Question for Converts

[DanielRB]

Hi All,

I read the stories of various converts and really enjoyed why people joined the Catholic Church who had not been born into it.

I have a question for converts: during your searching, what other Churches with Apostolic succession did you consider (such as Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, etc), and why did you end up chosing the Roman Catholic Church?

I imagine it has something to do with your understanding of St. Peter and the role of the Pope, but I'd rather hear it than assume it.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

In Christ,

Daniel

 

[stray bullet]

Before going any further, I just want to remind everyone that anything we say about other churches and groups needs to remain as positive and friendly as possible... I'd hate to see any of other Christian brothers and sisters offended

First, I'm not sure if the Anglican church is recognized as having any apostolic authority, only the Orthodox. I don't think I really went church shopping when I came into Catholicism. I considered going to other churches and services, but for some reason I never really pushed for it (I am a busy college student, afterall).

For me, I just started to feel a need to learn about the Catholic Church. As I did, I realized more and more about the correctness and logic of its theology and authority. I believe I was 'guided' to the Church by the Lord.

I was raised as a Methodist, so we have similar styles to the Anglicans. The reason I am not Anglican or Orthodox is because, for me personally, I do not believe they'd be the correct place to be in for all Christians. I think Christ would want of all Christianity united under a single Church, not divided. Certain actions surrounding their leaving of the Church make me skeptical about the validity of their schisms. I also believe when Christ made Peter the head of His Church, He meant it. God knew where Peter would end up and who his successors would be.
That's why I "chose" (did I really choose, or just not reject? ) Catholic and not another church.

 

[Knee V]

I also looked into Orthodoxy along with Catholicism. One point that turned me away from the Orthodox church is original sin, in which the Orthodox do not believe. However, I don't like to make non-central issues my central issues. The real issue for me was authority, especially that of Peter and his successors. If Peter was the "rock" upon which Christ built His church, then the Catholic is inevitable for me. But if he wasn't, then the Orthodox church probably would have been my path. But I was convinced (with some pretty solid exegesis of Matt 16) that the "rock" was Peter and nothing else.

I'm sure that if you read enough of my posts, they get pretty redundant concerning a particular website. But this site was what primarily reconvinced me of the validity of catholicism. And the papacy was one of the couple of barriers that had to be torn down to convince me. What finally did it was this page www.cin.org/users/james/files/papacy.htm I've read a lot of anti-catholic works and what not, but noone ever gave a positive exegesis of Matt 16. That is the first time I ever received that. And when I read it, I was completely convinced of the papacy, and pretty much of the Catholic church.

 

[Monica02]

I never attended or looked into the Anglican or Orthodox churches. I just came to the understanding that I should become Catholic. The doctines on life issues appealed to me. The Catholic Church is the only one that stood its ground on the artificial BC issue and this is how I knew it was the true Church. I do not have a good understanding of the Orthodox view of BC, but I believe it is close to the Catholic one but that it does allow for some contraception. I would welcome an Orthodox clarification if I am wrong.

The Catholic Church does not believe that the Anglicans have true apostolic succession. We do acknowledge the Orthodox succession I believe.

 

[Wiffey]

I never attended or looked into the Anglican or Orthodox churches. I just came to the understanding that I should become Catholic. The doctines on life issues appealed to me. The Catholic Church is the only one that stood its ground on the artificial BC issue and this is how I knew it was the true Church. I do not have a good understanding of the Orthodox view of BC, but I believe it is close to the Catholic one but that it does allow for some contraception. I would welcome an Orthodox clarification if I am wrong.

The Catholic Church does not believe that the Anglicans have true apostolic succession. We do acknowledge the Orthodox succession I believe.

For the Orthodox, artificial birth control is viewed as sinful. However, since we do view sex as valid for both procreation and to strengthen the marital bond, in cases where pregnancy could be fatal for a woman (and where total abstinence would cause severe trouble in the marriage or a divorce), she might obtain a dispensation from her confessor to use a non-abortifacient method of artificial birth control.

Artificial birth control for the reason of avoiding children (where pregnancy does not pose grave physical risk) is never acceptable.

