but are there other areas I should search? I’ve heard RCIA classes can be hit-or-miss, so additional resources would be a comfort. Besides the Bible, on what do Catholics base their theology? What should a potential convert pursue/avoid? Book/website/podcast recommendations?
 
salvationhistory.com is an online catholic bible study…free courses! easy to use! HIGHLY recommended.

google: online catechism which gives the basic teachings of the church…look at the table of contents to see how its organized. either read through from beginning to end OR go to sections that are of interest.
 
The Catechism is a book you will study during RCIA. It contains everything Catholics believe in.
 
Thank you myway and MichaelHowling! I have been reading through the online versions of the Catechism, which is a LOT to digest! That online Bible study looks really interesting too.
 
I just wanted to say Hi and Welcome!
May God be with you as you journey along with Him.
 
Crow_and_dove said:
Hello all! I am new to these forums and hope I can get some wisdom from you fine folks. I am thinking about becoming a Catholic. My religious background is in (secular) Christianity and (Neo)Paganism. I have TONS of questions and will list those specifically in the relevant areas of these forums, but I was hoping for some general advice about entering the faith. I will be meeting with a local Deacon in about a week and look into starting classes, but are there other areas I should search? I’ve heard RCIA classes can be hit-or-miss, so additional resources would be a comfort. Besides the Bible, on what do Catholics base their theology? What should a potential convert pursue/avoid? Book/website/podcast recommendations?
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I highly recommend you tune in to Catholic Answers Live www.catholic.com/radio

Check out Father Barron on youtube. His website is wordonfire.org He has short 10 minute videos on a ton of topics engaging the culture.

I think those would be a good start for you!

Welcome to the Church!!
 
First, welcome to the forums.

Some may laugh, but “Catholicism for Dummies” was actually a good starting place for me. “The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church” is another good starting point. It takes each section of the Catechism and provides a summation for the section.

If you have acess to EWTN (eternal word television network) there are a number of shows on there that might also help. I also listened to old shows by Archbishop Fulton Sheen (life is worth living) and read a number of his books leading up to my conversion.

You are right that RCIA can be hit or miss, so be prepared to do your own study. I would also just suggest being open to what you learn. Catholicism can be hard for some because of the Church’s teaching. If you come across something that you don’t understand or flat out disagree with try to approach it from the standpoint of assuming the Church is right and you might be wrong. A lack of humility was one of my biggest hurdles; admitting that I might not be the authority on every thing was a tough pill to swallow early on.
 
Yes, Usige, there are a few Catholic teaching that I’ve come across (the sex stuff, of course!) that my gut-reaction is to reject. However, my hope is to study and learn the path the Church took to come to Her conclusions, and hopefully I will then find the teachings make sense.

Thank you everyone for your suggestions!
 
The only reason why you should want to convert to Catholicism, is because Jesus Christ has come into your life and you have a desire to grow closer to Him.

Don’t just convert because the religion itself is attractive.

The focus of your intention must be centered on Jesus Christ.

It is through faith in Jesus, that the doctrines of the Church will come to life and help you in your spiritual journey.

Jesus is the reason.

Jim
 
JimR-OCDS said:
The only reason why you should want to convert to Catholicism, is because Jesus Christ has come into your life and you have a desire to grow closer to Him.

Don’t just convert because the religion itself is attractive.

The focus of your intention must be centered on Jesus Christ.

It is through faith in Jesus, that the doctrines of the Church will come to life and help you in your spiritual journey.

Jesus is the reason.

Jim
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Jim, thank you. Yes, I am looking into converting out of love for Jesus, and Mary. I truly feel like He is inviting me into His church. The fact that His Church is beautiful I see as a good sign, and although the aesthetics are not my primary attraction I do feel like beauty can be God’s way of catching our attention.
 
Crow_and_dove said:
Jim, thank you. Yes, I am looking into converting out of love for Jesus, and Mary. I truly feel like He is inviting me into His church. The fact that His Church is beautiful I see as a good sign, and although the aesthetics are not my primary attraction I do feel like beauty can be God’s way of catching our attention.
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Definitely true!! 👍
 
Crow_and_dove said:
Jim, thank you. Yes, I am looking into converting out of love for Jesus, and Mary. I truly feel like He is inviting me into His church. The fact that His Church is beautiful I see as a good sign, and although the aesthetics are not my primary attraction I do feel like beauty can be God’s way of catching our attention.
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Raised Baptist, (yet completed CCD very young, as my mother used it as a baby-sitting tool I suppose) … I was going through some rather difficult times in my life a year ago and found myself not knowing what to pray for, or even ‘how’ to pray. I found myself praying the Our Father over and over, and days later, found myself in a Catholic church in the middle of the afternoon.! I knew from that moment that it was no coincidence (as I don’t particularly believe in ‘coincidence’) … I truly believe that when I was praying the Our Father prayer with an open heart and mind IS when He was calling on me, inviting me into His Church.

When I realized that this was ''THE" Church it was as if a light had gone off inside me! I have always loved Jesus but had NEVER even been taught what a ‘Sacrament’ was, NEVER knew how precious our Mother Mary is, nor believed in confessing my sins to a priest, or any of the Catholic teachings. I was so blind!

