Please help

[htk553]

if I asked this in the wrong forum please forgive me.

I had been agnostic for most of my life. Recently, I’ve felt God tugging at me. I started “faith shopping” and I felt the Catholic faith was the best choice and the choice God led me to. I was proud of my choice and started telling people how wrong I was to not appreciate all that God has done for me and that my faith choice I made was Catholic. I honestly thought people (family and friends) would be proud. Instead, I heard “oh no! Not catholic!”. I defended my choice and stood by it. I work with a Baptist, now non-denominational, preacher. I told him of my choice and he quoted all kinds of scripture that proves (his words) the Catholic faith is wrong and not biblical in their practices and doctrines. He said the Catholic faith worships God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit which is good, but they also worship Mary and various other saints which is wrong. He quoted the Old Testament which says, in a nutshell, do not make or worship idols. He also said that Catholics do not teach salvation according to the bible. He says that regardless of where you are, you can receive Christ as your savior by asking him into your life.

He also said the following about the Catholic faith:

1. Communion should be received by all, not just by those who are baptized and confirmed.
2. Mary was not holy and shouldn’t be prayed to. The bible says pray to God and Jesus only.
3. He also warned of false prophets and doctrines.

Gang, I need your help. I am now wondering if I made the right choice. I don’t like other faiths and my beliefs are equal to those of Catholics, but I am still concerned as to whether Satan is trying to confuse me or what.

I think the Catholic faith is a beautiful faith but there is so much on the net that bashes their practices and rituals. People call the faith pagan and the pope the antichrist.

Please help me. Show me the way as I am so confused right now.

 

[redhen]

Others will no doubt help you with the issues of sole fide, mariology, etc., but I just wanted to share a video that impressed me.
youtube.com/watch?v=Vs6qZd_xP1w&feature=channel_page

An institution like this can’t be all bad.

 

[passus]

Praise God! You have certainly come to the right place.

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of people are very badly mis-informed on varous topics of Catholic teaching. For some reason (perhaps because they’ve been told so, and someone told them, and someone told that person, etc.), they see the Catholic Church as something all-too mystical and esoteric and so they shy away from it and just go back to spreading their rumors.

A prime example is that “Catholics worship Mary,” which is quite simply found nowhere in any Catholic teaching.

The marvelous thing about the Catholic Church is that we can lay our beliefs out right before you, transparent as day, and there’s nothing convoluted–nothing twisted about them. That’s the beauty of the Truth.

The following tracts should provide some insight as to your questions. There is also a wealth of knowledge on these forums, Catholic apologists ready to answer your questions in the Ask an Apologist (AAA) Forum, and the Catholic Answers apologist line where you can get personalized one-on-one help with your questions.

He said the Catholic faith worships God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit which is good, but they also worship Mary and various other saints which is wrong. He quoted the Old Testament which says, in a nutshell, do not make or worship idols.

Saint Worship?
Do Catholics Worship Statues?

He also said that Catholics do not teach salvation according to the bible. He says that regardless of where you are, you can receive Christ as your savior by asking him into your life.

Are Catholics Born Again
Assurance of Salvation?
Grace: What It Is and What It Does

He also said the following about the Catholic faith:

1. Communion should be received by all, not just by those who are baptized and confirmed.

Who Can Receive Communion?

 

[BlestOne]

Welcome htk553. No doubt you will hear from many here. The Catholic faith is the oldest Church and the ONLY Church established by Jesus himself. You will also learn that the Catholic Church is the most hated Church but here is the good news… Jesus told us that we would be hated because of him… that tells me we are actually on the right track. Stick around and you will learn alot here. There are some other wonderful websites where you can learn alot too…
biblechristiansociety.com/ get the free mp3’s here and listen to them… especially the marriage one and the one on the Rapture and the Bible… but they are all good!

catholic-convert.com/Default.aspx
Here is another good site… you will like this one too.

