Why Did You Revert Back to Catholicism?

[MaryLouItalia]

Q: What were some of the things that led you back to the Catholic Church?
R: Above all the ‘schism’ in the pentecostal church I attended until last year. In the maintime I attended a carismatic catholic group. The last cult where I’ve been (Apr. 2012), helped me to make the final decision thanks to another anti-catholic comment by a lapsed catholic and the reading of Eph. 2:20-22.
I wanna be completely honest: in my ‘protestant’ journey, I’ve always had the sensation that there was something missing. I’ve had problems till the beginning of my journey, I left the church (Italian Assemblies of God) 2 times and joined the 1st time an evangelical charismatic church, occasionally I attended another Assemblies of God far away from my home, occasionally I attended a non-denominational pentecostal church with a wonderful pastor, attended a catholic charismatic group (plus mass in my parish) but my anti-catholicism was stronger and in the end I was so desperate that I started to study other religions (Islam, Wicca, Mormonism, Jw). The 2nd time I’ve left the Assemblies of God, I attended a pentecostal church (till September 2011) that sadly have a strong feelings for Benny Hinn & co, also if in in my heart I was a reformed baptist but not-cessationist* . Now this church is divided also thanks to a new doctrine called ‘new grace’. Honestly, I don’t know what teach this new doctrine, but it helps me to understand that SOLA SCRIPTURA divide.
Also the church fathers helped me. In my exprerience, if you’re a REALLY calvinist\reformed you must know church fathers and early creeds…

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Q: Were they things that were good in the Catholic Church that caused you to go or things that were bad in the church to which you had gone when leaving the Catholic church?
R: My (deep) ignorance about the real teachings of our Church.

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Q: Were there things that you still disliked about the Catholic Church when you reverted back? Have they been resolved since?
R: Doctrinal: yes, there are some things that I must clarifly like Mary Assumption and other minor things. I’m learning, and I really love it.

p.s.: where I live there aren’t reformed baptist church, the nearest one is about 75 miles away…

 

[ChrissyB364]

I wouldn’t exactly categorize myself as a ‘revert’ as I never joined a Protestant church. However my wife is Baptist and for a time and for the sake of my marriage, ‘tried out’ various Churches to see if I could feel like ‘home’ in any of them.
I never stopped considering myself a Catholic…but did stop going to Catholic Mass.

If that makes sense?

So here it goes…

The Eucharist, Apolostic succession, and Unity - those 3 things are something that no other Church or Ecumenical community has that the Catholic church does. Throw in the fact that it teaches the same doctrines/dogmas that it did from the beginning and how these are the same central dogmas that the first Christians believed (those who were taught by the apostles) and the decision was a no brainer for me.

I simply could not find the same truths professed by any other Church. So I felt DRAWN, nay… COMPELLED to stop delluding myself, even for the sake of my marriage and return home to Christ’s church.

A KEY part of my return was actually spending sometime on the Yahoo Answer’s forum which is VERY anti-theistic, immature, and caustic. But in that environment, I learned alot about my faith because it was constantly challenged. From “Catholics create Nazism to kill Jews” to “Belief in God is the source of all human suffering, war, violence, ignorance, suppression, and everything evil in the world” to the mundane like “The Vatican is so wealthy it could solve all the world’s problems if it just sold everything”

So I looked at any misunderstanding as an opportunity to dive into a topic and learn more. What I found was that many people misunderstand what the Church teaches.
My favorite quote is often times attributed to the late Bishop Fulton Sheen:
“People don’t dislike what the Catholic Church teaches as much as they dislike what they THINK the Catholic Church teaches”

If I fault the recent Catholic faith with anything… it would be NOT doing enough to better Catechize (teach) its youth, particularly in Apologetics (defense of the faith using reason) and/or trying to be TOO secular, in the case of our Catholic Colleges and Universities. The way to keep Catholicism strong is NOT to water it down or compromise in the face of growing secularization, but to be steadfast and uncompromising in our Catholicism. To be COUNTER-Cultural in a culture which so readily embraces relativism.

Sounds like we were/are in very similar situations. I’m curious, how has your wife dealt with your return to Catholicism?

