Protestant seeking answers . . . (long - SORRY!)

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Wow! Your story fills me with fear and trembling! It is amazing to watch the Holy Spirit at work.

Many people have listed many wonderful references, and I encourage you to read them. Your experience sounds similar to Scott Hahn’s, a famous convert to Catholicsm, who says the question of Sola Scriptura started his conversion to the Catholic faith.

We recognize that scripture is a very important source of information for our faith, so I want to offer some Bible verses for you to consider.

The Gospel of John ends with these words about how no book can contain everything Jesus did:
This is the disciple who is testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. John 21:24-25 (emphasis mine)

St. Paul writes to St. Timothy about learning through the oral tradition:
Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me*,** in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus*. 1 Timothy 1:13 (emphasis mine)

And note how St. Paul refers to the Church, not scripture, as the pillar and bulwark of truth:
I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these instructions to you so that, if I am delayed, you may know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth. 1 Timothy 3:14-15 (emphasis mine)

I will pray for you and your family and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in the ways of truth.
 
I converted from Southern Baptist about a year ago. If you want to talk to a priest, just call or email one. That’s what I did. I knew absolutely nothing about Catholicism, but I felt that before I got reinvolved in church, I had been out for a few years, I would look at Catholicism, say where it was wrong, then find which Protestant church I would join. Needless to say that didnt’ happen. Just like with you the sola scriptura issue it me really quickly. I had always wondered why the Baptist were right, and everyone else was wrong. The idea of a teaching church made so much sense. My two recommended readings have already been mentioned, but they’re wort mentioning again. Rome Sweet Home, by Scott Hahn, and A Biblical Defense of Catholicism, by Dave Armstrong. The Scott Hahn book will show you how he dealt with the family. The Dave Armstrong book was the final piece of the puzzle for me. It was kind of an insurance policy that what the Church teaches is not contradicted by the Bible. Keep one thing in mind, but I think you’ve probably already realized this, if the teaching Church that Jesus established is the Catholic Church, then the individual doctrinal issues do not matter, because the Church is protected from teaching incorrectly.

The website you’re on is also a very good source. I’m sure you’ll have a lot of people praying for you.
 
Good luck on your journey. I am not a convert like many on here, but I can understand how it would be considering that many of my relatives are protestant. I think everyone on here has given great advice. The greatest sources for the beliefs of the Catholic Church are the Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Catechism does a very good job at outlining the beliefs of the Church. It is constantly using references to the Bible and the Church Fathers and the councils.

You can read the Church Fathers on line at newadvent.org or at ccel.org.
 
Everyone has posted really good resources. I just wanted to add one really important one.

When only one converts by Lynn Nordhagen

Its a collection of stories about only one spouse converting and how they handled it in their marraige. It also has one story from a spouse that wasn’t converting but it described her feelings about her husband’s conversion.

This book will really help you avoid the pitfalls that many converts fall into, and it might help you to cope better.
 
Richard:

I couldn’t help but think of Scott Hahn when I read your story.
I think if you read his book Rome Sweet Rome you will also be struck by the similarities.
Catholicism was the LAST place he wanted to wind up.
He is now a theology professor at a catholic university (Steubenville)

Here is a scripture based website supporting catholic doctrine

scripturecatholic.com

Here are the writings from the early church fathers…

newadvent.com/fathers

God Bless!
 
God bless you and good luck. Just pray for the guidance of the holy spirit. I’m praying for you. It’s difficult as a Protestant, raised as a Protestant, with a Protestant worldview. Things will be alien to you, like Mary, prayers to the saints, purgatory, etc. Believe me when I tell you, that you will have many doubts, but once you establish certain truths, the rest will become much easier to accept.

The biggest thing, is being open to truth, no matter how much it differs to what you have believed all your life. God bless you.
 
Dear Richard,

I just said a prayer for you, and your family and friends.

I have recently come back to the CC, after spending 18 years either not believing or in Protestant churches. I haven’t had any family flak, since I’ve only told my immediate family (actually, when my father-in-law finds out I have returned, he will be ecstatic, especially if it means I might be able to lead his son back as well!). I’m most concerned about when my Protestant friends - people from the church I attended and went to Bible study with - find out.

You’ve gotten a ton of great suggestions here. They are helpful to me as well. I just ordered a used copy of Suprised by Truth, which someone mentioned, which a friend who converted from a Protestant background also suggested to me.

I also got in the mail today The Biblical Basis for the Catholic Faith. I only had a chance to glance at it, but so far it looks good.

