To my Non-Catholic Christian friends: What if the Holy Spirit is guiding me to the RCC?

[brb3]

Did you finish off the 2nd half of the David Anders / Journey Home story ?

 

[T_More]

that might be one of the most beautiful and honest things I have ever read on CAF! I appreciate your prayers, I certainly do. Thank you!
I think the leap for you, as a JW, to ‘swim the tiber’ as they say around here, was much farther than it was for me. If I may ask, what even started you looking, and why did you start looking to the RCC? I’m just curious. Thanks for your post! Honestly, it warmed my heart and I really believe the RCC is right when she calls herself ‘Home’. There are just a few lingering issues I am trying to sort out.

Thank you for the kind words. Well, it may sound a little crazy, but as you may or may not know, JW’s are very anti-Catholic. My thought process at the very beginning was, if I don’t believe the JW theology anymore, than let’s look at the complete opposite and start from there. History has always been a love of mine, so I wanted to start from as far back as possible. When I came across the terms “Ante Nicene/Early Church Fathers”, I started reading anything I could find (and I still am), particulary Irenaues, Ignatius, Clement and Justin Martyr. I couldn’t believe what I was reading! A book that got me started was Rod Bennett’s “Four Witnesses”, which is fantastic. From there, I just got more and more books and it just confirmed what I started to see, that the faith of the early Church was indeed Catholic. I reasoned that if Matthew 16 is true, and I had no reason to believe that it wasn’t because I had already decided that I believed in everything Christ said, then the Church he founded on Peter could not fail or be led astray. At that point, Protestant religions were never an option. I came across a website that Dr. Jeffrey Schwehm created for ex-JW’s that converted to Catholicism and it helped greatly. I guess you could say that, like Thomas Howard, I am reading my way into the Church.

As for your lingering issues, believe me, I know, I’ve worked my way through most of them them as well and I still am with a few more. You’ll get there as long as you keep seeking answers and pray, pray and pray! I have found that in the beginning, the Church seemed so complicated and I doubted things that seemed unneccessary, but as time has passed, I actually came to see that it actually simplified much of what I didn’t understand of the bible when I was a JW and it now has became so logical and beautiful to me. Don’t worry about what your friends think or say, the HS has a way of helping you when things seem hard and I’m sure that the rewards will be great. It’s a wonderful feeling!

 

[MyRdmrLvs]

So, I spent a VERY long time away from anything related to Christian thinking, spending all my adult life as an atheist and, on my better days, agnostic. My familiarity with the Christian faith growing up was very limited, so I’m kind of looking at this with new eyes.
I pray to the Holy Spirit daily. I read Scripture daily. I really try to let the Holy Spirit guide me. My protestant acquaintances assure me that the RCC is NOT the place for me, but how can that be possible if that’s where Scripture and the Holy Spirit are leading me? The Catholic ideas of purgatory, and honor to Mary and especially the Eucharist all jump out at me from Scripture.
I really want to follow the Lord’s will for me, and the pull to the RCC is overwhelming. How could this be wrong?
I ask this with a charitable spirit and hope to get answers of the same. Thanks in advance for your time!

lets see your asking if you should go from being an athiest to a Catholic? let me think about it YES! Im not Catholic but thats one great leap in the right direction!

 

[elvisman]

Sure would be nice if the link posted the names of these denominations not just pick out a number. Anyone can make a statement and call it fact without documentation.

Ummm . . .all you need to do is acces the World Christian Encyclopedia.
Sounds easy enough.

 

[rwillenborg]

Did you finish off the 2nd half of the David Anders / Journey Home story ?

Indeed I DID!!!
And it was as enlightening as promised!!
I took down some notes on some books he had mentioned and some keywords I need to do some searching on!
Everyone who mentioned him was right. His Journey Home was REALLY impressive!
I also got ot listen to marcus grodi’s 10 bible verses I never saw before, and it’s funny, remember how i said that the bible just screamed catholic at me? Well, it was THOSE very verses (some of them at least) that just lept off the page at me! The whole thing about the disciples not recognzing the risen christ until they broke bread…to me, that ONLY makes sense in light of the Eucharist. Things like that.
Here’s the thing too. It’s not like I can just say ‘This Catholic church is right. I need to be a part of it.’ I really feel very strongly that if I were to meet a ‘me from five years ago’ on the street, and she were to ask me questions, (the kind that I would have asked and do still ask) I need to be able to answer ALL of them. Completely, fully and confidently. I figure, if this is the right path for me, I need to defend it at least as strongly as I defended atheism!
Thanks for the david anders suggestion!

 

[wisdomseeker]

Indeed I DID!!!
And it was as enlightening as promised!!
I took down some notes on some books he had mentioned and some keywords I need to do some searching on!
Everyone who mentioned him was right. His Journey Home was REALLY impressive!
I also got ot listen to marcus grodi’s 10 bible verses I never saw before, and it’s funny, remember how i said that the bible just screamed catholic at me? Well, it was THOSE very verses (some of them at least) that just lept off the page at me! The whole thing about the disciples not recognzing the risen christ until they broke bread…to me, that ONLY makes sense in light of the Eucharist. Things like that.
Here’s the thing too. It’s not like I can just say ‘This Catholic church is right. I need to be a part of it.’ I really feel very strongly that if I were to meet a ‘me from five years ago’ on the street, and she were to ask me questions, (the kind that I would have asked and do still ask) I need to be able to answer ALL of them. Completely, fully and confidently. I figure, if this is the right path for me, I need to defend it at least as strongly as I defended atheism!
Thanks for the david anders suggestion!

