Did you have trouble with certain aspects? I am thinking of converting. I still have to read alot of Catholic material. There are certain issues like talking to a priest, The pope, and praying to Mary that I have problems with as a Protestant churchgoer. I was wondering if anyone could tell me what they had problems with and how they resolved it.
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For those who have converted to Catholism
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First I must say that I am a cradle Catholic, I have been Catholic my whole life and my family before me, for as far back as they can be traced, were Catholic. I left the church for a time and I am back now so I know about some of your issues.
Praying to Mary was something I used to think about myself and wonder on...
Now, after seeing The Passion it feels like I got to know her a little bit. Can you imagine what she went through that day? Also think of it this way, she carried Our Lord Jesus in her belly! This is the most blessed thing one can do! You must understand that our prayers to her and not directed to her alone, we ask her to pray for us. I know that Jesus loves His mother and so I know that her prayers for us will be very powerful. It falls in line with the prayers of the righteous. Who, other than Jesus himself, was more righteous? We honor her greatly because she is the mother of God.
As for The Pope, I know that people were hoping to just fall under Peter's shadow hoping they would be healed. So in a sense this is sort of how Our Pope is treated by some and if he is a succesor of Peter, this does make sense.
About Priests; I think it is very cleansing confessing our sins to a priest and I do know that it is scriptural but someone here will have to provide you with the exact scripture. I know that Jesus gave The Apostles the power to forgive sins and our priests, through apostolic succesion also have that power granted. I am not sure if I am explaining this properly so I will wait on someone else..
All in all I will say that even with any questions or concerns I may have, I do hold fast to the fact that this is the church Jesus himself started and that is reason enough for me to be a part of it.
Not sure how much this helped...
Praying to Mary was something I used to think about myself and wonder on...
Now, after seeing The Passion it feels like I got to know her a little bit. Can you imagine what she went through that day? Also think of it this way, she carried Our Lord Jesus in her belly! This is the most blessed thing one can do! You must understand that our prayers to her and not directed to her alone, we ask her to pray for us. I know that Jesus loves His mother and so I know that her prayers for us will be very powerful. It falls in line with the prayers of the righteous. Who, other than Jesus himself, was more righteous? We honor her greatly because she is the mother of God.
As for The Pope, I know that people were hoping to just fall under Peter's shadow hoping they would be healed. So in a sense this is sort of how Our Pope is treated by some and if he is a succesor of Peter, this does make sense.
About Priests; I think it is very cleansing confessing our sins to a priest and I do know that it is scriptural but someone here will have to provide you with the exact scripture. I know that Jesus gave The Apostles the power to forgive sins and our priests, through apostolic succesion also have that power granted. I am not sure if I am explaining this properly so I will wait on someone else..
All in all I will say that even with any questions or concerns I may have, I do hold fast to the fact that this is the church Jesus himself started and that is reason enough for me to be a part of it.
Not sure how much this helped...
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Yes, I had many of the same problems that you did until I researched the meanings of how these things were actually put into use. Like we don't Pray to Mary as you say but instead ask Mary to Pray for us...Our Mother is an intercessor on our behalf..Someone that is there to bring us closer to the Father....But we Pray to the Father always.
There are many misconceptions that I found out were very wrong indeed. Like talking to a Priest too...I take that you are talking of confession here am I correct? If so, then, we believe the same as you do but we also believe in having the guidance of someone like a Priest during this process to help us with it. We do both. I do not have to go to confession to confess all of my sins....I can, in fact, do that through prayer the same as you and I do.
The Pope is another misconception, people assume that we worship him, when we do not....he is just the leader of the Church and another Vehicle used by the Lord in helping us. But he is a man and we are told not to worship men and to only worship the Father.....He is our Spiritual Leader here on earth. This one would be better for someone else to explain to you fully. But again we do not worship him the way others think that we do.
The Church is built upon Christ who used Peter as His earthly head. that does not mean that Christ is not the Head of the Church. In fact, as we believe, the Church is Christ and therefore because he lives and resides in it and we are part of it ....He is then part of us.
I am a cradle Catholic, and my name is Debi, I was never brought up to acknowledge my Faith.....Far from it. I was brought up a Jehovah's Witness. My mother converted over and was baptized into that religion when I was 2 years old. I was brought up to believe that Catholics were not even Christian to begin with. It was not until I came to CF that I learned about my Faith and made the decision to convert back to what I was all along which was Catholic. So I am now, in my latter 30's just learning about my Faith and the many Truths that were kept from me.
I am a Bible believing Christian and was taught very early on that if it does not exist in the Bible then I will not believe you...Everything that I have been taught within the Catholic Church has been backed up by scripture.....and what is more none of it has been taken out of context either. I am a huge person on context. Many of the people around here can tell you that. I believe in Spirituality wholeheartedly, but I also believe that it must be tempered with accurate knowledge which is spoken of in the Bible. So, I also believe in the theology of it as well.
I hope that this has helped you some, and if you wish please feel free to contact me anytime you wish.....
Welcome To OBOB
In Christ
Debi
There are many misconceptions that I found out were very wrong indeed. Like talking to a Priest too...I take that you are talking of confession here am I correct? If so, then, we believe the same as you do but we also believe in having the guidance of someone like a Priest during this process to help us with it. We do both. I do not have to go to confession to confess all of my sins....I can, in fact, do that through prayer the same as you and I do.
The Pope is another misconception, people assume that we worship him, when we do not....he is just the leader of the Church and another Vehicle used by the Lord in helping us. But he is a man and we are told not to worship men and to only worship the Father.....He is our Spiritual Leader here on earth. This one would be better for someone else to explain to you fully. But again we do not worship him the way others think that we do.