Anyway, I wish you the best. It’s really sort of scary, you know? What a way to shake up one’s life! But in the best way, of course.

Aunt Martha
 
Richard,

I’ll keep this short since there is already a lot here. Reading referrals (most if not all aready mentioned, just adding my “stamp of approval” to them):

Rome Sweet Home by Scott and Kimberly Hahn. Story of their journey. Could provide answers to some of your questions. Interesing writing style (Scott writes the first half of the chapter from his perspective, then Kimberly writes the second half from hers.)

The Suprised by Truth series (books 1, 2, and 3). These are easy reading stories of peoples’ journeys, 20-35 pages each, about 10 journeys per pook.

The Faith of our Fathers by James Cardinal Gibbons (Archbishop of Baltimore in the late 1800’s). Written in the 1870’s, it’s a plain exposition of the Catholic Church. Some of the historical references are dated (the Civil War ended about 10 years prior) but the information on the Church was approacing 1900 years old at the time. A semi-challenging read that I have found valuable in my fomation. Hard, but not impossible to find.

Our prayers are with you and all your family.

God Bless,
SG257
 
Although I am a “cradle Catholic” who never actually strayed that far from the Church, it is only within the last few years, after trying in vain to defend attacks against the Church, that I started searching for more information about the Church’s teachings, and was quite surprised by how wrong my own understanding was as to many Church doctrines. I can only imagine how difficult is must be for someone who was not raised Catholic.

Just wanted to let you know I am also praying for you and please don’t feel “freaked out.” If anything, the Holy Spirit is moving you and that it always a very good thing.
 
All,

I am humbled by your replies, both public and private. It is awesome to see the Body of Christ at work following the lead of His Spirit. I am in the process of figuring out how to get some of these books to my home without scaring the daylights out of my poor long suffering wife 😃 I am going to let her know what is going on, but not until the horizons are a bit clearer. Bless you all for your time and prayers on my behalf!

I am presently considering a vow to the Lord. For a period of one year, I shall thoroughly study, fast, and pray both alone and with others for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in making this decision. I shall not within this time period bind myself to any decision unless His Spirit makes the path undeniably clear - - something like a miracle :^) I trust that the mercy of God and the leading of His Holy Spirit will lead me to the choice that He would have me make.

The point of this vow is not to “delay the inevitable” but to have a chance to deeply and prayerfully consider the momentous decision that stands before me. One does not discard a lifetime of conviction without forethought or accept a new one without the direct lead of God. I feel God has, is, and will speak to me in this matter.

I am going to attempt to contact a priest locally and reveal to him my thoughts. Also, in obedience to the authority that I am presently accountable to, I am going to go to my present pastor (a beloved mentor and friend for 22 years) and lay before him my dilemma. I trust his silence in the matter to everyone . . . he is truly the most Godly man I have ever met.

I am SO EXCITED about this journey that He has set before my feet. Scripture is absolutely leaping off of the page for me - I have never had more hunger for the Word of God than right now. It is possible that I could end up back where I began, but my heart tells me that is unlikely. The structure of my childhood faith has been shaken and the foundation may have been damaged beyond repair. I am simply going to throw myself upon His mercy and compassion.

Would attending confession bind me in any way to the Catholic Church? I really want to experience this part of the Church, but I do not wish to commit to it until the time appointed by the Lord.

Also, I may try to attend Mass sometime in the next couple of weeks . . . I could attend a mid-day Mass on my lunch break. Other than not receiving the Eucharist, is there anything else that I should be aware of or avoid?

Once again, thank you all for your kindness, prayers, and wisdom.

Rich B
 
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Disconnector:
The very linchpin of Protestant doctrine hangs on this concept. What I found was NOT what I expected.

I could not and cannot refute the doctrine that has been expressed by the Catholic Church on this subject by history, logic, or by scripture itself.

If I cannot refute this doctrine, then the very foundations of my Christian belief system MUST be altered. To see the truth and ignore it is the gravest of sin.
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This locig is the basis of the book by Mark Shea, By What Authority?

It is also the final inescaplable logic the lead me to the Catholic Church. I was raised Baptist, went to a Baptist university and seminary. I am the first in my family to cross the Tiber and it did not happen easily. On the bright side, after struggling with so much of the pros and cons, there was nothing my Baptist family has every asked that I had not considered and answered.

The one impression that lingers of that time in my life is how at every turn of doctrine, the teaching of the Church was so scriptural and so logical. Most of my prejudices against Catholics led my to believe that it was a mixed-up, man-made religion. But as I learned more, it just seemed right. It hung together, if you follow me.

