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meggy11386

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Hello, My name is Megan. And I have been dating a Catholic boy for 3 years and He wanted me to get involved with this site because he didn’t want to give me wrong answers. I was raised Mormon but I am concidering converting. I have read a book about Catholicism and I can’t decide if this is the right move for me. I love my boyfriend with everything I have and I want to do what is best for him, and what would be best for our families.
I just can’t decide. I have been going back and forth between being Mormon and Being Catholic for 2 years. I decide that I’m going to go for it and then I don’t.
What I really want to know is what does Becoming Catholic do for that I wouldn’t get with being Mormon?
 
Hi Megan and welcome to the forums!

It’s great that you are looking into the Catholic Church. Can you share with us what book you read on Catholicism? I’m sure people on the forums could suggest others for you to read as well.

You asked what the Catholic Church can do for you that the Mormon Church can’t.

Megan, the Catholic Church is the one and only Church that was founded by Jesus Himself. All other denominations were founded by people who thought they had a better idea for a church themselves.

Jesus also gave us some very special gifts, called Sacraments, to help us in our journey here on earth because He knows how hard it is to follow Him in this world. Those gifts are Baptism (which you can receive in other churches and is valid as long as the words “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” are used), Reconciliation also called Confession, Holy Communion, Confirmation, Marriage, Holy Orders and Anointing of the Sick. These were all instituted as well by Jesus.

In Holy Communion, we actually receive Jesus, truly present, in the Holy Eucharist. There is no other denomination where this is valid.

There are many treasures to the Catholic faith! It is the Church Jesus started, the one He would like us all to be a part of.

Pray and ask Jesus for guidance. Keep reading good Catholic materials, talk to a priest, and see where the Lord leads you! My prayers are with you.
 
What I really want to know is what does Becoming Catholic do for that I wouldn’t get with being Mormon?
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I’m not an ex-Mormon, nor have I studied the Mormon faith to any extent - so you may be the best person to answer your own question. But first you need to know what the Catholic Church says about herself and her faith - not what other people say the Catholic Church believes.

You have a better idea of what the Mormon faith teaches. If I were to tell you about Mormonism, I would be a Catholic telling you what Mormons believe - a very poor source.

Then compare the two and see which is the more truthful, or more credible.

Pick up a Catechism of the Catholic Church. That will go through blow-by-blow what the Catholic Church holds as true. Then you can pick out parts that don’t jive with Mormonism, then come here to ask more direct questions. And see which faith has a better argument.

I’m sure Mormonism claims that it holds the truth, well surprise! surprise! The Catholic church makes the same claim too. So which is correct? Or which is at least more credible?

When did Mormonism begin?

When did the Catholic Church begin?

When was Jesus here on Earth?

What did Jesus really mean when he said such-and-such?

The Catholic Church claims that she began, when Jesus founded her on Peter, the rock. Ever since then, even though Jesus ascended into Heaven, the Catholic Church has been preserving everything Jesus taught the 12 apostles.

So when you hear something that Jesus supposedly said, but you don’t quite know what He meant by it, who best to give you an interpretation but Jesus himself? Well He’s not available in that way anymore. So who would be the next best person to give an explanation? Perhaps one of Jesus’ closest friends who knew Jesus really well. None of those 12 are available either. So maybe someone who studied under one of those 12? Well they’re dead too. So maybe someone who studied under someone who studied under one of the 12? They’re dead. But you get the idea.

In the end, both religions probably claim eternal rewards, so one is correct, the other is incorrect. Considering the consequences, this is one test question you don’t want to screw up on!
 
Hi Meggy:

This is often a difficult and slow process, filled with starts and stops. One word of caution: Make sure you are seeking the truth and the way to God for yourself, not to please others. You said, “I love my boyfriend with everything I have and I want to do what is best for him, and what would be best for our families.” That is certainly admirable, but your soul and its eternal destination are far more important. In your situation it can be difficult to separate out what is right for you from what you think others want of you. But, your decision needs to survive, God forbid, a breakup with your boyfriend, anger and rejection from your family, or any other problems. Unexpected problems occur in everyone’s life, and I just would not want to see you overly link your salvation to anything other than Christ Himself. This really has to be your decision alone, although certainly colored by relationships, mentors, teachers, etc. I will pray for you on this journey, peace,

