Considering Catholicism,but need to learn more

[wonderwoman]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]First of all, let me preface this message with an explanation of where i stand spiritually. I'm 38 yrs old. I was raised a Catholic and as a child and adolescent, Christianity meant nothing to me. I did not know God.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When i was 18, i had a spiritual experience that brought about my conversion to Christianity. The simple message of the gospel was explained to me by a protestant when i was in my early teens and i was touched by this message and amazed with this revelation. Years went by with that seed planted,but it wasn't till i was 18, when i was then ready to commit my life to Christ that i truly turned my life around through the guidance of the holy spirit. I had a very radical conversion and turned away from a former life of drugs and debauchery. I entered various protestant churches throughout these years and was taught to love scripture, prayer and communion with other believers. I also attended a protestant interdenominational liberal arts Christian college that helped to deepen my walk with God. Well to make a long story short, it's been about 20 yrs. since i came to know Christ and as of late, I've rediscovered the jewels i missed out on found within Catholicism. As time went by i came across many committed catholics who truly loved God and i realized there was a difference between what i call "cultural catholics" and real Christian catholics. By "cultural catholics" i am referring to the many people who i have grown up with who called themselves catholics, but lived a life contrary to the gospel and basic church teachings. These were people who viewed their catholicism like they viewed their ethnic or cultural background. These were people who never read the bible and when they went to church it was mostly on holidays and these visits were done mostly out of tradition alone. In other words, they are under the impression that just because they did their communion/confirmation etc...these ceremonies were enough to get them into heaven and how they lived their life practically did not matter. What i'm saying is that i didn't see a difference in the lives of these "cultural catholics" and atheists. I did not see christ to be of any importance in their lives. This is not to say that there aren't protestants who are "cultural Christians"....i saw this too, but i just found more of this occurring in the catholic churches i grew up in. All this to say, now that i have met some really dedicated catholic Christians and since I've been reading many of the church Dr's. I've been finding catholicism more and more appealing. I am now viewing the deep meaningfulness in what i once saw as "rote". I never did accept many of the extreme fringes of some protestant independent denominations and always had trouble with some of the legalistic "subcultures" that i could not identify with.....particularly those that that devalued intellectual pursuits etc and were more focused on "feel good" experiences. When i started to attend mass as an adult, i heard some pretty "boring" sermons, but i also heard some pretty powerful messages that were clearly inspired by the holy spirit. I've also been very moved by Father Corapi, who i've recently discovered this year. I still love and read many protestant preachers and writers...writers such as C.S. Lewis or Oswald Chambers etc.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]But now, i'm reading and enjoying the writings of st. john of the cross and St. Terese. One of the things that really appeal to me in Catholicism that didn't in Protestantism is the fact that many of the Dr's of the church are women....women that are highly honored and given an authoritative place in the church. Of course within liberal protestant denominations, there are many women theologians and ordained women pastors, but i'm referring to the more conservative branches in the protestant church. I don't agree with many of the liberal protestant teachings.
[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Discovering these female Catholic writers really surprised me because i've always had a sort of negative view of the strong patriarchal tradition found within catholicism. I.e....the different class status between priest and nun for example.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]At the moment i am learning more about catholic church teachings and discovering many misconceptions i've always had as a protestant. These days, i attend mass as often as i can and feel very much at home in that setting even though i still listen to and read the protestant preachers and writers i've always loved. Depending on the denomination, there are many teachings that i thoroughly reject and disagree with in the protestant tradition. However, there are still some obstacles or teachings that i find hard to swallow within catholicism as well. I have a problem with purgatory, birth control for married couples, Maryology and what is referred to the "veneration" of the saints. I also have a bit of a problem with the idea of the infallibility of the pope. I have no problem with a hierarchy or with one person ultimately as leader, but i don't really agree with the almost divine status or infallibility status. Keep in mind, i truly love what john paul taught and all that he has done.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Anyway, i just wanted to share a bit of my journey and hope to commune and learn more about catholicism via this forum. [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I have a lot of questions that i won't bombard you with now, but i'll leave you all with one question:[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In order to join the catholic church is it a requirement that i accept and practice the teachings regarding Mary and the veneration of saints? or is this something left up to the individual? Are there any liberal catholics who don't accept these teachings? Don't get me wrong, I honor Mary and regard her in high standing, but i don't consider her as a "co-redemprtress"....which is something i have heard her called by some priests. [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I look forward to hearing some of your responses and getting to know you all.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Sincerely,[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Monica[/FONT]

