Why would anyone want to become Catholic?

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davy39

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Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a cradle Catholic and will be Catholic until I die, no matter what. The point is, with all of the things going on with the Church these days, (abuse scandels, big money payoffs, movies and tv trying to convince people that the Church is corrupt, etc, etc) if I weren’t already Catholic, what would make me want to become one? How about you? Would you do it again under todays conditions? Or would you head for the nearest feel-good mega church?
 
i’m a protestant and i’ve been to feel good churches. i’d rather worship God than sing and dance to rock music at church. been there done, done that, don’t like it. i think that there is nothing wrong with what they do, and maybe there isn’t. but it just doesn’t sit well with me. i’m looking at the RCC as a possible home, even with what is going on. the way i see it, if the world hates the RCC, then it must be doing something right. as far as the abuses go, i also know that the catholic church is made up of people, and people sin, even priests. personally, if i was the Holy Father, i would have had those priests shot (my opinion that death is the only appropriate punishment for hurting a kid like that). i had talked to a nun and she said they were defrocked and exiled, i guess that will do. but you have to remember, church (irregardless of denom) is for sinners, not saints. remember, jesus said he came to heal the sick, the healthy need no healing
 
davy39 said:
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a cradle Catholic and will be Catholic until I die, no matter what. The point is, with all of the things going on with the Church these days, (abuse scandels, big money payoffs, movies and tv trying to convince people that the Church is corrupt, etc, etc) if I weren’t already Catholic, what would make me want to become one? How about you? Would you do it again under todays conditions? Or would you head for the nearest feel-good mega church?
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The calling. I became interested and joined at the very height of the sex-abuse crisis (not because of that of course, but because I read the teachings and believed them). Obviously the Church scandal is plain awful, but it can also be seen as way to get rid of dead wood and bring in zealous faithful. Joining some offshoot was never and never will be an option because it is too much like Islam AND secular humanism–all ideological bluster.
 
davy39 said:
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a cradle Catholic and will be Catholic until I die, no matter what. The point is, with all of the things going on with the Church these days, (abuse scandels, big money payoffs, movies and tv trying to convince people that the Church is corrupt, etc, etc) if I weren’t already Catholic, what would make me want to become one? How about you? Would you do it again under todays conditions? Or would you head for the nearest feel-good mega church?
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Well, why are you so insistant to *stay *in the Church?

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not trying to talk you out of the Church, but I hope some of the things that make you want to stay are the same things that would draw others, don’t you think? Off the top of my head:
  • The Fullness of Truth
  • The Real Presence
  • Apostolic Succession
  • The Sacraments
:twocents:
tee
 
Because it is Jesus’ only Church that is One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic containing the fullness of truth, despite the fact all its members are sinners and do fail.
 
tee_eff_em said:
Well, why are you so insistant to *stay *in the Church?

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not trying to talk you out of the Church, but I hope some of the things that make you want to stay are the same things that would draw others, don’t you think? Off the top of my head:
  • The Fullness of Truth
  • The Real Presence
  • Apostolic Succession
  • The Sacraments
:twocents:
tee
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Hi Tee, I really do believe that Jesus is present in the Holy Eucharist, I believe that our Church is the only one that can trace its existance back to the time of the apostles, and, as you say, if the world hates the Church, we really must have a lot going for us. Hopefully, this will be the time cleansing for the Church. We need quality Catholics, not quantity. God bless us all!
 
I was received into His Church on the Easter vigil in 2006. I was baptized as an infant in the Methodist Church, was raised in the Congregational Church (UCC), and spent time wandering amongst several “evangelical” denominations.

Why did I join the Catholic Church? Obviously not because of the scandal, but despite it.

I joined the Church because I discovered that it is the true Church. The behavior of some of its members has been deplorable, to say the least. But that does not change the fact that it is the Church that Jesus sent out to teach all the nations. To whom else should I go?
 
I joined the Church in 2005, and to be honest, the scandal that went on did not even cross my mind.

For me, the thing that drew me to the RCC is that there was an answer for any question I had. I am a very intellectual person, and my Southern Baptist church was just shunning me for asking questions. When I started inquiring about Catholicism there was always an answer, and a good and well-thought out one at that. As I delved in further, I discovered the Sacraments, communion of the Saints, etc. and I was hooked. As someone said above, the Church is for sinners, and while the things that happened are deplorable, they could have happened in any other denomination just as easily. Regardless of the mistakes the people in the Church make, it holds the Truth, and you can’t argue with the Truth!! 👍
 
davy39 said:
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a cradle Catholic and will be Catholic until I die, no matter what. The point is, with all of the things going on with the Church these days, (abuse scandels, big money payoffs, movies and tv trying to convince people that the Church is corrupt, etc, etc) if I weren’t already Catholic, what would make me want to become one? How about you? Would you do it again under todays conditions? Or would you head for the nearest feel-good mega church?
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You know what’s wrong with the “feel-good mega churches”?

