NON CATHOLICS - Have the these forums helped you convert or consider converting?

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Acutally I have learned something really important that I never realized when brought up in a Protestant church. We were always told that Jesus is the only way to have your sins forgiven. So I was saved, baptised, and read the Bible growing up from cover to cover and still study it regularly to this day. But some very important points have been brought to my attention lately.

For example: in the Bible (John 20:21-23) where Jesus after resurrection said: “(21) Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. (22) And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: (23) Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

The Catholic Church holds that apostolic succession is maintained through the consecration of their bishops in unbroken personal succession back to the apostles, and I was specifically wondering about the sacrament of confession and absoution so I looked into it some more and also found:

1 Corinthians 9:22 where St. Paul said “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.”

Now I realize that Jesus gave the Apostles authority to lead the Church as they saw fit under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (REF: Matthew 18:18) where Jesus spoke to His disciples saying: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

I really can’t believe I’m just now having this kind of insight after 28 years of Bible study.

Now I am seriously considering conversion: my next question is, how would I go about it?

Thank you,
~ Lou Anne
 
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VirtualDevlpr:
Now I am seriously considering conversion: my next question is, how would I go about it?

Thank you,
~ Lou Anne
Click to expand...
Bless you! That’s wonderful! If you go onto www.catholic.com and click on “How to become a Catholic” that might be a helpful first step.
 
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VirtualDevlpr:
Acutally I have learned something really important that I never realized when brought up in a Protestant church. We were always told that Jesus is the only way to have your sins forgiven. So I was saved, baptised, and read the Bible growing up from cover to cover and still study it regularly to this day. But some very important points have been brought to my attention lately.

For example: in the Bible (John 20:21-23) where Jesus after resurrection said: “(21) Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. (22) And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: (23) Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

The Catholic Church holds that apostolic succession is maintained through the consecration of their bishops in unbroken personal succession back to the apostles, and I was specifically wondering about the sacrament of confession and absoution so I looked into it some more and also found:

1 Corinthians 9:22 where St. Paul said “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.”

Now I realize that Jesus gave the Apostles authority to lead the Church as they saw fit under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (REF: Matthew 18:18) where Jesus spoke to His disciples saying: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

I really can’t believe I’m just now having this kind of insight after 28 years of Bible study.

Now I am seriously considering conversion: my next question is, how would I go about it?

Thank you,
~ Lou Anne
Click to expand...
That is awesome! I was in the same boat. I am a convert too. I simply got in touch with my local parish at the time and had some discussions with the priest. I then found out when RCIA (the rite of Christian initiation for adults) was taking place and then joined the class. And of course, this forum alsways helps. God Bless you on your journey!
 
It has helped me tremendously. It has given me an outlook on my current religion and how I don’t want to be there anymore. So yes it has.
 
Lou Anne -

I was in the same situation 1 year ago. And once you start seeing these scriptures that you were blind to before, and now you’re not, there’s really no way to blot them out again. And all the old arguments against them just don’t hold water anymore. When Christ lifts the veil, it’s a whole new world, and a glorious one at that!

Bless you! I would suggest the same as the above posts. Go to the website given and also contact a local parish. If they don’t have RCIA they can direct you where to get it.

I will be confirmed Easter Vigil. I have never been so sure of anything in my life. Even in the midst of family troubles over my conversion, I have been given perfect peace about this decision. Christ will always give you the grace to do what he calls you to do.

God Bless!
Jeanette
 
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allischalmers:
Hi:
The Baptist faith is Christ centered with a emphasis on corporate worship
forever Baptist
allischalmers
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Interesting choice of words Allis. Corporate worship is Eucharistic Adoration for it is the corpus of Christ.

in XT.
 
