Why do Protestants become Catholic?

[AquinasXVI]

“Only those are really to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith and who have not unhappily withdrawn from Body-unity or for grave faults have been excluded by legitimate authority.”

(Pius XII, Mystici Corporis Christi)

If you would like to know more about the Body of Christ, I suggest reading the above encyclical in its entirety.

Creed—One baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

All baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in the fam. whether they consciously assent to this or not.

I’m orthodox Catholic to the max but that photo of Christ turning away other people I think is too much.

As Catholics we are to love the separated bretheren…like St. Francis deSales who spent himself loving people back to the CC.

in XT.

 

[JSmitty2005]

AquinasXVI:

Creed—One baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

All baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in the fam. whether they consciously assent to this or not.

I’m orthodox Catholic to the max but that photo of Christ turning away other people I think is too much.

As Catholics we are to love the separated bretheren…like St. Francis deSales who spent himself loving people back to the CC.

in XT.

Baptism is necessary, as stated in Pius XII’s quote, but one must also “profess the true faith.” Also, Christ isn’t turning anyone away. In fact, when He is depicted like that with His hand raised, it is to show Him teaching and preaching. It is the sheep that are walking away, not Him turning them away. Finally, notice that it is the Protestant sheep that is the only one looking back at Him, suggesting that there is more hope of their conversion than there might be for the others.

 

[Mickey]

AquinasXVI:

As Catholics we are to love the separated bretheren.

**Wounds to unity **

817 In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame."269 The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ’s Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism270 - do not occur without human sin:

Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.271

818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."272

819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth"273 are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements."274 Christ’s Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him,275 and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."276

Catechism of the Catholic Church

 

[JSmitty2005]

AquinasXVI:

All baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in the fam. whether they consciously assent to this or not.

Protestants are not considered to be members of the Church of Christ (the Catholic Church). However, some non-Catholics may be unknowingly united to the mind and soul of the Church and therefore *may * achieve salvation. I believe that it was Pius X that posited this, but I may be mistaken.

 

[Thirst4Him]

AquinasXVI:

Creed—One baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

All baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are in the fam. whether they consciously assent to this or not.

I’m orthodox Catholic to the max but that photo of Christ turning away other people I think is too much.

As Catholics we are to love the separated bretheren…like St. Francis deSales who spent himself loving people back to the CC.

in XT.

Thank you my friend. I was aware of what the creed said as well as the encylical. This was also discussed by Jimmy Akin the other day on Catholic Answers. I’m with you and St. Francis deSales. I’ve been baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and am happy to be in the family of God. I don’t think I’d be as drawn to the Catholic beliefs if I wasn’t a part of the body of Christ. The picture shown is why many Protestants reject the Catholic faith. Thank God the magisterium in it’s wisdom has not excluded us. I realize we may be part of the “separated brethern”, but we are under the salvation umbrella of Christ. I’ve spent too many years in the word and communing with our Lord to doubt his salvation for me. I’ve been on this journey of faith for over 40 years and each year it gets better, especially since I’ve discovered the writings of the saints of the church.

 

[JSmitty2005]

Thirst4Him:

I’ve spent too many years in the word and communing with our Lord to doubt his salvation for me.

Never assume your salvation. It’s too close to pride. We should work out our salvation in fear and trembling because we too may be disqualified.

“For it is not the man who commends himself that is accepted,
but the man whom the Lord commends.” (2 Corinthians 10:18)

 

[Jeanette_L]

Thirst4Him:

I’ve been baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and am happy to be in the family of God. I don’t think I’d be as drawn to the Catholic beliefs if I wasn’t a part of the body of Christ. The picture shown is why many Protestants reject the Catholic faith. Thank God the magisterium in it’s wisdom has not excluded us. I realize we may be part of the “separated brethern”, but we are under the salvation umbrella of Christ. I’ve spent too many years in the word and communing with our Lord to doubt his salvation for me. I’ve been on this journey of faith for over 40 years and each year it gets better, especially since I’ve discovered the writings of the saints of the church.

I understand what you are saying. I was raised in Evangelicalism and am now entering the Catholic Church on Easter Vigil. And I know that my relationship with Christ has been there, been real since childhood. He never left me, even when I was confused, fell into sin and despair, he kept coming after me with a vengance! So, even upon my conversion this year, I don’t feel I have ever been outside the Body of Christ, I just wasn’t in FULL COMMUNION with His established Church, participating in every Sacrament that makes all His Grace available to us for our journey to Him!