 

[Fish and Bread]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In order to join the catholic church is it a requirement that i accept and practice the teachings regarding Mary and the veneration of saints? or is this something left up to the individual? Are there any liberal catholics who don't accept these teachings? Don't get me wrong, I honor Mary and regard her in high standing, but i don't consider her as a "co-redemprtress"....which is something i have heard her called by some priests. [/FONT][FONT=Arial, sans-serif][/FONT]

To become Roman Catholic, you do have to believe and profess everything the Church formally teaches, including Marian dogmas and doctrines. However, Mary as co-redemptrix is at this point not a formal teaching of the Church in so far as I'm aware (Even though it is popular with clergy and lay people) and thus doesn't require that assent. That one's still open for discussion. You would have to accept certain things like the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption, because they've been formally taught and defined, but not Mary as co-redemptrix.

As far as veneration of the Saints goes, you would have to accept that it is alright to honor them and pray for their intercession, but you don't have to practice any private devotions to Saints outside of what may occur at mass. Catholics aren't required to own rosaries or have statues or anything like that. It's perfectly alright just to read the bible and pray to God directly when you're at home if you want to, as long as one accepts the teachings that some forms of these other devotions can be good and are acceptable as well. By the same token, someone may pray the rosary, and not read the bible as regularly, and so on and so forth. Private devotions are private devotions and are generally recommended, not required -- people can get closer to God in the way that works best for them (Within the bounds of Catholic teaching -- obviously one isn't supposed to pray to pagan gods or anything like that).

 

[wonderwoman]

Hi fish and bread,
Thank you for your response.
Yes i do believe in the immaculate conception and assumption. I accept these teachings as i did when i was a protestant. Are there any other Marion dogmas/teachings besides these that are formal teachings of the church? What other catholics view about mary is their business and between them and God, i just wanted to know if viewing mary as co-redemptrix was a formal teaching and thus a requirement. If the co-redemptrix dogma is not a formal teaching, why does the vatican permit some clergy to teach this?
Another question, is it a formal church teaching that Mary remained a virgin after marrying Joseph? I know many Catholics believe that, but i don't know if that is an official church position.

Personally, i believe it's important to have only one intercessor between us and God, which is Christ. I know that officially the veneration of saints means to honor them (which i do), but it seems that asking them to intercede for us is the same as prayer and borders on polytheism when it is practiced. I highly esteem all those saints that have gone before us and i want to emmulate them and learn from them, but the idea of asking favors of them as if they had divine power doesn't sit right with me since the jews nor the early church never observed this practice.........plus since scripture teaches us that the only mediator between us and God is christ.....this seems to be such an emphasis.
I guess, growing up, especially in a hispanic catholic culture, it seemed to me that practically what was taking place was a lot more focus on the powers of these various saints rather than on Christ who is the head of the church. It just seems like it can become a dangerous detour away from the importance of christ.
When you say that one must accept the honoring of saints in order to be a catholic, what exactly does that entail? By honoring, do you mean that i must ask them to intercede for me? If i do not ask for intercession, does the church consider it that i'm dishonoring the saints? Does the catechism have an explicit explanation regarding this teaching? If so, can you tell me where?

 

[helenofbritain]

Hi Wonderwoman. Great handle.

There are three Marian dogmas (things whichmust be believed):

Her Immacualte Conception
Her Perpetual Virginity
Her Assumption

Can't post more now..... will check in later regarding Saints...

 

[Called2Grace]

But it isn't a requirement that you prayer for her intercession to be a Catholic, only the dogmas as mentioned by HoB above.

 

[Foundthelight]

But it isn't a requirement that you prayer for her intercession to be a Catholic, only the dogmas as mentioned by HoB above.

There is no requirement to pray to Mary or the saints for intercession. We do it because we know it works. Many are uncomfortable with such prayer and don't do it.