There are also some other great sites…
ewtn.com
drbo.org
newadvent.org/
I especially recommend this one: bringyou.to/apologetics/links.htm The guy that does this one posts here alot and knows his stuff…

Any of these that have download mp3’s are pretty good…

 

[po18guy]

I work with a Baptist, now non-denominational, preacher. I told him of my choice and he quoted all kinds of scripture that proves (his words) the Catholic faith is wrong and not biblical in their practices and doctrines. He said the Catholic faith worships God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit which is good, but they also worship Mary and various other saints which is wrong.

It IS wrong to worship Mary, and Catholics do not. His faith, which is very young, has absolutely no idea of just what veneration is. That is what is due to Mary. Explain it as being like Baptists feel toward Paul. He just may understand that.

He quoted the Old Testament which says, in a nutshell, do not make or worship idols. He also said that Catholics do not teach salvation according to the bible. He says that regardless of where you are, you can receive Christ as your savior by asking him into your life.

Remind him, gently, that each of his opinions about biblical prophecy are the product of private interpretation, which is prohibited in the very same bible! 2 Peter 1:20 (King James Version) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. Ask him if he believe the bible when it says this.

He also said the following about the Catholic faith:

1. Communion should be received by all, not just by those who are baptized and confirmed.

Ask him why Jesus gave communion only to those He had chosen, who were baptized and had received the Holy Spirit. Ask him where the bible says as he believes. It does not.

1. Mary was not holy and shouldn’t be prayed to. The bible says pray to God and Jesus only.

Stay away from him if he declares, by his own authority, that Mary is not “holy”. Holy means set apart. How much more holy can you get than to have God choose you to carry His only Son? Good grief!

1. He also warned of false prophets and doctrines.

Yes, just as the Catholic Church has warned since Jesus walked this earth. Why are there 30,000+ Protestant denominations, none of which agree with one another? The Catholic Church was founded by Christ on Peter, and remains to this day. The Baptist church has no pope, no set leader, and thus has split into all sorts of different denominations each with different practices.

Gang, I need your help. I am now wondering if I made the right choice. I don’t like other faiths and my beliefs are equal to those of Catholics, but I am still concerned as to whether Satan is trying to confuse me or what.

The evil one certainly does like to confuse us. He will speak through those around you. Do not listen to those voices of doubt. None of them really knows what they are talking about and are just repeating rumors.

Only the Catholic Church traces directly back to Christ. All other Christian faiths broke away from the Catholic Church, or broke away from someone who did. They have less truth than the Catholic Church, and are to be avoided, if you want the fulness of truth.

I think the Catholic faith is a beautiful faith but there is so much on the net that bashes their practices and rituals. People call the faith pagan and the pope the antichrist.

Please help me. Show me the way as I am so confused right now.

Listen to Catholic radio. Get copies of Catholicism for Dummies and The Essential Catholic Survival Guide. Read them and do not listen to every corner preacher you hear. The Catholic Church is the world’s oldest organization. A lie cannot last that long without being exposed. Ask him why so many fervent Baptists have converted to Catholicism. Also, why weak Catholics become Baptists.

In your case, do not listen to the voices around you. Speak with your priest and other orthodox Catholics. Get into RCIA, where you will learn much about the faith before joining.

You are in my prayers.

Christ’s peace be with you.

 

[grannymh]

Dear htk553,

Obviously, God has given you a special invitation to join the Catholic Church. Respond to it with all your soul.

Put your trust in our Blessed Mother Mary. Picture her standing with Jesus as He hung on the cross. Talk to her, simply, in your own words, telling her about your desire to be in Her Son’s Church. Ask for her help. She, in turn, will look up at her Son and will plead your case to Him.

Blessings,
grannymh

 

[hansa447]

Hello HTK553: [This is my 1st post; hope it’s acceptable.]
Wow – your post covers a lot of territory; your confusion is understandable. May I offer a comment on one or two points of your post?

