Protestants, why are you not Catholic?

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What is the most problematic “single issue” that keeps you from coming into full communion With Rome?

Is it the Papacy or is it Our veneration of Mary?

If you feel like it, please specify what direction of Christianity you belong to:)
  • Peace in Christ
 
I suppose at it’s very simplest, I am unconvinced that I must do so in order to be saved. Perhaps I am wrong.

I receive the Grace of God through our Word and Sacraments, forgiveness of sins through Baptism and absolution and the Holy Spirit works through me to do works of mercy and love. Yet we are told we lack the fullness of truth. For me, and with great love and respect for my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, it seems quite sufficient.
 
HeadingBackHome said:
What is the most problematic “single issue” that keeps you from coming into full communion With Rome?

Is it the Papacy or is it Our veneration of Mary?

If you feel like it, please specify what direction of Christianity you belong to:)
  • Peace in Christ
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The “single issue” is that I don’t believe that the RCC has any more valid a claim to being the true church than the EO, or Coptic, or Anglican, or Lutheran, or any church for that matter.

Also, I used to be RC, and it just wasn’t for me.
 
Salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
 
I was Methodist all my life (60+ years). Like most Protestants, I was baptized, went to Sunday school, confirmed, participated in youth group, then forgot about church… until our children were born, then we had them baptized, confirmed, and we went to church while the kids attended Sunday school. After they grew up I forgot about church again.

Why did I not become Catholic? MOMENTUM. You tend to take on the religion of your parents.

At around age 50, I decided to study the world’s religions, to decide where I really belonged. I read and studied for many years, and arrived at the conclusion that Catholicism was the answer, so was received into full communion with the Church.

When I was Methodist I didn’t think much about Catholicism, but I think the oddest thing was that the Pope has such authority. I actually always liked the statutes, saints, rosaries, etc. I liked Catholic weddings and the times I attended mass with friends – the Protestant churches seemed so barren by comparison. So now I feel very at home as a Roman Catholic 🙂
 
Stilldreamn said:
I suppose at it’s very simplest, I am unconvinced that I must do so in order to be saved. Perhaps I am wrong.

I receive the Grace of God through our Word and Sacraments, forgiveness of sins through Baptism and absolution and the Holy Spirit works through me to do works of mercy and love. Yet we are told we lack the fullness of truth. For me, and with great love and respect for my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, it seems quite sufficient.
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Indifferently said:
Salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
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Could not have stated it better myself. 👍
 
I am Protestant and I am very confused about what to be. i am baptized and believe in God but I am longing for something more. I came here to get answers and i am starting to understand a little. I am going to Mass for the 1st time Sunday and I am afraid. Half my family from 50 years ago ar Catholic and the other half Pentecostal. So you see I am confused.
 
If God lead myself and my wife to the Catholic Church to feed the homeless, do missions trips, discuss God with passer by’s at local shops, hand out Gospel of Johns, etc, etc. I would probably be a Catholic.

I don’t care about myself. I want others to come to know Christ and so many are because of our mission. If I stand before God and He says that I did not do His will and cannot be in Heaven due to my own incompetence then I’ll take full blame. Perhaps it was my fault, but in the meantime I will continue to preach Christ to all the world as a member of His Church. I will continue to love Him and pray, refraining from sin. He’s doing great things with Evangelicals as well as Catholics, and if I was to be a Catholic and do all the things I’m doing now, I would be fine with that.

It’s in His hands.
 
I read Romans. Romans teaches plainly the Reformed doctrines concerning grace and salvation.
 
Carter12 said:
I am Protestant and I am very confused about what to be. i am baptized and believe in God but I am longing for something more. I came here to get answers and i am starting to understand a little. I am going to Mass for the 1st time Sunday and I am afraid. Half my family from 50 years ago ar Catholic and the other half Pentecostal. So you see I am confused.
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God will be with you Carter. Have courage! I will pray for you. It is a big change, and can sometimes difficult for those who must go in a direction that is different than the rest of the family. But, for me at least, the change was perfect. It answered questions I had about things I was taught in the the church of my childhood (Baptist) that just did not make sense.

Mass will be quite different than what you are used to. So, you should also get yourself into an RCIA class to learn about the faith and read what you can about Catholicism…then make the decision. I encourage you to be open to where our Lord is leading you. And, may he bless you abundantly.
 
Lots of things… but they’ve been argued on this forum ad nauseum. Is that the right phrase?
  • Infant baptism
  • Teaching infallibility
  • Pope
  • Purgatory
  • Praying to Mary and the saints
  • Perpetual virginity of Mary
  • Immaculate Conception
etc etc etc
 
HeadingBackHome said:
What is the most problematic “single issue” that keeps you from coming into full communion With Rome?
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I clearly see a contradiction in RCC teachings with those plainly laid out in scripture. Not all, but many, and a lot of those are a matter of salvation. To clarify, this is not to say I think protestants are “saved” and RC’s are not (I believe just as many of each are saved) but rather just looking at the technical teachings of the RCC itself.
If you feel like it, please specify what direction of Christianity you belong to:)
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I say non-denominational protestant, but simply “Christian” suits me better.
  • Peace in Christ
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Grace and Peace!
 
Isaiah45_9 said:
I read the whole Bible. It teaches plainly Catholic doctrines concerning grace and salvation.
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Where does Scripture plainly teach that I MUST make an auricular confession before a priest to receive forgiveness of my sins, and yet still be punished for those sins in purgatory (unless I subsequently obtain an indulgence for the same) - that is of course unless I make an act of “perfect contrition” (and even this is only sufficient if I am about to die)?
 
Carter12 said:
I am Protestant and I am very confused about what to be. i am baptized and believe in God but I am longing for something more. I came here to get answers and i am starting to understand a little. I am going to Mass for the 1st time Sunday and I am afraid. Half my family from 50 years ago ar Catholic and the other half Pentecostal. So you see I am confused.
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I will pray for you. Confusion can sometimes be a part of our journey towards Christ (it’ll go away). .
 
HeadingBackHome said:
What is the most problematic “single issue” that keeps you from coming into full communion With Rome?

Is it the Papacy or is it Our veneration of Mary?

If you feel like it, please specify what direction of Christianity you belong to:)
  • Peace in Christ
Click to expand...
I simply do not feel that I need to
 
josie_L said:
He must have a different Bible. 😃
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And please also indicate the bit of the Bible that teaches that the pope has access to the Treasury of Merit and can dispense it on behalf of the church to remit time in Purgatory.
 
I Galations 3 we read

.26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Notice that Paul did not say that if you are a member of the Roman Church you are a child of God with the fullness of truth. He stated that in Christ we are ALL children of God. We are not seperated brethen, half brothers and sister or even step…we are ALL children of God and through our baptism we have clothed ourselves with Christ.

One of the things that really gets under my skin is the “we have the fullness of truth” saying that flies around here like flies on a watermelon. Christ is the fullness of truth and His Body (ALL believers) live in that truth through Him! Not a Church or temple but THROUGH CHRIST. (not yelling lol)

I know many will say that the Roman Catholic Church is the Church Christ established on earth and I can respect that. As an Episcopalian, I believe I am part of that OHCAC and I do not believe the Roman Catholic Church to be that Church, but rather a part of it as well.

In the Peace of Christ,
 
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