Protestants who have converted to the catholic faith

[dpwilson]

I hope nobody minds if I post. I am a lifelong Catholic, but sort of a “revert”. Not that I have ever doubted or considered any other denomination, just that I grew up Catholic and never cared to find out why. My mother did a great job of raising us, but as kids, we were more interested in football, fishing and everything else but religion. All I knew was that Jesus founded the Catholic Church and we had some disagreements with protestants.

It wasnt until my early 20’s while in the Air Force, while on lunch break, I heard a couple of guys talking about Jesus and how great life was, that I learned I needed to know more. I sat and began talking with these guys, thinking hey, we are all Christians and could share our love of God. One thing led to another and they asked where I worshiped. I told them on base at the chapel and they asked what service. When I told them Catholic, they turned and looked to each other and started hammering me with questions. Why do you call your priests father? Why do you confess your sins to a priest and not to God alone? On and On they went. I never had a solid answer.

I went home after that and started looking into the bible. This was around 20 years ago, so I didnt have the internet and many of the resources we have today to learn from. All I could tell them that they were interpreting the bible wrong. While I was correct, its not the answer they needed. I felt ashamed that I was beaten so badly and vowed that I would seek the truth. Maybe I was wrong.

To make a long story short, since then I have been reading and without a doubt know the true church is the church I grew up in and strive to learn more and hopefully, provide better answers today than I did 20 years ago when challenged.

So, thats my story, that of the typical cradle Catholic who took for granted what they have.

 

[VociMike]

…When I told them Catholic, they turned and looked to each other and started hammering me with questions. Why do you call your priests father? Why do you confess your sins to a priest and not to God alone? On and On they went.

We’ve all heard stories like this, or had them happen to us. As a Catholic I cannot imagine in a million years behaving this way, learning that a person is Protestant and immediately bombarding them with accusations-disguised-as-questions.

 

[DARichards]

I grew up in the Charismatic/Non-Denominational churches and even attended their Bible college. About 6 years ago, my wife and I left that church and joined the Reformed Presbyterian church. After 4 years, the death of Pope John Paul II really caught my attention. After reading Scott Hahn, I was hooked. I realized that the entire Protestant movement was formed on only 2 principles: Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura and neither of which are found in Scripture. Once those fell, I had nowhere left to retreat but the Catholic Church. This is the same thing that Luther said:
“It was never my intention to revolt from the Roman Apostolic chair”

And here is a quote that I found off of the Catholic Answers site. It was from a “This Rock” article on Sola Scriptura.

Luther vs. sola scriptura

MARTIN Luther is by far the best source illustrating the falsehood of sola scriptura. He initially said anyone could interpret Scripture, “even the humble miller’s maid, nay by a child of nine.” Later, when other private interpreters came along, the Bible became “a heresy book.”

When private interpretation became widespread, Luther stated in 1525, “There are as many sects and beliefs as there are heads. This fellow will have nothing to do with baptism; another denies the sacraments; a third believes that there is another world between this and the Last Day. Some teach that Christ is not God; some say this, some say that. There is no rustic so rude but that, if he dreams or fancies anything, it must be the whisper of the Holy Ghost, and he himself a prophet.”

As to the effect of private interpretation of Scripture and casting off of the Catholic Church, Luther wrote, “Now we see the people becoming more infamous, more avaricious, more unmerciful, more unchaste, and in every way worse than they were under Popery.”

Michael A. Carr
Osage Beach, Missouri

 

[Andruschak]

Would protestants that have converted to the catholic church, tell me what it was that that made them make such a great leap.I know that i am going to, based upon the history of the church in particular the apostolic succession and the formation of cannon. Even though i have already been called a heretic for believing the catholic church and have had to defend my decision so many times.