We only need to accept the dogmas listed above.

Hail Mary, full of Grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Pray for us O Holy Mother of God, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

 

[Kepha]

But it isn't a requirement that you prayer for her intercession to be a Catholic, only the dogmas as mentioned by HoB above.

Well there is a small Prayer we have to say in Mass that says "And we ask the Blessed Mary Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord Our God" but that is about it.

But one thing you can't believe is that it is wrong to do so cause it is not in the least.

 

[MikeK]

There are three Marian dogmas (things whichmust be believed):

Her Immacualte Conception
Her Perpetual Virginity
Her Assumption

I don't really believe in all those things. Am I gonna get the boot?

 

[helenofbritain]

I don't really believe in all those things. Am I gonna get the boot?

Um.... dunno.

Do you not believe in them and they can't possibly be true, or are you yet to be convinced, or have you never really thoguht about them before?

What' not to get about the Assumption?

 

[SecretOfFatima]

I don't really believe in all those things. Am I gonna get the boot?

Q: As Catholics, do we have to accept everything the Church teaches?

A: If you want to call yourself Catholic, but you want to pick and choose for yourself which of the Church's teachings to accept and which to reject, you give everyone else who calls themselves Catholic the right to do the same thing.

For example, you believe women should be priests...in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1577 states, "Only a baptized man validly receives ordination...For this reason the ordination of women is not possible!" You don't believe that...well, that's fine...[RIP] just tear that page out of your Catechism...you just made it a Catechism of your Catholic Church...not mine.

But remember, if you can throw doctrines out, so can everyone else who calls themselves Catholic. That gives Joe Parishioner over at St. Doubting Thomas Catholic Church the right to throw out the Church's social justice teachings...he doesn't feel like feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, and all that other "bleeding heart" stuff - Paragraphs 2401 -2463 [RIP]...he just made it a Catechism of his Catholic Church...not mine and not yours.

You believe contraception is okay? Paragraph 2370 says contraception is intrinsically evil! [RIP] Joe Parishioner doesn't like what the Church teaches on the death penalty - Paragraphs 2266-2267[RIP]. You don't like what it teaches on pages 55-60 [RIP]. He doesn't like what it teaches on pages 128-140 [RIP]

Can you see what's happening? I heard it said once that there is a shortage of vocations to the priesthood in the United States, but no shortage of vocations to the Papacy! If we don't believe in all of it, if we each appoint ourselves Pope and throw out a doctrine here or a doctrine there, then our faith is no longer Catholic.

Source: http://www.biblechristiansociety.com/2min_apologetics.php?id=5

 

[MikeK]

Do you not believe in them and they can't possibly be true, or are you yet to be convinced, or have you never really thoguht about them before?

What' not to get about the Assumption?

I've thought about them, and I neither believe nor disbelieve. I'm no longer actively trying to make myself believe though. I remain open to any divine personal messages the Almighty chooses to send my way though.

It's probably not helpful to OP's intent for this thread to have this discussion here though.

 

[MikeK]

If you want to call yourself Catholic, but you want to pick and choose for yourself which of the Church's teachings to accept and which to reject, you give everyone else who calls themselves Catholic the right to do the same thing.

Fail. No man gets his rights from me.

Secret, instead of beating around the bush, why not just answer the question re whether I'm Catholic or not.

 

[NiteClerk]

Thanks SoF. Nice post & link.

 

[HisKid1973]

Thanks for sharing your testimony..I had a pretty radical conversion to Christ also when I was 21..Although I am not Catholic I live in a heavily Italian catholic area..What you shared was why I had such a low view of of Catholicism. All those I knew were either party hearty or Mary this, Mary that and print this novena and your prayer will get answered types..It wasn't till I came here to obob that I found Catholics committed to Christ as I was..May the Lord guide you in your journey to become closer to Him..shalom..kim

BTW Yes you are correct, there are wheat and tares everywhere believers gather in His name

 

[Filia Mariae]

There is no requirement to pray to Mary or the saints for intercession. We do it because we know it works. Many are uncomfortable with such prayer and don't do it.