I have to say, once I began RCIA and learning the teachings of The Church, I realized what a blessing it is to be Catholic. It has, & continues to change my life for the better. I had no idea of how ‘lost’… I really was. Really reminds me of the Hymn, Amazing Grace. You will most certainly be in my prayers and I hope that you find that ‘light’ that I have found!

God Bless,
Piper
 
Have you ever read C. S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity? It’s not specifically Catholic, but it definitely explains basic Christian doctrine quite reasonably.

Regarding Modern Culture, read G. K. Chesterton, especially Orthodoxy.

Regarding Modern Culture, read G. K. Chesterton.

Regarding Modern Culture, read G. K. Chesterton!

He is like the St. Irenaeus of our time. St. Irenaeus wrote a series of books called Against Heresies, which categorized and refuted all the Heresies at his time, especially Gnosticism. In the same way, Chesterton basically spent his entire writing career refuting the Modern heresy. In his youth he had an experience with an friend, where he realized that error (or heresy) ultimately leads to evil and wicked actions. He then set out to spend his life fighting this evil.

Also, Chesterton is very humorous. And a wonderful writer, IMO. You just have to get use to his style first (you might end up reading his books multiple times before you understand his genius ideas).

Christi pax,

Lucretius
 
Crow_and_dove said:
I just bought it on my kindle a couple days ago! 🙂
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Mere Christianity was originally a series of radio talks performed by C. S. Lewis during World War II (while the Nazis were bombing Britain), which he latter wrote down into three (?) books. These books were latter put together as one book. As a result, however, some of the older copies might have English colloquial speech in them. He had a tendency, like every writer, to go back and edit some of his works too.

He never made any money on the book, not because it didn’t sell, but because he refused to take money for any book he published on Christianity, and preferred to donate the profits to the poor. This decision came back to haunt him, because the publisher wanted some of the profits, and when Lewis found that all of it was donated, he had to pay the publisher himself! He was not very wealthy, as a result 😦

Christ pax,

Lucretius
 
Crow_and_dove said:
Hello all! I am new to these forums and hope I can get some wisdom from you fine folks. I am thinking about becoming a Catholic. My religious background is in (secular) Christianity and (Neo)Paganism. I have TONS of questions and will list those specifically in the relevant areas of these forums, but I was hoping for some general advice about entering the faith. I will be meeting with a local Deacon in about a week and look into starting classes, but are there other areas I should search? I’ve heard RCIA classes can be hit-or-miss, so additional resources would be a comfort. Besides the Bible, on what do Catholics base their theology? What should a potential convert pursue/avoid? Book/website/podcast recommendations?
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Start saying some “Catholic” prayers . 🙂 brizek.com/prayer/pieta.htm
 
Techno2000 said:
Start saying some “Catholic” prayers . 🙂 brizek.com/prayer/pieta.htm
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He (or she) should start praying him (or her) some Rosary 😛 This website is a good start: rosary-center.org/howto.htm#loaded
You don’t specifically need beads, but beads do help you better focus on the mediation. And the key is to mediate on the Mysteries. The Rosary isn’t not about just saying some words over and over again. That’s what the heathens do; thus the Lord says:
Moreover, when you are at prayer, do not use many phrases, like the heathens, who think to make themselves heard by their eloquence. (Matthew 6:7)
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If you have trouble focusing, don’t give up. Keep at it! Personally, my mind is like flies on a corpse, but I’ve learned that if you keep going, sit in the right posture, etc., you calm down and begin to focus. Fasting also helps tremendously! Again, fasting helps! That’s why you always read in Scripture prayer and fasting together. Both go together (fasting also teaches discipline, to help fight off temptation. If you can get yourself to go without food freely, you can get yourself to avoid giving in to the Enemy). Another way I focus is by finding some of the Virtues present in the Mystery, and then try to mimic them in my own life. The Mysteries are basically the Gospel, so you can make prayer an educational experience too!

Remember, Our Lady humbly asks us to pray Her Rosary. I think we should obey her 😃

Christi pax,

Lucretius
 
Crow_and_dove said:
Hello all! I am new to these forums and hope I can get some wisdom from you fine folks. I am thinking about becoming a Catholic. My religious background is in (secular) Christianity and (Neo)Paganism. I have TONS of questions and will list those specifically in the relevant areas of these forums, but I was hoping for some general advice about entering the faith. I will be meeting with a local Deacon in about a week and look into starting classes, but are there other areas I should search? I’ve heard RCIA classes can be hit-or-miss, so additional resources would be a comfort. Besides the Bible, on what do Catholics base their theology? What should a potential convert pursue/avoid? Book/website/podcast recommendations?
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I would also ask about joining a Bible study at your parish, or finding out about group events. If you’re in your 20’s or 30’s, Theology on Tap might also be a good thing to go to! When I was converting, Catholicism sometimes seemed overwhelming. Having a really strong community of friends who were great examples of Christ’s love in action and who could explain things to me was instrumental in my conversion process.

I’ll be praying for you! Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.
 
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