Should I take a break from my Catholic awakening?

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Angelina5

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Since leaving the LDS faith this past December, I have experienced an incredibly strong pull towards Catholicism, as I have mentioned on previous posts. That pull is so magnetic that I have spent every minute of my free time listening to Catholic podcasts, readig Catholic books & the Holy Bible, praying the rosary. I don’t read magazines or watch secular programs on television because all I think about is increasing my knowledge about the Holy Roman Catholic Church.*
I have had meaningful experiences with the Rosary & its power.*
I am wondering if I should take a “pause” from my research for a couple of weeks & attend a different church, maybe a Protestant nomination, in order to ensure that the “pull” I am experiencing isn’t a simple imaginary product of my mind & need to belong to a Church.
A part of me feels immense gratitude for the fact that God has scooped me up after my Mormon un-conversion & has led me back to the church of my Savior. But I am also so SCARED that I am deceiving myself again. I was so CERTAIN that the Mormon church was true…for ten years I was utterly convinced that Jesus came to Joseph Smith. And I was wrong.
I’d appreciate any insight :))
Thanks!
 
Perhaps you could get in touch with your priest and arrange a time to have a chat with him about what you have said here and listen to his guidence and how he can help with you feeling more part of the Catholic Church. Perhaps you need some kind of role or something so you can feel as though you really belong? Anyway its worth getting to know your priest a little and give him a chance to get to know you too and have that chat so you can learn how to grow. Between him, you and God, you will be able to work out if this is healthy and hopefully for you it is healthy and that you can convince yourself through support that this is the way to go 🙂
 
I definitely need to talk to a priest about my concerns. I am not really worried about having a sense of belonging to a church community. I really don’t care to socialize at church, I go to mass to commune with Christ & become one with him. I LOVE the eucharist. I am mostly worried about my false sense of truth. For ten years, I believed that I felt the Holy Spirit & I was part of God’s truth. I need to pray more. Thanks!
 
Angela, I don’t think that dabbling in Protestant sects is the answer to your doubts. I don’t know much about Mormonism, but the Church’s teachings are very transparent and available for anyone to study, and Catholics are free to interact with the world at large and read about other ideas nowadays. What I mean is that you’re not in danger of some kind of “programming” by faithfully assisting at Mass every Sunday, so why distance yourself from it?

I have no doubt that the Holy Ghost is leading you in His Church. When I was doubting the Church as a teenager I read debates between Catholic and Protestant apologists and read the Church Fathers. I came to see that not only does Catholic teaching make much more sense than Protestant teachings, but Catholic doctrines can be traced to the Apostles, just as the Church claims.

I suggest you “read around” and stick close to the Mass and your Rosary, rather than “church shopping.”

I’ll say a prayer for you. You’re on the right path!
 
Perhaps now would be a good time to find a “spiritual advisor”. Re-evaluate your prayer life, spend more time in Adoration before the Holy Eucharist, and talk to your priest more often.
 
you dont care for socialising and yes I agree that we go to Eucharist to be with Jesus Christ

but by socialising you will become more - at home in the Catholic Church and Church is also about joint/collective worship, not individual worship per se. 🙂 are meant to get to know each other a little and support one another along the way and I do feel that your journey may be a little easier if you did join in the Church a bit more and be less isolated in worshipping God. But its as you choose there too but I do recommed that you try to look at some group in the Church because they can help you as you help them and learn about whats what etc.

But certainly I am happy you are open to talking with your priest because I do feel he is the one who be able to guide you the best at the moment as he be there to reassure you that its okay etc.
 
Angelina5 said:
I definitely need to talk to a priest about my concerns. I am not really worried about having a sense of belonging to a church community. I really don’t care to socialize at church, I go to mass to commune with Christ & become one with him. I LOVE the eucharist. I am mostly worried about my false sense of truth. For ten years, I believed that I felt the Holy Spirit & I was part of God’s truth. I need to pray more. Thanks!
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Isn’t that a big part of the Mormon conversion experience? They ask that people pray about their message and see what they feel. But the truth is not a feeling. Feelings can lead us astray, the truth never.
 
