Rcia

[feral]

For several years now, I've felt more and more drawn towards the Catholic church. I was not raised Catholic. My parents are Protestant Christians (Christian Reformed father and Lutheran mother) and I believe their faith is fairly strong, but religion was not much of a part of my upbringing and I never accepted Christ nor felt myself to be a Christian. By the time I was old enough to consider such matters, I was already looking at the world from an atheistic standpoint, which for many years now has been more agnostic and questioning. However, I did attend Catholic mass sometimes with a friend of mine and grew to love it. Last year, I began attending mass quite regularly on my own and I've found my beliefs are more in tune with what I was taught there than with any Protestant denomination. I am thinking about going through the RCIA at some point, but I would like to learn more about the experience. Also, I have some persistant doubts and obstacles, so although I believe in some major parts of Christianity, there are others I am confused about or reject altogether. Is it better to do the RCIA and grow from there, or to resolve those issues before pursuing RCIA?

Thank you.

 

[seashale76]

For several years now, I've felt more and more drawn towards the Catholic church. I was not raised Catholic. My parents are Protestant Christians (Christian Reformed father and Lutheran mother) and I believe their faith is fairly strong, but religion was not much of a part of my upbringing and I never accepted Christ nor felt myself to be a Christian. By the time I was old enough to consider such matters, I was already looking at the world from an atheistic standpoint, which for many years now has been more agnostic and questioning. However, I did attend Catholic mass sometimes with a friend of mine and grew to love it. Last year, I began attending mass quite regularly on my own and I've found my beliefs are more in tune with what I was taught there than with any Protestant denomination. I am thinking about going through the RCIA at some point, but I would like to learn more about the experience. Also, I have some persistant doubts and obstacles, so although I believe in some major parts of Christianity, there are others I am confused about or reject altogether. Is it better to do the RCIA and grow from there, or to resolve those issues before pursuing RCIA?

Thank you.

I'm not Catholic, but Orthodox, so I'm not exactly sure what really goes on in RCIA. However, I was catechized when I converted. My priest actually likes to refer to them as Inquirer's classes or Christian Education. My husband went with me and he was agnostic at the time. Going is not necessarily a commitment unless you express the intention of becoming a catechumen. So, I'd say go.

BTW, you might want to start a thread in OBOB. I'm certain you'd be allowed and welcome to post there.

 

[WarEagle]

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[Reformationist]

Is it better to do the RCIA and grow from there, or to resolve those issues before pursuing RCIA?

Thank you.

I would say it depends on what your goal is. If you desire to know what the Roman Catholic denomination believes, RCIA is a good place to start. If you desire to become more learned about the Gospel, I would not endorse RCIA as the proper forum. There are, of course, many here who feel that both can be accomplished in RCIA. Ultimately, I would encourage you to seek to understand the foundation for many different viewpoints and then go with the one you feel does the best at acknowledging the holiness and sovereignty of God. My advice, if you're interested, is to avoid any denomination that emphasizes man's role in his salvation. While man ultimately does "make a decision for Christ," it is the result of God's work in him, not the means to it.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

God bless

 

[foxsta]

Hey! I went through RCIA and yeah, I recommend that you go. You don't have to go through with the baptism and/or confirmation when it finishes...it can be done later. Also, with a good RCIA instructor, they may explain an issue you find difficult in an easy to understand manner that helps you make a decision...it is important that you don't feel forced. PM me if you have any questions and yeah, post in OBOB...are very welcoming and friendly!

 

[SpiritualAntiseptic]

For several years now, I've felt more and more drawn towards the Catholic church. I was not raised Catholic. My parents are Protestant Christians (Christian Reformed father and Lutheran mother) and I believe their faith is fairly strong, but religion was not much of a part of my upbringing and I never accepted Christ nor felt myself to be a Christian. By the time I was old enough to consider such matters, I was already looking at the world from an atheistic standpoint, which for many years now has been more agnostic and questioning. However, I did attend Catholic mass sometimes with a friend of mine and grew to love it. Last year, I began attending mass quite regularly on my own and I've found my beliefs are more in tune with what I was taught there than with any Protestant denomination. I am thinking about going through the RCIA at some point, but I would like to learn more about the experience. Also, I have some persistant doubts and obstacles, so although I believe in some major parts of Christianity, there are others I am confused about or reject altogether. Is it better to do the RCIA and grow from there, or to resolve those issues before pursuing RCIA?

Thank you.

Hi feral.

RCIA is a program for those inquiring into the faith and those wanting to join. So you don't have to reconcile all your issues before starting. I'd recommend joining whenever you feel you need some new avenue to grow.

Having not been raised Catholic myself (joining as an adult) and being a seminarian now, my only suggestion is you not worry about your doubts. People might jump all over me for this (especially since I want to be a Catholic priest!) but the reality is that we don't ever have to reconcile or understand everything about the faith.

I think adults really have two paths they can take in their faith. The first group accept everything they are told and refuse to question it. If someone forces them to think about a complicated issue- they will just ignore it and take it on the authority of the bible or Church, whatever. This is an easy road for people to take, but it leads a lot of people into fundamental Christianity, Islam etc- where they can be hostile or even violent towards people that have questions they can't answer.

The other group realize there are many questions they can't answer or would even reject if they didn't put faith in the authority of the source. These aren't liberal Christians, people without a backbone or whatever names people might call them. They simply realize the limitations of their own faith and understanding. They acknowledge that they don't understand certain things, but accept them as valid articles of their faith because of the many other rich things about it. That goes back to what faith is- it is believing in something, even if you can't prove it or even understand all of it. I know a little about cars, but I don't know everything. I just take it on faith it works despite the fact I can't fully understand how all the components work together in my mind.

God bless you in your journey. Feel free to PM me.

 

[feral]

Thank you guys, you've really helped me make up my mind about this. I think I will definitely be going through RCIA at the next opportunity. I feel like something like this would give me a chance to resolve some issues and also participate more. Right now, I'm in a difficult position where I guess I am a theistic agnostic, or something - believe in some form of "God" but not sure exactly how close my beliefs are to the church, but also very sure about Jesus. I'm pretty in alignment with what I do know about Catholic beliefs. Anyway, I should be giving it a go next time I find an RCIA group starting.