Starting to wonder...

See if you can get ahold of a copy of the Catechism. If you're considering joining the Catholic church, you might as well see exactly what we believe.

Christianity begins and ends with Christ, not a religion.

But whatever works for the individual so long as it's Christ.

Searching_for_God said:

So, I've been doing a very in depth search of myself, my values, and God's Word recently and... I'm starting to wonder if maybe Catholicism is really what I ought to be practicing. Maybe everyone is right. Maybe Catholicism is the only right way to practice Christianity and everyone else isn't properly saved...

I think I should possibly do more looking into Catholicism. After all, it is where Christianity started...

By the way, regardless of denomination, anyone is free to join this thread. I'm just thinking aloud here.

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Hi SFG,

Christianity started with Jesus and the 12 apostles, not with the catholic church. We have the apostles testimony in the bible and if you were on a desert island with a bible, that is all you would need to believe in Jesus Christ and receive salvation. The moment you start believing you need to have a church stand between you and the Lord you have departed from biblical Christianity.

If you look around Christian Forums, the majority of the people here don't believe that the catholic church is the only true church. It was one of the first organized churches, but if you look into the bible you will see there were many churches in those days. Jesus writes a letter to seven churches in Turkey in the book of Revelation. Paul wrote to many churches he started, such as the church of the Galatians and the Ephesians. None of these were Roman Catholic. Over the centuries, and after everything shook out when the Roman empire collapsed, the Roman Catholic church was the one left standing. That doesn't mean it was the only one who was correct.

You should also consider that the protestant reformation happened for a reason. Have you looked into what it was and why it happened? The Catholics have their opinions about it, but have you read other opinions?

The most important thing for you is to understand the gospel and give your life completely to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Do you understand the gospel? When you come to know the Lord then you can ask Him which church you should go to. Don't just make the decision on your own; ask the Lord to lead you directly to the church He wants you to attend. I don't think anyone, catholic or otherwise, could argue with that.

Searching_for_God said:

So, I've been doing a very in depth search of myself, my values, and God's Word recently and... I'm starting to wonder if maybe Catholicism is really what I ought to be practicing. Maybe everyone is right. Maybe Catholicism is the only right way to practice Christianity and everyone else isn't properly saved...

I think I should possibly do more looking into Catholicism. After all, it is where Christianity started...

By the way, regardless of denomination, anyone is free to join this thread. I'm just thinking aloud here.

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God bless you
I think it is great you are willing to take a deeper look into the Catholic Faith
there is no need to rush into things, from what you have said you are kind of a new Christian so you have a lot to learn about all kinds of things, I hope that does not come off as condescending
I have been a Christian all my life and I still feel like there is SO much I have to learn

Searching_for_God said:

So, I've been doing a very in depth search of myself, my values, and God's Word recently and... I'm starting to wonder if maybe Catholicism is really what I ought to be practicing. Maybe everyone is right. Maybe Catholicism is the only right way to practice Christianity and everyone else isn't properly saved...

I think I should possibly do more looking into Catholicism. After all, it is where Christianity started...

By the way, regardless of denomination, anyone is free to join this thread. I'm just thinking aloud here.

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For some reason, I thought you already were Catholic and had been looking into other denominations. Was I mistaken? What we might recommend for you would change depending on whether you are Catholic or a seeker.

OK well the first thing I would recommend is to take the kind of stuff you find online about Catholicism with a huge grain of salt. Normal people, including Catholics, don't spend their free time arguing about religion with strangers online. Most of us are real heady types who like to study theology and debate each other and that may not be helpful to regular folks who are looking into Catholicism.

The best thing you can do if you are curious about Catholicism is try to find a church near you and start regularly attending Sunday (or Saturday evening) Mass. Then if you have questions or want to start officially explore Catholicism, you can contact the church and see about signing up for their RCIA class. It's how the Church receives new members.

Helpful online resources can be found on the Vatican's website. Like another poster said, grab a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (also available for free on the Vatican website here). It is the official teaching book of the Church and can answer a lot of questions you may have about Christianity and Catholicism.

Searching_for_God said:

I'm starting to wonder if maybe Catholicism is really what I ought to be practicing. Maybe everyone is right. Maybe Catholicism is the only right way to practice Christianity and everyone else isn't properly saved...

I think I should possibly do more looking into Catholicism. After all, it is where Christianity started...

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Protestants rely only on the Bible, but the Bible itself sounds Catholic rather than Protestant; in fact, who compiled the Bible ?