Indeed! my friend. Blessed be the Lord.

i remember one time watching father groeschel when he said: Only by the Grace of God one can see the CC. he is right.

**
“To be right in everything, we ought always to hold that the white which I see, is black, if the Hierarchical Church so decides it” St ignatious of Loyola **

 

[rwillenborg]

Indeed! my friend. Blessed be the Lord.

i remember one time watching father groeschel when he said: Only by the Grace of God one can see the CC. he is right.

**
“To be right in everything, we ought always to hold that the white which I see, is black, if the Hierarchical Church so decides it” St ignatious of Loyola **

Amen, amen. i have to say, too, that this whole process I’ve been going through…I think it was Paul who talked about the scales falling off of his eyes. And that’s really how I feel, like scales are falling off. Did you ever see that movie the Matrix? If you haven’t, don’t, it’s awful, I mean, it was painfully awful. Like 8 year old’s violin recital awful. But there was one scene, where keanu Reeves’ character is offered a blue pill and a red pill. If he takes the blue pill, he can keep his normal life. If he takes the red pill, he gets to know the truth. He opts to take the red pill and know the truth. And, right now, I feel like I took the red pill. Often times, when I think of just how heinous a crime abortion is, or when I think of the contempt my atheist friends hold towards all of the churches, or when i think of how very likely it is that I won’t be in heaven, the thought that keeps running through my mind is ‘You should have taken the blue pill’
I don’t know what’s worse, thinking I should have taken the blue pill or thinking of that stupid movie.

 

[wisdomseeker]

Amen, amen. i have to say, too, that this whole process I’ve been going through…I think it was Paul who talked about the scales falling off of his eyes. And that’s really how I feel, like scales are falling off. Did you ever see that movie the Matrix? If you haven’t, don’t, it’s awful, I mean, it was painfully awful. Like 8 year old’s violin recital awful. But there was one scene, where keanu Reeves’ character is offered a blue pill and a red pill. If he takes the blue pill, he can keep his normal life. If he takes the red pill, he gets to know the truth. He opts to take the red pill and know the truth. And, right now, I feel like I took the red pill. Often times, when I think of just how heinous a crime abortion is, or when I think of the contempt my atheist friends hold towards all of the churches, or when i think of how very likely it is that I won’t be in heaven, the thought that keeps running through my mind is ‘You should have taken the blue pill’
I don’t know what’s worse, thinking I should have taken the blue pill or thinking of that stupid movie.

yes, i saw bits and pieces of it. i couldnt take the whole movie. it was realy awfull.

you must have a humble heart. God bless.

 

[brb3]

the bible just screamed catholic at me? Well, it was THOSE very verses (some of them at least) that just lept off the page at me! The whole thing about the disciples not recognzing the risen christ until they broke bread…to me, that ONLY makes sense in light of the Eucharist. Things like that.

Yes. The NT proclaims Catholicism in so many of its teachings. Points up the fact it was written by Catholics.

And, the OT, written by Jews … also amazingly consistently points to the Catholic church. All the key OT prophesy can be clearly seen as describing the Church, not a literal 3rd Jewish Temple with restoration of animal sacrifices.

 

[brb3]

the bible just screamed catholic at me? Well, it was THOSE very verses (some of them at least) that just lept off the page at me! The whole thing about the disciples not recognzing the risen christ until they broke bread…to me, that ONLY makes sense in light of the Eucharist. Things like that.

Yes. The NT proclaims Catholicism in so many of its teachings. Points up the fact it was written by Catholics.

And, the OT, written by Jews … also amazingly consistently points to the Catholic church. All the key OT prophesy can be clearly seen as describing the Church, not a literal 3rd Jewish Temple with restoration of animal sacrifices.

 

[Stryder]

" Although the Catholic Church knows that it has recieved the fullness of the means of salvation, it rejoices when other Christian communities join her in preaching the Gospel. This is the proper context for understanding the Council’s teaching that the Church of Christ “subsists” in the Catholic Church (cf. Lumen Gentium 8; Unitas Redintegratio 4).
The Church, precisely because it is Catholic, is open to dialogue with all other Christians, with the followers of non-Christian religions, and also with all people of good will, as John XXIII and Paul VI frequently said. Lumen Gentium explains convincingly and in depth the meaning of “people of good will.”
The Church wants to preach the Gospel together with all who believe in Christ. It wants to point out to all the path to eternal salvation, the fundamental principles of life in the Spirit and in truth."

Pope John Paul II
Crossing The Threshold of Hope
Page 141 (Chapter : Is Only Rome Right)
Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher, New York 1994

 

[Stryder]

" Although the Catholic Church knows that it has recieved the fullness of the means of salvation, it rejoices when other Christian communities join her in preaching the Gospel. This is the proper context for understanding the Council’s teaching that the Church of Christ “subsists” in the Catholic Church (cf. Lumen Gentium 8; Unitas Redintegratio 4).
The Church, precisely because it is Catholic, is open to dialogue with all other Christians, with the followers of non-Christian religions, and also with all people of good will, as John XXIII and Paul VI frequently said. Lumen Gentium explains convincingly and in depth the meaning of “people of good will.”
The Church wants to preach the Gospel together with all who believe in Christ. It wants to point out to all the path to eternal salvation, the fundamental principles of life in the Spirit and in truth."

Pope John Paul II
Crossing The Threshold of Hope
Page 141 (Chapter : Is Only Rome Right)
Alfred A. Knopf, Publisher, New York 1994