 

[Heavy_Cross]

I reverted for the simplest of reasons. I was very lonely not having God in my life. I felt terribly for many years, feeling I had abandoned my best friend.

 

[Church_Militant]

I was raised Catholic but drifted away from the Church after my mother died when I was 18. I married outside the Church (my husband is Protestant, raised Baptist). In the last year or so we started looking for a church to attend together, tried Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian…but the more I prayed about it and really started doing some reading I knew I belonged to the Catholic Church. Living in the south I knew I would need to defend my decision to friends and family and the only acceptable way was through Scripture. Once I started reading the Bible I felt like the New Testament was a reflection of Catholicism. It was interesting reading the Bible as a whole rather than being frightened of single verses slung at me to discount my beliefs. If you’re interested in reading about conversion (and reversion) stories that have a scriptural basis** I would check out Surprised By Truth by Patrick Madrid.**

An excellent choice!

 

[Seeker1961]

I reverted when the non-denominational church I was attending started studying the Gospel of John. As soon as we began reading Chapter 1, my mind went right back to the Church. By the time we got to “I am the Bread of Life” I knew I could no longer live without the Eucharist. I went to the Basilica on Orlando the following day, made my confession and went back to the True Church.

 

[Church_Militant]

I reverted when the non-denominational church I was attending started studying the Gospel of John. As soon as we began reading Chapter 1, my mind went right back to the Church. By the time we got to “I am the Bread of Life” I knew I could no longer live without the Eucharist. I went to the Basilica on Orlando the following day, made my confession and went back to the True Church.

Some years ago I was having breakfast after weekday Mass in our parish hall with a dear and now departed saint of a man who had been the pastor of the local Presbyterian church before his conversion and I asked him what made him decide to convert.

It brought tears to my eyes when he looked at me and said, “Michael, I had to have the body and blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” Some truths are just that powerful.

 

[wondrousgnat]

As I stated in an earlier post there were many reasons. Another is that many Protestants knew where the Catholic church stood on abortion, ordination of women and gays, divorce and remarriage, etc. But they didn’t know where their own church stood. Sometimes they had a vague idea but were not sure. If you wanted to look up what the Catholic church teaches you can go to the store and get a 1,000 book on Vatican II or an 800 page Catechism. The Protestant denominations had booklets or pamphlets. Or some had absolutely nothing making it clear as to what they believe. I didn’t even know whether my denomination was for or against abortion and that was in the 70s when it was very controversial.

Another thing. Churches used to frown upon divorce and remarriage. An until 1930 no church approved of contraception.Now everything is acceptable and abortion, if not approved, is not condemned. All these churches claim to be bible believing so so do they believe in the bible then and not now? When did God change His mind on things like those?

 

[SonCatcher]

I reverted when the non-denominational church I was attending started studying the Gospel of John. As soon as we began reading Chapter 1, my mind went right back to the Church. By the time we got to “I am the Bread of Life” I knew I could no longer live without the Eucharist. I went to the Basilica on Orlando the following day, made my confession and went back to the True Church.

OP - there’s a soundly scriptural story for you.

Also, it occurred to me that I didn’t explain the scriptural component of my own story that well. My research at Catholic Convert actually involved quite a bit of scripture study. (I never went to their forums - just read Steve’s writings) The explanation I received on the Primacy of Peter was a walk through Acts.

 

[kkollwitz]

This is easy: God intervened directly and personally in my life when he gave me my wife.

 

[Boulder257]

Hello there…

I just had a question for all of the reverts who were born into a Catholic family, left to go to another denomination (became a “born again” christian), and then reverted back to Catholicism at a later time.

1. What were some of the things that led you back to the Catholic Church? Were they things that were good in the Catholic Church that caused you to go or things that were bad in the church to which you had gone when leaving the Catholic church?