First, we Catholics don’t worship Mary or any of the saints. That’s for Jesus, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity made flesh via Mary. St. Luke’s Gospel is the basis for this. Because of her unique position as Godbearer (she carried Jesus [God] in her womb), and because, with Joseph, she raised him as his mother, we venerate her above any other saint. We do ask her to intercede for us with her Son, but we recognize that Jesus is the one who sends us His grace. As for the other saints, we ask them to intercede for us, too, since they’re linked with us through Jesus. We recognize that Mary has a special “in” with Jesus (check out the wedding at Cana), and that relationship is the basis for our veneration of Mary as the Holy Mother of God.

Second, your friend speaks of the Bible as the ultimate yardstick by which everything is judged: “If it ain’t in there, it ain’t so.” It took me a while to learn the history of the bible, and I can’t present it here. But basically, there was no bible as we know it in Jesus’ time, nor for the next 350 years or so, when the Church finally assembled all the writings floating around at the time, looked at them, prayed over them, and finally chose those “books” and “letters” which expressed most authentically and faithfully the truths of the faith we call Catholic today. In a nutshell, the Church preceded the bible, and was (is?) the agent by whom the bible we have came to be. Mary was being venerated in the Church long before the bible appeared. All you have to do is check out the Greek and Latin Fathers of the Church to see for yourself. The bible does not explicitly contain everything Catholics do. Yet it presents the basis for much of that.
(For instance, nowhere will you find “Trinity” in the bible, yet who’s to say that this term is false, just because it’s not there? Jesus himself spoke of the Father as his Father, and promised the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit. Father, Son, Holy Spirit - the Trinity.)

That’s a long-winded answer. Hope it helps. Will be praying for you…

 

[htk553]

Thank you all very much for your replies

Your information has provided me with what I needed and I feel ashamed that I have questioned our faith.

I am currently enrolled in RCIA and I am looking forward to my baptism and confirmation this Easter

I will say that I have never heard Catholics attack other faith communities. Catholics only defend their faith and never attack. Now I know who the real Christians are.

The preacher I was speaking of is considered, by his fellow workers, to be very judgmental. It is this reason that very few of his coworkers, including myself, attend his church.

When I first walked into the local Catholic Church, I felt at home. When I attended my first RCIA class, I felt very welcomed by the members of the Church. The priest spoke at my first class and I remember thinking how at ease I felt. He is a wonderful man.

I will stand strong in our faith and reject confusion brought about by “others”. When I am attacked, I will gently defend our faith and exhibit true Christian qualities.

Thank you very much for your help, guidance, and compassion.

Bless you all and peace be with you

 

[Newbie2]

Keep it up, and we’ll support you as well.

Please try also not to get caught up in the Protestant vs. Catholic thing…it can be very distracting to one’s own faith. I try to look as us Catholics as sheep in the coral, with Protestants as sheep out wandering in the pasture, not an us vs. them kind of thing. We’re just better fed in the corral.

 

[htk553]

Keep it up, and we’ll support you as well.

Please try also not to get caught up in the Protestant vs. Catholic thing…it can be very distracting to one’s own faith. I try to look as us Catholics as sheep in the coral, with Protestants as sheep out wandering in the pasture, not an us vs. them kind of thing. We’re just better fed in the corral.

very interesting way to think

 

[VociMike]

if I asked this in the wrong forum please forgive me.

I had been agnostic for most of my life. Recently, I’ve felt God tugging at me. I started “faith shopping” and I felt the Catholic faith was the best choice and the choice God led me to. I was proud of my choice and started telling people how wrong I was to not appreciate all that God has done for me and that my faith choice I made was Catholic. I honestly thought people (family and friends) would be proud. Instead, I heard “oh no! Not catholic!”.

Yeah, we get that a lot. But if there’s one thing I have learned since coming back to the Catholic faith a few years ago, it is that Catholicism has remarkably solid answers to each and every challenge thrown at it. So don’t get panicked.

