What 'needs' to be believed before finishing RCIA?

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Future_Prodigy

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I’ve often wondered what needs to be believed before one can be part of the catholic community. The RCIA material is so basic that a person coming out of the program barely knows the Christian faith let alone the Catholic one (ive gone through it 2x but dropped out at the end for fear of being in disagreement over core doctrines).
 
If you find yourself in disagreement with the Catholic Church on core issues, then you did the right thing by dropping out. In joining the Church, one needs to agree that it is the Church founded by Christ and has been entrusted with the deposit of faith. If the program does not do a good enough job of teaching basic Catholic doctrine, then it might be a good idea to do some private reading on these issues to make sure you know what the Church’s position is as well as your own.
 
Future_Prodigy said:
I’ve often wondered what needs to be believed before one can be part of the catholic community. The RCIA material is so basic that a person coming out of the program barely knows the Christian faith let alone the Catholic one (ive gone through it 2x but dropped out at the end for fear of being in disagreement over core doctrines).
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  1. Love the Lord God with your whole heart, your whole soul and your entire strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.
  2. Learn what the seven sacraments are and how they are found in scripture, especially learn about the Mass.
  3. Remember #1. 🙂
Jim
 
I often wonder this as well. I have also quit RCIA before to prevent arguing, not because I have any problem with Catholic doctrine but because it wasn’t being taught! Paganism is what was being taught! I refused to enter the Church that way.

I hate that anyone wanting to join to Church has only one option anymore, RCIA. Well, RCIA is often times not a very good program. The last parish I tried RCIA in I was the only student and the teacher was really at a loss of what to teach me because I already know and believe every basic Catholic doctrine there is. I had to quit that for personal reasons, nothing to do with the class or the parish. I believe more in the Church than most Catholics do. So its very hard and frustrating. I just keep believing God has me on this path for a reason. I will enter the Church and finally be with my Lord in His Church in His time, not my own.
 
Part of Easter Vigil is that coming in you will profess:

“I believe and profess all that the Holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.”

As long as you can stand before God and the Church and make this profession of Faith in all honesty, you are good to go 👍
 
All RCIA programs are different. I have done a lot of research on my own and I find reading what ever you can get your hands on is very important and ask questions, if you are not getting the answers let them know so they can help you.

If you disgree with the core teachings though, you will either have to come to terms with the disagreement and find a way to explain them to yourself or find a different faith.
 
I am teaching RCIA at my parish, and my “syllabus” is the (Compendium to the) Catechism of the Catholic Church, liberally supplemented with readings from Scripture that support the truths taught in the Catechism.

Whether or not you use the actual *Catechism *and/or *Compendium *as a textbook, I think it is a good idea to cover the four basic areas treated in the Catechism:


  1. *]Faith — After a couple sessions talking about faith, how we seek God and God seeks us, we then take the articles of the Apostles’ or Nicene Creed one at a time and go into some detail on each. (For example, this week we are up to “born of the Virgin Mary” and will discuss the Church’s Marian teachings.)
    *]Next we will discuss the Mass and the Sacraments.
    *]Then we will discuss the Christian life — morality, conscience, virtues, sin, the Commandments.
    *]Then we will discuss prayer, using the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father) as a model of the various kinds of Christian prayer.

    These four items that form the basic structure of the *Catechism *are known as the four Pillars of the Church: the Creed, the Sacraments, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer.

    One of my main goals is to encourage prayer, especially mental prayer. Each week I give the participants a set of seven brief Scripture readings (one for each day of the week) that relate to the topic we covered in class. I ask them to read and pray with one of the passages each day of the upcoming week, using the lectio divina method.

    I don’t think you can beat the *Catechism *and the Bible as tools to teach and learn our faith.

    Another important point is that we are not limited to a period of less than a year (six or seven months minus holidays in many parishes). If it takes longer than a year, so be it. Our pastor thinks it is better to prepare well than to rush through a September-or-October-to-Easter timetable.
 
Our RCIA team keeps a blog, which includes a recommended bibliography. Also, some (not all) of RCIA discussions are there.

We start with 30 minutes of Bible study each week. That has been really helpful for me. Our schedule is posted there so you can see what is covered.

At the beginning of our class it was explained that moving on to the Rite of Acceptance is based on discernment. Yours and the RCIA leaders. If both feel you’re ready, then you’re ready.
 
Future_Prodigy said:
I’ve often wondered what needs to be believed before one can be part of the catholic community. The RCIA material is so basic that a person coming out of the program barely knows the Christian faith let alone the Catholic one (ive gone through it 2x but dropped out at the end for fear of being in disagreement over core doctrines).
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to be confirmed and make a profession of faith, one must know the articles of the Creed and enough to understand what is being professed. That does not mean a grad school knowledge or understanding, it does not mean knowing all the theological discussion about each article, it means knowing and assenting to those statements in the Creed. Further, one must concede that Jesus Christ established the Catholic Church as the one, true, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, endowed her with authority to preach, teach and sanctify, and sent the Holy Spirit to guide and protect the Church and save her from teaching error.

he must understand the matter, form and efficacious nature of the sacraments he is receiving, and want the graces and effects of those sacraments. He must know enough about Catholic worship to join the community in prayer and participate in the liturgy.

he must here the gospel proclaimed and understand and accept the Jesus is who he claimed to be, and desire closer relationship with Jesus Christ.
if you want to join a thread debating possible reform of RCIA join the ongoing thread. the usual forum for discussing RCIA is the evangelization forum
 
If you have questions about “core” stuff talk with your priest. Sometimes you might need to be more direct in questions you ask. Something like, “I disagree with this issue that the Church teaches. How central is it?”

