I'm joining the Catholic Church next month. Advice/Books/Etc.?

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Hello fellow Freepers. I believe this is my first post on the Religion forum.

Over the past week or so, I put some thought into something I've been pondering for a while; my spiritual welfare. As it was, I had been part of the 'Sola Scriptua' school of thought (Evangelical Christian). By the Bible and only the Bible. Sounded good enough.

Well...what about before the Bible was put into word? It stuck in my head when reading an article earlier on FR concerning a deconstruction of Sola Scriptura and its inherent weaknesses as a foundation for one's faith.

This, combined with a genuine lack of churchgoing (as a family, we've been uncertain about going to various churches, given that top-down problems with Episcopal/Methodist/etc. churches and their increasing liberalization are a genuine problem for one's spiritual welfare), compelled me to make a decision.

I don't know if my family will follow me, persay, but I'm going to go ahead and take the plunge.

Next month, I'm going to the Church of St. Thomas the Apostle near my home, and I'm joining the Roman Catholic Church.

As is, I have a few volumes of the Magnificat pamphlet and the Catechism of the Catholic Church to read.

Any other pointers from other Catholic Freepers?

[NYer]

You stick with Rome. I’ll stick with Christ, in Whom is found “the fullness of truth.”

St. Paul states that the Church is "THE pillar and ground of the truth." (1 Timothy 3:15)

[Judith Anne]

So saying to a Christian: "Take the plunge. Jesus is waiting for you in the tabernacle.", and "Most Devout Evangelicals wind up being Catholics Ultimately!", and "welcome to the Church founded by Jesus Christ", and "As a Catholic, you're in for...the Real Thing", and "welcome to HIS one holy catholic and apostolic church" is not exclusionary and divisive?

The Catholics did not create the division, so, no, it isn't. As far as exclusionary, anyone is welcome to become Catholic who wants to.

[Hacksaw]

Anti-Catholics think that there is some sort of celestial scorecard and their sense of purpose is based upon how many people they can keep out of the Church.

I saw one of the anti's say to a former Baptist something like "glad you left". Can't you feel the love? :)

[Hatteras]

I was born, baptized and raised in a Catholic family. I was an altar boy and went to parochial school from 1st thru 8th grade. I was taught by 80 year old, 4 foot tall nuns with steel yard sticks. I grew up in the belly of the beast. In class, we had a rotation of boys who would get called out of class to serve funeral masses Everything we did as kids revolved around the Catholic church, be it sports leagues, family get-togethers, neighborhood birthday parties and yes, fundraisers. What made the baptism episode particularly hurtful was the fact that the pastor was a close family friend.

My comments are based on MY experience with the CATHOLIC church. Not the Protestant church. While I still attend the CATHOLIC church (although no longer the church mentioned in my previous comment) I do keep one hand firmly on my wallet. I have faith in God. But as far as any particular church? "Trust. But, verify." sums it up for me.

"the Catholic Church is not in the habit of having a yearly fundraising service where congregants are encouraged to pledge a sum of money."

Yearly? Heck, our CATHOLIC church was having monthly fundraising efforts for whatever community outreach program was next on the list. One of my first recollections of major fundraisers was when I was a young teen and our CATHOLIC church (NOT Protestant) was purchasing homes for Vietnamese refugee families in our area back in the early 70s. Yes, we were encouraged to put money in the basket. The "pitch" was always attached to the end of the sermon. Not a particular sum of money, mind you, but we were encouraged to donate whatever sum you were able to donate. They even published the weekly donation totals in the following week's church bulletin. They published a weekly total, a yearly total and they published the percentages being donated to whatever fundraisers that were running at the time.

In grade school, we had canned food drives for the local homeless shelters all the time. And if we didn't bring in any canned food, we were denied recess and had to write essays about helping the poor or serve out some other form of penance.

As to whether you think I'm lying or whether you believe me or not, I really don't care. I didn't set out to convince you one way or the other. I am citing my personal experience as it related to my "one hand on the wallet" comment.

Don't misconstrue my comments as having anything to do with my faith in God and Jesus Christ. But my comments DO have everything to do with the organized CATHOLIC churches I have been involved with in my life and how I have learned to approach these organizations.

[NYer]

Can you reduce the size of this image? Try using: (img height= 200 (or whichever number will reduce it) src=””)

[fetal heart beats by 21st day]

“...for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” (Luke 15:24)

Did Jesus mean, by this statement, that the son was spiritually and irretrievably dead?

