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magdelaine
Guest
Wow…
Welcome Home!
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Welcome Home!
S
sires6
Guest
I saw this and have to laugh. REligion for an individual is as personal as the individual.
Personally, I came to the Church kicking and screaming. Funny thing was that every time… and I mean every time I had some objection, someone gently turned me to the truth and refuted my misunderstanding with reality and scriptures and the cross.
What brought me to the Chair of Peter was that there was nothing I could say that was not already answered, and answered hundreds of years ago. The Church has a continuous, unbroken, history of refuting heresy, the same ones that are around today.
I have come from Evangelical, Baptist background and the more “sprititual” and the tougher I became on myself, the closer I came to the Church.
Personally, I came to the Church kicking and screaming. Funny thing was that every time… and I mean every time I had some objection, someone gently turned me to the truth and refuted my misunderstanding with reality and scriptures and the cross.
What brought me to the Chair of Peter was that there was nothing I could say that was not already answered, and answered hundreds of years ago. The Church has a continuous, unbroken, history of refuting heresy, the same ones that are around today.
I have come from Evangelical, Baptist background and the more “sprititual” and the tougher I became on myself, the closer I came to the Church.
E
Eden
Guest
Welcome home, ScottH and Sires6! 
S
sires6
Guest
I saw this and have to laugh. REligion for an individual is as personal as the individual.
Personally, I came to the Church kicking and screaming. Funny thing was that every time… and I mean every time I had some objection, someone gently turned me to the truth and refuted my misunderstanding with reality and scriptures and the cross.
What brought me to the Chair of Peter was that there was nothing I could say that was not already answered, and answered hundreds of years ago. The Church has a continuous, unbroken, history of refuting heresy, the same ones that are around today.
I have come from Evangelical, Baptist background and the more “sprititual” and the tougher I became on myself, the closer I came to the Church.
Personally, I came to the Church kicking and screaming. Funny thing was that every time… and I mean every time I had some objection, someone gently turned me to the truth and refuted my misunderstanding with reality and scriptures and the cross.
What brought me to the Chair of Peter was that there was nothing I could say that was not already answered, and answered hundreds of years ago. The Church has a continuous, unbroken, history of refuting heresy, the same ones that are around today.
I have come from Evangelical, Baptist background and the more “sprititual” and the tougher I became on myself, the closer I came to the Church.
M
montanaman
Guest
Oh man, we’ve got a live one.
B
Bob_Kay
Guest
I am a presenter in our local Church’s RCIA program.
3 males and 1 female will be coming into our Catholic community this Easter because of the superb Catholic Christian example of either their spouses or their relatives! For our remaining candidates, who will not quite be ready this Easter, the nexus is the same: they were inspired by God through the spirituality of other person(s).
Bob Kay
3 males and 1 female will be coming into our Catholic community this Easter because of the superb Catholic Christian example of either their spouses or their relatives! For our remaining candidates, who will not quite be ready this Easter, the nexus is the same: they were inspired by God through the spirituality of other person(s).
Bob Kay
K
KofC
Guest
My wife is in the process of converting. Easter she will receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation Holy Eucharist and Confirmation. We have been married 10 years this July. Sometime in early 96 she went to her pastor, she was Southern Baptist, and told him of her plans to get married. He was happy for her until he found out I was a Catholic, then he refused to perform the marriage and informed her he would pray for her. I was going to follow the proper channels for marrying outside the Church. Instead, we went thru the marriage prep classes with Father, she started attending Church with me and things have progressed to the point that she is almost finished RCIA. I think she would have done it years ago, but her mother is still a Southern Baptist, and grew up in it, and its hard to sway peoples minds. It was to the point that her mother joked about not even coming to the wedding cause it was going to be in a Catholic church. I know its crazy… but…
So, a hard headed, full of himself Baptist preacher pretty much ran one of his flock straight into the arms of the Catholic Church.
Brian
So, a hard headed, full of himself Baptist preacher pretty much ran one of his flock straight into the arms of the Catholic Church.
Brian
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AquinasXVI
Guest
ScottH:
God is good and you’re proof of that!
Sometimes it gets old refuting with the chronic contrarians the same issues day in and day out…but your post make the longsuffering worthwhile.
Welcome Home! And that goes for you too sires6!
in XT.
God is good and you’re proof of that!
Sometimes it gets old refuting with the chronic contrarians the same issues day in and day out…but your post make the longsuffering worthwhile.