I had “grown up” in the Catholic Church but was very poorly catechized. I was scandalised by many Catholics as well which led me to a dislike of the religion. I referred to myself as a “recovering” Catholic and started attending non denomination Churches. I found they were so much more inviting. It wasn’t until I met a family here in SC that I really respected and then found out they were Catholic. They were nothing at all like the families I had grown up with. I decided I needed to re-examine what I thought since it was founded on personal experience and not fact. When I got the facts it was pretty obvious this was the Church. I came back, went to confession, had my marriage convalidated, my wife converted, my kids are being raised in the Faith, and I couldn’t be happier. I am a little disgusted by my younger self who allowed others to push me away from the Faith. It was immature of me. But, I am glad I am home now.

1. Were there things that you still disliked about the Catholic Church when you reverted back? Have they been resolved since?

The same things that pushed me away are still there and I still dislike them. I typically refer to Ghandi’s quote when he said, “I like your Christ, but I don’t like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Chirst.” However, instead of allowing these people to affect my spirituality in a negative way I now pray for them, forgive them, and try to learn from them. Yes, even they have something to teach me. I keep my mouth shut alot more than I used to…amazingly enough I learn more now, lol.

 

[Midwest88]

Fighting an addiction … most conservatives wanted me to be accountable; most liberals encouraged the addiction because I was “living” and “not hurting anyone.” Something in me slowly guided me back to my Catholic upbringing - I discovered a base, a grounding - although I never really disowned it - I thought of myself as liberal Catholic, an oxymoron in itself.

 

[Church_Militant]

Hello there…

I just had a question for all of the reverts who were born into a Catholic family, left to go to another denomination (became a “born again” christian), and then reverted back to Catholicism at a later time.

1. What were some of the things that led you back to the Catholic Church? Were they things that were good in the Catholic Church that caused you to go or things that were bad in the church to which you had gone when leaving the Catholic church?

Here, read My Testimony .

1. Were there things that you still disliked about the Catholic Church when you reverted back? Have they been resolved since?

Not really. As I grew in knowledge I began to see them more clearly and they made sense.

I am interested in hearing your answers.

Just an FYI, I was born Catholic and am now in a Baptist Church

You too need to come home. I was so wrong and I always missed the Real Presence in the Eucharist, and that is one thing that no n-C community can offer. Baptists often talk about “being fed” in their communities, but according to the Word of God and the writings of the early church, they really are not feeding His lambs and sheep. Check out my blog post called The Eucharist IS Scriptural.

 

[Sarcelle]

I was baptized a Catholic but was raised essentially as an atheist. My parents, especially my father were committed atheists.

I went to university to study physics and encountered a lot of scientists who were devout Christians. I used to think Christians were intellectually challenged. I was wrong. At first I spent time as an Evangelical.

I harbored a lot of misconceptions on the Catholic Church but I was challenged by a Southern Baptist minister to find out for myself if these ideas I held about the Catholic church was true. I did and I discovered that I was mistaken all this time. I still did not darken the door of a Catholic church until I learned more about the Eucharist. This was what finally brought me back.

 

[Lion_of_Narnia]

Oh, dear…this is going to be a bit of a long one
I’ll compose this elsewhere and then paste it later

 

[Midwest88]

Oh, dear…this is going to be a bit of a long one
I’ll compose this elsewhere and then paste it later

I’m looking forward to your story!

 

[Nan_S]

1. What were some of the things that led you back to the Catholic Church?

I drifted away because I had little knowledge of any church other than Catholic, but it was very important for me to know that I had the real truth. I was afraid of being blinded by childhood bias and losing my salvation because of clinging to half-truths.

I was in the military, so I moved every few years and experienced a variety of denominations and churches in different cities and states. I realized that it was important to have consistency in teachings and belief wherever I was posted. Nothing is more confusing when raising kids to tell them, “We used to believe that when we lived in Arizona. Now that we’re in Maine our new pastor says differently. But if we go back to Arizona, we’ll change our minds again.”

I’ve traveled all over the world, and it is comforting to know that the Mass, the scriptures, and the teachings are consistent every Sunday in every country and language.

The Lutherans were somewhat appealing, until I learned that Martin Luther tried to throw out significant parts of the New Testament because he didn’t agree with it. I didn’t like being taught that Luther believed we could never be completely cleaned of sin, that we were covered by the white cloak of Christ but under that cloak we remained filthy lumps of coal. That’s in direct contradiction of Revelation (which Luther tried to toss out) where we are told that nothing impure can enter heaven.