When issues have to do with:

Life
God
Church

They have the potential to be big. That’s not to say other issues can’t be big also.

The best decision I think would be to a good orthodox priest.

Prayers for your journey,

SC
 
No matter how good or how bad your RCIA program is you will still be a long way from knowing every thing the Catholic Church teaches. To enter the Church really does require a “leap of faith,” a trust that the Church will never teach error and thus would require acceptance and adherence to whatever is officially taught in the future even those items you have never heard of. It is important to know who is teaching and whether they are reliable. For most things the CCC is a reliable document for checking up. One does not have to have it memorized to join the Church. Some of our holiest Saints were very simple people.
 
If you find anything you disagree with in the Cathechism of the Catholic Church, Catholicism is not for you.

Since you have felt the need to drop out twice, Catholicismis not for you. You might try the Lutherns.
 
LeahInancsi said:
If you find anything you disagree with in the Cathechism of the Catholic Church, Catholicism is not for you.

Since you have felt the need to drop out twice, Catholicismis not for you. You might try the Lutherns.
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I don’t agree with this post. Sometimes discernment takes a long time. Sometimes it takes a while to work through difficulties.

In my own faith journey (as a cradle Catholic who as a young adult was strongly influenced by the “world”) I found myself in disagreement with some basic Church teachings. But then I discovered that the “obedience of faith” sometimes precedes understanding. When I made the conscious decision to believe and obey what the Catholic Church teaches because it is the Church Christ founded and promised not to abandon, and then prayed for understanding for those items that did not yet make sense to me, slowly but surely they began to make sense. It took some time and study, but now I am happy to be 100% Catholic, without reservation.

To future prodigy: are there still some core doctrines that trouble you? Maybe we can help. (PM if you prefer.)
 
the answer for a candidate or catechumen who has more question is not to drop out, it is to ask the questions and keep asking until you get answers. for one thing, unless you stay for the length of the time it takes to cover the basics (ideally at least a year, from right after Easter to the following Easter) you don’t know yet what will be covered, and what will be missed. For another thing, you don’t know of outside speakers or other resources will be used to cover what the regular catechist can’t.

For a third thing, you are also there for each other, and asking your question can help another participant. There is no magic number of months or weeks, “it takes as long as it takes” some people will do fine with what can be taught in a year, some people may take years, struggling and study first one issue, then another, resolving problems, doubts and concerns as they arise.
 
I would recommend going to a church where RCIA is taught by a priest, deacon, brother, or sister. Maybe I am prejudiced, but I do not think that the laiety, however prepared, is able to teach Church doctrine, which is what is required, as stated above, to be agreed with to join the Church. I urge you to try a third time with a priest who will surely not rebuff your questions. I say this as an RCIA candidate being taught by her priest. May you know that God accompanies you on your journey home.
 
I just remember ( converted in 1999 when I was 19 years old ), that I had such a desire to be baptised and confirmed into the faith that I had no issues believing everything I was presented. It was only years later as a more mature adult that I came across some questions ( ABC for example, as when I was 19 I was still a virgin and remained so until I met my husband ). I think it is GOOD to have some issues… but it depends on what they are and there is definitely a difference between not believing and renouncing something, or just not understanding/believing something but striving to learn more and praying about it.

Just my :twocents:
 
Future_Prodigy said:
I’ve often wondered what needs to be believed before one can be part of the catholic community. The RCIA material is so basic that a person coming out of the program barely knows the Christian faith let alone the Catholic one (ive gone through it 2x but dropped out at the end for fear of being in disagreement over core doctrines).
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It may be that you need to focus on prayer and discernment, and not doctrine right now. Is God calling you to the Catholic Church? Clearly, you must ask him and pray about it very much. I think it is decided there. It is true that you may realize that you need to be taught more doctrine, so that you know what you are getting in for. If so, your next step is to seek out that instruction. However, you may find out that God is calling you into the Church with the amount of info that you have, and that you need to accept that at this time. Once Catholic, you will learn more every year, and should never stop nourishing your faith. :gopray:
 
PhilotheaZ said:
I don’t agree with this post. Sometimes discernment takes a long time. Sometimes it takes a while to work through difficulties.

In my own faith journey (as a cradle Catholic who as a young adult was strongly influenced by the “world”) I found myself in disagreement with some basic Church teachings. But then I discovered that the “obedience of faith” sometimes precedes understanding. When I made the conscious decision to believe and obey what the Catholic Church teaches because it is the Church Christ founded and promised not to abandon, and then prayed for understanding for those items that did not yet make sense to me, slowly but surely they began to make sense. It took some time and study, but now I am happy to be 100% Catholic, without reservation.

To future prodigy: are there still some core doctrines that trouble you? Maybe we can help. (PM if you prefer.)
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Your perspective is much different than mine. You’re a craddle Catholic and had no choice in choosing your religion. Prior to my joining an RCIA class, I had years and years of discernment behind me. My mother’s family was Catholic and I knew a lot about the religion. Regardless, of a person’s situation, discernment should be done during RCIA. If all doubts are not worked out by the end of RCIA, then that person should not join the Church until all doubts have been resolved. The RCIA process can be repeated as many times as needed. Also, the Catholic church is not a club, you are Catholic for life.
 
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