Welcome Home! And that goes for you too sires6!
in XT.
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magdelaine
Guest
Bob Kay:
Thanks Bob. I’m going to keep that in mind!
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sadie2723
Guest
One thing I will say. Looking into the Catholic faith is a frightening thing…really. And it becomes more frightening when you enter into it thinking that the Protestant view rock solid. Then you find that it is not…that Peter was the rock. It can be a frightening experience. And, to the person that is looking for truth, it is even more frightening.
Imagine this for a moement. Imagine that you are a Catholic hater from way back, but you have a firm desire to serve God in all you do. Further, you have an amazing desire to seek truth. So, you look into it and you find truth in the last place you thought to look…the Catholic Church. You then have no choice but to convert. That is a frightening prospect for some, and it is made more so when all of your friend and family hate Catholics with all that they have. You not only have to turn your back on your church, but your friends and family. This is kinda scary.
So what does all this mean? Well, it means that I have been where a lot of the people on this forum are right now. I know what it is like to be looking truth right in the face, but find myself intimidated as can be about seeking it. I know what it is like to know where home is and not want to go there. To those good people, I say this:
For 2000 years, the church that Jesus Christ created has opened its arms without exception to all that were seeking truth. We, as the members of that church, stand as your family. We have been here for 2000 years and we will be here 2000 years from now. We love you, and we want you to come home. Sometimes we come off harsh, but it is only because we want you to face up to the truth that you probably already see but feel obligated to turn away from. Like the perent of the prodigal son, we stand ready to kill the fat calf and celebrate your return home. So come on in…the water is fine. Jesus is knocking at the door…just open it.
Imagine this for a moement. Imagine that you are a Catholic hater from way back, but you have a firm desire to serve God in all you do. Further, you have an amazing desire to seek truth. So, you look into it and you find truth in the last place you thought to look…the Catholic Church. You then have no choice but to convert. That is a frightening prospect for some, and it is made more so when all of your friend and family hate Catholics with all that they have. You not only have to turn your back on your church, but your friends and family. This is kinda scary.
So what does all this mean? Well, it means that I have been where a lot of the people on this forum are right now. I know what it is like to be looking truth right in the face, but find myself intimidated as can be about seeking it. I know what it is like to know where home is and not want to go there. To those good people, I say this:
For 2000 years, the church that Jesus Christ created has opened its arms without exception to all that were seeking truth. We, as the members of that church, stand as your family. We have been here for 2000 years and we will be here 2000 years from now. We love you, and we want you to come home. Sometimes we come off harsh, but it is only because we want you to face up to the truth that you probably already see but feel obligated to turn away from. Like the perent of the prodigal son, we stand ready to kill the fat calf and celebrate your return home. So come on in…the water is fine. Jesus is knocking at the door…just open it.
M
montanaman
Guest
Honestly, I don’t know if I’d have the integrity and honesty to go from hating something to joining it, no matter how true I thought it. I’d probably whine and moan and declare to the heavens, “Truth is too obscure!” Converts who go from hating the Church to embracing it must be the real deal. Eitther that or extremely cynical, but still, that’d be odd.
If I found out tomorrow that the Seventh Day Adventists were right, I’d probably go for dip in the Potomac. The pollution would make the swim fatal within 24 hours…
J
Jeanette_L
Guest
ScottH-
I have to say a big AMEN to that! And God bless you, I understand the difficulty you are facing in this process, I too am going through the same. I will be Confirmed Easter Vigil - in spite of the “protest” of all my family and friends. But when you know, you know. Like Peter said “Lord, where else will we go, you have the words of Truth”. It really is as simple and as complicated as that.
I made my first confession today. I have always confessed my sins to the Lord privately and truly repentant, and before I would have argued till I was blue in the face that the Catholic Church didn’t know anything about forgiveness. All I can say is that the Grace that comes with this Sacrament is real and is worth everything. I’ve been smiling and crying all day. The Lord is Good.
Hang in there, and know it will be worth it all.
Peace.
Jeanette
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sadie2723
Guest
Jeanette L:
I loved my first confession. I walked out of there and danced aroudn the parking lot. I was lighter than air!
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magdelaine
Guest
Jeanette L:
Congratulations, Jeanette! Welcome Home!
