Part of me really wants to become Catholic, there are so many things about it that are very appealing to me as a Christian (I have nothing against my current church, it's full of God-fearing men and women who have a passion for Christ just as I do), there are a lot of good arguments for it that I have heard. I've also discovered that many of the misconceptions that non-Catholics hold are either over-exaggerated or completely unfounded.
However, there are many, many things about the Church that are foreign to me, it's all new territory, and I feel rather lost. I try looking up answers from various Catholic sources, but some of them seem to be saying different things, not even agreeing with each other at times. Researching things online may answer some questions, but usually spawns several others.
Dr. William Lane Craig, one of my favorite apologists and Christian thinkers, has pretty much echoed my situation exactly. He said that part of him yearns to be part of the Catholic church, but that his mind simply won't let him because he is not able to fully accept all of its beliefs and practices. That is the same for me - it would be intellectually dishonest for me to join the Church in my current state of confusion.
There are so many different issues buzzing around such as Purgatory, the Real Presence, church authority, papal infallibility, the history of the church, where certain books in the Catholic bible came form, the Reformation...the list goes on. Where should I begin to search for answers? Is there any definitive book that is widely accepted and trusted to teach Catholic-seekers about the church? Where do you go when you have questions?
I realize it is folly to lean on my own understanding in matter such as these, and that I should always instead lean on God and trust that He leads me into truth. However, I still see nothing wrong with doing some research at least.
I started out as a huge skeptic of Catholicism, and was not willing to give it a fair examination. But now, not only am I willing to put prejudices and pre-assumptions aside, I'm actually willing to give it the benefit of the doubt in certain cases. From my perspective, if the Catholic church IS the one, true church as it claims, then it should be able to have the evidence to back that up and show me that's the case. Thus far, I have not been convinced, despite wanting to be. I don't say this to mean I'm giving up or anything like that, I'd just like some advice and tips about how to traverse this mine-field of confusion.
I'll end this here before I start to ramble, thanks to anyone who reads this
However, there are many, many things about the Church that are foreign to me, it's all new territory, and I feel rather lost. I try looking up answers from various Catholic sources, but some of them seem to be saying different things, not even agreeing with each other at times. Researching things online may answer some questions, but usually spawns several others.
Dr. William Lane Craig, one of my favorite apologists and Christian thinkers, has pretty much echoed my situation exactly. He said that part of him yearns to be part of the Catholic church, but that his mind simply won't let him because he is not able to fully accept all of its beliefs and practices. That is the same for me - it would be intellectually dishonest for me to join the Church in my current state of confusion.
There are so many different issues buzzing around such as Purgatory, the Real Presence, church authority, papal infallibility, the history of the church, where certain books in the Catholic bible came form, the Reformation...the list goes on. Where should I begin to search for answers? Is there any definitive book that is widely accepted and trusted to teach Catholic-seekers about the church? Where do you go when you have questions?
I realize it is folly to lean on my own understanding in matter such as these, and that I should always instead lean on God and trust that He leads me into truth. However, I still see nothing wrong with doing some research at least.
I started out as a huge skeptic of Catholicism, and was not willing to give it a fair examination. But now, not only am I willing to put prejudices and pre-assumptions aside, I'm actually willing to give it the benefit of the doubt in certain cases. From my perspective, if the Catholic church IS the one, true church as it claims, then it should be able to have the evidence to back that up and show me that's the case. Thus far, I have not been convinced, despite wanting to be. I don't say this to mean I'm giving up or anything like that, I'd just like some advice and tips about how to traverse this mine-field of confusion.
I'll end this here before I start to ramble, thanks to anyone who reads this