Except that if you don't you don't fully participate in the Mass, which is a problem. And Lumen Gentium does in fact state that Marian devotion is to be universal. The way it manifests itself may differ, but all are to be devoted to Our Lady.

 

[kepha31]

$100,000 REWARD for anyone who can produce an official Catholic document over 2000 years that declares any saint to be a sole mediator!!!

Hi Wonderwoman,

Nice screen name, Kepha!

I’d like to share a few thoughts about intercession of the saints. First of all, the Jews did honor great teachers with shrines.
Second, we have the Prayer to St. Joseph that dates back to 60 A.D. when the Apostles were still alive. If there was something wrong with it, it wouldn’t have taken 1500 years to notice. Prayers to saints can be found written on the walls of the Roman Catacombs from the 1st century. In other words, prayers to saints is a normal part of Christianity that has always been there. Denial of intercession is a man-made tradition.

Third, the Gospels and Epistles had little to say about private devotion because it deals more with doctrinal issues, and the Bible itself says it does not contain everything about Christianity.
Fourth, Catholicism does not hold to the man-made invention of separating Gods family. Those in heaven are of the same family as Christians on earth. (Eph. 3:14-15) God’s love is not separate and different over those in heaven with those on earth. But those with Christ are much more alive than we are. Some Protestants, by denying intersession of the saints, have divided God’s kingdom, and those in heaven are deaf, dumb, and useless to the affairs of the earth. This is not Christianity and it certainly isn’t heaven according to the Bible.

When a loving father allows his 5 year old to carry in the groceries, does the father NEED his child’s help? No. Does the child want to please his father? Yes. Does the father demand the child’s help? Let’s hope not. The father allows the participation of the child because he loves him/her, and wants the child to work with him. God INVITES our participation on earth and in heaven because He loves us and wants us to share in His work. (1 Cor. 3:9) The phrase used to describe "fellow workers" is "sunergoi," which literally means synergists, or cooperators with God in salvific matters. Protestantism does not teach the love of God in it's fullness.
Christ is the sole mediator between God and man. (1 Tim. 2:5) I don’t mean to confuse you but this has always been a Catholic teaching well before St. Paul wrote it to Timothy, as Catholic Traditions pre-date the canon of the Bible. But to use this verse to refute what has always been believed is to play god, because then one must dictate to Christ how he applies His sole mediatorship to allow for SUBORDINATE mediators, which is what St. Paul asks us to do right before 1 Tim 2:5. More on that here: http://www.scripturecatholic.com/saints.html

Lastly, I invite you to examine a prayer to any saint, or post it for discussion. They don’t contain the objections raised by Protestants. When I post a few prayers to saints in debates with anti-Catholics, they change the subject or fall silent. Glory is given only to God in all of them, and honor given to the one who has lived an exemplary life in Christ. Here is a list of good articles you can pick from:
http://www.phatmass.com/directory/index.php/cat/6
But keep asking questions, Ww, we’re glad to have you here.

Peter

 