Can we only rely on the Bible alone without the Pope? Protestants believe so, the result is great confusion among them -- they got 1000+ denominations.

thesunisout said:

Those are your talking points, but even if they were true it doesn't make the Catholic church the one true church. The true church according to the bible is the body of Christ. Everyone who has the Spirit of God living inside them is a member of the body of Christ, and that isn't exclusive to the Catholic church. The Lord has children in nearly every denomination, some more, some less.

The Catholic church does a lot of good things in the world, but no one needs the Catholic church to be saved. According to scripture there is only one mediator between God and man:

1 Timothy 2:5

For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

Jesus Christ is our mediator, not a priest, not tradition, but Jesus Christ our Messiah. He receives all that will call upon His name for salvation regardless of denomination or background. There is no partiality with Him. He doesn't love His Catholic children any more than He loves His Protestant children. He has made the way for us to be saved, by faith in His name and no man or church can add anything to that, or take anything away.

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Christ established a church. That ancient church is the Catholic Church. I don't deny other denominations can have followers who can be saved. However the fullness of his truth is in the sacraments of the Catholic Church.

God calls a people to himself. He didn't create 30000 different denominations he created one.

Glaucus said:

This is OBOB. Not only is what you're saying against the rules, but more importantly, what you're saying (since you're a guest and not in tune with the finer details) is encouraging this specific person towards a faith that encourages abortion, homosexual relations, blasphemy against God's name/person, to name a few.

And to be frank, either Catholicism or Orthodoxy is correct and there's no alternative. My "side" in that matter is against the rules too, but that aside, any Protestant or Evangelical or non-Denom or anything of the like is completely and utterly incorrect and has no basis in history, as it has only existed for 25% of the Christian faith's current life span, and the very book you use was given to you by the ancient Christian Church, which is not your church.

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Any true faith in Christ, wont encourage you into a faith that encourages anything against Christ.
It will drive you to find what Christ stands for, if you've not got a bible.

Being a Christian, you must believe in the conviction of the Holy Spirit, any wise person would know this.

Also, every darn thing anyone says that goes against a pre conceived acceptance rule, is against the rules which is stupid, it shuts down dialogue, and discourages actual spiritual growth.
Now, if you agree with the rule of, supressed growth, that's on you, and I would say quite un-Christian.

SaNcTaMaRiA said:

Christ established a church. That ancient church is the Catholic Church. I don't deny other denominations can have followers who can be saved. However the fullness of his truth is in the sacraments of the Catholic Church.

God calls a people to himself. He didn't create 30000 different denominations he created one.

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Christ established a church, and that church is His body. That is, every believer in Christ which has been saved and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. That is His spiritual body, and it has nothing to do with the Catholic church or any other denomination. The body of Christ transcends every human institution.

Since you've admitted that believers can be saved outside of the Catholic church, you have to acknowledge that the Catholic church isn't the only source of truth and that the sacraments aren't necessary for salvation. What you have left then is your particular tradition which you believe is closest to the truth.

You trace your roots and base your claims on how old your church is, or that you believe you were the first church. That doesn't lend your claims any credibility. The standard of truth that we have is not the Catholic church, it is the word of God. The measure of the Catholic church isn't how old it is, it is whether its practices line up with the word of God. If you want to discuss that further I would be happy to talk to you about it privately. I encourage everyone to check out any church or denomination which claims to be the true church and line up its claims and practices with the scripture and see if they actually line up or not.

SaNcTaMaRiA said:

The truest way to salvation is through the sacraments of the Church. Christ gave us a road map to follow through the sacraments. Also, you presume that sola scriptura is scriptura and it is not. Again, you are a part of a denomination that is the product of a schizophrenic satan enamored mad man who didn't like the authority he willingly signed up for.

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Mocking Martin Luther doesn't help your argument, Sanctamaria. The reformation doesn't stand or fall on the character of Martin Luther. The Lord has used the Prostestant churches to evangelize the entire world and do untold good for humanity. You know a tree by its fruits.

There are also no second class citizens in Heaven. We are all His children and if you can be saved outside of the Catholic church (all you need is a bible or someone preaching the gospel to you) then obviously the sacraments aren't necessary for salvation. They are your particular tradition and have nothing to do with being saved.

SaNcTaMaRiA said:

The Bible didn't exist at the beginning. Tradition did however. The Catholic Church preserved that tradition.

Your quote: The standard of truth that we have is not the Catholic church, it is the word of God.

So what exactly did the early Chrisitians do for truth? As you know, or maybe you don't, scripture wasn't around at the start. It was tradition and word of mouth....I am assuming you believe those folks weren't actually following God?

