I’ve tried to be Catholic, really I have.
Although I was not raised Catholic, my wife was. I nonetheless have read Aquinas, Augustine, More, Maritain, Chesterton, Belloc.
Neither my wife no I trust any religious institution.
If there are lifeboats in this flood, I have yet to find one.
“...Neither my wife no I trust any religious institution...”
Probably a good thing to do. However, it is not the institution you need to emulate, but the institution’s founder. Since every institution is made up of humans who are not perfect, we all need to seek out the truth, which is the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Is it not a puzzle why Jesus entrusted his church to humans? He must have had some trust in them. He promised to send us the Holy Spirit. Since Christianity has survived and flourished for 20 centuries already, the church must be doing something right.
By the way, I personally have been very satisfied with all the last three Bishops of Rome, and I do not measure them against whether they cause me to reevaluate my actions now and then. I think if Jesus walked the earth today, I would occasionally feel some discomfort with his words too.
“Although I was not raised Catholic, my wife was. I nonetheless have read Aquinas, Augustine, More, Maritain, Chesterton, Belloc.
Neither my wife no I trust any religious institution.
If there are lifeboats in this flood, I have yet to find one.”
What did you read of Augustine? You should read his Enchiridon on Faith, Hope and Love, as well as all his other anti-Pelagian works.
They won’t make you a Catholic though. They’ll make you Protestant.
Hmm, well, so does reading the Bible, so maybe stick with just the scripture, and then Augustine as icing on the cake.