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Anima_Christi
Guest
Because it’s true! :dancing:I was wondering if you could tell me some of the major reasons why a Protestant, Evangelical, or Fundamentalist converts to the Roman Catholic Church. Thank you!
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Sherlock
Guest
Methinks this poster has bigger problems than Catholic doctrine…perhaps she is transferring her anger towards a “safe” target. (And if she were to meet wonderful, saintly Catholics, am I supposed to believe that she would then be converting, if her faith is determined by others?)My husband and his family are all great cooks but most of them are ill-tempered drunks AS WELL as being mean and vicious so I’m not converting, Cowboy.
Say a prayer for this sad poster…
C
Cathy
Guest
I once told a Catholic lady who gave me some Catholic literature, “Thank you, but there’s no way I would ever become Roman Catholic.”
I’ve often wondered why my journey took me from a very liberal United Methodist Church to the Catholic Church via the Salvation Army Church. Why couldn’t I “get it” earlier? One thing…in the Salvation Army Chruch, I met people really on fire for God, who loved the Bible, and BELIEVED it. I caught the flame and began to love to read the Bible for the first time in my life.
Then a couple of Catholic friends, who were very, very patient with me, shared their Scott Hahn tapes with me. I don’t remember whether it was the set on Hebrews, or John, or Christ in the Old Testament (all GREAT!) where he argued, based on scripture, that once you believe Jesus is really present in the Eucharist, it’s disobedience not to join the Catholic Church. I started taking RCIA classes, but I kept going to Bible study at the Salvation Army…I considered them FAMILY. But for three weeks in a row, the Salvation Army Bible study teacher did her talk on the same OT scripture verse…about DISOBEDIENCE. I had prayed for discernment and I felt like the Holy Spirit was shouting at me through her, which is exactly what I needed. It was very painful and sorrowful for me to leave the Salvation Army, but I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination by this Roman Catholic Church.
When I was in third grade, I was blessed by a year in a Lutheran school, where I learned many Bible verses and wonderful hymns. I grew up in the choirs in Methodist churches, where I learned to read music in first grade. I’m grateful for this background. But it makes me pray all the more for the reunion of all Christians. We need each other! I believe that the fullness of the Faith is in the Catholic Church. But I grieve that we are still separated from our brothers in Protestant churches, and my morning offering always includes a prayer for the reunion of all Christians.
I’ve often wondered why my journey took me from a very liberal United Methodist Church to the Catholic Church via the Salvation Army Church. Why couldn’t I “get it” earlier? One thing…in the Salvation Army Chruch, I met people really on fire for God, who loved the Bible, and BELIEVED it. I caught the flame and began to love to read the Bible for the first time in my life.
Then a couple of Catholic friends, who were very, very patient with me, shared their Scott Hahn tapes with me. I don’t remember whether it was the set on Hebrews, or John, or Christ in the Old Testament (all GREAT!) where he argued, based on scripture, that once you believe Jesus is really present in the Eucharist, it’s disobedience not to join the Catholic Church. I started taking RCIA classes, but I kept going to Bible study at the Salvation Army…I considered them FAMILY. But for three weeks in a row, the Salvation Army Bible study teacher did her talk on the same OT scripture verse…about DISOBEDIENCE. I had prayed for discernment and I felt like the Holy Spirit was shouting at me through her, which is exactly what I needed. It was very painful and sorrowful for me to leave the Salvation Army, but I have been blessed beyond my wildest imagination by this Roman Catholic Church.
When I was in third grade, I was blessed by a year in a Lutheran school, where I learned many Bible verses and wonderful hymns. I grew up in the choirs in Methodist churches, where I learned to read music in first grade. I’m grateful for this background. But it makes me pray all the more for the reunion of all Christians. We need each other! I believe that the fullness of the Faith is in the Catholic Church. But I grieve that we are still separated from our brothers in Protestant churches, and my morning offering always includes a prayer for the reunion of all Christians.
R
rciadan
Guest
The bible tells us in Thess 2:15 to “hold fast to the traditions that you have learned, either by word or by our epistle.”
It also states in 1Tim 3:14-15, “These things I write to thee, hoping that I shall come to thee shortly. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest knot how to behave in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the Truth.”
It does not say “houses” or “pillars”, or “foundations”, plural.