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allischalmers:
H. The Baptist faith is Christ centered with a emphasis on corporate worship
forever Baptist
allischalmers.
Click to expand...
Tragically and sadly, a woman in the office lost her stepson to a motorcycle accident. The funeral was in a Baptist Church (one of the largest Baptists churches in the area) this past weekend. I did not go, but spoke to several people who went to the funeral. No hymns. No scriptural readings. Loud country music piped in through the large sound system. Big screen TVs. The entire emphasis of the funeral was a celebration of the deceased’s life. God was mentioned, but not worshipped. Where was the worship to God? The Baptist worship of God does not include funerals? That is sad.
 
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VirtualDevlpr:
Acutally I have learned something really important that I never realized when brought up in a Protestant church. We were always told that Jesus is the only way to have your sins forgiven. So I was saved, baptised, and read the Bible growing up from cover to cover and still study it regularly to this day. But some very important points have been brought to my attention lately.

For example: in the Bible (John 20:21-23) where Jesus after resurrection said: “(21) Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. (22) And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: (23) Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.”

The Catholic Church holds that apostolic succession is maintained through the consecration of their bishops in unbroken personal succession back to the apostles, and I was specifically wondering about the sacrament of confession and absoution so I looked into it some more and also found:

1 Corinthians 9:22 where St. Paul said “To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak; I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.”

Now I realize that Jesus gave the Apostles authority to lead the Church as they saw fit under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (REF: Matthew 18:18) where Jesus spoke to His disciples saying: “Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

I really can’t believe I’m just now having this kind of insight after 28 years of Bible study.

Now I am seriously considering conversion: my next question is, how would I go about it?

Thank you,
~ Lou Anne
Click to expand...
Beautiful! So eloquent! Thank you for sharing. There are many wise and holy people on this site who I know and trust are willing to help and share with you. Just as I learn much from them, so I know that you will also learnf rom them. Blessings upon you - Jim
 
To jim1130
I do not want to wander from the theme of this thread but what would be a more apporbate thing to do at a funeral than to celebrate the life of a dear departed loved one especially if that loved one is with the Lord.
Sure, there is grief and sadness but the should also be joy because we know that we will see our loved one again.
Also maybe that departed one just loved country music which is why it was played at the funeral and if it was a Baptist Church rest assured God was glorified and worshiped.
And NO I have found nothing on this forum to make me change my core beliefs.
I have found some really considerate people here but i have also found some arrogant people who look on non Catholic Christians as second class Christians

forever Baptist
allischalmers
 
One the one hand, whatever reasons I might have that would prevent me from converting should the Lord lead are being answered. On the other hand, I do not have sufficient reasons yet why I MUST convert.

I attribute it that it is easier to debunk the assorted negatives that have historically been thrown at the Catholic Church than to prove why the Catholic Church is right and you are necessarily wrong.

Some quick findings:
  • Catholics and non-Catholics speak a totally different Christianese language. It is difficult to get beyond the difference of language to determine what the substantial differences actually are.
  • Both Catholics and non-Catholics have significant misconceptions on the other side that further complicate communication. I don’t know what “Sola Scriptura is”, but us non-Catholics do not reinvent the wheel for established doctrine. I don’t know what “Sola Fide is” but we do not believe that works are not important (that you could commit adultery 100 times and be assured heaven.
  • Although you quite well debunk the negative, proving the positive is another story. First of all you have to wade through the language difference and try to figure out what is actually there. That is difficult for me since I am more practically than theologically oriented (that’s the old Methodist in me).
  • As near as I can determine, the positive rests on the notion that the Catholic Church is the “one true church” and everything else is “heretical offshoots”. And the only metric given to prove this is that the Catholic Church is the historic church. I am sorry, but it takes much more than church origins to prove the above assertion.
 
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allischalmers:
To jim1130
I do not want to wander from the theme of this thread but what would be a more apporbate thing to do at a funeral than to celebrate the life of a dear departed loved one especially if that loved one is with the Lord.
Sure, there is grief and sadness but the should also be joy because we know that we will see our loved one again.
Also maybe that departed one just loved country music which is why it was played at the funeral and if it was a Baptist Church rest assured God was glorified and worshiped.
And NO I have found nothing on this forum to make me change my core beliefs.
I have found some really considerate people here but i have also found some arrogant people who look on non Catholic Christians as second class Christians

forever Baptist
allischalmers
Click to expand...
Peace.