They don’t have the Truth- heck, they hardly know what they believe!

I was baptized, confirmed, and received First Holy Communion on Easter Vigil 2007. 3 months,1 week, and 3 days ago.

But to answer your question, why would anyone (especially an 18 year old teenager full of life) want to become Catholic? There are SOO many reasons: the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist (very influential in my own conversion), the beauty of the Holy Mass, the Tradtion…

Yet, I think St. Peter answers this question best:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

So, there it is. There are actually people out here who still hunger for the Truth and you’ll find, if somebody truly yearns for Truth, they will find themselves at the gates of Rome.

Abuse scandals, corruption in the Church… sure, those played into it. Beforehand, anyways. Those used to be some of the best reasons to attack Catholics, especially from an atheist’s point of view. Still, the soul yearns for God and will not rest until it is satisfied.
 
davy39 said:
with all of the things going on with the Church these days, (abuse scandels, big money payoffs, movies and tv trying to convince people that the Church is corrupt, etc, etc) if I weren’t already Catholic, what would make me want to become one?
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don’t forget that there never was a perfect, golden age in the history of the church. each new era brings new problems and setbacks and probably each new era’s problems appear insurmountable at the time that one is living through them. yet somehow the church endures.

if you rewind back to the 1970’s and all the winds of change blowing through the catholic world and the world at large it was probably an even better time to be a pessimist. there was a lot of confusion about the authority of the church and the value of innovation and modernization. perhaps it seemed that the ground was changing under one’s feet. now that that churning has settled down and theological innovation is out of fashion it is easier to see the eternal, unchanging truth that the church holds out for what it is, and so scandal or no scandal that is a development that provides hope for the future.
 
Thanks for all the replys. I do believe that in spite of everything, our Church has a future. The Holy Spirit gurantees it. There have been scandels in the past, and the Church has survived and grown in the process. I believe this will happen now. I’m am still proud to be Catholic.
 
davy39 said:
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a cradle Catholic and will be Catholic until I die, no matter what. The point is, with all of the things going on with the Church these days, (abuse scandels, big money payoffs, movies and tv trying to convince people that the Church is corrupt, etc, etc) if I weren’t already Catholic, what would make me want to become one? How about you? Would you do it again under todays conditions? Or would you head for the nearest feel-good mega church?
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I came from a Mega Church, which by the way, the teaching there pastor told me it is OK to be Catholic. Boy,I only wish he would understand the whole truth of that statement:rolleyes: . Are you sure, you are not just looking for some re-enforcement- that is, are you sure you are not doubting the Church yourself? The reason I ask is you listed all negative observations? What really makes you stay beside being a cradle Catholic? I’m Catholic because this were my journey with God and his Son guided by the Holy Spirit lead me. Here is where I truly feel His love. The fullness of truth.
 
Bennie_P said:
I came from a Mega Church, which by the way, the teaching there pastor told me it is OK to be Catholic. Boy,I only wish he would understand the whole truth of that statement:rolleyes: . Are you sure, you are not just looking for some re-enforcement- that is, are you sure you are not doubting the Church yourself? The reason I ask is you listed all negative observations? What really makes you stay beside being a cradle Catholic? I’m Catholic because this were my journey with God and his Son guided by the Holy Spirit lead me. Here is where I truly feel His love. The fullness of truth.
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As I said in another post, the Catholic church is the only one that has the whole truth. I did leave the Church for a few years during my second marriage, but after that my wife joined and I re-joined, and I’m sure glad I did. I was just saying that some people that might ordinarily be interested in the Church, might change their minds if they believe everything that is in the media that is against the Church. I do believe that Christ is present in the Holy Eucharist, and that the Church is the only one that has apostolic succession, and the one that can trace its history all the way back to apostoles. That’s why I’m Catholic, and will always be one, my wife included. God bless and pray for our Church.
 
davy39 said:
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a cradle Catholic and will be Catholic until I die, no matter what. The point is, with all of the things going on with the Church these days, (abuse scandels, big money payoffs, movies and tv trying to convince people that the Church is corrupt, etc, etc) if I weren’t already Catholic, what would make me want to become one? How about you? Would you do it again under todays conditions? Or would you head for the nearest feel-good mega church?
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They don’t seem to. The exodus from Catholcism in accelerating. The latest CWR has a South American bishop saying it is a threat to the whole church. For whatever reason, aside from the few intellectual conversions like Scott Hahn, the average person is not finding truth in Catholicsm. The situatuion IMO is bleak and getting bleaker.
 
