re: Who here is a convert to Catholicism?

quote:

---

Faith without works is dead.
James 2:26

---

Luther agrees.

Faith bears fruit. If no fruit results from faith then there is no faith.

Ephesians 1-2 explains that “God saved us.”

Ephesians 4-6 explains “since God saved us be thankful and act right.” It’s a natural progression.

Converted in my mid-thirties. Grew up in a mainstream baptist church in a church going family. I was always put off with what I perceived as a preoccupation with eschatological teachings in the church I grew up in (1970's-1980's) as well as plenty other more literal interpretation of scripture. My wife is a cradle Catholic, and I am comfortable with regular mass attendance and participation within my church family. Our children have been raised Catholic and gone to Catholic schools which has been a positive experience.

Funny thing is that several of my siblings' children have also converted as young adults after marrying Roman Catholics. We now have a "Catholic Wing" of the family as I like to call it.

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your posts in this thread and have learned from them. My 2 decades in LA have been interesting, as I’ve previously lived in a predominantly Protestant area. Surprisingly, I’ve come to see RCCs as a more ‘do-nothing’ brand of Christian than any other denomination. I don’t mean that offensively and insultingly. They just seem to make the rules fit more than others.

quote:

---

Former Baptist convert to the One, Holy, Catholic Church.

---

We are all connected by faith in Christ and we all share a common baptism. Ephesians 4.

quote:

---

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed your posts in this thread and have learned from them.

---

Thanks friend. One of my favorite resources for learning is Michael Horton's White Horse Inn.

Regarding this

quote:

---

I’ve come to see RCCs as a more ‘do-nothing’ brand of Christian than any other denomination. I don’t mean that offensively and insultingly. They just seem to make the rules fit more than others.

---

it can be sadly true depending on the parish.

Converted from Catholic to Baptist.I was born and raised Catholic,12 years Catholic School.Spent 2 years in Spain during the Franco years when Catholicism was only religion allowed.Worked in Catholic Hospital 30 years.After all that I was done with Catholic Church.
Don’t get me wrong,there are lots of good honest people in Catholic Church but the hypocrisy I saw and experienced turned me against it.The current pope has only reinforced,in my mind,that I made the right choice.
I’ve read the Bible,I never saw Catholic Church mentioned as the only true church as they claim..I also don’t believe in purgatory and all that business about about donating money for special masses to buy a poor soul in purgatory some time off their sentence.
I have friends and acquaintances of lots of religions,I don’t discuss religion and change the subject if anyone tries to bring it up.

I converted because we wanted to raise our children in a church. The wife was active in her Catholic faith. I was a bad Southern Baptist. So, I agreed to convert. Was very active in the church and the Catholic schools. None of the kids are Catholic now, but all appreciated us giving them a good, consistent moral upbringing, and are good people!

Grew up catholic, now athiest. Best decision i ever made

quote:

---

to those who recently converted to Catholicism, I wonder whether THEY could explain why,

---

Several have, and they have largely aligned with what I have argued is typical of a Catholic conversion. Other than that, it was weak Protestants going with the flow, appeasing wife, etc.

quote:

---

We are listening to what He instructed - to love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind and to love our neighbor as ourself.

---

I'd argue that you're adding to what Christ said. Because, if at any point you fail in your duties, you're totally screwed.
Miss a Holy day of obligation? Die? Hell.

Willingly miss mass? Die? Hell.

Fail to confess to a priest annually? Die? Hell.

This whole "state of grace" nonsense is contrived trash meant to keep you in line with medieval sacerdotalism so that the church would thrive. Add to that purgatory, relics, indulgences, and the treasury of merit.

Is this peace with God or is it striving in vain?

There's a lot of Christianity in Roman Catholicism, but there's also a lot of manmade extra biblical laws that bind, which is why Luther named one of his works "The Babylonian Captivity of the Church" and followed it with "The Freedom of a Christian".

Look at what your most extensive body of doctrine in the history of your church says about keeping the commands of God: If any one saith, that the commandments of God are, even for one that is justified and constituted in grace, impossible to keep; let him be anathema.
The idea that we cannot keep the commandments of God is a notion that is worthy of hell? no thanks. The whole point of Christ was that the law and the commands are impossible to keep. The only reason they ever existed was to point to the fact that we could only fail in attempting to keep them (to point out sin).

Where is the grace? Where is the peace with God?

So when you say "love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind and to love our neighbor as ourself." ....do you actually believe that you are capable of doing this? Jesus knew you wouldn't be.

GreenRockTiger: I would never doubt that your intentions are good not would I doubt your status of "saved by grace", but I'm not sure even you would buy the sacramental economy of salvation as sold by the Roman Catholic Church...once you really examine it. Ultimately, it comes down to what you do, not what Christ has done. It is law. It is not the Biblical Gospel of grace.

I'd love to continue this tomorrow, and that goes for anyone.
bayoubengals1988@gmail.com