Thinking of converting and have some questions

[facetious5487]

okay - here goes (I feel that I have typed about myself too much in the past couple of days, but have been doing some soul searching):

background --I am 26 now – always grew up in protestant churches – we would go from Lutheran to presbyterian to Baptist/etc. depending on where we lived (my dad was in military so we moved a lot) – I ended up confirmed into the Methodist church at age 12/13-ish. I loved that church,

then we moved again (to the town that I have been in since) – and started going to a southern baptist “mega church” – HATED it (the worship style/largeness of the church) – the prayer style “oh father god, we just pray that you bless us as we…blah blah blah blah blah … hold hands…pray … blah blah blah blah” – not at all like the methodist church I was used to, which was a little more traditional – had hymn books instead of “follow the bouncing ball” on a screen – yuck!

recently, I have been feeling very empty – just not right with god – and have been thinking too about how very liberal some of my views have become (sometimes I think that as an ethnic minority, I subconciously think i “owe it” to other minorities (like gays/etc.), to be “on their side” – does that make sense?

the one belief that lately I have been really turning around in is the abortion belief – ever since I had my own baby, and see the ultrasound, I can’t imagine having an abortion – in the past I have thought to myself “well, people will get abortions no matter what – maybe homemade abortions, and so you might as well make them legal and safe” – I don’t think I agree with that in my heart of hearts though – the idea sickens me.

okay – now for the questions:

1. birth control – I am currently using an IUC – I also have issues with my thyroid that would make having another baby dangerous for the baby’s development/and had pretty bad post partum depression – is this something that would prevent me from converting?
2. RCIA classes – I want to attend them, but I am pretty sure my husband is not interested in converting – is it weird if I start this process on my own? him and I have been attending an Episcopal church (which was a whole new experience for me as well) – and I just attended my first catholic service tonight, which I thought was very similar to the Episcopal service – so, basically – what I was thinking of doing was to attend the RCIA classes – attend catholic mass on saturday nights, and also attend the episcopal services with my husband and our child, so that they aren’t just not attending church at all, and in case I don’t actually end up converting.

I’m sorry so long winded – I just for a long time had an almost negative view of the catholic church, but recently something has been pulling me to it – something that made a lot of sense was how there is only one Roman Catholic “denomination” and it is the orginal church – but there are SO many protestant denominations – it just doesnt seem right.

 

[HCC]

Dear facetious5487,

Hi welcome to the Forums! It sounds like growing up you you moved around a lot and were exposed to lots of different communities and ideas. I sense from what you’ve told us, that you’re really searching for a sense of stability, a sense of community and a place within that community. You certainly have a lot on your plate right now, with a husband, a baby and are in the midst of reexamining your moral and ethical beliefs.

Becoming a baptized Catholic, a member of the Mystical Body of Christ, requires a level of stability, deep inner belief and serious commitment. Some of those requirements may not be things, for whatever reason, that you’ve had in the past.

When I hear someone say, I have an emptiness in my life right now and then, I’m using an IUD for x,y,z. My husband and I have a new baby and he isn’t ready for this, but I am and I’d like to start RCIA and go to the Episcopal Church on Sundays, I’m not quite sure how deep that commitment level is. Trust me, it isn’t that we, as a Church, don’t want you, WE CERTAINLY, MOST ASSUREDLY DO! But, it sounds like you really need to take some time out and in some quiet moments each day, do some reading about the Church, do some serious soul searching and spend a lot of time in prayer.

Perhaps RCIA would be the right venue to help you sort out where you have been and where you can see yourself seriously going-and making and maintaining your commitment.

In the meantime, I personally will keep you in my prayers and always feel free to ask questions and come here for support.

+God’s blessings to you

 

[facetious5487]

Yes - I will start going to RCIA myself to learn more. sorry if my post seemed like I don’t have any commitment/etc. – I’m just trying to figure out what to do.

this is very recent - and I have had no experience with the catholic church – so perhaps my level of “commitment” is not on par with what you have experienced in your life.

 

[Crumpy]

I can’t give you any specific tips about becoming a Catholic.

There’s a program on a Catholic TV cable network called EWTN, the Eternal Word Television Network.

It has helped a lot of people make up their minds about the Catholic Church.

