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But if Catholic dogma contradicted Scripture or itself at any point, I could not believe it. I explored all the cases of claimed contradiction and found each to he a Protestant misunderstanding.

Quite an indictment on yours.

The problem explained in #4 is much much worse. Unless you don't have a problem with people working to save themselves. (An impossible and damning task.)

** I explored all the cases of claimed contradiction and found each to he a Protestant misunderstanding.**

BTTT!

Your non-response to my direct question is what gives Protestants cause for alarm. Instead of directly dealing with the question you turn it back on me. You see, I know whence Mr. Freeth comes from since I grew up in the same tradition. We Dutch Calvinists are a cerebral bunch not taking much stock in non-objective rituals or emotional appeals. Mr. Freeth obviously thought this was something he needed in his journey with God as evidenced by:

Though I thought it pagan rather than Christian, the richness and mystery of Catholicism fascinated me

Mr. Freeth's need for mystery and rituals is what convinced him of the rightness of Catholcism. The appeal to historicity as the objective ground for the role of the Catholic Church is built on a shakey foundation. As with most Catholic apologists he ignores the abmonitations throughout history in the name of the Catholic Church. Thus your non-response only adds to the evidence of how in the name of the Catholic Church questions of problems within the church are pushed away with the pronouncement that the Catholic Church is without error.

If the Holy Roman Catholic Church had been so pure there would have never been a Protestant revolution. God's invisible Church has nothing to do with any particular rituals or mysteries except the mystery of Election. So, to answer your question directly as an example to you, the journey of one man in his search for the truth is much less an indictment than 90% of the Catholics who do not understand justification by faith.