Angelina5 said:
I am mostly worried about my false sense of truth. For ten years, I believed that I felt the Holy Spirit & I was part of God’s truth. I need to pray more. Thanks!
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As a convert who drug her toes for years when I knew the Catholic Church was the true Church I totally understand where you are coming from. In the last moments when I even had undeniable answered prayers and a sign and had made the decision to become Catholic I was overcome by a panic attack of sorts. It was a wave of doubts that this was all some big satanic trick to get me in bed with the whore of Babylon and I would loose my soul. It was totally irrational. I had to use reason and logic and say “wait a sec” satan could not have given me this sign or would not have led me by using my reading john 6 and realizing that Jesus really meant He was the real presence in the Eucharist.
So I say take a breather but don’t go fishing elsewhere just come before the Lord to listen not to ask or seek but to be completely still and then trust Jesus , not yourself.
This is the scripture that Scot Hahn wrote in my book he signed when I went to hear him talk while I was going through RCIA, Romans 8:28 at the time I did not know it…well I knew the pat part that everyone spouts off but the full version is something like ‘God works all things for good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purposes’ , that scripture then came up 2 more times in quick succession in other things so I knew it was not coincidence. I say this because perhaps your sojourn into the Mormon faith and coming back is so that you can help evangelize other Mormons into coming home- perhaps God allowed you to feel that convinced so that you could completely understand what others are feeling in that church…lead the way. Put yourself totally in God’s hands and keep moving forward in your current direction but ask Him to shut the door if that is not the way you are supposed to go.
Stylites said:
Isn’t that a big part of the Mormon conversion experience? They ask that people pray about their message and see what they feel. But the truth is not a feeling. Feelings can lead us astray, the truth never.
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👍
 
Angelina5 said:
I definitely need to talk to a priest about my concerns. I am not really worried about having a sense of belonging to a church community. I really don’t care to socialize at church, I go to mass to commune with Christ & become one with him. I LOVE the eucharist. I am mostly worried about my false sense of truth. For ten years, I believed that I felt the Holy Spirit & I was part of God’s truth. I need to pray more. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Welcome back. We came BACK from the Dutch Reformed Church in 2005. We were gone for about 7 years. Just from my experience, you will find that sometimes no matter how hard you try, you will find yourself wanting to come back home to the Catholic Church. I think it is great that you want to jump in and learn stuff. I think as Catholics we all should know what the Church teaches and scripture. One thing that stuck with me during my search, was that the Catholic Church does not teach the hate propaganda that a lot of (not all) protestant churches do. I feel the Catholic Church is wonderful about understanding other faiths and not teaching that others are all EVIL just because they are not Catholic. Even though there is only One True way, and its thru Christ, we are still taught to love each other. That is what the Catholic Church teaches and that is what I think Christ would teach. Just a thought from a Midwest girl… :D;):p:thumbsup:
 
Angelina5 said:
Since leaving the LDS faith this past December, I have experienced an incredibly strong pull towards Catholicism, as I have mentioned on previous posts. That pull is so magnetic that I have spent every minute of my free time listening to Catholic podcasts, readig Catholic books & the Holy Bible, praying the rosary. I don’t read magazines or watch secular programs on television because all I think about is increasing my knowledge about the Holy Roman Catholic Church.*
I have had meaningful experiences with the Rosary & its power.*
I am wondering if I should take a “pause” from my research for a couple of weeks & attend a different church, maybe a Protestant nomination, in order to ensure that the “pull” I am experiencing isn’t a simple imaginary product of my mind & need to belong to a Church.
A part of me feels immense gratitude for the fact that God has scooped me up after my Mormon un-conversion & has led me back to the church of my Savior. But I am also so SCARED that I am deceiving myself again. I was so CERTAIN that the Mormon church was true…for ten years I was utterly convinced that Jesus came to Joseph Smith. And I was wrong.
I’d appreciate any insight :))
Thanks!
Click to expand...
After having a very similar experience, I think you might find my advice helpful.

For one thing, it’s important to remember that feelings are often helpful indicators that we should open our eyes, but feelings themselves aren’t necessarily dictators of what’s true or false. For example, you might go to 3 different churches with contradictory and irreconcilable doctrines and have the same “pull” towards all 3 churches, but that doesn’t prove that any are true, in fact it proves that feelings are fallible. Yet this is what the LDS heavily relies on for its conversions of susceptible souls.