The Episcopals were somewhat appealing, until certain parts of that church ordained as priests actively practicing homosexuals. The last straw was when one of these was elevated to bishop, and the rest of the Episcopals could do nothing about it except join the Roman Catholic church.

Assemblies of God was slightly appealing, until I learned they emphasized particular scripture passages while conspicuously ignoring others. I showed an Assemblies of God minister-in-training John 20:22-23, “…Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them…” He had the passage immediately prior highlighted, and the passage immediately after highlighted, but shook his head and said, “I wonder why they never pointed that out to us.” He never did bring me an answer.

The Orthodox were both interesting and fairly consistent in teaching. I discovered, however, that there are areas of moderate disagreement between the different national Orthodox churches, and they have no single agreed-upon catechism. They are also somewhat archaic in practices, such as telling a woman who just gave birth that she had to stay away from communion and/or the sanctuary until she completed 40 days of ritual purification. I don’t think Jesus ever ran a woman off because she was on her period or just gave birth.

Certain non-denominationals were not at all appealing, when I found the pews full of women loudly gossiping. The greeters did not ask them to cease and join in prayer, the pastor did not object, and everyone’s attention was divided between the Lord and whatever dirt they could learn today.

As a group the non-denominationals were not appealing, because there was no consistency in belief or teaching between one congregation and another.

I almost became a Baptist. I liked the motivational preaching, the emphasis on piety, and the conservative social orientation. What stopped me was reading the preface to the Baptist Faith and Message where it says,
The Baptist Faith and Message:

(2) That we do not regard them as complete statements of our faith, having any quality of finality or infallibility. As in the past so in the future, Baptists should hold themselves free to revise their statements of faith as may seem to them wise and expedient at any time. We reserve the right to change our minds whenever.

(3) That any group of Baptists, large or small, have the inherent right to draw up for themselves and publish to the world a confession of their faith whenever they may think it advisable to do so. We agree to disagree from one congregation to another on major and minor doctrines.

(4) That the sole authority for faith and practice among Baptists is the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Confessions are only guides in interpretation, having no authority over the conscience. Solo Scriptura.

What finally stopped me from becoming a Baptist was the testimony of the Baptists in different regoins of the country about the Eucharist. My Baptist sister-in-law, who lived out west, was horrified by the idea that communion could be the real Body and Blood of Christ. It was a memorial meal, period. But when I moved to the southeast US, the Baptists there said, “Of COURSE it’s the real Body and Blood of Christ. How could anyone believe otherwise?” They couldn’t explain how it became the B&B, other than to say that if you consumed it reverently it became the B&B. So even those B&B believing Baptists were ignorant of the Early Church Fathers who recorded that the bread and wine were transformed when the presider said the consecration prayers.

What finally brought me all the way back was learning the answers to the criticisms made against the Catholic church, and discovering the explanations for the doctrines I found objectionable because I didn’t understand them. I’ve been solidly Catholic ever since.

Two huge resources made the difference to me: Karl Keating’s book Catholicism and Fundamentalism, followed a few years later by the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Just an FYI, I was born Catholic and am now in a Baptist Church.

Bless you for being in a solid Christian congregation. I hope you never have to move, or at least never relocate to a different part of the country.

 

[By_His_Mercy]

Hello there…

I just had a question for all of the reverts who were born into a Catholic family, left to go to another denomination (became a “born again” christian), and then reverted back to Catholicism at a later time.

1. What were some of the things that led you back to the Catholic Church? Were they things that were good in the Catholic Church that caused you to go or things that were bad in the church to which you had gone when leaving the Catholic church?
2. Were there things that you still disliked about the Catholic Church when you reverted back? Have they been resolved since?

I am interested in hearing your answers.

Just an FYI, I was born Catholic and am now in a Baptist Church.