I defended my choice and stood by it. I work with a Baptist, now non-denominational, preacher. I told him of my choice and he quoted all kinds of scripture that proves (his words) the Catholic faith is wrong and not biblical in their practices and doctrines. He said the Catholic faith worships God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit which is good, but they also worship Mary and various other saints which is wrong.

Totally false. Catholicism teaches that it is a grave sin to worship Mary or any other saints.

He quoted the Old Testament which says, in a nutshell, do not make or worship idols.

And we don’t. And again, it would be a grave sin to do so.

He also said that Catholics do not teach salvation according to the bible. He says that regardless of where you are, you can receive Christ as your savior by asking him into your life.

Catholics teach salvation according to the full revelation given by God. And whenever you hear words like “according to the bible” you can be sure that you can find another “bible-believing” group that claims the bible teaches something different on the subject. Take that to the bank.

He also said the following about the Catholic faith:

1. Communion should be received by all, not just by those who are baptized and confirmed.

Anybody can claim anything. The Catholic Church has good and defensible reasons to teach what she does.

1. Mary was not holy and shouldn’t be prayed to. The bible says pray to God and Jesus only.

He’s wrong. Many Protestants are terrified of asking those in heaven to pray for them, but God has made it very, very clear that Christianity is a family thing, and those in heaven are part of the family.

1. He also warned of false prophets and doctrines.

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall…”

Gang, I need your help. I am now wondering if I made the right choice. I don’t like other faiths and my beliefs are equal to those of Catholics, but I am still concerned as to whether Satan is trying to confuse me or what.

I think the Catholic faith is a beautiful faith but there is so much on the net that bashes their practices and rituals. People call the faith pagan and the pope the antichrist.

Please help me. Show me the way as I am so confused right now.

Why do you think so many people, both non-Christians and Christians alike, “bash” Catholicism? Well, if you were the devil and the Catholic Church was indeed the Church founded by God himself, wouldn’t you bash it?

Like I said, don’t panic. You have indeed found the Church founded by Jesus Christ, and protected from error by the Holy Spirit. You have found what you were put on this earth to find. Stick around here and you’ll learn just how solid Catholic teaching is, and just how flimsy the attacks on her are.

Oh, and check out my signature. And check out G.K. Chesterton too, you may enjoy him. The quote is from his work “The Catholic Church and Conversion” which can be read online - a quick search will find it for you.

 

[htk553]

Thank you VociMike

I appreciate everyone’s time and information to help me out. It really means alot to me. I am so glad that I found this forum

The mp3 downloads, that Blestone provided the link for, are awesome Everyone should give those a listen.

Bless you all and peace be with each one of you

 

[BlestOne]

I appreciate everyone’s time and information to help me out. It really means alot to me. I am so glad that I found this forum

The mp3 downloads, that Blestone provided the link for, are awesome Everyone should give those a listen.

Bless you all and peace be with each one of you

Glad you liked them… I especially love the one on Eucharist and marriage. When I found that site and downloaded it I was so impressed that I brought my laptop with me to McDonald’s for dinner with my husband. We played it as we ate and we tried to keep the volume down as not to disturb others. About half way through the talk, I noticed everyone in the place had gone totally silent… feeling self conscious, I looked around and everybody was intently listening to the mp3… finally somebody asked if I could turn it up… It was quite a moment.

There are some other really good ones too… Right now I am listening to Our Fathers Plan Bible study… it is a refresher for me since I took The Great Adventure Bible study and they are almost identical… but I love their way of teaching… Next is Adventures in Exodus for me… but the whole series is awesome and if your parish offers them you would like them…
Here is the courses they offer:
Great Adventures Bible Timeline 24 weeks
Adventures in Matthew 24 weeks
Acts of the Apostles 20 weeks
Revelations 10 weeks
Exodus 10 weeks
First Corinthians 10 weeks