The Church is built upon Christ who used Peter as His earthly head. that does not mean that Christ is not the Head of the Church. In fact, as we believe, the Church is Christ and therefore because he lives and resides in it and we are part of it ....He is then part of us.
I am a cradle Catholic, and my name is Debi, I was never brought up to acknowledge my Faith.....Far from it. I was brought up a Jehovah's Witness. My mother converted over and was baptized into that religion when I was 2 years old. I was brought up to believe that Catholics were not even Christian to begin with. It was not until I came to CF that I learned about my Faith and made the decision to convert back to what I was all along which was Catholic. So I am now, in my latter 30's just learning about my Faith and the many Truths that were kept from me.
I am a Bible believing Christian and was taught very early on that if it does not exist in the Bible then I will not believe you...Everything that I have been taught within the Catholic Church has been backed up by scripture.....and what is more none of it has been taken out of context either. I am a huge person on context. Many of the people around here can tell you that. I believe in Spirituality wholeheartedly, but I also believe that it must be tempered with accurate knowledge which is spoken of in the Bible. So, I also believe in the theology of it as well.
I hope that this has helped you some, and if you wish please feel free to contact me anytime you wish.....
Welcome To OBOB
In Christ
Debi
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kimber1
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i haven't had not nearly as much trouble as i thought i would.SuperBunny said:
the priest-the big thing to remember here is that it's not the priest who is forgiving you of your sins, it's the Holy Spirit working thru him. it's still God who hears your confession and God alone who forgives.
i'm wiht christy here-after seeing 'the Passion' i have a totally different look at Mary. i've always seen her as blessed and extremely important but as a former Protestant, the focus was NEVER put on her in my church except at Christmas. but i feel closer to her now than i ever have. that will come in time
as far as the pope-think of it this way, once you can reconcile the fact that Jesus gave the keys to him and that He built His church upon him you can see that the pope as peter's succesor is our earthly shepherd. he guides us to understanding adn is protected by the Holy Spirit in that his teachings on morals and faith are infallible.
there are loads of people here to help you adn we welcome any and all questions! and God bless you on your journey!
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Dominus Fidelis
ScottBot is Stalking Me!
SuperBunny-
Take a look at http://www.truefaith.info for many answers to your questions. There is a FAQ there with many of your answers.
And you can always post here about specific topics and we will help!
Take a look at http://www.truefaith.info for many answers to your questions. There is a FAQ there with many of your answers.
And you can always post here about specific topics and we will help!
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Acceptance
sugar and spice
A perfect example of Christ listening to the request of Mary is at the wedding at Cana where he performs his first miracle (water to wine). If you get Mary on your side you're half way home
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Hi!
Yes, And Mary was my big hangup that I had to overcome! I came to understand the truth through studying and prayer . . and when all was said and done, while I was listening to the Rosary on the radio, I turned to God and asked Him . "Is this You? Is this really You?" He answered me in the most powerful and wonderful way. His presence immediately filled the car, and He allowed me not only to experience His presence, but that of Mary and all the saints of heaen . . I felt so surrounded by God and Mary and the Saints, so completely surrounded and at rest. Held tight in the arms of God's love and His Church. From that point, I knew that the Catholic and Orthodox Churches' teaching regarding Mary and the Saints was real and right. But there were still other Marian issues for me to come to understand . . but that momment was when I had my first conversion experience on my way into the Catholic Church.
The final issue I dealt with in making my decision whether to go back to the Orthodox Church of my childhood or to become Catholic was Patrick Madrid's book
Pope Fiction . .
he deals with 30 myths about the Papacy and it is very good. It answered my questions about the Pope and the Papacy.
Can I recommend a book to you? Scott Hahn's Rome Sweet Home is the story of his conversion to the Catholic faith. If you haven't read it yet, I think you willl find it very helpful.
You are on a wonderful journey.
Peace in Him!
Yes, And Mary was my big hangup that I had to overcome!
I came to understand the truth through studying and prayer . . and when all was said and done, while I was listening to the Rosary on the radio, I turned to God and asked Him . "Is this You? Is this really You?" He answered me in the most powerful and wonderful way. His presence immediately filled the car, and He allowed me not only to experience His presence, but that of Mary and all the saints of heaen . . I felt so surrounded by God and Mary and the Saints, so completely surrounded and at rest. Held tight in the arms of God's love and His Church. From that point, I knew that the Catholic and Orthodox Churches' teaching regarding Mary and the Saints was real and right. But there were still other Marian issues for me to come to understand . . but that momment was when I had my first conversion experience on my way into the Catholic Church.The final issue I dealt with in making my decision whether to go back to the Orthodox Church of my childhood or to become Catholic was Patrick Madrid's book
Pope Fiction . .
he deals with 30 myths about the Papacy and it is very good. It answered my questions about the Pope and the Papacy.
Can I recommend a book to you? Scott Hahn's Rome Sweet Home is the story of his conversion to the Catholic faith. If you haven't read it yet, I think you willl find it very helpful.
You are on a wonderful journey.
Peace in Him!
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ukok
Freaked out, insecure, neurotic and Emotional
these are just a few of the OBOB links that many of the convert's amongst us have responded to (in connection with conversion to Catholicism)...perhaps this information will be of interest to you
http://www.christian-forums.com/t97040&highlight=converted+catholicism
http://www.christian-forums.com/t100938&highlight=converted+catholicism
http://www.christian-forums.com/t69551&highlight=converted+catholicism
http://www.christian-forums.com/t31162&highlight=converted+catholicism
http://www.christian-forums.com/t97040&highlight=converted+catholicism
http://www.christian-forums.com/t100938&highlight=converted+catholicism
http://www.christian-forums.com/t69551&highlight=converted+catholicism
http://www.christian-forums.com/t31162&highlight=converted+catholicism
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