Matt
 
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meggy11386:
Hello, My name is Megan. And I have been dating a Catholic boy for 3 years and He wanted me to get involved with this site because he didn’t want to give me wrong answers. I was raised Mormon but I am concidering converting. I have read a book about Catholicism and I can’t decide if this is the right move for me. I love my boyfriend with everything I have and I want to do what is best for him, and what would be best for our families.
I just can’t decide. I have been going back and forth between being Mormon and Being Catholic for 2 years. I decide that I’m going to go for it and then I don’t.
What I really want to know is what does Becoming Catholic do for that I wouldn’t get with being Mormon?
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Actually the leap from Mormonism to Catholicism shouldn’t be that tough. (Now hear me out), there is a complete 180 degree difference in theology that’s apparent. You will not be a God when you die in Catholciism. If you attain heaven you spend eternity in the presence of God, not as a God… But a lot of the “ordinances” Mormons have Catholics have as Sacraments, the only difference is we can trace ours back 2,000+ years, and Mormons can only go as far back as Joseph Smith. Either way, the idea of ritual is present within the Catholic Church, Sacraments are a means of attaining grace. Basically if you can grip that there was no ‘Great Apostasy’ in the Church as Jesus promised, making the leap to Catholicism is easy. J.S. was not the only one claiming Christianity apostacized, it was prevalent in the burnt over district in the 1800’s. Once you can give credence to the idea, that JS wasn’t unique in his idea of an apostasy, then you would have to look at all the others, and explain why they aren’t “restored” Christianity…

For one being a Catholic you get the “Real Presence” of Christ in the Eucharist. This is pretty celar in John Chapter 6, and other passages, as well as writings from the Early Chruch Fathers, and Sacred Tradition.

Becoming a Catholic will enable you to worship Jesus in the same manner as the Apostles did. Sunday Mass will actually turn into worshipping God, instead of listening to man made sermons about how God can improve you.

You don’t need to demonize Joseph Smith to become a Catholic either. We don’t believe him to be a prophet of God, but I don’t think you will find many that will demonize him.

Either way good luck, and God Bless!
 
Hi Megan,

What does Catholicism gain you that Mormonism doesn’t? It gains you the fullness of Truth, the fullness of Life. It should be apparent to you if you think about it that God’s plan and God’s revelations greater and more wonderful than any plan, any revelations, that humans could think up. It is within the Church that you will find God’s plan and His revelations. They are astounding in their beauty and wonder and goodness, and God offers all of this freely to you and me and every person (certainly in the western world). That is what being Catholic gets you. Such a deal! 🙂
 
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meggy11386:
What I really want to know is what does Becoming Catholic do for that I wouldn’t get with being Mormon?
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Catholics can recieve God’s graces in a most intamite and amazing marriage to God: the sacraments. When we are dirty the Holy Spirit cleanses us of our sins. When we fall Jesus himself picks us up. When we are hungry
Christ gives us his very flesh for food. When we are to face difficult situations the Holy Spirit dwells in us and guides us in our ways. He does this in a very physical and real way, all if we let Him.

God wants you to be happy in him, thats what we are made for. Pray, let God lead you, there is no other way to convert. Make sure you are converting because you recognize the Lord’s love for you, not neccessarily to please someone you are engaged too. (Although I’m not saying God doesn’t show his love to you through those people he put in your life to love you, I am saying you must convert for yourself because you accept God’s gift of faith.)
 
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meggy11386:
Hello, My name is Megan. And I have been dating a Catholic boy for 3 years and He wanted me to get involved with this site because he didn’t want to give me wrong answers. I was raised Mormon but I am concidering converting. I have read a book about Catholicism and I can’t decide if this is the right move for me. I love my boyfriend with everything I have and I want to do what is best for him, and what would be best for our families.
I just can’t decide. I have been going back and forth between being Mormon and Being Catholic for 2 years. I decide that I’m going to go for it and then I don’t.
What I really want to know is what does Becoming Catholic do for that I wouldn’t get with being Mormon?
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Wow, I have friend named Megan and she too is dating a Catholic boy, I had a science class with her and she would ask me questions sometimes anout why they did things and what not. I think she was apiscapalian, sorry about spelling have no idea how to spell it right.
I would say what you get is a closer relationship with God and join the Church Jesus founded. A joyous experience and happiness of the truth and one true church of God.
 
