Considering Catholicism

[psr6782]

I may be wrong, but here's my view (as a Catholic)

I believe all Christian denominations lead down slightly different roads, but they all come to the same place. Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. Catholics take an approach where we can ask Mary and the Saints for help, although we DO NOT worship them, and Catholics believe that the Eucharist IS the body and blood of Christ.

[Byblos]

Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

hmm! Where have I seen that before?

[psr6782]

I knew it was someone's sig from lurking around on these boards, just couldn't remember who had it. It did fit though.

[Christian2]

I am not sure if this is the right forum to put this on but I have been carefully considering becoming Catholic. I have studied some of it and I was curious what your advice would be,

My advice would be to read some good books which compare the doctrines of Roman Catholicism vs. Protestantism.

The Roman Catholic Controversy (Paperback)
by James White (Author)



The Gospel According to Rome (Paperback)
by James G. McCarthy



Until you know what Roman Catholicism really teaches and what Protestantism has to say about it, will not be able to make an intelligent decision.

I agree that he needs to learn what Roman Catholicism really teaches but I doubt he will get that from 2 books written by evangelical authors (I haven't read the books but I did read critiques of them).

If you want to learn what Catholicism teaches I would suggest you ask a Catholic. Once you do that then you can look at what others say about Catholicism and determine whether or not it is right for you.

I have asked Catholics what Roman Catholicism teaches and I have found that many of them don't understand what Roman Catholicism really teaches.

One said: "I don't know. I just do and believe what the Church tells me to do and believe."

[Canuckster1127]

I have asked Catholics what Roman Catholicism teaches and I have found that many of them don't understand what Roman Catholicism really teaches.

One said: "I don't know. I just do and believe what the Church tells me to do and believe."

The same can be said of members of any denomination, including my own. Whether that is more true of Catholics in general is a point to be considered perhaps. However, putting it up in this manner, it appears to be an attempt to avoid the point Byblos made earlier, which is that it is probably better and certainly more intellectually honest to listen to how Catholics define themselves and their beliefs than to rely upon non-Catholics who have an agenda and are prejudiced against them to some degree.

Byblos is a Catholic and someone who has posted for a considerable time on this forum and earned the respect of many, including non-Catholics. That includes me.

I don't agree with many areas of Catholic doctine and practice and when I don't I don't mind at all having an honest discussion on the issues and again, Byblos and I have done that several times and agreed to disagree while noting the many areas of belief and opinion that we have in common. That doesn't mean the issues aren't important. It's a much more healthy way of addressing things in my opinion though. Talking with someone usually results better than talking at them.

[Byblos]

I have asked Catholics what Roman Catholicism teaches and I have found that many of them don't understand what Roman Catholicism really teaches.

One said: "I don't know. I just do and believe what the Church tells me to do and believe."

Christian2,

Just one thing to add to what Bart said (thanks by the way), perhaps you didn't notice the hyperlink in my post above so here it is again: Defenders of the Catholic Faith. As the site name implies, I doubt very much you will hear an 'I don't know' from anyone there, especially the moderators.

[Christian2]

I have asked Catholics what Roman Catholicism teaches and I have found that many of them don't understand what Roman Catholicism really teaches.

One said: "I don't know. I just do and believe what the Church tells me to do and believe."

Christian2,

Just one thing to add to what Bart said (thanks by the way), perhaps you didn't notice the hyperlink in my post above so here it is again: Defenders of the Catholic Faith. As the site name implies, I doubt very much you will hear an 'I don't know' from anyone there, especially the moderators.

I'll check out the link.

Ididn't mention another book I read which was helpful in understanding what Roman Catholics believe vs what Protestants believe. It is:

"Letters Between a Catholic and an Evangelical." The Roman Catholic is Fr. John R. Waiss and the Evangelical is a former Roman Catholic, James G. McCarthy.

My current book is: "The Glories of Mary" by Saint Alphonsus Liguori."

Edited to add: I see the link is another discussion board. I use the Roman Catholic Forum on CARM to ask questions and read the topics.

I no longer need to ask my friends "Catholic" questions as I think my questions put some of them "on the spot" and I'd like to keep them as friends.

[Byblos]

Edited to add: I see the link is another discussion board. I use the Roman Catholic Forum on CARM to ask questions and read the topics.

I no longer need to ask my friends "Catholic" questions as I think my questions put some of them "on the spot" and I'd like to keep them as friends.

Then why don't you become a member of that board and ask all the questions you want. You'll be new there and should have no fear of alienating friends. You can also PM me any time with any questions you have. I just make it a habit not to discuss these things publicly but we can certainly have a private conversation.

[Christian2]

Edited to add: I see the link is another discussion board. I use the Roman Catholic Forum on CARM to ask questions and read the topics.

I no longer need to ask my friends "Catholic" questions as I think my questions put some of them "on the spot" and I'd like to keep them as friends.

Then why don't you become a member of that board and ask all the questions you want. You'll be new there and should have no fear of alienating friends. You can also PM me any time with any questions you have. I just make it a habit not to discuss these things publicly but we can certainly have a private conversation.

I am a member of CARM, but haven't asked many questions about Roman Catholicsm. First I need to study. I do have a question for you.