Blessings on your continued journey HOME! (You’re coming in, I can tell you right now, I was where you are last year! )

 

[Thirst4Him]

Jeanette L:

I understand what you are saying. I was raised in Evangelicalism and am now entering the Catholic Church on Easter Vigil. And I know that my relationship with Christ has been there, been real since childhood. He never left me, even when I was confused, fell into sin and despair, he kept coming after me with a vengance! So, even upon my conversion this year, I don’t feel I have ever been outside the Body of Christ, I just wasn’t in FULL COMMUNION with His established Church, participating in every Sacrament that makes all His Grace available to us for our journey to Him!

Blessings on your continued journey HOME! (You’re coming in, I can tell you right now, I was where you are last year! )

Congratulations and Grace to you for your upcoming entry into the Church. May God fill you with his presence as you enter.http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon7.gif

 

[Thirst4Him]

JSmitty2005:

Never assume your salvation. It’s too close to pride. We should work out our salvation in fear and trembling because we too may be disqualified.

"For it is not the man who commends himself that is accepted,

but the man whom the Lord commends." (2 Corinthians 10:18)

I commend you for your passion friend. I never assume anything. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve knelt before my Lord in deep contrition for my sins. I’ve seen it on this site before and I agree with the statement, “I have been saved, I AM being saved and I will be saved”. I know the importance of perseverence. I tend to be amused at my own brethern who argue over whether or not one can be forever assured of salvation as opposed to the view which is a bit more in harmony with the Catholic view that one can lose ones salvation. The first says if one who claimed to be a Christian falls away, the it proves they weren’t Christians because they didn’t persevere. The other says that if you don’t persevere you lose your salvation. Perhaps that’s why so many in the Pentecostal or Charismatic traditions are attracted more to the Catholic view because it is closer to their view.
I think we can get dancing on the head of a pin over theology. I know that the Bible I read tells me to persevere. So that’s what I try to do and by God’s grace, I’ll make it.

 

[Writer]

figuredeslarmes:

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!

The Catholic Church represented the clearest juxtaposition or dove-tailing between faith and reason. Protestant traditions were full of doctrinal inconsistencies. The aspect of Christian unity was also crucial, as John Paul II pointed out. How is Christ reflected in a broken and seperate mixture of denominations; we should stand united. Authority is also important. Look at the divisions which took place in the Episcopal Church due to one man’s pride and “lifestyle”. Besides, it became abundantly clear in our lives where Christ wanted us to go. It is good to be home!

 

[Writer]

sadie2723:

I doubt that they buy into that One Holy Catholic Church part. I wonder what their creed would be like?

The creed uses catholic with a small “c”. Different meaning–it refers to the unity of believers.

 

[JSmitty2005]

Writer:

The creed uses catholic with a small “c”. Different meaning–it refers to the unity of believers.

That’s an anachronistic interpretation. By making that differentiation, you are imposing today’s divided Christianity on the Early Church’s meaning of “catholic.” They meant what we call the Catholic Church today. It’s as plain and simple as that.

 

[DianJo]

Thirst4Him:

Ahh yes…Fr. Corapi. One of my favorite butt kickers. I say that lovingly. I agree, there is soooo much to learn. My wife got upset at me the other day because my Catholic book bill was unusually high last month. I guess I’ll have to discipline myself so that I don’t dig into my budget too deeply. But daggum, this is so much fun. I feel like I’m a hog at the trough…and it ain’t slop. It’s filet mignon. (except on fast days of course.) http://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon10.gif

(The highlighted portions) This is ssssssooooooo cool! You have me screaming in my chair!
I’ve never heard it put that way before but you are so absolutely right! That’s exactly the way I feel and could never have worded it so perfectly!!!
WOW!!!

 

[sadie2723]

(The highlighted portions) This is ssssssooooooo cool! You have me screaming in my chair!
I’ve never heard it put that way before but you are so absolutely right! That’s exactly the way I feel and could never have worded it so perfectly!!!
WOW!!!

Amen!

 

[Eden]

Writer:

The creed uses catholic with a small “c”. Different meaning–it refers to the unity of believers.

False. It specifically refers to the “Catholic” Church, capital “C”.

"Protestants accept the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed, which make reference to the Catholic Church. The Apostles’ Creed states, “I believe . . . in the Holy Catholic Church”; the Nicene creed states, “I believe . . . in One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.” Both of these statements were written after “Catholic” had acquired its current meaning.

The portion of the Nicene creed that contains the reference was written in 381.[The first part of the creed, which deals with the Father and the Son, was written at the council of Nicea in A.D. 325. The second part of the creed, which begins by affirming the deity of the Holy Spirit and contains the reference to the Catholic Church, was written at the council of Constantinople I in A.D. 381. The new creed came to be called the Nicene Creed, though it would be more proper to call it the Nicean-Constantinopolitan Creed, a name so long as to demand abbreviation]. “Catholic” was added to the Apostles’ Creed in the fourth century, specifically to distinguish the Catholics who recited it from the heretics who also did so.** In both creeds “Catholic” is used in its modern sense**."

