Where should a Protestant begin with learning about Catholicism?

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ElisaMarie

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I apologize if this isn’t in the right category- I’m not quite sure where this discussion belongs, so if it fits better somewhere else- please tell me. 🙂

Long story short, I was raised by my grandfather (Catholic, though not very strict) and my grandmother (Protestant.) Because of this, I have very conflicting views regarding the two. I consider myself to be non-denominational- though I suppose I’m considered protestant, as I attend mainly Baptist and Methodist churches.

I have never seen a good argument as to why Catholics are the only “true” Christians- but as you would imagine, if this is the case, I obviously want to know about it. I want to follow the true path, whatever that may be, because I do truly believe in Jesus and I want to follow Him to the best of my ability.

Is anyone able to point me in the right direction? Where should a Protestant start when it comes to discovering Catholicism? What makes Catholics the “true” Christians? No disrespect, but I’m very conflicted regarding these beliefs- but no matter what, I want to know the truth. So any information at all will be appreciated. Thank you so much!
 
A highly recommended book is called Catholicism for Dummies. No offense intended as there are many topics in the Dummies series.
That book would be a good introduction to the Catholic faith and not difficult to understand.
i don’t know if there are any Catholic bookstores in your community. Before I converted i spent hours in Catholic bookstores browsing and trying to get the feel of what it means to be Catholic.
You can read about the Rosary or get a book on the saints. Your public library might have some books about Catholicism.
Another good book to have is a book with popular or common (favorite) Catholic prayers.
Praying for your journey. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any other questions!
 
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Thank you very much! I’ll be sure to look up that book. 🙂 The Dummies series is awesome.

Unfortunately, there are no Catholic bookstores in my city, that I know of, anyway. My grandfather passed away about 5 years ago, and it was his side of the family that was Catholic. None of my friends are Catholic- all of them are protestant, so I’m really feeling alone in my journey.

I actually have a rosary that my husband bought for me upon me showing interest in Catholicism. I have no idea how to pray with it, though. I’ll have to get on that, haha.

Thank you for your help!
 
You are welcome. You can look online and find information on the Rosary. There are you tube videos. I would google “how to pray the Rosary” that will give the prayers and show you the way to pray it.
My father’s sister and her family were the only practicing Catholics in my family. They lived 4 1/2 hours away and i never thought to ask them questions. They passed away years ago. My friends were all Protestant also. I converted 10 years ago and I know what you mean by feeling alone on your journey.
 
That’s a really good start. Gives a good quick overview.

@ElisaMarie At some point you will probably want to read the Catechism, which pretty well has everything listed out, with references to scripture and the early Church Fathers. Online version http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM

If you are interested in a group inquiry, with others looking for information and/or wanting to join the Catholic Church, there is the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Basically, meeting weekly. Our parish starts the program in the fall, with sacraments of entry to the Church at Easter the following spring. Of course, it can be longer or shorter depending on the needs of the person and parish resources.

This main website has lots of good articles answering many questions you probably have.
 
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That is so wonderful that your husband gave you a rosary. He must love you very much.

If there is a Catholic parish church nearby, I encourage you to go to mass on Sunday. Maybe they have books at the entry or in the pews to help follow the liturgy (service).

When you feel comfortable, you could call the parish office for an appointment to talk to the priest for guidance when you are ready.

Just some suggestions.

God bless you on your journey.
 
Thank you so much! The Catechism looks to be exactly what I need. I’ll begin reading that.

I was actually entirely unaware that there was really a “process” involved in becoming Catholic. Now that I say that, it sounds silly for me to have been unaware. I’ve just been floating around different churches for so long, I was totally ignorant to that fact, haha. I know very little about how the Catholic Church operates- and very little about Catholicism itself, so this will be a great journey, I think.

I actually entirely strayed from believing in God after my grandfather died. I was an atheist for a few years before recently coming to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. My husband is agnostic (I was atheist when we married), but he is extremely supportive and open-minded. I was baptized in a Baptist church not long ago, but I feel like God is really pushing me toward Catholicism. And it would be foolish to ignore Him.

There is a beautiful Catholic church not far from my house- but I’m so nervous about going alone. I’ve never been inside a Catholic church- always Lutheran, Methodist, or Baptist. That sounds silly, I know, but I really want to go- I’m just afraid of being out of place.

Thank you so much for your advice and help!
 
Thanks again! It’s good to know that my feelings aren’t too unusual.

I’ve looked at videos regarding the rosary- it seems like it will take a while to memorize, but I’m willing to give it a go! I don’t want my rosary just collecting dust on my bedside table, haha. 😛
 
ElisaMarie said:
Thanks again! It’s good to know that my feelings aren’t too unusual.

I’ve looked at videos regarding the rosary- it seems like it will take a while to memorize, but I’m willing to give it a go! I don’t want my rosary just collecting dust on my bedside table, haha. 😛
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yes, it will take some time to memorize and feel comfortable saying the prayers and mysteries, but the benefits of praying the Rosary are well worth it. you can always use a booklet or the internet to read from until you have it memorized.
 
Hey, good luck on your inquiry into the Catholic Church. Feel free to ask any question you have. You can even just ask them in this thread if you want.

One book I would recommend is Steve Ray’s Crossing the Tiber. It details his conversion. He was a Protestant pastor who looked into the Catholic Church and eventually converted. Very thorough read and he gives scripture quotations for basically everything Catholics believe. There are a few pages in their that are almost entirely notes. 😉
 
Thank you so much for the suggestion- I love reading, so I will definitely give that book a try!