[SecretOfFatima]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]First of all, let me preface this message with an explanation of where i stand spiritually. I'm 38 yrs old. I was raised a Catholic and as a child and adolescent, Christianity meant nothing to me. I did not know God.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When i was 18, i had a spiritual experience that brought about my conversion to Christianity. The simple message of the gospel was explained to me by a protestant when i was in my early teens and i was touched by this message and amazed with this revelation. Years went by with that seed planted,but it wasn't till i was 18, when i was then ready to commit my life to Christ that i truly turned my life around through the guidance of the holy spirit. I had a very radical conversion and turned away from a former life of drugs and debauchery. I entered various protestant churches throughout these years and was taught to love scripture, prayer and communion with other believers. I also attended a protestant interdenominational liberal arts Christian college that helped to deepen my walk with God. Well to make a long story short, it's been about 20 yrs. since i came to know Christ and as of late, I've rediscovered the jewels i missed out on found within Catholicism. As time went by i came across many committed catholics who truly loved God and i realized there was a difference between what i call "cultural catholics" and real Christian catholics. By "cultural catholics" i am referring to the many people who i have grown up with who called themselves catholics, but lived a life contrary to the gospel and basic church teachings. These were people who viewed their catholicism like they viewed their ethnic or cultural background. These were people who never read the bible and when they went to church it was mostly on holidays and these visits were done mostly out of tradition alone. In other words, they are under the impression that just because they did their communion/confirmation etc...these ceremonies were enough to get them into heaven and how they lived their life practically did not matter. What i'm saying is that i didn't see a difference in the lives of these "cultural catholics" and atheists. I did not see christ to be of any importance in their lives. This is not to say that there aren't protestants who are "cultural Christians"....i saw this too, but i just found more of this occurring in the catholic churches i grew up in. All this to say, now that i have met some really dedicated catholic Christians and since I've been reading many of the church Dr's. I've been finding catholicism more and more appealing. I am now viewing the deep meaningfulness in what i once saw as "rote". I never did accept many of the extreme fringes of some protestant independent denominations and always had trouble with some of the legalistic "subcultures" that i could not identify with.....particularly those that that devalued intellectual pursuits etc and were more focused on "feel good" experiences. When i started to attend mass as an adult, i heard some pretty "boring" sermons, but i also heard some pretty powerful messages that were clearly inspired by the holy spirit. I've also been very moved by Father Corapi, who i've recently discovered this year. I still love and read many protestant preachers and writers...writers such as C.S. Lewis or Oswald Chambers etc.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]But now, i'm reading and enjoying the writings of st. john of the cross and St. Terese. One of the things that really appeal to me in Catholicism that didn't in Protestantism is the fact that many of the Dr's of the church are women....women that are highly honored and given an authoritative place in the church. Of course within liberal protestant denominations, there are many women theologians and ordained women pastors, but i'm referring to the more conservative branches in the protestant church. I don't agree with many of the liberal protestant teachings. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Discovering these female Catholic writers really surprised me because i've always had a sort of negative view of the strong patriarchal tradition found within catholicism. I.e....the different class status between priest and nun for example.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]At the moment i am learning more about catholic church teachings and discovering many misconceptions i've always had as a protestant. These days, i attend mass as often as i can and feel very much at home in that setting even though i still listen to and read the protestant preachers and writers i've always loved. Depending on the denomination, there are many teachings that i thoroughly reject and disagree with in the protestant tradition. However, there are still some obstacles or teachings that i find hard to swallow within catholicism as well. I have a problem with purgatory, birth control for married couples, Maryology and what is referred to the "veneration" of the saints. I also have a bit of a problem with the idea of the infallibility of the pope. I have no problem with a hierarchy or with one person ultimately as leader, but i don't really agree with the almost divine status or infallibility status. Keep in mind, i truly love what john paul taught and all that he has done.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Anyway, i just wanted to share a bit of my journey and hope to commune and learn more about catholicism via this forum. [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I have a lot of questions that i won't bombard you with now, but i'll leave you all with one question:[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In order to join the catholic church is it a requirement that i accept and practice the teachings regarding Mary and the veneration of saints? or is this something left up to the individual? Are there any liberal catholics who don't accept these teachings? Don't get me wrong, I honor Mary and regard her in high standing, but i don't consider her as a "co-redemprtress"....which is something i have heard her called by some priests. [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I look forward to hearing some of your responses and getting to know you all.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Sincerely,[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Monica[/FONT]

Hello Monica,

Welcome to OBOB, you definately came to the right place to ask your questions, thanks for sharing your story so that we better understand what is holding you back.

In my personal opinion I think from the bottom of our hearts some of us do strugle with certain teachings, maybe simply because we are not perfect and our nature has a tendancy to fall into sin, I would even go as far to say that probably sometimes some of us may feel that it would be much easier to just change religious believes then to stop sinning against GOD who established his church in Matthew 16/Isaiah 22, in a podcast by Bishop Sheen radio, he explains this topic very well, how because of our sins we tend to even reject GOD from our lives altogether, and he also explains what happens when we confess our sins to a priest(James 5:16)... and how that changes the person completly (just try to imagine for a second the relief it would be for someone to get rid of all the Sin that is bottle up in someones heart (check James 5:16)).

In my opinion the Holy spirit is guiding you in the right direction and is just a matter of time before you can accept these teachings in your heart.