You scripture alone people always want to forget this fact. The problem is that it is a fact and you cannot avoid it. Christ settled his church on Peter and that Church persevered to this day. The Holy Roman Catholic Church.

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After the Lord ascended, the Lords apostles were still there. The church wasn't subsisting on word of mouth, but the direct revelation of God through the apostles of Jesus Christ. They led the church and taught the word to the church. The apostles and a few direct disciples of the apostles wrote down everything the Holy Spirit wanted in the New Testament. Those writings along with the Old Testament guided the church until they were compiled into the bible. So no, the early church didn't stand on tradition, it stood on the authority of the word of God as delivered by the Lord and His apostles. This is the foundation of what we believe, not the tradition of men. You are quite mistaken.

There is no room in our faith for the traditions of men. Everything stands and falls on Gods authority as He has revealed in the scripture. This is the measure of my faith and yours.

Searching_for_God said:

So, I've been doing a very in depth search of myself, my values, and God's Word recently and... I'm starting to wonder if maybe Catholicism is really what I ought to be practicing. Maybe everyone is right. Maybe Catholicism is the only right way to practice Christianity and everyone else isn't properly saved...

I think I should possibly do more looking into Catholicism. After all, it is where Christianity started...

By the way, regardless of denomination, anyone is free to join this thread. I'm just thinking aloud here.

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Well, we'd be happy to have ya.

A little tidbit about my experience. Not sure it'll offer anything but this is how I see the Church through my eyes, as a convert:

I just converted last Easter after a lifetime as a practicing evangelical. I was drawn to Catholicism because it was like the only place where people actually attempted to discipline their lives according to their faith. And that is what is severely lacking in our culture today, is real discipline.

I had looked at plenty of protestant denominations and even Eastern Orthodoxy before coming to the conclusion that Catholicism is Christ's Church, and all of them were left wanting. Every protestant denomination I explored seemed apathetic about it's own member's salvation. What I mean is, aside from telling people "hey pray this prayer to be saved then make sure you plugin to this bible study" they didn't genuinely form and cultivate a rich religious life. By their standards, the more stripped-down your faith is, the better. That wasn't good enough for me, I knew Christ had more for us out there and I wanted to be a part of it. Enter: the Catholic Church.

That discipline, along with the unmatched beauty of the Catholic Mass, drew me in. Once I started attending RCIA I saw how complete the Catholic faith actually is, how that completeness nourished my soul, and how much I had been missing out on for the 28 years of my life up until that point.

I love the transformation in thought and deed it brought for me. I no longer see my faith as this personal thing that's owned and possessed by me, but a gift from Christ given to the whole of the Church that we work through together. Receiving the Eucharist has a depth and profundity that a protestant denomination could never dream of reaching. The Sacrament of Confession offers a liberation and relief from a burden that I had not experienced before.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Adoration, the intercession of the Saints, the rosary (which I'm still learning), the social teachings of the Church... all of it connects me with a new definition of peace, and keeps me on my toes because I'm more mindful of my relationship with Jesus, and the status of that relationship, than I ever was as a protestant.



*As an aside, I think it's prudent that we point out that even though the OP invites non-Catholics into the thread, the Catholic forum rules still apply. Which means arguing against Catholic teaching (i.e. that the Catholic Church is the true and visible Church founded by Christ and his Apostles) is disallowed.

Ok folks, I don’t think the OP is looking for extreme polemics. We can expound our own faith without attacking anyone else’s.

Fenwick thank you for sharing. That's awesome dude.

SaNcTaMaRiA said:

Fenwick thank you for sharing. That's awesome dude.

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Anytime bruh.

Fenwick said:

Anytime bruh.

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When I converted I to found an unending well of faith and security in the process of changing MY life to match that of the teachings of the Church. It was the only Church that demanded I change my sinful life in order to take up my cross and follow Christ.

SaNcTaMaRiA said:

When I converted I to found an unending well of faith and security in the process of changing MY life to match that of the teachings of the Church. It was the only Church that demanded I change my sinful life in order to take up my cross and follow Christ.

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Not to mention the depth and breadth of Church teaching. The greatest theological titans since the Apostles themselves were doctors of the Church.

You really hit the nail on the head with conforming our lives to the Church, since the opposite tends to be the prevailing modus operandi outside of the Church today. People pick and choose the church they want to go to based on whether it teaches according to their beliefs; they would rather do this than condition themselves according to the truth of Christ. "This church implicitly approves of gay marriage, I'll go here" instead of considering that they might in fact be wrong about gay marriage.