Actually, I do have a question if anyone wants to give their perspective on it: as I said earlier, I married my husband when I was an atheist, and he remains agnostic. (He believes “there is a God/higher power” but will not go past that idea. He does not “know” whether Jesus is the Son of God, and therefore will not call himself a Christian.) He is extremely supportive of my love for God and even goes out of his way to support it. What would the Catholic perspective be on a Catholic woman being married to a non-Catholic (and even more, non-Christian) man? This is just blatant curiosity on my part. I like to hear these things.

Regardless, thank you all so much for being helpful! 😃
 
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The Catholic Church really has no position on a Catholic (or Christian) spouse being married to a non-Christian or atheist spouse.

The only thing in which it would be a problem is raising kids in the Catholic faith. But if your husband is supportive of that (if that ever is an issue), then you have no problem.
 
Well, that’s good to know! Not planning on having kids any time soon, but this is a discussion we’ve had quite a bit. He knows that I would be obligated to raise our children as Christians and has no issue with it. I hope, someday, God puts it in his heart to seek Him. But for now, I am happy that he’s supportive. Thanks again- I’m looking forward to learning more. 🙂
 
Hi ElisaMarie,

It’s great that you want to learn more about the Catholic faith! May God guide you on your journey. 🙂

We Catholics don’t believe that Catholics are the only “true” Christians. According to Catholic theology, anybody baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity is technically Christian. We also recognize that there are plenty of good Christians who aren’t Catholic but who truly love God and strive to do His will according to the best of their knowledge. To sum it up briefly, we Catholics believe that many religions contain elements of truth, but we believe that only the Catholic Church has the FULLNESS of truth. This is because we believe that it is the true and first Church founded by Jesus Christ Himself and the only Church to have preserved ALL His teachings. We believe that He sent the Holy Spirit to guide the Church and protect the Church from teaching errors on matters of faith and morals.

We view the other Christian groups to have broken away from the one, original, true Church founded by God, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t recognize there is goodness and truth in other branches of Christianity. To understand our reasons for our beliefs, you will indeed have to do some research. I actually have a lot of resources to recommend, but I don’t want to overwhelm you, lol. I will list just a few resources that I think you might find helpful.

An excellent book is Why We’re Catholic by Trent Horn. You can order a copy at whywearecatholic.com

Another good book by Trent Horn is The Case for Catholicism: Answers to Classic and Contemporary Protestant Objections, but I think the first book I mentioned is easier to read. You can order a copy at https://shop.catholic.com

The Protestant’s Dilemma by Devin Rose can also be ordered at shop.catholic.com.

If your husband is interested, I recommend Answering Atheism by Trent Horn; Evidence for God by Trent Horn; The Case for Jesus by Brant Pitre; and Does God Exist? A Socratic Dialogue on the Five Ways of Thomas Aquinas by Matt Fradd and Robert Delfino. The first three of these titles can also be found at shop.catholic.com, but the last one has to be ordered at Does God Exist? A Socratic Dialogue on the Five Ways of Thomas Aquinas | En Route Books and Media

I think Why We’re Catholic by Trent Horn is the first one you should order. There are also lots of good Catholic websites out there, such as catholic.com, catholicscomehome.org, and aboutcatholics.com.

If you have any more questions or would like more resources, you can PM me any time. God bless you! 😀
 
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ElisaMarie said:
I’m just afraid of being out of place.
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Elisa: No one is ever out of place in God’s house. My suggestion in addition to all the good advice you’ve received from the previous posters, is, go to Mass. In conjunction with your reading and questioning, attend a mass, most probably on a Sunday, and listen to all that is said and spoken. You will find that all the Mass comes from Scripture, the Bible, and together with what you will find in the recommended reading material, the Mass will come alive.
The beauty of the Catholic Church is that Jesus is not a historical figure who now lives in a place we cannot access. For us Catholics, Jesus is alive in his church, in his sacraments, and in His very presence in the simplicity of a simple wafer of bread and sip of wine.
Peace, and prayers for your journey.
 
just remember, until you are Catholic, you are not allowed to receive the Eucharist yet, but you are able to receive a blessing.
 
That’s not really fair, and it’s harsh. We share much with our sisters and brothers who also love Christ, more than what divides us. We pray for understanding between us and for future unity.
 
That’s a very unfair and untrue statement. I’ve spent my entire life in Protestant churches, and nearly everyone was on fire and passionate about their relationship with Jesus Christ. They didn’t have the fullness of the truth or all of the Sacraments, and they didn’t have the Real Presence of Jesus in their Communion, but their belief in God and how they dedicated their lives to Him was not fake. I hope in the future you can show a more ecumenical love for our Protestant brothers and sisters.
 
@ElisaMarie I also understand how you feel…I went through this myself the last couple of years. I’m also happy to answer any questions if I can. These boards can be very helpful. I’d also recommend you start digging into good books and listening to EWTN or Relevant Radio or another Catholic radio show.

I’ll copy and paste some of my book recommendations from another thread. Start reading some of the church fathers also…it really helps to know that the Catholic Church is anchored in history…accepting Her authority is the first step. In addition to what I wrote below, I’d add The Fathers Know Best by Jimmy Aiken.
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What would you tell/recommend an ex-Catholic Casual Discussion
The Four Witnesses by Rod Bennet is also excellent. He has an engaging, storyteller writing style that make the Fathers come alive. I also have his The Apostasy That Wasn’t. I also have When the Church Was Young by Marcellino D’Ambrosio on my shelf. I’m not sure what type of books you’re looking for. What about Why Be Catholic? by Patrick Madrid. And I’d HIGHLY recommend his Surprised By Truth Trilogy since you’re debating between Protestantism and Catholicism. Trent Horn has his new one,…
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