The bible states in Eph. 4:5 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism.” As far as I’ve been able to determine, and I’ve read the writings of the first 500 years of Christianity extensively, this refers to the Catholic Church. St. Ignatious was the first to use this term in writing, but, if you do the research on this, you will find that when a word is used for the first time in text, it has undoubtedly been in general conversational use for years. Based on this observation, I would estimate that the term Catholic Church was actually first coined while the Apostles still walked on this earth.:yup:
No, all Catholics are not going to heaven, just as not all who are baptised are going to heaven. You must respond to the love of God in a real, concrete way. You must brecome intimately related to Jesus in a way that is so intimate that you become one with Him. And you can be that close, it is possible because He showed us how it is done by His example on the Cross. We must sacrifice as He has. We must give up all that we have and are and climb up on the cross and be with Him in His suffering, without complaint.
The Church does not teach that all Catholics will go to heaven.That would be teaching “Once saved always saved.”
D
deb1
Guest
The only way to explain why I became Catholic is to write my own conversion story. But I will make it brief.
I grew up in a family that was Baptist. My mother had undiagnosed mental problems and was a difficult person to live with. Growing up this way, I was a shy, withdrawn kid who found consolation in reading.
When I was 16, I met an elderly couple who would let me spend Saturday night at their house and attend mass with them. They never verbally witnessed to me but I was struck by the beauty of the mass and I had an emotional reaction to Mary. I felt drawn toward her and I was deeply honored that Jesus would share his mother with a girl who desperately needed one.
The priest asked me to wait until my 18th birthday to become Catholic. As most people are baptist here, I began to make friends with baptist mainly because I wanted to be around other Christians. This was a mistake. I became their pet project to save. SOme of their methods were underhanded, I think. The result was not that I became Baptist but that I lost all faith. This wouldn’t have happened if I had more head knowledge of Catholism but my faith was based solely on my heart.
I spent many, many years searching for a way to fill up the hole that I felt. I explored Wicca, Judiasm(I almost converted) and read many things on Buddhism.
Across the street from me lived a very, sweet young Protestant woman. Sometimes in life you come across that rare person who doesn’t have to verbally announce that they are Christian for you to know. THe first person that I met was the elderly Catholic couple and then this lady. We never talked about religioin, except in a passing sort of way. A few days after she moved, I made the commitment to Jesus and had that salvation experience that so many fundamentalist insists that every Christian have. It was real, I am not denying that but I know am open to the fact that people can have different salvation stories-including simply believing because they were taught from birth-and still be Christians.
(Continued)
I grew up in a family that was Baptist. My mother had undiagnosed mental problems and was a difficult person to live with. Growing up this way, I was a shy, withdrawn kid who found consolation in reading.
When I was 16, I met an elderly couple who would let me spend Saturday night at their house and attend mass with them. They never verbally witnessed to me but I was struck by the beauty of the mass and I had an emotional reaction to Mary. I felt drawn toward her and I was deeply honored that Jesus would share his mother with a girl who desperately needed one.
The priest asked me to wait until my 18th birthday to become Catholic. As most people are baptist here, I began to make friends with baptist mainly because I wanted to be around other Christians. This was a mistake. I became their pet project to save. SOme of their methods were underhanded, I think. The result was not that I became Baptist but that I lost all faith. This wouldn’t have happened if I had more head knowledge of Catholism but my faith was based solely on my heart.
I spent many, many years searching for a way to fill up the hole that I felt. I explored Wicca, Judiasm(I almost converted) and read many things on Buddhism.
Across the street from me lived a very, sweet young Protestant woman. Sometimes in life you come across that rare person who doesn’t have to verbally announce that they are Christian for you to know. THe first person that I met was the elderly Catholic couple and then this lady. We never talked about religioin, except in a passing sort of way. A few days after she moved, I made the commitment to Jesus and had that salvation experience that so many fundamentalist insists that every Christian have. It was real, I am not denying that but I know am open to the fact that people can have different salvation stories-including simply believing because they were taught from birth-and still be Christians.
(Continued)
D
deb1
Guest
Of course, as a Christian I wanted to belong to a church. I was on fire just as any convert is. At first I did attend a Catholic church, but we moved. My hubby was brought up baptist-his dad was the deacon of his church-and he wanted to try a Baptist church. So we did. A very small, fundamentalist, bible only church.