There’s on program in particular called The Journey Home. Every Monday night and then in re-runs, there’s a person or a married couple who relate their journey of conversion to the Catholic Church.

Some converts spend a long time doing a scripture study and going through a lot of issue that are important to them, about Catholic beliefs. Then, there are some who never were very rooted in their Christian denomination and they seem to have drifted in, attracted by one thing or another.

Similarly, there are Catholics who leave under similar circumstances, just drift away or they fall under the sway of Protestant preachers who emphasize or maybe exaggerate that the Catholic Church is not Biblical. You will find a lot of lukewarm Catholics who give up studying their faith and might not be a good resource to help you decide.

I feel that the Catholic Church is very Biblical in origin and in orientation. But, we believe that sacred Tradition is very important and guides us in interpreting the Bible. That interpretation, of course, is what distinguishes all Christian Churches. They all hold that they are the true source of Bible interpretation.

Protestants would strongly disagree, but we believe that we are the modern version of the Church of Jesus Christ described in the Bible. We are not perfect in several respects. There have been and are scandals in the Church, but so were there scandals in the early Church, documented in the Bible. But, we believe and the record seems intact that the true Church has never taught incorrectly, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

RCIA might be good for you, but don’t be afraid of talking to Catholic priests about your questions. Catholic teaching is that every person is morally bound to follow their conscience – but an informed conscience, to be sure. So, that’s where you are, I suspect, trying to do the right thing. And, getting more information seems to be the right thing for you right now.

That Catholic cable TV station has a website, www.ewtn.com, which has a lot of resources including streaming video, which you can use for free.

God bless you and may the Holy Spirit guide you to eternal life.

 

[rosary_kat]

Baby steps… seek out a local parish priest and have a heart to heart with him. That is your best path at this point. Ppl on this or any other forum can give you their opinions, pointers, tips, etc., but it is the parish priest who can really answer YOUR questions. Don’t be afraid to ‘shop around’ until you find a priest you can really relate to. Believe me, he wants you to be as comfortable with and as committed to your decision as you want to be and he’ll be able to guide you through the minefield of “what ifs”.

And, oh yeah… pray, Pray, PRAY! We’ll be praying for you as well!

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

Yes - I will start going to RCIA myself to learn more. sorry if my post seemed like I don’t have any commitment/etc. – I’m just trying to figure out what to do.

this is very recent - and I have had no experience with the catholic church – so perhaps my level of “commitment” is not on par with what you have experienced in your life.

The first weeks of RCIA are inquiry. I think this would be helpful for you. I myself am starting in the fall.

I can relate as far as spending the last 20 years in Protestant churches.

 

[KarenElissa]

1. birth control – I am currently using an IUC – I also have issues with my thyroid that would make having another baby dangerous for the baby’s development/and had pretty bad post partum depression – is this something that would prevent me from converting?

The Church generally doesn’t allow artificial birth control. You can use natural family planning to prevent having children and as I understand, it is quite effective. I would also suggest talking to a priest at some point. Sorry, I’m not a whole lot of help here, I’m single so haven’t had much need to think about this topic.

1. RCIA classes – I want to attend them, but I am pretty sure my husband is not interested in converting – is it weird if I start this process on my own? him and I have been attending an Episcopal church (which was a whole new experience for me as well) – and I just attended my first catholic service tonight, which I thought was very similar to the Episcopal service – so, basically – what I was thinking of doing was to attend the RCIA classes – attend catholic mass on saturday nights, and also attend the episcopal services with my husband and our child, so that they aren’t just not attending church at all, and in case I don’t actually end up converting.

No, it isn’t weird that you are doing this on your own, many people do. As for attending both churches, especially while you are sorting all of this out, no, that won’t be a problem. At some point as you figure out exactly what you want to do, you will have to have a talk with your husband, things like how you will raise your child will become an issue. But I’m in the don’t borrow trouble camp, wait and see how things go as you sort things out.

 

[facetious5487]

Yes - I have been watching EWTN all day today actually - ha!

I did watch the “journey home” program and enjoyed it.

I am so excited to learn more about the catholic church!!!