More here: catholic.com/thisrock/1993/9311def.asp

 

[Thirst4Him]

(The highlighted portions) This is ssssssooooooo cool! You have me screaming in my chair!
I’ve never heard it put that way before but you are so absolutely right! That’s exactly the way I feel and could never have worded it so perfectly!!!
WOW!!!

I know I need to get beyond the books, but I tell you, there are times when I almost hear the voice of God Himself when I read some of the great writers. The resources in the Catholic libraries are pure red meat to chew on. (or if you are a vegetarian…great greens to munch on) And then the Catechism…what a great source. Have you ever pursued the footnotes as you read it. It’s like a whole new book opens up to you. Thank God for the internet where you can go to some of the documents it highlights. It gives such a fuller explanation of the reading. Love it!!!

 

[Jeanette_L]

Thirst4Him:

I know I need to get beyond the books, but I tell you, there are times when I almost hear the voice of God Himself when I read some of the great writers. The resources in the Catholic libraries are pure red meat to chew on. (or if you are a vegetarian…great greens to munch on) And then the Catechism…what a great source. Have you ever pursued the footnotes as you read it. It’s like a whole new book opens up to you. Thank God for the internet where you can go to some of the documents it highlights. It gives such a fuller explanation of the reading. Love it!!!

Sometimes I feel like there’s not enough time left in my lifetime to get all the reading and studying done. I have books piled all over the place, half I haven’t gotten to yet, I think I’ve crossed the line into obsession myself.

And the Catechism! I’ve just barely scratched the surface. It’s like a lifetime of study in itself. I feel like I’m getting burned out and I’ve just started! If I could get a job where I am paid to read all these things, well, then I would have skipped Purgatory and gone straight to Heaven!

 

[jim1130]

Thirst4Him:

I know I need to get beyond the books, but I tell you, there are times when I almost hear the voice of God Himself when I read some of the great writers. The resources in the Catholic libraries are pure red meat to chew on. (or if you are a vegetarian…great greens to munch on) And then the Catechism…what a great source. Have you ever pursued the footnotes as you read it. It’s like a whole new book opens up to you. Thank God for the internet where you can go to some of the documents it highlights. It gives such a fuller explanation of the reading. Love it!!!

Peace.

What books are you reading? I use the CCC and “Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma” by Ott, but both primarily as reference books.

Thanks.

Peace.

 

[montanaman]

The other night my girlfriend and I were going over the new Compendium of the Catechism because I’m just that kind of a hot date. We were reviewing it because she was meeting with the priest the next day for her final interview before all the Easter conversion activities. She mentioned that she had talked to her (now former) pastor about her Baptismal record, and that she was converting. He asked her why. “Give me one reason,” he said. She said, “I’ll give you two.”

What finally compelled her to cross the Tiber were the our assurance of salvation and the Eucharist.

She was attracted the the objective Catholic means of knowing when we’re right with God, and when we’re not. In her highly fundamentalist family anyone acting up, or being disobedient, or voicing legitimate grievances would have their Christian status questioned. She spent many sleepless hours in bed wondering if Dad was right–was she *really * a true Christian?

Because the Catholic Church doesn’t mess around about sin–what it is, what it does, when you know you’ve committed it, and because our Catholic badges aren’t taken back when we DO sin, she thought that made a lot more sense.

The Eucharist was the other big one for her. She said that even as a kid she’d read John 6 and wonder why they didn’t believe what Jesus was saying. The other day at Mass we were sitting in the choir loft. (Packed church that day). They brought the Eucharist up to us, and it was the first time she’d ever gotten so close to it. I didn’t think much of it at the time–the Eucharistic minister was there so fast I barely had time for quick reflection–but she said it was a very moving, powerful experience. (No, she didn’t receive).

Anyway, she’ll be welcomed into the Church next weekend at the Easter Vigil. It’ll be weird to look at her and know she’s Catholic…

 

[montanaman]

Jeanette L:

Sometimes I feel like there’s not enough time left in my lifetime to get all the reading and studying done. I have books piled all over the place, half I haven’t gotten to yet, I think I’ve crossed the line into obsession myself.

And the Catechism! I’ve just barely scratched the surface. It’s like a lifetime of study in itself. I feel like I’m getting burned out and I’ve just started! If I could get a job where I am paid to read all these things, well, then I would have skipped Purgatory and gone straight to Heaven!

BE CAREFUL. I’m a cradle Catholic, but I was poorly catechized. When I started getting into apologetics and the fundamentals of the faith, it sent me down a road to burnout. I even went to Franciscan University for a year, but by the end of it, I wanted nothing to do with God.

Just be careful. It’s easy to O.D. on this stuff.