In any case, Godspeed in your search for truth.
 
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Disconnector:
Would attending confession bind me in any way to the Catholic Church? I really want to experience this part of the Church, but I do not wish to commit to it until the time appointed by the Lord.

Also, I may try to attend Mass sometime in the next couple of weeks . . . I could attend a mid-day Mass on my lunch break. Other than not receiving the Eucharist, is there anything else that I should be aware of or avoid?

Once again, thank you all for your kindness, prayers, and wisdom.

Rich B
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When you go to mass just do what everyone else does. Stand when they stand, kneel when they kneel, sit when they sit. Just observe what is happening.

Good luck on your journey and I will keep you in my prayers.
 
Hey Rich,

Welcome and God bless!

In response to your question about going to confession, don’t think non-Catholics are allowed to, but I could be wrong. I would ask a local priest when and if you decide to “visit” a Mass.

As for Mass, just relax! Most parishes have a missal that will help explain what’s going on, and of course you can just follow what others are doing. Just don’t receive Communion. If you want though, you can go up in the Communion line with everyone else, and when you get to the priest, cross your arms over your chest-- this lets the priest know that you cannot receive the Eucharist for whatever reason, and he will give you a short blessing.

God bless!
 
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UKcatholicGuy:
Hey Rich,

Welcome and God bless!

In response to your question about going to confession, don’t think non-Catholics are allowed to, but I could be wrong. I would ask a local priest when and if you decide to “visit” a Mass.

God bless!
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Actually, Rich, it is perfectly OK for you to attend confession. You must however let the priest know your situation when you enter the confessional, and I’m sure he’ll be very sympathetic and helpful. The main “issue” is that until you become a fully professed member of the Catholic Church, you won’t be able to receive sacramental absolution. But please, don’t let that stop you from going. Confessing your sins in the presence of a priest is a powerful experience, and teaches us great humility. Also, you will be able to receive his insights and suggestions on avoiding sin in the future. While I would advise you to at least mention your current situation, just keep in mind that the confessional isn’t the best place to go in depth about it. Let the priest know your situation and why you are there, and he will probably suggest a good time to make an appointment to talk to him in more depth.

As for the Mass, as others have said, there really isn’t anything “special” you need to know or avoid other than communion. You’ll probably see things you aren’t familiar with, like people blessing themselves with holy water when they enter, or genuflecting towards the tabernacle. Just go with the flow. To familiarize yourself with what happens during the Mass, just click here

I hope this helps!
 
A couple of suggestions for you as you travel this path:
  1. Pray that God guides you to the right priest. Priests can be incredibly holy men, and a holy priest is a blessing beyond measure. Our priests are capable of greatness, and when they fall they are capable of great evil. (Hence some of those horrible news stories.) So pray for a good priest.
  2. If you want to “look” Catholic, here are some tips for Mass etiquette:
    Holy Water: When we enter the Church, we dip our right hand fingers in some blessed water to remind us of our baptism. Then we make the sign of the cross. It’s optional to do again when leaving.
    Sign of the Cross: Right hand, touch forehead and say, “In the name of the Father”, touch belly and say, “and of the Son”, left shoulder and say “and of the Holy” move hand to right shoulder and say “Spirit”. This is how we begin and end prayers and we do it alot. It’s a prayer in itself to proclaim what we do is done in the name of the trinity and the cross of Jesus.
    Genuflect: While making the sign of the cross, right knee hits the ground, left knee bends. It looks like what knights do in front of a king. We do this before the tabernacle to acknowledge the pressence of our King, Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist.
    Bible Readings: We generally don’t bring Bibles to Mass. Our missals have the Sunday readings printed. The weekday readings generally aren’t printed. We sit for the first and second readings and stand for the Gospel. There are a few words that we say like “Thanks be to
    God” and “Glory to You Oh Lord” (usually in a monotone voice–don’t get too excited or you won’t look Catholic;) )
    Missals or Misselettes: These are the books that contain our readings and prayers for the Mass. There are different prayers that the priest selects from to say for the consecration. Our order of worship is listed in there, but you might have a hard time following the first time.
    Eucharist: This is reserved for those in full communion with the Catholic church, but if you wish to go up for a blessing, crossing your hands over you chest generally signifies you are just asking for the blessing. That might vary from parish to parish, but I think that’s understood by most.
    Stand, Sit, Kneel: Just follow those around you. Don’t worry about it.
God bless you in this journey.
 
