Question for former Protestants

[Reuben_J]

All Protestants view the Catholic church as teaching error, otherwise they would be Catholic. The Protestant who is more serious about his doctrine, and not a relativist, will care about this. The Protestants who aren’t so concerned with doctrine or objective truth will not mind so much.

Personally I think the people you encounter who have some sort of negative reaction are the ones you are more likely to be able to persuade that Catholicism is true. The folks who don’t see any difference in Catholicism and Protestantism won’t leave their church because they see no difference. The people who see a difference but don’t think it matters also won’t leave their church. The people who get mad about your faith actually care in some way. You may not persuade them in the moment or ever, but they at least have some potential.

Interesting thought. Perhaps it holds true for Catholics who leave the Church too, I suppose.

It is interesting because the three categories that you put up makes the Protestants look indifference to their faith and the ones that do not, would have the potential to leave ( to become Catholics). Thus I would doubt on this. I have high regards of many Protestants as Christians. Many of those see the difference in what they believe and consider it important enough as a reason for their faith; it matters to them.

The ones who are mad at Catholicism seems to me would be the hardest to agree to Catholicism especially if it is due to irrational dislike of it, while for rational ones, they could be persuaded to believe if they are convinced with the argument for Catholicism.

My two cents.

 

[Reuben_J]

Thanks for correcting me, Reuben J. I have studied Catholicism for less than a year now and started from no knowledge at all, so I appreciate your comment as I grow to learn even more in faith and understanding.

Thank you too, Tommy999. It is my pleasure. We will grow as we learn from each other. Do keep up with what you are doing and God bless you always.

 

[exnihilo]

For me, it’s the opposite. I view Catholicism as much more complicated than my faith tradition.

I’d agree with that. There is certainly many a Protestant who has reduced being a Christian to not much more than believing that Jesus was the Son of God and not being the most evil person on Earth. It is a natural tendency to think we are good so long as we aren’t as bad as we perceive our neighbor to be.

Some Protestants (like me) are Protestants because we were born into that faith tradition and came from generations of family who did likewise – just as many cradle Catholics are Catholics because they were raised in it. It’s not necessarily because we think the Catholic Church is teaching error, at least in my case. I am still discerning and sorting that out. However, I am serious about wanting to have the right doctrine.

A good point. It is natural that we are what we are born into. Of course for any group there was a first who chose to join. However I do think there is some tendency among Protestants to compare doctrine against the Catholic church’s. It could be that it is such a large church. It could be that in churches which came from the early Reformation there is more of a tendency to be aware of the Catholic because the first members were Catholics breaking away from the Catholic church. I can say from my experience I hear more comparisons to Catholic doctrine than other Protestant doctrine.

However, I will add that I think some Catholics are angry at Protestants because they incorrectly assume that all Protestants are Protestant because of some axe to grind against Catholicism. That might’ve been the case back in the 1500’s but so many generations have passed since then to where most Protestants are such because we were born into it or think Catholicism is just another denominational choice (like Methodists, etc) and don’t have any idea Catholicism is special, or they like the simpler gospel message that most Protestant churches preach without all the extra bells and whistles of Catholicism, in my opinion.

I agree things have certainly changed. And I do think many Protestants have a more favorable view of Catholicism than their predecessors. But I’m not sure I’d agree that most Protestants think Catholicism is just another denomination. However that is all really speculation on my part and might just reflect my assumption of what people think.

The ones who are mad at Catholicism seems to me would be the hardest to agree to Catholicism especially if it is due to irrational dislike of it, while for rational ones, they could be persuaded to believe if they are convinced with the argument for Catholicism.

I didn’t mean to say only those who are mad at Catholicism would be easy to get to convert. I know a SDA who I can’t imagine converting any time soon. But he is also not open to discussion on religious matters. He tends to hold fast to the particular teachings of his church. He is not exactly irrational. He is more hard headed. I agree people like that aren’t likely to change.

 

[GLam8833]

Being a former Protestant who converted
I USED to think that Catholics are mis-
guided in their interpretation of the bible.
I now know that the OPPOSITE is true!!!

Concerning SDA(Seventh Day Adventist)
I had a supervisor who converted to SDA
from Catholicism and was poisoned in mind
against the Catholic faith. he kept challenging
me about priests being persons with p-nises
and therefore subject to LUST!

 

[jupiter2]

Now that sounds like someone out of the SDA.

To me, a Catholic that converts to Protestantism (especially the SDA, if I may so say) just HASN’T been around the block.

I’m scraping as hard as I can to convert to Catholicism, and I never am going back.

 

[Adamski]

Being a former Protestant who converted
I USED to think that Catholics are mis-
guided in their interpretation of the bible.
I now know that the OPPOSITE is true!!!

Concerning SDA(Seventh Day Adventist)
I had a supervisor who converted to SDA
from Catholicism and was poisoned in mind
against the Catholic faith. he kept challenging
me about priests being persons with p-nises
and therefore subject to LUST!

Regarding lust; ask him what he would do if his wife was sick and couldn’t fool around, it happened to me my wife had two surgeries, the second having her uterus removed because of ruptured ovarian sists that caused continual bleeding. I went 9 months without sex while I was married. My grandfather told me he went over two years, while he was married once without sex because of my grandmothers cancer. Many times Christians are called to live a chasted life within marriage.

 

[TheSeeker2014]

Being a former Protestant who converted
I USED to think that Catholics are mis-
guided in their interpretation of the bible.
I now know that the OPPOSITE is true!!!

Concerning SDA(Seventh Day Adventist)
I had a supervisor who converted to SDA
from Catholicism and was poisoned in mind
against the Catholic faith. he kept challenging
me about priests being persons with p-nises
and therefore subject to LUST!

Well anyone who is human has the potential to LUST but we can fight it and for some the best way is to go Celibate. Is that so bad?

Considering I am technically protestant, I have to say while learning about Catholicism, This person may not have had everything explained to them or was [not] taught properly about Catholicism while they were Catholic before converting.
That is what would make sense to me, being protestant learning, Catholicism just makes sense so far while reading the Catechism and learning and having things explained and not lied about. And I am in Part 2. I cannot understand from their - Catholic- own teaching how it would be ‘wrong’ when their explanations of ‘questionable beliefs and practices’ just make sense.

 

[TheSeeker2014]

Regarding lust; ask him what he would do if his wife was sick and couldn’t fool around, it happened to me my wife had two surgeries, the second having her uterus removed because of ruptured ovarian sists that caused continual bleeding. I went 9 months without sex while I was married. My grandfather told me he went over two years, while he was married once without sex because of my grandmothers cancer. Many times Christians are called to live a chasted life within marriage.

Very true. And there is also such a thing as Lusting while married even if your wife is available, having a female doesn’t just fix things. All sin is a problem from within, not from without/surroundings.