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meggy11386:
Hello, My name is Megan. And I have been dating a Catholic boy for 3 years and He wanted me to get involved with this site because he didn’t want to give me wrong answers. I was raised Mormon but I am concidering converting. I have read a book about Catholicism and I can’t decide if this is the right move for me. I love my boyfriend with everything I have and I want to do what is best for him, and what would be best for our families.
I just can’t decide. I have been going back and forth between being Mormon and Being Catholic for 2 years. I decide that I’m going to go for it and then I don’t.
What I really want to know is what does Becoming Catholic do for that I wouldn’t get with being Mormon?
Click to expand...
Hi Megan,
First of all … W E L C 👋 M E to the forum.

My advice to you is this, DO NOT CONVET if your sole reason is because of this young man you have been dating. CONVERT if you feel this is where the Lord is calling you.

You have friends here and we will give you great support and advice. But remember, most of us are not ordained and we may direct you to see a local priest. If you want to have some fun, check out The Water Cooler
 
Research them both very carefully and select the one that you believe brings you closer to God and his salvation. Just be sure to be honest with yourself and seek honest answers. Also, don’t fall into the trap that some do and pick the one that is “easier” to follow (i.e. more lenient on issues such as sex, abortion, etc.).

I agree with what others have said here, make the decision that is best for YOU, not those around you.
 
Dear Megan:

Idiotic as it may seem but a paperback book entitled “Catholicism for Dummies,” readily available in any bookstore,(not the “Catholicism for Idiots”) is incredibly simple and clear on what Catholicism is all about!

This could be a good starter! :yup:
 
Hello Megan,

You are well on your way to resolution. The fact that you are even considering leaving the LDS tells me that you are not completely sold on it.

Go to mass with your BF once in a while. I promise that you will not be struck dead by a lightning bolt. You won’t be able to fully participate but you will get used to how it goes. We would love to have you as our honored guest. There is nothing to stop you from praying in a Catholic Church either. You can follow along and worship just like everyone else until communion time. When it comes, just sit it out. You can rejoin the worship when everyone is finished.

If you do this, then there will come a day that you are Mormon in name only. You will wake up one morning and notice that your mind and heart really have changed. Then it is time to see a Priest.

Godspeed
 
Hey…come “Home to Rome”. Hang out with us on this site for a while and you’ll catch some great info…and laughs.

**Clement of Alexandria
“’Eat my flesh,’ [Jesus] says, ‘and drink my blood.’ The Lord supplies us with these intimate nutrients, he delivers over his flesh and pours out his blood, and nothing is lacking for the growth of his children” (The Instructor of Children 1:6:43:3 [A.D. 191]). **
 
Welcome to these forums Megan!

When you become Catholic you share in something that is priceless and unlike anything else on earth. You become part of a legacy, a 2000 year old Christian tradition, instituted by Jesus Himself and His faithful apostles.

Just a little note: don’t rush this at all. Consider everything that is said, and if you have anything to say, don’t merely consider saying it, but please do!

The focus of your conversion should be on God, and so, may He bless you with great faith, and a wonderful marriage! You have my blessings.
lovetony
 
Megan,

Hello and welcome to the Catholic Answers Forums! I hope you have a blessed and joyful time here.

The Catholic Church has several things that the Mormons do not have:

(1) They have two thousand years of a very rich and continuous history. They do not have to talk about extinct tribes or underground churches to establish their direct connection with Jesus and the Apostles.

(2) They have a well-developed and consistent theology. (I can’t speak for the Latter-Day Saints church on this one; I am simply noting that the Catholic Church has it.) When I converted to Catholicism a decade ago I discovered that the Catholic Church has answers to questions that the Protestants have not asked yet.

(3) They have little things scattered here and there throughout history that make you stop and go “hmmm …”. For example, Jesus’ burial shroud–with an image of Jesus burned into the fibers–is kept in a Catholic church in Turin, Italy. Again, in 1917 the Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Italy, and predicted a miracle that was witnessed by over 70,000 people and reported in the newspapers of the day. Or for a third example, the Virgin Mary also appeared in Guadeloupe, Mexico in the early 1500’s; Juan Diego’s cloak with the image of her that miraculously appeared on it is still on display in a cathedral there; you can go see it for yourself if you like. In contrast, Joseph Smith’s golden tablets were taken back up into Heaven before too many people could see them.