The Catholic funeral Mass is still, first and foremost, about worshipping God. We pray for the soul of the deceased and we pray for those grieving, too, but we come together to worship God because even in our time of grief and sorrow, there is the presence, love, and comfort of God; and through this time we celebrate our lives with Christ. I have attended enough non-Catholic funerals to realize that the services and the focus are not about God; rather, the deceased becomes the central focus of worship and although God’s goodness and forgiveness are mentioned, the emphasis is purely and solely on the deceased and the family. As Catholics, we believe the central focus of the Mass, whether Mass during Lent, ordinary time, funeral, wedding, Christmas, etc. is ALWAYS God. Even in our time of greatest grief, all praise, honor, and glory still go to God. I just do not hear that at the non-Catholic funerals.
 
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jim1130:
Peace.

The Catholic funeral Mass is still, first and foremost, about worshipping God. We pray for the soul of the deceased and we pray for those grieving, too, but we come together to worship God because even in our time of grief and sorrow, there is the presence, love, and comfort of God; and through this time we celebrate our lives with Christ. I have attended enough non-Catholic funerals to realize that the services and the focus are not about God; rather, the deceased becomes the central focus of worship and although God’s goodness and forgiveness are mentioned, the emphasis is purely and solely on the deceased and the family. As Catholics, we believe the central focus of the Mass, whether Mass during Lent, ordinary time, funeral, wedding, Christmas, etc. is ALWAYS God. Even in our time of greatest grief, all praise, honor, and glory still go to God. I just do not hear that at the non-Catholic funerals.
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Yes Jim. The emphasis must be on worship of God first. Fellowship is important, but God always comes first.
 
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jim1130:
Peace.

The Catholic funeral Mass is still, first and foremost, about worshipping God. We pray for the soul of the deceased and we pray for those grieving, too, but we come together to worship God because even in our time of grief and sorrow, there is the presence, love, and comfort of God; and through this time we celebrate our lives with Christ. I have attended enough non-Catholic funerals to realize that the services and the focus are not about God; rather, the deceased becomes the central focus of worship and although God’s goodness and forgiveness are mentioned, the emphasis is purely and solely on the deceased and the family. As Catholics, we believe the central focus of the Mass, whether Mass during Lent, ordinary time, funeral, wedding, Christmas, etc. is ALWAYS God. Even in our time of greatest grief, all praise, honor, and glory still go to God. I just do not hear that at the non-Catholic funerals.
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Several weeks ago, I attended a non-Catholic funeral (Assembly of God) for a 16-year-old who was killed in a car crash, who was very dedicated to Jesus. Let me assure you that, while there was remembrances of the deceased, Jesus was being worshiped and glorified throughout the service through the music, testimonies and sermon. I can appreciate that a funeral Mass focuses on worshiping God. But you cannot broadbrush all non-Catholic (Protestant) funerals as not having a focus on God, simply because they may not follow the exact pattern of the Mass.
 
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sk32900:
But you cannot broadbrush all non-Catholic (Protestant) funerals as not having a focus on God
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This is a good point.

Blessings to you,
Mickey
 
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JSmitty2005:
I was just curious as to whether or not these forums have caused any of you to convert to the Catholic Faith regardless of if you had previously intended to or not. Did they open your mind? Did they help you to overcome any prejudices or false beliefs you had about the Church? Did they clarify what Catholics *really *believe? Have these forums made you think, even just for a millisecond, that you might possibly want to become Catholic? Do you have more respect for and less disdain for the Catholic Church (if you ever had any to begin with) after being on these forums?

I’m just wonderin’ 😃
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It’s definitely helping. I was thinking of converting before joining the forums, but the forums have helped answer most, if not all of the questions I have.

As some have pointed out, these forums are indeed addictive. 🙂
 
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