 

[BjBarnett]

well to me the choice was only RCC or EO. i never considered the anglicans to have valid succession. but the reason i chose the RCC over of the EO is because i thought it was more right than the EO.

 

[Letalis]

I chose the RCC over the EO because it's so outspoken, it felt like "the city on a hill-the light of the world." I had never heard of the Eastern Orthodox church until coming here, and I always figured Christ's Church would be known to all. My take on it anyway.

 

[Rising_Suns]

For the Orthodox, artificial birth control is viewed as sinful.

Hi Wiffey, peace be with you,
I don't mean to start a debate, but the Orthodox Church does not make official statements on such matters, so Orthodox are more free to believe what they want to believe on many issues. I remember I once asked my Orthodox brethren what their Church teaches about Contraception and other things that go on in the bedroom. Essentially the answer I got back was wide range of responses, but essentially the common response is; "we do not have to believe in such and such, but we can if we want to".

That's one of the things that attracts me to Catholicism; some might see it as legalistic, but I see it as thorough. The Church is very active; she has confronted every issue in society head on, and I greatly appreciate that.

She certainly knows where she stands.

May the Lord give you His peace!

-Davide

 

[ukok]

I don't have any desire to offend my Anglican brethren, i am speaking about my personal experience

I am a convert from Anglicanism, it was because i felt that the Anglican church was a mere shadow of the magnitude of Catholicism that it simply wasn't enough..it's like comparing baby milk to solid food...it wasn't enough to sustain me, and i felt it for a very long time, i would agonise about where i 'belonged', i would pray about it so hard, but it was almost 2 years (after my initial feelings of confusion and uncertainty about remaining Anglican) more before i eventually braved it into OBOB to ask questions about Catholicism here...

I was an ignorant anglican, and it was only through researching Catholicism so that i could decide wether to choose to apply to send my daughter to a Catholic School, that I discovered that we were not in fact in communion with Rome, had no validly ordained priest's and hence i was receiving, not the Eucharist (as Anglican Priests do not have the Sacrament of Holy Order's), ...but simply bread and wine in communion...


I wanted the REAL thing, and the more i discovered, the more i desired to be Catholic,..eventually, in 2003 i began attending Catholic Mass, i wanted to receive the Eucharist so badly that i would cry during Mass, longing to partake of the Eucharist, yearning to be Catholic!

I have every confidence that I belong to the One Holy Catholic Church that Christ Himself founded, that i recieve His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Eucharist, that i partake of the Sacramental life that was established by Christ Himself, so that i may draw nearer and nearer to Him through my desire to grow in Holiness, through His grace!

I love being a Catholic! I love belonging to the ONE Church that Christ Himself Founded, i adore that we have the Holy Father, the successor of St. Peter, to lead the Church...i often think about how i would have felt to have been there 2000 years ago, and i carry that feeling all the way to the present, because that is exactly how awsome i feel knowing that the Church is no different than it was then, i am privileged, and i KNOW it!

God Bless.

 

[Adammi]

Well first of all Anglicans do not have apostolic succession. Second of all, I never even knew what Orthodox was until I turned towards to conversion to the Catholic Church.
Like you said the primacy of Peter is a big deal. And just the power, triumph, and victory of the Catholic Church compared to others is awe-some.
~Adam

 

[CeeBee]

Only Orthodoxy. I am still not sure, but there isn't a nearby Orthodox church anyway, so...

 

[marciadietrich]

I guess I gave a bit of consideration to Anglican, but not too serious. Not to bash them but I just felt the reason for their split from Catholicism was not well-founded.

I would have given Orthodoxy a more serious look, but would have been very hard -not impossible but difficult- to actually practice due to drive time.

I didn't have a problem with the Pope or Papal Infallability in theory, though I did spend some time investigating the Marian dogmas' origins. I felt it was essential there be a place where the buck stops on earth, that Jesus had to have left real authority in place with the Church because that is a quality of good leadership/stewardship ... you don't leave people with a job and don't leave the resources and/or the authority to accomplish the task.

Marcia