ChristSupreme,

I was raised Catholic and went Protestant for over 25 years. I had problems with protestant theology, including Baptist. Before I reverted, I attended a Baptist church. At the “new member” class, I had some questions that were not answered, not by the leader of the class, nor by the assistant pastor afterwards. (It was a megachurch, the pastor didn’t reply to my emails, and that’s OK…he’s very busy).

They taught from the pulpit that a believer’s future sins were forgiven right now. I saw in scripture that if we confess, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins (1 Jn 1:9). The sins of Christians are also forgiven at the anointing of the sick (Jas 5:14-15). When Jesus gave the Lord’s prayer, He said if we don’t forgive the sins of others, the Father won’t forgive us our sins (Mt 6:15). Jesus warned His disciples (not the Pharisees, not national Israel) that He didn’t know when He was coming back, and we need to be ready. If we’re behaving well, we’ll be blessed, but if we say “my Lord will be a long time coming” and behave badly (i.e., we sin), He will cut us into pieces (Mt 24:42-51). These are just some indications in the New Testament that a Christian’s future sins are not forgiven right now.

The gospel is “repent and believe”, right? Is it a once-for-all repentance, or do you have to continue to repent? Remember, we’ll be saved if we hold fast (1 Cor 15:2, Heb 3:6, 14). We’re reconciled if we continue in the faith, not moved away (Col 1:22-23). All of this is “believe and repent”. The demons believe and shudder. We need to believe and repent. And it’s all a gift. Sinful flesh can’t work to please God (that’s the “not by works”). We need to be reborn. The Catholic church teaches that sanctification (a gift from God…it’s all grace) has to be there on judgment day. Look at the judgment passages. Isn’t it apparent that sanctification has to be there? Is it “faith alone” or does Jesus look for sanctification also? Look at the parable of the talents (Mt 25:14-30). To the slave who hid his talent, Jesus will say “you wicked slave, you knew I reap where I didn’t sow…depart”. How does “faith alone” save this guy here? It sure looks like our rebirth and the resultant fruit will be looked for on that day, and it has to be there.

God bless you and I pray He gives you wisdom in this matter,
BHM

 

[fbl9]

Hello there…

I just had a question for all of the reverts who were born into a Catholic family, left to go to another denomination (became a “born again” christian), and then reverted back to Catholicism at a later time.

1. What were some of the things that led you back to the Catholic Church? Were they things that were good in the Catholic Church that caused you to go or things that were bad in the church to which you had gone when leaving the Catholic church?
2. Were there things that you still disliked about the Catholic Church when you reverted back? Have they been resolved since?

I am interested in hearing your answers.

Just an FYI, I was born Catholic and am now in a Baptist Church.

While i wandered aound i never really joined another church i came very close.
The first sermon i listened to after dumping the Church i felt something was missing. This sounds harsh but Jesus was missing, like many other the Eucharist drew me back.
But first i tried to prove the new church from scripture but scriptures yeilded more catholic than my new church.

 

[Giggly_Giraffe]

1. What were some of the things that led you back to the Catholic Church? Were they things that were good in the Catholic Church that caused you to go or things that were bad in the church to which you had gone when leaving the Catholic church?

So, I reluctantly became a catholic at ten (Baptised & first communion) because my evil step-monster (who’s now more angelic) from the Phillipeans believed I should get these (thank God she did her Catholic duty as a parent). I rebelled against a catholic education and got with the wrong crowd in junior high. By high school, I sucessfully ditched a full semester leading me to a boarding school (non-catholic). So, basically, you can say I’m all secular with the bungee cord of Baptism being my only attachment to God. Fast forward through college on college graduation where dad (baptist) drops fifty pounds and has emphasima (divorced from the lady who got me Baptised) scared me. We (dad & me) become Christmas/Easter Catholics (but don’t confess or take host). For a decade I help my dad (caregiver) and let the little devil in me die. Fast forward to dad dies ( sigh ) … ( gulp ) … Omg my boyfriend is possessed by a demon … I’m too tired to care … I’ll learn Italian & goto Italy with some of my inheritance; get my mind off things and might get me away from psycho who loves South Park (it is kinda funny) … Crazy South Park episode has priest turned into video game figure making his way through Vatican (what is the Vatican??? Omg the writers of South Park know more about my faith than I do … Eeeck). Hello, church, I’m catholic & going to Italy & SP knows more about you than I do … Help … Yes, I can goto RCIA class Tuesday nights, but I’m already catholic. Took most all classes & went to Italy.