With that in mind, we do know what truth is by examining doctrines and reviewing facts. Undoubtedly this is how you came to know that Joseph Smith was not a true prophet after a decade of believing otherwise. This is the same method that can be employed when investigating any religious belief system, including the Catholic Church. Admittedly, the Catholic Church’s doctrines probably take the longest to thoroughly investigate, because it has an extremely rich history and theology. But, I’ve never found a need to investigate it beyond a certain point, mainly because it lasted longer than other “denominations” in my investigations. That is to say, using a rough analogy, even though the Catholic Church has 5,000 yards of material to investigate, all other denominations quickly offer up contradictions and fallacies at only 20 or 30 yards, and other non-Christian religions even sooner, so investigating the Catholic Church up to about 50 or maybe even 100 yards is sufficient for me to believe the remaining 4,900 yards of material is completely correct. I admittedly leave that up to faith, but even to this day I continuously study it just out of sheet interest and have yet to find anything incorrect, and I predict I’ve gone up to about 300 or 400 yards using my rough analogy. So I’m content. And I recommend the same methodology to anyone of any faith or background.
 
I experienced some of the same thoughts and feelings too and after becoming a Catholic Convert all I want to do is study all about Catholism and read the Bible and attend Mass every week. Last fall I tried visiting Seventh Day Adventist (a protestant church) and it didn’t feel right, I was frustrated and unhappy with their teachings. Going to a Catholic church is so much better.
 
sdegutis said:
That is to say, using a rough analogy, even though the Catholic Church has 5,000 yards of material to investigate, all other denominations quickly offer up contradictions and fallacies at only 20 or 30 yards, and other non-Christian religions even sooner, so investigating the Catholic Church up to about 50 or maybe even 100 yards is sufficient for me to believe the remaining 4,900 yards of material is completely correct. I admittedly leave that up to faith, but even to this day I continuously study it just out of sheet interest and have yet to find anything incorrect, and I predict I’ve gone up to about 300 or 400 yards using my rough analogy. So I’m content. And I recommend the same methodology to anyone of any faith or background.
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Fascinating. Thanks for sharing.
 
I love this thread!

You may find that a Protestant church works well for you, but my guess is that you’ve found your one true love - Mass! I took some time away from the Church, and was even going to a Protestant church for awhile. But that pull, for something deeper, more spiritual, more holy - ultimately led me back to the Catholic church. From that first walk into the church, the smell (all Catholic churches have that certain comforting smell!), and feeling my hands along the pew, and the same familiar comforting songs as a child… it was amazing.

I have relatives who are LDS, and just spent some time with them a couple of weeks ago trying to understand their faith. So far, nothing has seemed as deep as Catholicism.

I encourage you to follow your pull towards Catholicism - my guess is that even if you do try to take a break, it will pull you back. When God wants you, He wants you!

I’ve been a Catholic since I was baptized as a baby, and am STILL learning about it. As other people have inferred, it is a lifelong process, but a joyful one.

Good luck!

PS - The Catholicism series by Fr. Robert Barron is helpful to those wanting to learn more about what Catholics believe 🙂
 
Angelina5 said:
Since leaving the LDS faith this past December, I have experienced an incredibly strong pull towards Catholicism, as I have mentioned on previous posts. That pull is so magnetic that I have spent every minute of my free time listening to Catholic podcasts, readig Catholic books & the Holy Bible, praying the rosary. I don’t read magazines or watch secular programs on television because all I think about is increasing my knowledge about the Holy Roman Catholic Church.*
I have had meaningful experiences with the Rosary & its power.*
I am wondering if I should take a “pause” from my research for a couple of weeks & attend a different church, maybe a Protestant nomination, in order to ensure that the “pull” I am experiencing isn’t a simple imaginary product of my mind & need to belong to a Church.
A part of me feels immense gratitude for the fact that God has scooped me up after my Mormon un-conversion & has led me back to the church of my Savior. But I am also so SCARED that I am deceiving myself again. I was so CERTAIN that the Mormon church was true…for ten years I was utterly convinced that Jesus came to Joseph Smith. And I was wrong.
I’d appreciate any insight :))
Thanks!
Click to expand...
Don,t do anything,keep praying,Read more booklets on Saints,or other religious people that have made it to Saint hood. for what you hear in other churchs ,might confuse you. I pray that God, Jesus and Mary will help you.
 
I taught RCIA for many years and heard the same thing from many as they went through RCIA. It very often got worse as Baptism grew nearer. Remember this; there **IS **much spiritual warfare between the Trinity and Satan as he wants to pull u from the Church. He is the master of lies and deceit. He will send doubts and misgivings about the true Church and your desire to enter. Be aware that could be and very likely is what 's happening. He hates us and loves it when we stumble, have doubts and falter. Do not doubt his power and hatred.

Don’t fall into his trap.
 
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