Monica, I do have one question for you, have you ever asked a friend or a family member to pray for you to the LORD? Why didn't you went directly to GOD with your petition instead of asking that other person?

Saints
Mk 12:26-27 ... "not God of the dead, but of the living."
Jn 15:1-8 ... vine and its branches.
1 Cor 12:25-27; Rom 12:4-5 ... body of Christ.
Eph 6:18; Rom 15:30; Col 4:3; 1 Thess 1:11 ... intercessory prayer.
Jos 5:14; Dan 8:17; Tob 12:16 ... veneration of angels united with God (Mt 18:10).
1 Cor 13:12; 1 John 3:2 ... saints also united with God.
Lk 20-34-38 ... those who died are like angels.
2 Mac 15:11-16 ... deceased Onias and Jeremiah interceded for Jews.
Rev 8:3-4; Jer 15:1 ... saints' intercession.

The Blessed Virgin Mary
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/blessed_virgin_mary.html

 

[WarriorAngel]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]First of all, let me preface this message with an explanation of where i stand spiritually. I'm 38 yrs old. I was raised a Catholic and as a child and adolescent, Christianity meant nothing to me. I did not know God.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]When i was 18, i had a spiritual experience that brought about my conversion to Christianity. The simple message of the gospel was explained to me by a protestant when i was in my early teens and i was touched by this message and amazed with this revelation. Years went by with that seed planted,but it wasn't till i was 18, when i was then ready to commit my life to Christ that i truly turned my life around through the guidance of the holy spirit. I had a very radical conversion and turned away from a former life of drugs and debauchery. I entered various protestant churches throughout these years and was taught to love scripture, prayer and communion with other believers. I also attended a protestant interdenominational liberal arts Christian college that helped to deepen my walk with God. Well to make a long story short, it's been about 20 yrs. since i came to know Christ and as of late, I've rediscovered the jewels i missed out on found within Catholicism. As time went by i came across many committed catholics who truly loved God and i realized there was a difference between what i call "cultural catholics" and real Christian catholics. By "cultural catholics" i am referring to the many people who i have grown up with who called themselves catholics, but lived a life contrary to the gospel and basic church teachings. These were people who viewed their catholicism like they viewed their ethnic or cultural background. These were people who never read the bible and when they went to church it was mostly on holidays and these visits were done mostly out of tradition alone. In other words, they are under the impression that just because they did their communion/confirmation etc...these ceremonies were enough to get them into heaven and how they lived their life practically did not matter. What i'm saying is that i didn't see a difference in the lives of these "cultural catholics" and atheists. I did not see christ to be of any importance in their lives. This is not to say that there aren't protestants who are "cultural Christians"....i saw this too, but i just found more of this occurring in the catholic churches i grew up in. All this to say, now that i have met some really dedicated catholic Christians and since I've been reading many of the church Dr's. I've been finding catholicism more and more appealing. I am now viewing the deep meaningfulness in what i once saw as "rote". I never did accept many of the extreme fringes of some protestant independent denominations and always had trouble with some of the legalistic "subcultures" that i could not identify with.....particularly those that that devalued intellectual pursuits etc and were more focused on "feel good" experiences. When i started to attend mass as an adult, i heard some pretty "boring" sermons, but i also heard some pretty powerful messages that were clearly inspired by the holy spirit. I've also been very moved by Father Corapi, who i've recently discovered this year. I still love and read many protestant preachers and writers...writers such as C.S. Lewis or Oswald Chambers etc.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]But now, i'm reading and enjoying the writings of st. john of the cross and St. Terese. One of the things that really appeal to me in Catholicism that didn't in Protestantism is the fact that many of the Dr's of the church are women....women that are highly honored and given an authoritative place in the church. Of course within liberal protestant denominations, there are many women theologians and ordained women pastors, but i'm referring to the more conservative branches in the protestant church. I don't agree with many of the liberal protestant teachings. [/FONT]

