Why become a Catholic?

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As an educated person who has been a Catholic all my life, I have listened to the criticisms of the Church from outside and within, and I find that the Catholic Church is still the only church I find faithful to the gospels, guided as it must be by the Holy Spirit and its traditions.

This website is perhaps not the place you’re going to find will convert you to the Catholic faith (although, theoretically, it should).

I would suggest that you watch The Journey Home program at the EWTN website or listen to encore episodes on EWTN radio, or watch the program live on Monday nights, 8 p.m. Eastern.

There, you will hear stories about conversion, where atheists or Protestants from all denominations have sought the truth faithfully and found the only path to truth to be through the Catholic Church. The Church is nothing without Christ, to be sure; look and you will find him there.

Certainly there are Catholics who leave the Church and say bad things about it, but you ought not to take them just at face value. We’re even having a whopper of a big scandal about priest sex abuse, going right up to the Vatican. Alongside that, there are scandals involving careerism and clericalism and maybe sexism in the Church. All I can say is, come join us and pray for the Lord’s guidance.
 
Neofight said:
With all due respect to your opinion, I think Vatican Ii would disagree with you
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Vatican II certainly does not disagree with this. Quote me something from any of the Vatican II documents that indicate that the status of the Catholic Church as the one true Church created by Christ on Earth has changed.
Neofight said:
and would be interested in what the Holy Father might say…such attitude might be argued as leaning towards a lack of humility ala the Pharisees as depicted in the Gospel.
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So to believe in current Church teaching is to be a Pharisee, because the Church teaches that the Catholic Church is the one true Church. That is a fact. It is also a fact that the other Christian denominations were formed as a result of their schism from the one true Church.

And what makes you think that Pope Francis thinks that the Catholic Church is simply another Christian denomination? He has said nothing of the sort. Nothing has changed between the position of Pope Francis and his predecessor Pope Benedict XVI on this, nothing at all.

The one true Church established by Christ is the catholic Church. That is Church teaching and nothing in the documents of Vatican II changed this teaching, nothing at all. And neither has Pope Francis said anything to suggest this either.

Lumen Gentium 8 - This Church [the Church of Christ] constituted and organized in the world as a society, subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure.

Vatican II clearly states that it is the Catholic Church that is the one true Church, although other elements of sanctification can be found outside of it (i.e. in other Christian denominations).

Is Lumen Gentium a pharisaic document?

There is so much nonsense talked about Vatican II (all the ‘Spirit of Vatican II’ nonsense etc.) that some people make claims about it without even bothering to read the documents that make up Vatican II. The documents of Vatican II are a bunch of pretty conservative documents, but they are often falsely portrayed as being something earth-shatteringly liberal.
 
Amazon said:
I was really expecting a lot more reasons.
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Everyone has a responsibility to discern who God is and how he wishes to be followed. Prayer is especially important at this time. Once one determines this, the person should follow God’s will. I came into the Church, kicking and screaming, because of this and I am so thankful.
 
How Old is Your Church?
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

If you are a Lutheran, your religion was founded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Catholic Church, in the year 1517.

If you belong to the Church of England, your religion was founded by King Henry VIII in the year 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to remarry.

If you are a Presbyterian, your religion was founded by John Knox in Scotland in the year 1560.

If you are a Protestant Episcopalian, your religion was an offshoot of the Church of England founded by Samuel Seabury in the American colonies in the 17th century.

If you are a Congregationalist, your religion was originated by Robert Brown in Holland in 1582.

If you are a Methodist, your religion was launched by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1744.

If you are a Unitarian, Theophilus Lindley founded your church in London in 1774.

If you are a Mormon (Latter Day Saints), Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra, N.Y., in 1829.

If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam in 1608.

If you are of the Dutch Reformed church, you recognize Michaelis Jones as founder, because he originated your religion in New York in 1628.

If you are a member of the Churches of Christ your church began near the beginning of the 19th century in New England. Abner Jones, Barton Stone and Alexander Campbell were some of the most well known originators of your religion.

If you worship with the Salvation Army, your sect began with William Booth in London in 1865.

If you are a Christian Scientist, you look to 1879 as the year in which your religion was born and to Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy as its founder.