Don’t get me wrong. The pastor was a good man who was trying to follow the bible. The congregation was made up of people on fire and eager to please God. Yet, following bible only to its logical conclusion led me away from fundamentalism and toward the Catholic church! Many times the pastor would make a statement and quote a bible verse. I would look this verse up and find a contradictory verse but when I asked, the pastor would ignore the second verse and keep pointing back to the first verse. He would do this while announcing that the bible doesn’t contradict itself. LIke some that we have seen on this board, he would simply ignore verses that didn’t fit his beliefs.
I also became confused as to why the bible would have any rules in it at all. If we are saved and can’t fall away, then why have rules? SHouldn’t the Holy Spirit make it impossible for us to sin? What about all those verses that contradicted OSAS.
One of the problems with OSAS, as I was taught it, is that the only way to tell if a person was really a Christian was by how they acted. A person could have a conversion experience but if they fell away then they weren’t saved to begin with. So, it becomes very easy to adopt a judgemental attitude toward others. Afterall, if a person was really a Christian then why wouldn’t they hear the Holy Spirit’s voice and not drink, dress modestly, attend all church services and functions, tithe or any more of the innumerable things that Christians, I thought, should automatically do.
Julia may be joking about the Presbytarian church being apostate but my pastor truely believed that all bible believing churches should come to the exact same conclusions that he did. Anyone else was suspect, including my sister’s Lutheran church.
Even I was suspect in my own church. I attended all the church functions, came on Sunday, tried to come Sunday night and volunteered often but I really didn’t want to go Wednesday. There was no reason, just that I got burned out attending church so often. A group of ladies and the pastor approached me one day-corned me- and began to drill me on my spirituality. Why was I not coming on Wednesday night? It would have been easier to lie but I told the truth. I didn’t come because I didn’t want to. My honesty did not win me any supporters. After all, if you really love Jesus why wouldn’t you be on fire all day and want to attend church as soon as the doors opened up?
What finally turned me around was The Passion of The Christ. I was excited about it. My pastor, though, advised his congregation not to view it. He was certain that Catholics were not Christians and that they didn’t believe in the resurrection. My hubby and I couldn’t convince him otherwise. So, I began to research the Catholic church. I read both positive and negative things. The conclusion was that I came to a intellictual acceptance this time. I think that my heart had been Catholic the whole time.
Don’t get me wrong. The pastor was a good man who was trying to follow the bible. The congregation was made up of people on fire and eager to please God. Yet, following bible only to its logical conclusion led me away from fundamentalism and toward the Catholic church! Many times the pastor would make a statement and quote a bible verse. I would look this verse up and find a contradictory verse but when I asked, the pastor would ignore the second verse and keep pointing back to the first verse. He would do this while announcing that the bible doesn’t contradict itself. LIke some that we have seen on this board, he would simply ignore verses that didn’t fit his beliefs.
I also became confused as to why the bible would have any rules in it at all. If we are saved and can’t fall away, then why have rules? SHouldn’t the Holy Spirit make it impossible for us to sin? What about all those verses that contradicted OSAS.
One of the problems with OSAS, as I was taught it, is that the only way to tell if a person was really a Christian was by how they acted. A person could have a conversion experience but if they fell away then they weren’t saved to begin with. So, it becomes very easy to adopt a judgemental attitude toward others. Afterall, if a person was really a Christian then why wouldn’t they hear the Holy Spirit’s voice and not drink, dress modestly, attend all church services and functions, tithe or any more of the innumerable things that Christians, I thought, should automatically do.
Julia may be joking about the Presbytarian church being apostate but my pastor truely believed that all bible believing churches should come to the exact same conclusions that he did. Anyone else was suspect, including my sister’s Lutheran church.
Even I was suspect in my own church. I attended all the church functions, came on Sunday, tried to come Sunday night and volunteered often but I really didn’t want to go Wednesday. There was no reason, just that I got burned out attending church so often. A group of ladies and the pastor approached me one day-corned me- and began to drill me on my spirituality. Why was I not coming on Wednesday night? It would have been easier to lie but I told the truth. I didn’t come because I didn’t want to. My honesty did not win me any supporters. After all, if you really love Jesus why wouldn’t you be on fire all day and want to attend church as soon as the doors opened up?
What finally turned me around was The Passion of The Christ. I was excited about it. My pastor, though, advised his congregation not to view it. He was certain that Catholics were not Christians and that they didn’t believe in the resurrection. My hubby and I couldn’t convince him otherwise. So, I began to research the Catholic church. I read both positive and negative things. The conclusion was that I came to a intellictual acceptance this time. I think that my heart had been Catholic the whole time.
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