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Disconnector:
Hello all,

For the last several years, my heart has grown increasingly disquieted . . . I have felt like something in my life was “out of whack”. I have prayed and sought after God to the best of my abilities. Finally, I prayed what I feel was a very fateful prayer - I asked the Lord to reveal the Truth (capital T intended) to me, no matter how uncomfortable or painful it was. Little did I know the consequences of that prayer . . .

Also, if you could lift a prayer to the Father I would appreciate it. My name is Richard Barlow . . . I’m sure the Father knows which one your praying for.

Thank you all and may God bless you.
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Hi Richard,
With that prayer you have begun a journey. God is so good.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

I asked the Lord last year for Truth. He led me to His catholic church. There will come a point in your journey that you will have to “trust” that Jesus “is able and capable” of keeping His church from error. You will come to a point where you trust Him completely and totally. I say “Welcome home”

Your sister in Christ,
Sherry
 
I came back to the Church months ago, and I believe you are correct in standing back and giving it some time.

There are many stumbling blocks, so many misconceptions out there that it does take time to discern the truth and what is God leading you to. It takes a lot of self study and humility to God to do what you are doing and I pray you will find your way home.

Do realize that the Church is made up of very holy people and people who are very much sinners, but trust in God to help lead you and you will find what you are looking for.

I really recommend the Coming Home Network for someone on your journey. Other people have posted links to it and it is very insightful, as to the situation you are in. I will post a link to it again.
www.chnetwork.org

Do not rush, fully investigate and you will find a much easier understanding. But some things do take a little bit of a leap of faith, then they are revealed to the intellect.
It is very hard to transition as it feels like you are leaving things behind. Be assured that you don’t have to leave your faith behind if you do start on this journey.
The majority of people coming to the Catholic faith from other denominations, feel it is a completion and it fulfills them. You really don’t leave a faith, but I feel I you can complete one’s faith in the Catholic Church.

Just pray that God’s will to be done.

God Bless
Scylla
 
I forgot to mention,

I have a need to have things fully explained so if you are like me you might blow a few hundred dollars in books.

Before I did that I didn’t know that my Church has a library with most the books I bought. It would’ve saved me a lot of money.

There are numerous sources online though, but if you like books like me then the Church has more books to read than most people have lifetime left. It is so rich that I still go out books from time to time as it is just interesting to read old Christian letters, sermons and literature from this beautiful Church of ours.

I would listen to Tim Staples, John Martignoni, Scott Hahn depending on your taste if you want some more insight.

God Bless, again
Scylla
 
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Disconnector:
For a period of one year, I shall thoroughly study, fast, and pray both alone and with others for the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in making this decision.
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🙂 A good decition, Richard! The Lord will give you his answer, when you are ready for it. He gave it to me, at all souls day. I didn’t knew what (catholic) day it was. It was later that I found out at what (catholic) day I knew there was now way back.

I don’t think this was a coincidence!
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Disconnector:
Would attending confession bind me in any way to the Catholic Church? I really want to experience this part of the Church, but I do not wish to commit to it until the time appointed by the Lord.
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I don’t think you are allowed to attend a confession when you are not catholic. The confession is a sacrament, i.e. some sort of covenant between you and God. No one goes to a sacrament with thoughts of not binding themselves to the Church. If they did so, it would be a grave sin. (You didn’t know that, so your thoughts are only thoughts in your prosess towards a closer relationship with God. Besides you say: “I do not wish to commit to it until the time appointed by the Lord”).

The first confession usually is on the day (or a few days) before you are recieved into the RCC. That confession is for the whole of your life inclusive for the sins you didn’t understand were sins when you were a non-catholic.

Link to explanation about sacraments:
americancatholic.org/Features/Sacraments/default.asp

Two books that are “musts” if you want to understand catholic confession:
  1. “Pardon and Peace. A sinners guide to confession” by Fr. Francis Randolph.
  2. “Lord have Mercy. The healing power of confession” by Scott Hahn.
In the meantime (while you are in your convertionprosess) a lot of protestant churches will be willing to listen to your confession (without being able to give you absulation).

If it’s important for you to tell a catholic priest about your sins, at this point of your journey, please ask for the Holy Spirits guidance to look inside yourself to understand why you feel that way. You can call and make an appointment with a catholic priest for a talk (about sins, faith and the Church’s dogmas.) The priest will be able to guide you on your road.

The prosess to become catholic is not an easy road to travel but it’s worth it , to stay on the road until you are home! :gopray2: :gopray2: :gopray2:

:blessyou:
 
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