If you belong to one of the religious organizations known as “Church of the Nazarene,” “Pentecostal Gospel,” “Holiness Church,” “Pilgrim Holiness Church,” “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded by men within the past century.

If you are Roman Catholic, you know that your religion was founded in the year 33 by Jesus Christ the Son of God, and it is still the same Church.
 
Amazon said:
What’s a good reason to become a Catholic?
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Along with all the above, we have all seven Sacraments, 2,000 years of history. We have come thru many persecutions and still are. And we have kept the TRUE faith all along. The Catholic Church stands strong against ALL evils. IF you believe Jesus Christ, then you have to believe HIM when he said, “The Gates of Hell” will NEVER prevail against HIS Church. Look around and see how so many other denominations have buckled under pressure to accept many evils such as abortion, same sex marriage, artifical birth control. They can’t even agree amongst themselves. The teachings of the Catholic Church are the same as they have been since Jesus founded it. No matter how many so called Catholics go against her teachings, the Church will always remain faithful to her Lord. We can trust the Catholic Church to lead us thru the smog. God Bless, Memaw
 
Neofight said:
With all due respect to your opinion, I think Vatican Ii would disagree with you, and would be interested in what the Holy Father might say…such attitude might be argued as leaning towards a lack of humility ala the Pharisees as depicted in the Gospel.
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With all due respect I disagree with you and I agree with Brendan. The truth is the TRUTH and you can’t change that. God Bless, Memaw
 
  1. Because it is True.
  2. Because it is Good.
  3. Because it is Beautiful.
  4. Because Jesus Christ, the truly good and beautiful one, is present within her in the Eucharist.
  5. Because the Sacraments provide definite direction and strength to endure the hardships of life and have communion with God.
  6. The blessed mother and the saints.
 
Amazon said:
Besides, it’s the Truth, which any religion can say, can you post a real reason?
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You are right, any religion can claim to teach the truth, and most of them do have a lot of truth…The Catholic Church has the fullness of the truth handed down to the Apostles by Jesus himself.
Having said that in the Catholic Church you can truly receive Jesus Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity at each Mass.
 
steymard said:
Amazon,

I see on your profile that you’re new to the Faith - welcome!

I might have sounded a little snippy, please don’t take offense.

It might help us answer you if you let us know if you yourself are looking for reasons to believe, or if you are seeking to answer the questions of a friend, or if you are simply curious. I think the whole tapestry of Catholic doctrine is simply glorious, and I could talk about it for hours. 🙂
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For a Friend.
 
How do these sound?

Real Presence of Jesus Christ/Eucharist
Adoration
An optimistic view of Creation
A “Universal” Vision
We got a Pope
A Holistic Outlook
Personal Growth
Seven Sacraments
Social Transformation
A Communal Spirit
A Rich History
Respect for Human Knowledge and Equality
God’s Love for all persons of good Faith.
Our Heritage points to Christ
Void of Sola Scriptura
the Catholic Church possesses the 7 keys to Heaven
No Salvation outside the Catholic Church
Pro-Life
Confession
Apostolic Succession
No “feel good churches”
The Catholic Church built the West
oh yeah, and Exorcist Priests.
 
Reason (1) Of all the religions of the world, it is only Jesus Christ, Christianity, and His Church, which were foretold by prophets hundreds of years in advance of His coming. (Source)

Reason (2) Jesus only founded one universal Church, and that Church is the Catholic Church.

Reason (3) Jesus is God (the Son, Second Person of the Holy Trinity).

Reason (4) The canon of the first Christian Bible was compiled by the Catholic Church.

Reason (5) Jesus promised that the gates of Hell would not prevail against this Church despite there being what seemed like impossible odds when he said it. And Jesus was right. After 2,000 years of longevity despite constant trials, tribulations, wars against the Church, and even enemies within the Catholic Church is still here and still present throughout the world.
 
Amazon said:
How do these sound?

Real Presence of Jesus Christ/Eucharist
Adoration
An optimistic view of Creation
A “Universal” Vision
We got a Pope
A Holistic Outlook
Personal Growth
Seven Sacraments
Social Transformation
A Communal Spirit
A Rich History
Respect for Human Knowledge and Equality
God’s Love for all persons of good Faith.
Our Heritage points to Christ
Void of Sola Scriptura
the Catholic Church possesses the 7 keys to Heaven
No Salvation outside the Catholic Church
Pro-Life
Confession
Apostolic Succession
No “feel good churches”
The Catholic Church built the West
oh yeah, and Exorcist Priests.
Click to expand...
Ja!
 