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Discovering these female Catholic writers really surprised me because i've always had a sort of negative view of the strong patriarchal tradition found within catholicism. I.e....the different class status between priest and nun for example.[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]At the moment i am learning more about catholic church teachings and discovering many misconceptions i've always had as a protestant. These days, i attend mass as often as i can and feel very much at home in that setting even though i still listen to and read the protestant preachers and writers i've always loved. Depending on the denomination, there are many teachings that i thoroughly reject and disagree with in the protestant tradition. However, there are still some obstacles or teachings that i find hard to swallow within catholicism as well. I have a problem with purgatory, birth control for married couples, Maryology and what is referred to the "veneration" of the saints. I also have a bit of a problem with the idea of the infallibility of the pope. I have no problem with a hierarchy or with one person ultimately as leader, but i don't really agree with the almost divine status or infallibility status. Keep in mind, i truly love what john paul taught and all that he has done.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Anyway, i just wanted to share a bit of my journey and hope to commune and learn more about catholicism via this forum. [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I have a lot of questions that i won't bombard you with now, but i'll leave you all with one question:[/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]In order to join the catholic church is it a requirement that i accept and practice the teachings regarding Mary and the veneration of saints? or is this something left up to the individual? Are there any liberal catholics who don't accept these teachings? Don't get me wrong, I honor Mary and regard her in high standing, but i don't consider her as a "co-redemprtress"....which is something i have heard her called by some priests. [/FONT]


[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]I look forward to hearing some of your responses and getting to know you all.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Sincerely,[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]Monica[/FONT]

Gr8 story....almost similar to mine.
I never 'left' the Church to attend other Christian services...but i did leave for a time.

Anyway, here are a few posts [if interested] that I already made recently on a few issues.

http://foru.ms/showpost.php?p=40882213&postcount=16

http://foru.ms/showpost.php?p=40961214&postcount=21

I consider myself moderate leaning conservative.

 

[WarriorAngel]

LET me first say...in my second post.

WELCOME!!!!!


Secondly, understanding Catholicism is a process. Things that we do not understand we have a hard time accepting.

God in His infinite love, holds our hands like a child learning to walk... AND when we are being led by Him we are taking baby steps.

DO NOT be frustrated if things do not come over night.
Because like a child... and God our Teacher, He gives us information slowly so we absorb it...
AND not only absorb it, but we do so with our hearts, and not just intellect.

Following Christ is a process.... not a race.

Ask and ye shall receive.
Read my sig... Matthew 7; 7-8.

He reveals to us in His own time, but if we keep asking... He gives us the answers as He knows we need them, in the time we need them.

One day a spark may set off... whereas before it didnt make sense.

Dont lose heart... in fact persevere no matter what, and all things will become visible.
IF not in this life, but definitely the next life when we choose to obey against all the odds. Each person has their own cross and trials...
Again, persevere and the rewards are so worth it.

HUGS

 

[SecretOfFatima]

Fail. No man gets his rights from me.

Secret, instead of beating around the bush, why not just answer the question re whether I'm Catholic or not.

Hello Mike,

Just so that you know, I do struggle at least with one teaching of the church simply because of the position that I have found myself in, and which keeps me excluded from the sacraments, but I still support the position of the Church on the matter, I accept that GOD is going to judge me at least on that matter, and I wish everyday that was not the case, but would it better for the Church to lower it's position on the matter then is for me to be able to receive the sacraments? I don't think so, I have struggle with this position but GOD trough daily scripture has answered my questions, so all I can do is trust is Mercy. I can only tell you how hard is to see someone received the Body of Christ in my church and then just walk out of the Church in the middle of the Holy Mass... What is worst, someone do that or for me not to be able to receive the Body of Christ and to stay there on my knees and wait for the Holy Mass to finish before leaving the Church. We are all sinners and we all need GOD's mercy when that day will come for all of us. I do believe very strongly however that if we struggle to accept certain church teachings that we should not openenly promote our views against them, one good example of this is abortion...

The "wolves-in-sheep's clothing" metaphor based on the Bible applies to those who are pretending to be something they are not. Anti-Catholic Protestants are Christians, and they are not pretending to be Catholics. The pretense (where present) would be a lack of sincerity. "Heresy" applies to individual errors. Protestants (like Orthodox) are a bit of a special case.

I just hope that metaphor does not apply to me.