Which church is the right church?

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Whitney

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I am on a journey trying to find my place in Jesus’s church. My background is I was raised by two atheists hippies. I was evangelized by evangelicals in my 20s. I was invited to a church in the Vineyard USA/ Bethel vein. I was fine with that for many years until a wonky SOZO, practicing/fine tuning hearing God’s voice by guessing people’s favorite season through the Holy Spirit, and witnessing a “pulling someone’s leg out” “miracle” made me question what exactly I was devoting myself to. Needless to say I wanted to see what other expressions of Christianity are out there. I started simultaneously attending Lutheran (LCMS) and Episcopal and orthodox services. I loved the high church Episcopal service, and enjoyed the Lutherans as well. But I soon realized the LCMS is pretty far from what Luther actually believed (he believed in the purpetual virginity), plus I can’t get behind the young earth creationism. Also when you’re confirmed you vow to face death rather that fall away from the LCMS confession. So I began to pour over orthodox theology at this point assuming it must be “the” church. I listened to every “Our Life in Christ” doctrine podcast, and met some orthodox converts who sent me the tapes to the catechumen class at my local orthodox parish.
I will admit that I was very prejudiced against the Catholic Church. I was told to be in my evangelical churches, (and also looking back in all my history classes!) plus I live in a liberal college town in an otherwise red state, and almost all the Catholics I know are very liberal doctrinally. They all accept gay marriage, contraception and abortion.
Once I really got to the meat of orthodox doctrine I realized it is 95% the same as catholic doctrine. I knew lots of evangelicals who were very interested in becoming orthodox, and my local orthodox parish is filled with converts. Which I find odd because I don’t know any evangelicals who are interested in Catholicism and they are very similar. I am currently attending mass and Divine Liturgy most weekends. I must say I LOVE the Catholic Church, I think the services are beautiful! I have been listening to every catholic answers, Bishop Barron and Ascension presents talk I can find. I’ve read Catholicism by Barron and I just got the catechism today. I also listen to every comparison I can find of orthodoxy and Catholicism by both sides. They both have a point. They both sound right. I can’t really decide either way. The only thing that can dwell on that will sway me one way or the other is that my 4 year old does think the Divine Liturgy is actual kid torture and nearly cries when she sees the sanctuary. However the parts of Catholicism that give me pause (the various Our Lady apparitions, saints levitating, the possibility that I could become catholic then have a crisis of faith when a future pope says atheists can go to heaven through good works etc) those things aren’t a part of the orthodox tradition. I don’t want to choose my beliefs by a feeling in the bosom like the Mormons. Nor do I want to lean on my own weak understanding/reason. I have no family ties to a church. So how am I to choose which church?
 
Your just a step away to being Catholic…your being drawn to it…to The One True Church that our Lord founded when He gave the key of the Heavenly and Earthly Kingdom. Here is a link that’ll give you a better understanding on The Churches history , founding and traditional teachings and practices. https://stpaulcenter.com
 
Whitney said:
…Nor do I want to lean on my own weak understanding/reason. I have no family ties to a church. So how am I to choose which church?
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You were baptized in 2014, and that is just the first step of Christian initiation. Have you received Confirmation or Chrysmation, first Penance and the Holy Eucharist? It is imperative to pray to the Most Holy Trinity for it is by grace that you will be guided: faith is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
 
Whitney said:
I can find of orthodoxy and Catholicism by both sides. They both have a point. They both sound right. I can’t really decide either way.
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They both are right, at least from the Catholic perspective of the sacraments which our loving father gives us as periodical embraces.

We are all 4 year olds (not in the sense of the Divine Liturgy being actual kid torture because it is not) but in the sense we all need/desire these fatherly embraces even when we THINK, as a 4 year old might, it is torture and it is up to us as parents/community to ease those fears.

I pray your fears are eased and you find His loving embrace soon in the sacraments provided in His church.

Peace!!!
 
No I haven’t been received into any church that practices those things yet. I have taken communion in nondenominational churches and the Episcopal Church only. I would love to have my daughter baptized but I don’t think I can do that either until we are ready to be committed to a church.
 
adf417 said:
We are all 4 year olds (not in the sense of the Divine Liturgy being actual kid torture because it is not) but in the sense we all need/desire these fatherly embraces even when we THINK, as a 4 year old might, it is torture and it is up to us as parents/community to ease those fears.
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Yes I am trying to help her with that! It’s probably my fault actually because the Orthodox Church is only about 30-40 people including children and I am trying to keep her quite because there are concrete floors and noise is noticeable. Whereas the Catholic Churches have 100-300 people at every mass and the pews etc dampens the noise so I am not as strict with her and she enjoys them more.
 
I will recommend a few things. There is this girl on YouTube who is a convert from Protestantism to Catholicism and had a difficult time choosing between being Orthodox or Catholic. She says the book Upon this Rock by Steve Ray helped her decide. The only real difference between the two is the papacy. The book provides good historical information for the reason of the papacy.

Here is her story:


Also, if there is a Latin mass in your area I suggest attending. Its very beautiful and will give you a glimpse into the sheer mystery of the Eucharist.
 
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Don’t let me put words into your mouth, but I am guessing that when you say “Catholic church” you are referring to the Roman rite thereof. There are Catholic churches - fully in communion with the Roman pontiff - that have Divine Liturgies similar to the Eastern Orthodox. If your four year old finds the Orthodox liturgies tortuous, these will be equally so.
 
I noticed you said that you attended a high church Episcopal Church? Have you looked into the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, established in 2012 by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith precisely for converts from the Anglican Communion? Many of the priests and faithful of the Ordinariate, as well as other former Protestants, will tell you that they converted to the Catholic Church chiefly because of the notion of authority - who had the authority to teach what was to be believed.

On the note of authority, you might want to look into Scott Hahn’s “Reasons to Believe”. Dr. Hahn is a former Presbyterian minister.
 
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Whitney said:
However the parts of Catholicism that give me pause (the various Our Lady apparitions, saints levitating)
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None of these things are part of Catholic Doctrine.
Whitney said:
However the parts of Catholicism that give me pause ( the possibility that I could become catholic then have a crisis of faith when a future pope says atheists can go to heaven through good works etc)
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Nothing can prevent you from having a “future crisis of faith”. We all must act on our conscience in the present, and trust that God will guide us into all Truth along The Way.

Popes have personal opinions, and we are not required to accept all that they say as articles of faith.

a Pope who would say that atheists could go to heaven by doing good works would be saying something contrary to Catholic faith.

No one is saved outside of Christ, as there is no other name under heaven by which we may be saved. Everyone from Adam and Eve to the present is saved only by grace, through faith. No one is saved by good works.
 
guanophore said:
Nothing can prevent you from having a “future crisis of faith”. We all must act on our conscience in the present, and trust that God will guide us into all Truth along The Way.
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I think that is great advice, thank you! It’s taking me some time to decompress the indoctrination against the papacy, like from reading the Left Behind series in high school :roll_eyes:.
 
angelic06 said:
On the note of authority, you might want to look into Scott Hahn’s “Reasons to Believe”. Dr. Hahn is a former Presbyterian minister.
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Oh great! I think I’ve heard of this book on Catholics Answers I’ll have to try to get my hands on it.
 
misstherese said:
She says the book Upon this Rock by Steve Ray helped her decide.
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Thanks, I have seen and enjoyed her videos! She didn’t go into much detail about why she chose Catholicism but I’ll have to look up that book, thanks!
 
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