There are other things as well, but I am sticking to examples that are objectively verifiable.

I invite you to go ahead and take the plunge and join the Catholic Church. It is very rewarding.
  • Liberian
 
Well… I can’t beleive that this many people actually wrote Replied. Thank you so much for your Time and Support and Prayers.
This may sound kind of funny but I read the “Everything Catholicism Book”. And I loved it. It gave me more incite than I could have imagined.
I go to Church with my boyfriend and his family every week. And have been doing that since Sept. I am really hot and cold. I told him I decided that I wanted to Convert and then about a month ago, I started going back to the LDS church, and I have started to read the book of Mormon. So my boyfriend got on me about how spending 3 hours every sun with LDS and only an hour a weekend. He is thinking that was a little bias, so I asked him what else I should do to get more answers and not have a bias on one church or the other. And he gave me a couple answers. And this seemed like the best one, for right now.

You guys answered my question and I thank you very much for that. I was wondering if any of you could give suggestions about books I could read. I really love reading, and I would rather read something that would help me than something just out there.

Thank you and God Bless all of you.
 
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meggy11386:
Well… I can’t beleive that this many people actually wrote Replied. Thank you so much for your Time and Support and Prayers.
This may sound kind of funny but I read the “Everything Catholicism Book”. And I loved it. It gave me more incite than I could have imagined.
I go to Church with my boyfriend and his family every week. And have been doing that since Sept. I am really hot and cold. I told him I decided that I wanted to Convert and then about a month ago, I started going back to the LDS church, and I have started to read the book of Mormon. So my boyfriend got on me about how spending 3 hours every sun with LDS and only an hour a weekend. He is thinking that was a little bias, so I asked him what else I should do to get more answers and not have a bias on one church or the other. And he gave me a couple answers. And this seemed like the best one, for right now.

You guys answered my question and I thank you very much for that. I was wondering if any of you could give suggestions about books I could read. I really love reading, and I would rather read something that would help me than something just out there.

Thank you and God Bless all of you.
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It’s a tough choice and a tough decision and not one to be made lightly. I think the fact that it is Catholicism adds to the stress of it, as the Catholic Church has always been taught to be the great apostate church to LDS. So that must make conversion mroe difficult. You don’t want to be making the mistake of joining the apostate church. But then Catholicism claims to be the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church that Christ founded. There’s zero middle ground in the decision, so I can feel your pain and torment int his. It must be very difficult.

I would consider just read everything you can on Catholicism, the Catechism of the Catholic Church to clear up any issues you may have with it. The articles here on Catholic.com are a great start too.

I would add to follow your heart and follow God But if you do remain LDS and your boyfriend a practicing Catholic, I think this would cause serious problems down the line. Like I said no real middle ground, how do the children be raised?

Good luck!
 
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meggy11386:
Well… I can’t beleive that this many people actually wrote Replied. Thank you so much for your Time and Support and Prayers.
This may sound kind of funny but I read the “Everything Catholicism Book”. And I loved it. It gave me more incite than I could have imagined.
I go to Church with my boyfriend and his family every week. And have been doing that since Sept. I am really hot and cold. I told him I decided that I wanted to Convert and then about a month ago, I started going back to the LDS church, and I have started to read the book of Mormon. So my boyfriend got on me about how spending 3 hours every sun with LDS and only an hour a weekend. He is thinking that was a little bias, so I asked him what else I should do to get more answers and not have a bias on one church or the other. And he gave me a couple answers. And this seemed like the best one, for right now.

You guys answered my question and I thank you very much for that. I was wondering if any of you could give suggestions about books I could read. I really love reading, and I would rather read something that would help me than something just out there.

Thank you and God Bless all of you.
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If you feel up to it, maybe reading about Cahtolic responses to Mormonism would be a good way to go. If you see a Mormon teaching compared to Catholic teaching directly it may answer some questions.

Here’s a few sites.

catholic.com/thisrock/1999/9909fea4.asp
catholic.com/library/problems_with_the_book_of_mormon.asp
catholic.com/library/gods_of_the_mormon_church.asp
angelfire.com/ms/seanie/mormon/index.html

And a bunch of other topics on Mormonism and Cahtolicism.
catholic.com/search.asp?query=answering+mormons&=GO****
 
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