Wondering about other faiths

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Is wondering if whatever denomination is right for you instead of another one a mortal sin?
 
I don’t think that wondering about that sort of thing is a sin at all, much less a grave one.
 
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Our Lord founded only one Church, the Catholic Church. You shouldn’t be entertaining the idea of finding another “denomination”.

That is not a “politically correct” stance, I know, but the thrice-taught infallible teaching of the Church is that you cannot be saved outside the Catholic Church (extra ecclesiam nulla salus).

And for those familiar with the concept, I can assure you, no, I am not a “Feeneyite”. What others do, Our Lord will judge. I pray that He will judge them based on what they were capable of knowing and believing. I can just say that if I were to leave the communion of Rome, I would not be able to sleep at night for fear that, knowing better as I do, I would lose my soul.
 
I’m an Eastern Catholic and I’ve wondered many times throughout the years whether I oughtta convert to Greek Orthodoxy. I didn’t. The sin of schism is in the action, not the thought.
 
You’re fine. I must confess that I have had doubts (not willingly entertained, they are just “there”), varying as to:
  • Whether Jesus is not the Messiah and that the claims of Orthodox Judaism are true
  • Whether the Eastern Orthodox are right and that I must abandon the claims of “papal Rome” to be in the one true church
  • Whether anti-Catholic biblical fundamentalists are right
So, as you can see, it’s all over the place.

I dismiss all of these as manifestations of my fallen human nature, or possibly even promptings of the Evil One to draw me out of the Church and thus lose my salvation.
 
Catholicism is not a Christian denomination, one kind among many others. Catholicism is a Faith founded by its leader, Jesus Christ, who established his Seven Sacraments, redeemed mankind by his Sacrificial Death on Calvary, and left a Priesthood.
Denominations sprang up in history from the 16th century on with their own constitutions, prayers, directives, etc. These constitutions are regularly modified and their devotional system changed out of the changing times of their congregations.
 
This argument could be made about any type of Christianity, but we call these faiths denominations.
 
Dourbest said:
Is wondering if whatever denomination is right for you instead of another one a mortal sin?
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No, it’s not a “mortal sin.” I wish CAF were less fixated on hyper analyzing whether something is a mortal sin or not. It’s like all anyone cares about is “do i need to go to confession?”

Anyway, I do think part of the way you phrased your question is concerning. You said which denomination is right “for you”. This isn’t a matter of individual taste, like Coke vs Pepsi. The claims of the Catholic Church are true or they’re false, and that doesn’t change depending on whether it’s you or I asking the question.

(Which isn’t to say that I believe all non-Catholics are damned. If I had to guess, I’d say that there will probably be plenty of people in heaven who were Protestants or orthodox or Jews or Muslims or Hindus or atheists or whatever during their earthly lives. Just saying that if the Church is “right” then it’s universal.)
 
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It’s like wondering about another spouse. It’s natural to wonder, its sinful to explore the opportunity…
 
LawyersGunsAndMoney said:
I wish CAF were less fixated on hyper analyzing whether something is a mortal sin or not. It’s like all anyone cares about is “do i need to go to confession?”
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It’s not CAF in general, it’s a small subset of people, many of whom are young, many of whom have some degree of scruples, and most of whom seem to have not had parents or other spiritual guides to help them form their conscience so they could easily decide if something was or wasn’t a sin.

I doubt very much that I or other mature regulars lay awake nights wondering if we committed a mortal sin that day or not.
 
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HomeschoolDad said:
I dismiss all of these as manifestations of my fallen human nature, or possibly even promptings of the Evil One to draw me out of the Church and thus lose my salvation.
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I tend to agree they are one or the other.

Once in a while I have a momentary fleeting thought that this is all some fairy tale humans made up to give their lives meaning. I usually think of one of my favorite saints while simultaneously asking Jesus, Mary, Joseph, St. Michael, St. Benedict etc to shoo whatever devil is bothering me and the thought always goes right away. It’s similar to those fleeting thoughts I occasionally get where I’m all like hey woah I’m in this human body on a planet typing on a computer, how did I get here and is this for real, etc.
 
Yes, I think. I meant wishful wondering about how much happier I would have been in Orthodoxy- the type of stuff you think of when you’re bored.
 
It exposes a certain amount of doubt or uncertainty. Neither is good in the ultimate sense.

But wait! You have the solution readily available!

When you love someone, you do not settle for loving them from afar - you want to do so up close and personal, right?

Call your local parish and find out when they offer Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament - Christ present with us. Then go and spend time with the One you love. Be as patient with Him as He has been with you. And, when you are aware that He is there, you will be changed*
  • Fr. Benedict Groeschel† C.F.R.
 
You are not alone. I am discerning whether to remain in the Catholic Church. I should have studied Catholicism, as a system and religion more deeply before converting.
 
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It is not wrong to question or have some doubts. In fact, obtaining answers to those questions may strengthen your faith and help others. It may help others understand the meaning behind the “things we do” in our religion, and see how they were given to us by Jesus.

I was raised a Baptist as a child (and became agnostic for many years following), but was welcomed into the Catholic Church 6 years ago after embarking on a long search to find the “correct denomination”. I was very surprised with what I discovered while researching the faith of the earliest Christians. I still have questions about the Church, but have never felt more peace, joy and sense of being "at home.
 
Definitely not. I an Anglican,but wondered about whether or not the Catholic church is right for me. This is how I decided to convert.
 
In my youth, learning about other faiths came after I moved me away from my Baptist faith. In adulthood, exploring different faiths lead me to Catholicism. I needed to know everything else was false before accepting the truth. If I had not done that studying I would possibly deeply doubt my decision, wondering if I was being ignorant. I don’t think it is a sin to learn about different faiths. I think the bigger question is what are you looking for? If you are weary about your existing faith it can either lead you astray or lead you deeper.
 
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