The truth is that there are few social benefits to becoming Catholic and many disincentives. Most who become Catholic are rejected by their former friends. If they are clergy, they lose their social status entirely, and their salaries. There is little to be gained by becoming Catholic save the security of knowing one has come home to the only church founded by Christ himself.
On the other hand, Protestant congregations are trained to fawn all over a wayward Catholic. It is a great prize to snatch a Catholic from the fold. A Catholic venturing to a Protestant church will quickly find a new set of zealous “friends.”
As for theology—this article is a joke. Those who become Catholic do so because they have done tons of reading, and thinking and deliberating and praying. They are intelligent and educated in the faith and it is their study of scripture and tradition which leads them to the truth of Catholicism.
On the other hand, those who leave the Catholic Church are usually divorced and remarried, gay, have a rebellious spirit or are so poorly educated as Catholics that they fall prey to a barrage of bible quotes and cant defend themselves.
Fortunately, three new developments of the past 15 years have slowed the tide of Catholics from the Church and even reversed the trend: 1. the Catechism of the Catholic Church is readily available, well written and satisfying to the intelligent mind. 2. the apologetic movement has clarified and made avaiable all that a Catholic needs to understand and defend his faith. 3. the internet has brought these two resources to the masses without needing to buy a library.
So, as well trained Protestant clergy continue to trek their way to the Catholic Church and those seeking an easier path find their way to the Protestant ecclesial bodies, it is becoming ever more clear we are getting their best and they are getting our worst.
No systematic protestant theology course is going to reverse this trend, because the movement of the Beckwiths of the world into the Catholic Church is based on years and years of study. Any course you could put up, he could tear down in half the time. The problem with Protestantism is not the number of courses offered, it is the content of those courses.
Yah. Anyone with any intelligence agrees with you. Everyone else is a sinner and so they don’t count. Mmmmmm-kay.
Got any stats on that? I've never known of this to occur.
>On the other hand, Protestant congregations are trained to fawn all over a wayward Catholic. It is a great prize to snatch a Catholic from the fold. A Catholic venturing to a Protestant church will quickly find a new set of zealous “friends.”
No matter which side of the Tiber you are on, any convert to any faith will be shown plenty of attention. It is not just Protestants. But if you notice, most people that convert from one sect to another are not firmly grounded in their original faith for one reason or another.
>No systematic protestant theology course is going to reverse this trend, because the movement of the Beckwiths of the world into the Catholic Church is based on years and years of study. Any course you could put up, he could tear down in half the time. The problem with Protestantism is not the number of courses offered, it is the content of those courses.
I agree. Those that are not of us were never of us.
I find it funny you mention Beckwith, he claims he only studied the roman works for a few months prior to his announcement. Years of study? Not. And he could not even handle a softball interview with Greg Koukl. Could not answer simple questions on the basics of Protestantism. I am REALLY surprised that you brought him up with his reluctance to follow the Marion Doctrines. I thought those were defide, but I guess he has yet to REALLY be converted, eh? It seems he fled Protestantism straight to cafeteria catholicism.
Just as the last great Protestant-turned-Catholic Gerry Matatics, it seems that those that jump to the Roman side are not all that orthodox...but hey, as long as they are on that side, with Kerry, Kennedy, Pelosi, they are saved, what?
If this is true, why aren't the "best and the brightest" Protestant theologians reverting in mass? Why are there brilliant Protestant theologians like R.C. Sproul, Alvin Plantinga, John Stott, William Lane Craig, just to name a few, still in the Protestant camp? If it is so clear and logical to the learned, why are there any Protestant theologians at all?
The "best and the brightest" are still with us.
Guess that's why all Cino politicians try to keep their Catholic creds quiet, cuz no one in the Church ever tried to promote voting for "one of our own", not even in heavily Catholic areas.
Most who become Catholic are rejected by their former friends.
Interesting statement. I've never seen anything of that sort, but then again, I live in an area where Catholics are a large percentage of the population.
On the other hand, Protestant congregations are trained to fawn all over a wayward Catholic. It is a great prize to snatch a Catholic from the fold. A Catholic venturing to a Protestant church will quickly find a new set of zealous “friends.”
We get that in some kind of super secret training sessions that I missed?
As for theology—this article is a joke. Those who become Catholic do so because they have done tons of reading, and thinking and deliberating and praying. They are intelligent and educated in the faith and it is their study of scripture and tradition which leads them to the truth of Catholicism.
After reading a bunch of conversion stories, by generalizing you've missed the mark.
On the other hand, those who leave the Catholic Church are usually divorced and remarried, gay, have a rebellious spirit or are so poorly educated as Catholics that they fall prey to a barrage of bible quotes and cant defend themselves.
Most of the people I know who've left the Catholic Church became atheists or agnostic & no amount of Bible quotes make that sort of thing happen.
I think the Catholic Church & all Protestant denominations would be better served by working to pick up the fruit that's on the ground than trying to pick off the low hanging fruit in each other's trees.
“Those who become Catholic do so because they have done tons of reading, and thinking and deliberating and praying. They are intelligent and educated in the faith and it is their study of scripture and tradition which leads them to the truth of Catholicism.”
well said.
It gets tiring to see yet another “well golly gee! what would it be like if catholics actually read the bible?!!”
Spare me.
Well said.
What a self serving joke.