Thanks for sharing. Your journey sounds very close to mine. However, my journey went full circle back to the Church. If you want help make sure you keep your current belief system – avoid the following:
1. Do not read “Orthodoxy” by GK Chesterton.
2. Do not attend Mass regularly.
3. Do not study the book of Revelation too hard, get confused by the thousands of Protestant views and then read “The Lamb’s Supper” by Scott Hahn.
4. Do not read John 6.
5. Do not immerse yourself into a parish community.
Had I not done these things I would of stayed clear of the “heresy” and stayed in the “real” church you describe.
Sarcasm aside, I agree with you that the Church fails many times in teaching and evangelism. But then again, we are all human – burdened with a fallen world – only through Christ can we be saved. When the pope spoke about the Church as the ‘only’ way to salvation – he was speaking biblically. Christ only spoke about ONE church. The Roman Catholic Church historically goes back to Peter, Paul, Mary and of course Jesus himself. On the other hand, the catholic Church does not condemn other beliefs. Although it seems increasingly, these other groups of believers seem quick to condemn the Catholic Church.
Petronski...You missed the boat...It was the Roman Church that Jesus founded...And like the poster says, there is only one church...