See my postings in the Spirituality Forum

 

[Allweather]

My conversion started out as a reaction to the splitting of churches and bible studies around me. In my reading, it seemed that the major fruit of protestantism was a relentless fracturing of unity, mainly along theological lines. I was certainly seeing this happen in the groups that I was part of, and it bothered me. I had no problems with protestant teachings, as this was the only teaching I’d had. Once I started studying specifically Catholic material, I started to find the biblical support for Catholic teachings. Immediately I started praying the Rosary during my morning jogging, and at other times. My protestant background admitted no Marian piety, so directing my attention to Mary was probably the hardest thing I could have done. Although my path to the Church was difficult and had many obstacles for me, most of them of my own making, I believe that my devotion to Mary was the key to getting past the protestant errors that had clouded my mind.

 

[vudster]

Well,

Where do I start? I owe all that I am to God and to two persons He used to rescue me. I was Methodist by birth and when I was confirmed, my pastor said that “It all started with John Wesley…” Of course I wondered about all those centuries before Wesley and about Jesus and the apostles. After I got married, we fell away from the Methodists because they had a large local buidling project and always seemed to have their hand out. We were (and are) rather shockingly poor in those days and we were made uncomfortable by all of the solicitations. Later, I turned to native religions. Wicca, and the new age stuff mostly. i joke now that I was never a pagan, a REFORMED pagan perhaps. Anyway, God revealed to me that it was now time to come back to him but it was years later before I found the Catholic Church. A friend invited me to a discussion group and I was the only non-catholic there. By happenstance, a priest of kind nature and clarity of thought dropped by and was able to deftly but gently brush aside my typical anti-catholic charges using the scriptures. It was then that I was made aware that communion in my Methodist youth was not really, nor was intended to be, the actual body and blood of Christ as is detailed in the scriptures. I was scandalized at having been lied to for all of those years. Anyway, the Eucharist and the Church’s views on marriage convinced me that I was already Catholic and needed only to formally join up. You see, I do not believe because I am Catholic. I am Catholic because I believe. Now, may God have mercy on me for all that other stuff!

 

[frnate]

Even as a child I was fascinated by the “collar.” I didn’t actually recall this until I had made my decision to be confirmed.
What really started me on my slippery slope to Catholicism was when I read the novel “The Robe” and the obvious amount of historical research that went into it so impressed me that I decided to re-read Luke and then Acts while “The Robe” was fresh on my mind and to consider them in historical context. That led me on to Eusebius, Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus etc. and I never looked back! (Lest I be turned into a pillar of salt…oh wait…did I say that out loud???)

Peace,
+Nathan

 

[wanner47]

For me, the definitive turning point was the Easter Vigil Mass.

I’d grudgingly attended Mass with my husband (also a Protestant, but one who’d been led to Catholicism by his best friend) many times, but could never really enjoy it. I was still clinging to the Lutheran faith I’d grown up in despite the fact that I was starting to disagree with some Lutheran teachings (the acceptance of abortion, for one thing); the only reason I was attending Mass and going to RCIA with my husband was for the sake of the kids we’d have some day (I figured if I was going to raise my kids in the Catholic faith, I should know more about it).

But then we went to the Easter Vigil Mass, and my eyes were opened to the beauty and splendor of the Mass. I couldn’t believe the service was three hours long - it’d seemed like three minutes! After that, I was much more willing to go to RCIA and explore Catholicism some more, and I ended up being confirmed with my husband that Pentecost.

FYI, the Easter Vigil Mass I went to was at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis, MN. Incredible service if you ever get the chance to attend.

God bless,

JoAnna

 

[Big_Dave]

As a life long evangelical christian I never ever though that I would even consider becoming catholic. However now in my 70’s I am in RCIA going to mass every Sunday and loving it. It was my interest in the early churches beliefs that I began to become more open to the Catholic Church. Then it was realizing that the verses that I always was told that when Jesus said that on this rock I will build my church he was only refering to himself. I then realized that the Catholic teaching was more practical. Once I believed in Peter as the first pope then apostolic secsession followed anf finally the Real Presence of Christ in the eucharist. The scriptures all make much more sense to me now. I thank God for the Holy Spirits leading me to His true church and the fullness of her teachings.