My (Imminent) Reception into the Roman Catholic Church

Right Reason ^ | May 17, 2007 | Robert Koons

[Piers-the-Ploughman]

The Church is the Body of Christ. I received that gift, faith, with no merit of my own, from Christ, acting through the Church, which is His Body. Although I am aware of defects in the human members of the Church, I see no advantage to condemning the Church; after that, there is anarchy.

[GoLightly]

It seemed to me that he was implying, with tongue in cheek, that that was the opinion of Catholics. IOW, that Catholics like to think that only brilliant scholars find the Church and only people who are idiot, know-nothings would ever leave and so that also implies that non-scholars would never consider becoming Catholic as a matter of faith.

I agree.

Well, you have to know and assent to what you believe but you still don't have to be a scholar. You don't have to read the early fathers, you don't have to know the whole history of the church, you just have to know what it believes and assent to that belief.

What happens with those who don't know & can't assent? Think we're supposed to send them away hungry?

[tiki]

I don’t know exactly what you mean by that. Are you talking about the mentally challenged or those who haven’t heard the Word or those who haven’t felt and/or responded to Grace?

[GoLightly]

I see no advantage to condemning the Church; after that, there is anarchy.

I see no advantage in condemning the Church either. I would only worry about anarchy if I didn't know that God is in control.

[GoLightly]

Those who haven’t felt Grace, though they claim to be open to it.

[tiki]

I can only answer that Christ has infinite Mercy, God knows why they can't accept the Grace given to them.

They are always welcome to attend any Catholic Church, they can't receive the Sacraments unless they have been baptized and assent to the beliefs of the Church but if they haven't felt Grace then why would they seek the Sacraments? Why would they believe in the Sacraments if they can't accept the Grace of God? Faith in God must come first in someone past the age of reasoning because the Sacraments are nothing without God.

[Salvation]

My (Imminent) Reception into the Roman Catholic Church

From Calvinist to Catholic

A Convert's Pilgrimage [Christopher Cuddy]

From Pastor to Parishioner: My Love for Christ Led Me Home (to the Catholic Church) [Drake McCalister]

Lutheran professor of philosophy prepares to enter Catholic Church

Patty Bonds (former Baptist and sister of Dr. James White) to appear on The Journey Home - May 7

Pastor and Flock Become Catholics

The journey back - Dr. Beckwith explains his reasons for returning to the Catholic Church

Famous Homosexual Italian Author Returned to the Church Before Dying of AIDS

Dr. Francis Beckwith Returns To Full Communion With The Church

Catholic Converts - Stephen K. Ray (former Evangelical)

Catholic Converts - Malcolm Muggeridge

Catholic Converts - Richard John Neuhaus

Catholic Converts - Avery Cardinal Dulles

Catholic Converts - Israel (Eugenio) Zolli - Chief Rabbi of Rome

Catholic Converts - Robert H. Bork , American Jurist (Catholic Caucus)

Catholic Converts - Marcus Grodi

Why Converts Choose Catholicism

The Scott Hahn Conversion Story

[Tax-chick]

I agree. I’m a former Presbyterian. I’m grateful to my mother for the Christian formation I received. I learned to read the Bible with pleasure when I was growing up, and I learned wonderful hymns that I still appreciate. I don’t recall a single bad experience of Protestant Christianity; however, after my “existentialist period” in my late teens, I believe the Lord called me to the Catholic Church.

[krunkygirl]

save for later

[GoLightly]

I have found it to be quite a conundrum, but I’ve seen it expressed by a couple of FReepers. I almost think they’re trying to reason themselves into faith.

[tiki]

Maybe they are confusing faith with absolutely knowing with their own intellect and really have it but think it should feel different. They might feel that they should KNOW things and FEEL things or that their faith experience should be like being struck by lightening. Faith through Grace comes in many ways, we don’t all get a Road to Damascus experience, but He gives us what we need.

[Larry Lucido]

Uh, oh. I think I started something. :-)

Yes, it was definitely toungue in cheek. And I do rejoice when someone finds their home (though I believe “home” is in the Body of Christ - I do believe that God’s hand guides us as to exactly where we must be at one time or another).

I rejoice the most when His Church grows, and don’t consider any migration one way or another across the Tiber to be a net gain or loss for His Church, though I recognize many disagree.

For example, my brother found his way back to the RC church, and of course brought his wife and kids with him to be baptized. He was Free Methodist before then, and in the Unity Church (or Church of Today, whatever it is called now) before that. Well, I’m not particularly keen on the Unity Church, but as a Free Methodist in a very conservative congregation I felt he was well grounded, as I feel in my conservative evangelical church. When he went back to the RC I encouraged him to follow what he considered God’s calling, even if I chose not to go that way myself.

[GoLightly]

They claim to be atheists, so I have the feeling that the big guns are gonna have to come out to bring them to their knees.

[GoLightly]

Uh, oh. I think I started something. :-)

Again...

[tiki]

I know what you mean, one of my brothers fits that category. JMO, but he feels like he is sinning and he wants to keep sinning and so he needs to believe there is no God and no justice, just the here and now and death is the end.

[GoLightly]

That could be it, but it could also be a certain amount of fear of association with the “ignorant hicks” that never outgrew believing in faerie tales.