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

1. birth control – I am currently using an IUC – I also have issues with my thyroid that would make having another baby dangerous for the baby’s development/and had pretty bad post partum depression – is this something that would prevent me from converting?
2. RCIA classes – I want to attend them, but I am pretty sure my husband is not interested in converting – is it weird if I start this process on my own? him and I have been attending an Episcopal church (which was a whole new experience for me as well) – and I just attended my first catholic service tonight, which I thought was very similar to the Episcopal service – so, basically – what I was thinking of doing was to attend the RCIA classes – attend catholic mass on saturday nights, and also attend the episcopal services with my husband and our child, so that they aren’t just not attending church at all, and in case I don’t actually end up converting.

You would probably do well to ask your question in the Evangelization forum. That’s where RCIA is discussed.

As for your specific questions…

You’re probably already aware of the Church’s thoughts on contraception or you wouldn’t be asking. This will be one of the many topics discussed in RCIA and you’ll have a chance to learn why the Church teaches what she does. Approach it with an open mind and heart and see what you think. Hopefully it will begin to make more sense.

Your husband doesn’t need to become Catholic with you. It would be nice if the two of you did it together and could support each other along the way, but that’s not a requirement. Who knows, you may be an influence on him so that he would want to at least explore the possibility of becoming Catholic later.

 

[Pat_De]

okay - here goes (I feel that I have typed about myself too much in the past couple of days, but have been doing some soul searching):

background --I am 26 now – always grew up in protestant churches – we would go from Lutheran to presbyterian to Baptist/etc. depending on where we lived (my dad was in military so we moved a lot) – I ended up confirmed into the Methodist church at age 12/13-ish. I loved that church,

then we moved again (to the town that I have been in since) – and started going to a southern baptist “mega church” – HATED it (the worship style/largeness of the church) – the prayer style “oh father god, we just pray that you bless us as we…blah blah blah blah blah … hold hands…pray … blah blah blah blah” – not at all like the methodist church I was used to, which was a little more traditional – had hymn books instead of “follow the bouncing ball” on a screen – yuck!

recently, I have been feeling very empty – just not right with god – and have been thinking too about how very liberal some of my views have become (sometimes I think that as an ethnic minority, I subconciously think i “owe it” to other minorities (like gays/etc.), to be “on their side” – does that make sense?

the one belief that lately I have been really turning around in is the abortion belief – ever since I had my own baby, and see the ultrasound, I can’t imagine having an abortion – in the past I have thought to myself “well, people will get abortions no matter what – maybe homemade abortions, and so you might as well make them legal and safe” – I don’t think I agree with that in my heart of hearts though – the idea sickens me.

okay – now for the questions:

1. birth control – I am currently using an IUC – I also have issues with my thyroid that would make having another baby dangerous for the baby’s development/and had pretty bad post partum depression – is this something that would prevent me from converting?
2. RCIA classes – I want to attend them, but I am pretty sure my husband is not interested in converting – is it weird if I start this process on my own? him and I have been attending an Episcopal church (which was a whole new experience for me as well) – and I just attended my first catholic service tonight, which I thought was very similar to the Episcopal service – so, basically – what I was thinking of doing was to attend the RCIA classes – attend catholic mass on saturday nights, and also attend the episcopal services with my husband and our child, so that they aren’t just not attending church at all, and in case I don’t actually end up converting.

I’m sorry so long winded – I just for a long time had an almost negative view of the catholic church, but recently something has been pulling me to it – something that made a lot of sense was how there is only one Roman Catholic “denomination” and it is the orginal church – but there are SO many protestant denominations – it just doesnt seem right.

Regeneration appears to be the core problem; not religion. Eastern Orthodox make the same claims as the Catholic church; so who is right? Are either right? The answers are found in Scripture. Acts 17:11 Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of the mind, examining the Scriptures daily, whether these things were so.

In your search my advice would be to listen to the Catholic folks here; they are the more devout and test what they say or teach in light of Scripture. If what they say is true, then hold fast to it and if what they say is not true, then reject it. That is true of what anyone, including myself, would say. It is your responsibility before God to make sure you are able to discern His truth.

---

James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.***

Now keep in mind the “you” here are Christians; who lives are radically changed by the new birth, which is regeneration.

Here is an easy tool to use online to search the Bible.Scriptures

May God bless you as you seek after Him; may you find the treasure that is Jesus Christ.