I ask myself,……is someone trying to tell me something? Why do all these miracles that are there for everyone to see and experience,………why do they only happen in this one Church? No other church has events like Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, etc. let alone the number of incorrupt Saints and their remains for me to see. So the question of why become Catholic, I have many examples for things I see that are not there in any other church. Am I missing something? 🙂
 
Wildkit said:
I ask myself,……is someone trying to tell me something? Why do all these miracles that are there for everyone to see and experience,………why do they only happen in this one Church? No other church has events like Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, etc. let alone the number of incorrupt Saints and their remains for me to see. So the question of why become Catholic, I have many examples for things I see that are not there in any other church. Am I missing something? 🙂
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👍

A very real presence.

youtube.com/watch?v=vz9L2EYjjsc
 
Amazon said:
How do these sound?

Real Presence of Jesus Christ/Eucharist
Adoration
An optimistic view of Creation
A “Universal” Vision
We got a Pope
A Holistic Outlook
Personal Growth
Seven Sacraments
Social Transformation
A Communal Spirit
A Rich History
Respect for Human Knowledge and Equality
God’s Love for all persons of good Faith.
Our Heritage points to Christ
Void of Sola Scriptura
the Catholic Church possesses the 7 keys to Heaven
No Salvation outside the Catholic Church
Pro-Life
Confession
Apostolic Succession
No “feel good churches”
The Catholic Church built the West
oh yeah, and Exorcist Priests.
Click to expand...
Absolutely!

To that I would add:

the special patronage and care of the Mother of God. 🙂
 
Wildkit said:
I ask myself,……is someone trying to tell me something? Why do all these miracles that are there for everyone to see and experience,………why do they only happen in this one Church? No other church has events like Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, etc. let alone the number of incorrupt Saints and their remains for me to see. So the question of why become Catholic, I have many examples for things I see that are not there in any other church. Am I missing something? 🙂
Click to expand...
In addition, the many Eucharistic miracles thay have occured over the centuries such as in Lanciano, Italy in the 8th century. The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”
 
Wildkit said:
I ask myself,……is someone trying to tell me something? Why do all these miracles that are there for everyone to see and experience,………why do they only happen in this one Church? No other church has events like Fatima, Lourdes, Guadalupe, etc. let alone the number of incorrupt Saints and their remains for me to see. So the question of why become Catholic, I have many examples for things I see that are not there in any other church. Am I missing something? 🙂
Click to expand...
HandyAndy said:
👍

A very real presence.

youtube.com/watch?v=vz9L2EYjjsc
Click to expand...
mexolic said:
In addition, the many Eucharistic miracles thay have occured over the centuries such as in Lanciano, Italy in the 8th century. The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.”
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👍 All the signs point to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

*I will go peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church. For if faith is so important to our salvation, I will seek it where true faith first began, among those who received it from God Himself. *- St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Thank you for reading
Josh
 
sirach2v4 said:
As an educated person who has been a Catholic all my life, I have listened to the criticisms of the Church from outside and within, and I find that the Catholic Church is still the only church I find faithful to the gospels, guided as it must be by the Holy Spirit and its traditions.

This website is perhaps not the place you’re going to find will convert you to the Catholic faith (although, theoretically, it should).

I would suggest that you watch The Journey Home program at the EWTN website or listen to encore episodes on EWTN radio, or watch the program live on Monday nights, 8 p.m. Eastern.

There, you will hear stories about conversion, where atheists or Protestants from all denominations have sought the truth faithfully and found the only path to truth to be through the Catholic Church. The Church is nothing without Christ, to be sure; look and you will find him there.

Certainly there are Catholics who leave the Church and say bad things about it, but you ought not to take them just at face value. We’re even having a whopper of a big scandal about priest sex abuse, going right up to the Vatican. Alongside that, there are scandals involving careerism and clericalism and maybe sexism in the Church. All I can say is, come join us and pray for the Lord’s guidance./QUOTE

Amen and God Bless, Memaw
Click to expand...
 
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