When you walk into a Catholic church, the very first thing you see is the tabernacle. And in the tabernacle is Jesus Christ Himself. He is physically present. Almighty God Himself who created you and the entire universe is physically present in the tabernacle in a Catholic church. There is no where else where God Himself is physically present, except in a Catholic church.
 
First: It’s the church founded by Christ on Peter. All others were founded by man.

Second: No matter what faith tradition you have, or which church you attend, the Catholic faith simply has more. More Holy Spirit, more Body and Blood of Christ, more variety of ways to worship, more races, and nationalities-in fact the whole world!

Third: Leaving the Catholic (Universal) church because of the scandals is like Peter, James and John walking away from Christ because of Judas. He sold Christ out, then committed suicide. Talk about a scandal!

Fourth: Which church does Satan come against the most? This is clear indication that the truth dwells within it.

Fifth: Take a fresh look at the church after you stop watching TV, cancel your newspaper, etc. It’s amazing how refreshing it now appears!

Sixth: Turn off the non-demoninational and secular radio stations and listen to Catholic radio. Your attitude will do a 180.

Resist Satan with all of your heart, all of your soul, all of your strength and all of your mind, just as you must love the Lord in the same fashion.

The peace of Christ to all.
 
rien said:
They don’t seem to. The exodus from Catholcism in accelerating. The latest CWR has a South American bishop saying it is a threat to the whole church. For whatever reason, aside from the few intellectual conversions like Scott Hahn, the average person is not finding truth in Catholicsm. The situatuion IMO is bleak and getting bleaker.
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I’m sorry you apparently have not yet seen what appears to be the beginnings of a great renewal. I entered the church at Easter 2001 after studying on my own much like Scott Hahn except I’m just a regular person who wanted to find the original and true Christian church. The next year my best friend from law school called me during Lent to tell me that she had done the same thing. She is now a Catholic youth director and studying for a theology masters degree. Her husband followed her two years ago into the church. Just regular folks.

Every year our RCIA program is packed full of folks just like me. I believe that last year was the first time it dipped below 100 people in classes in a while. We also have RCIT for teens and RCIC for younger children. I’ve seen whole families converting (sometimes led by the teens with the parents converting later).

As a sponsor I have been to the cathedral every year 2001-2006 when the candidates for the diocese are presented to the bishop. In my year we all fit into one service. For the last several years they have had to schedule 2 services because just the sponsors and candidates (with no family allowed) won’t fit into the cathedral. They do the catechumens on a totally different day also. This is not a church that is dieing.

I have seen lots of reverts recently also. In Africa and many other parts of the world where there is great danger, the church is growing also. I think that sometimes we get tricked or discouraged by slanted news stories and people complaining in the US. I don’t worry about the hype any longer. I just evangelize as opportunities arise and try to live out my life as a witness to the faith.
 
davy39 said:
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a cradle Catholic and will be Catholic until I die, no matter what. The point is, with all of the things going on with the Church these days, (abuse scandels, big money payoffs, movies and tv trying to convince people that the Church is corrupt, etc, etc) if I weren’t already Catholic, what would make me want to become one? How about you? Would you do it again under todays conditions? Or would you head for the nearest feel-good mega church?
Click to expand...
I was raised a Protestant, but never felt any real peace or happiness there. All I felt was hypocrisy and fear. Sin is everywhere - not just in the church. I converted because after studying in the RCIA classes, it’s really the only religion that makes sense - apostolic succession in particular. I only regret that I didn’t grow up as a Catholic and lament all those ‘lost’ years.

As our pastor says, we need to remember our priests are just people too and we can’t judge the church by what the priests do. It has nothing to do with Catholicism or Christ.
 
davy39 said:
Now don’t get me wrong. I’m a cradle Catholic and will be Catholic until I die, no matter what. The point is, with all of the things going on with the Church these days, (abuse scandels, big money payoffs, movies and tv trying to convince people that the Church is corrupt, etc, etc) if I weren’t already Catholic, what would make me want to become one? How about you? Would you do it again under todays conditions? Or would you head for the nearest feel-good mega church?
Click to expand...
I converted in 2003, confirmed in 2005, long after the terrible priest sex-abuse scandal became public.

I converted not because of the people in the Church, but because the Church teaches the fullness of truth. That and because of the nature of my sudden, supernatural and miraculous conversion, I knew that it could only be the Catholic Church.
 
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