I'm reading the book, "Roman Catholics and Evangelicals, Agreements and Differences" by Norman Geisler and Ralph E. MacKenzie and the authors quote from the book, "Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma" by Ludwig Ott. Amazon has some good reviews of the book, but a couple of people said the book itself was of poor quality.

Have you read this book? In your opinion, is there a better one?

Also, is there a book which includes all the decisions made by the Council of Trent?

I like books, rather than online sources so I can underline what interests me.

Thank you.

[Byblos]

I do have a question for you.

I'm reading the book, "Roman Catholics and Evangelicals, Agreements and Differences" by Norman Geisler and Ralph E. MacKenzie and the authors quote from the book, "Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma" by Ludwig Ott. Amazon has some good reviews of the book, but a couple of people said the book itself was of poor quality.

Have you read this book? In your opinion, is there a better one?

Also, is there a book which includes all the decisions made by the Council of Trent?

I like books, rather than online sources so I can underline what interests me.

Thank you.

I haven't read the book; reviews look to be mixed but generally positive. I'll ask around for more recommendations but I would start with the following:

1. Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating
2. What Catholics really believe by Karl Keating
3. Catholic for a reason by Scott Hahn (former evangelical)
4. Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn

and basically anything by Peter Kreeft.

As for the council of Trent decisions, why not go to the source thecounciloftrent.com.

[Christian2]

I do have a question for you.

I'm reading the book, "Roman Catholics and Evangelicals, Agreements and Differences" by Norman Geisler and Ralph E. MacKenzie and the authors quote from the book, "Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma" by Ludwig Ott. Amazon has some good reviews of the book, but a couple of people said the book itself was of poor quality.

Have you read this book? In your opinion, is there a better one?

Also, is there a book which includes all the decisions made by the Council of Trent?

I like books, rather than online sources so I can underline what interests me.

Thank you.

I haven't read the book; reviews look to be mixed but generally positive. I'll ask around for more recommendations but I would start with the following:

1. Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating
2. What Catholics really believe by Karl Keating
3. Catholic for a reason by Scott Hahn (former evangelical)
4. Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn

and basically anything by Peter Kreeft.

As for the council of Trent decisions, why not go to the source thecounciloftrent.com.

Thank you. I have a couple of Kreeft's books but they are not about Roman Catholicism.

[chizum]

This is my first post. I've been a fan of Rich's site for some time now and I just started browsing the forums. It looks right up my alley so I'll probably be sticking around. What pushed me over the top to register was this thread.

I went through the exact same consideration as the thread starter. My dad is Catholic, my mom is basically Protestant (raised Armenian Orthodox). My folks are carpetbaggers, so I was born in the heart of the protestant south. Long story short - I grew up going to Baptist churches and graduated from a Baptist high school. You could say I was raised Baptist. If I could of had a religious hero, it woulda been Billy Graham - you get the idea. My only real experience with Catholicism was when I visited my dad's side of the family, and went to mass with them (although I was baptised Catholic).

By the time I graduated high school, I'd stopped attending church for a number of years. I decided I was going back to church that summer... and it would be a Catholic church. I based that decision on:
1) A boredom/disdain of Baptist services (don't get me wrong, they were genuine, but seemed a little theologically shallow)
2) And a interest in Catholicism for 2 main things:
A. A great importance placed in theology
B. Tradition. This is the church of the early Christians (the first pope was St. Peter)
I was also sick of the televagelist-type of pastors who I grew up around (what I suspect are fake/embellished Southern accents). Also I felt to be a priest was a much greater sacrifice - no marriage, living in poor conditions, and having to be available to your community 24/7 - if you choose that, you're serious about your faith.

I ended up faithfully attending mass every Sunday for probably a year and a half at least. I mean I didn't even miss a mass if I was sick. I REALLY enjoyed the services. Our priest was a vietnamnese refugee, so that made it even more interesting. (I also REALLY enjoyed the Catholic Bible's translation, I'd highly recommend it). I was pretty gung-ho about the whole thing. I even tried to volunteer for some of the church's outreach programs. I did, in time, as I learned more about Catholicism, develop some theological difficulties:
1) I couldn't accept Christ's literal presence in the Eucharist
2) I couldn't accept offering prayers to the Virgin Mary, or any saints
3) Confession seemed pointless. (Why not confess to God?)
4) The church's holidays and traditions seemed pointless

As time grew on, I just felt plain silly making the cross with my hands on my forehead, then reaching down to my stomach and then touching my shoulders. I don't believe in the significance of icons. I guess that was my main hang-up. The music started to feel droll/silly, and I wasn't getting much from the sermons. So that's basically where I am today. I'm a man without a church. I'm thinking of trying the Orthodox church. I found out my philosophy professor, who I really enjoyed (the first day of class he says, "naturalistic evolution is bull----"), is also an Orthodox priest.

There were a lot of positives about the Catholic church though: the systematic nature of it, the unity, the tradition, etc. I can't say anything bad about it, and there are some very genuine and passionate Christians involved, contrary to popular belief.

[Byblos]

Hi chizum and welcome to the board.

Whatever keeps you Christ-centered I would say is a very good thing.

God bless you.

[chizum]

Hi chizum and welcome to the board.

Whatever keeps you Christ-centered I would say is a very good thing.

God bless you.

Indeed. Sorry if I'm a bit of a cynic, I've been stuck at home the last few weeks, it'll do that to you.
I think I'll probably return to my Catholic church ultimately.