1. Were there things that you still disliked about the Catholic Church when you reverted back? Have they been resolved since?

Ummm, I was so spiritually sick I came back in total submission - sick of how sin burns here and now. Also found a hunger for knowledge & wisdom of the Church and I still can’t get enough. Reading from St Terese’ (Liseaux) I can see how God stooped to get me back.

 

[Stella101]

Funny enough I was just thinking about my reason for coming back home.
I was Muslim for 12 years. I convert to Islam in my 20’s I remember that at the time I came to my own personal crossroads and felt that the church was not able to answer the question that I had, about God and life and what my purpose was, I was confused I loved my God, but found no pleasure in being part of the Catholic church anymore.
I soon found myself surrounded by Muslim men and women who told me about Allah and all his goodness , which made Islam sound so attractive, they started telling me about their way of living which was so different from any other religions.
Islam I found was not just a religion ,but it really was a way of living ,that it was an honor to cover your head for the females and dress modestly ,that praying 5 times a day was good ,reading the Quran and doing good deeds ,that alcohol ,gambling ,drugs, sex outside of marriages etc was HARAM (unclean) that everything that was pointed out to us in the bible they were doing ,but we were not , so for 12 years I was not part of the Church I was known as Sahida instead of Stella.
But there was one thing we have as Catholic’s, that no other denomination has ,our Sacraments ,and most importantly the Eucharist …
Now at 1st that was not the things that draw me back ,but it was the sense of community ,the sense of us praying and worshipping together ,in Islam men and women worshipped separately ,and the women took on a lesser role in the attending of mosque or doing the salaat (Muslim prayers) etc she would end up doing her prayers in a room all on her own or with her daughters ,her role was that of mother ,wife and entertainer 1st ,she was not the one spending time reading and learning about the wonder of Allah that was the father and sons duty (oh by the way Allah is the arabic word of God ) sadly enough a lot of muslim woman accepted it that way and I would say preferred it that way too ,it was like it ok he can go and prayer I would stay home and make the roti and curry . :
For 12 years I push all the prayers I knew as a child, The Our Father, The Creed, the Hail Mary I banned them from my memory. But about 4 years ago things started changing, then it slowly happened, I would be making my salaat instead of saying “bismillahrrahmanirrahim” meaning in the Name of Allah, the most beneficent and the most merciful “I would say In the name Of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” I would have to stop shake myself to get the right words…Or instead of saying the Surah Al-Fatihah I would be saying the Our Farther and Hail Mary.my salaat starting to meaning nothing and I stop praying it, and instead just said the Our Father ,but there was still something missing!!!
Then one day I went to a family’s friend son final vows ,(he became a priest in Feb this year)and I sat in the church realizing just how much I have missed it ,and when the bishop at the time raised the host and said “Behold the Lamb of God ,behold him who takes away the sins of the world ,blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb “ that was it ,that was January 2010 a day I would never forget and my start to my final journey back home .Our God is so wonderful and merciful during Lent of 2010, was the time I decided that I was coming back for good …I remember going through a spiritual fight with myself and God ,I yelled at God what do you want of me what do you want me to do I was crying hysterically, yelling ,fighting ,and in all of this I heard the words “GO HOME” and my soul, my whole begin knew what those words meant and who said them …I knew what I had to do, and on Holy Thursday that same week it was my 1st officially time back as a member of the catholic church …
I agree with what JRKH had to say” I came home because no other Church or Religion had or has what the Catholic Church has. The Blessed Eucharist wherein, we have the Real and True presence of Christ. And by Christ’s own words if we do not eat of this, we have no life within us.
No other church community has that, no other religion ever will
Think back I realized that God knew where I would end up and that HE gave me the chance to go and find out that which I was searching for ,and that just like the Prodigal Son, I would find my way home

Jeremiah 29:11 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.