No.

Was I speaking of only non-Catholics? No.

If you lose your way in a snow-storm, is it possible for you to emerge from the blinding snow and find your way again?

Yes.

So, as long as one still draws breath, it is possible for him to to find his way, for the first time, or after being lost for a very long time.

[Antoninus]

Scanning most of these kinds of posts, though, it seems that most space is taken quoting church “fathers” and dogmas. It seems the Bible takes a back seat.

That is a statement of profound ignorance. Catholics have a 2,000 year history of Scriptural interpretation by great saints like Augustine, Jerome, John Chrysostum, Thomas Aquinas, etc. etc.

In most sola-scriptural Protestant churches, the knowledge and interpretation of Scripture is based primarily on the insights and opinions of the pastor.

It's not a hard choice as to which has more authority.

[dangus]

Please allow this article to serve as an apology to you for “feeding the trolls” on your thread: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2023050/posts

[Antoninus]

Those icons look like Eastern Orthodox ones to me. But I assume you have a problem with them, too. They dealt with your type about 1300 years ago.

All the ancient Churches seem to bother you iconoclasts to no end.

[tiki]

I agree with both, the Baltimore for the ABCs clearly and easily understood and the Catechism for when you are more advanced.

[SAMS]

Welcome Home!! I haven’t read thru all the posts, however, if nobody has mentioned it...I would recommend, “Rome Sweet Home” by Dr. Scott Hahn. I myself am a cradle to grave Catholic, but read the book and was quite impressed with his conversion story. You’ll be in our prayers!!

[dangus]

Exactly... Wait for my next post.

[bboop]

The Catechism is wonderful. Catholicism for Dummies/ Fr Trujilio, is very orthodox and great. We love EWTN. Welcome home.

[maryz]

Oh, nooooo -- they actually tried to train children to have compassion for the poor??!! How could they?? /s

About the baptism thing -- were you attening church regularly at the time? If not, and the pastor hadn't seen you, maybe the collection plate was the only way he had of checking. It used to be taught anyway that it was unfair abd wrong to baptize a baby as a Catholic if it was fairly obvious he wouldn't be brought up that way, because the baptized incur the obligations of the Faith, not just the "frills."

[AnAmericanMother]

I ADORE tack!

My daughter has the tackiest thing I have EVER seen -- a Calvinist Presbyterian friend of hers bought it for her as a birthday present -- it is an ENORMOUS Rosary made of zebra wood, I mean it's about eight feet long and the beads are the size of ping pong balls. The central medallion is about as big as the palm of your hand, and is painted in large garish letters, "Dios bendiga nuestro hogar." The crucifix could double as a two-handed broadsword. The whole thing should be registered as a deadly weapon.

You ought to have seen Father Crunk's eyes pop when daughter asked him to bless it for her (but he did.)

[Mad Dawg]

Hah! it was an ORGANIZED Catholic Parish. That's practically a contradiction in terms, y'know!

Seriously, IMHO stewardship is something Cahotics do ina very confusing and frustrtaing way. I have NO PROBLEM with "Stewardship Sundays" and the like. What I hate is being nickeled and dimed to death. We got ths Domincan Sisters and their new Convent, we have our linked Parish in Haiti, we have the Dominican "poor boys" (novices) on their annual begging tour, we have peter's pence, the Diocesan Appeal, the diocesan Youth appeal the Diocesan Catastrophe Appeal, the Church in Isreal, the Church in Appalachia, I could go NUTS here! I feel like walking into the parish office with my tithe in dollar bills, dumping them all on Father Brian's desk (and I really like and admire this guy) and saying "Here! YOU figure it out."

[dangus]

Hi, everyone. Would y’all please read my thread about feeding trolls at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2023050/posts .

Please keep in mind, I accuse myself, and seek reminders from each of you.

Petronski has reminded me of a great quote which is highly relevant:
“A strange game: The only winning move is not to play” — JOSHUA, “War Games”

[verga]

You stick with Rome. I’ll stick with Christ, in Whom is found “the fullness of truth.”

Apparently in your haste to find arrogance you missed several things:

1) I left the Catholic Church and came back.

2) The Bible says that the Church is the pillar and foundation of truth: 1 Tim 3:15 in case I am delayed, so that you may know how to behave in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.

Since the only "Church" was the Catholic Church, that must be the one and only Church that Paul is speaking about.

[Antoninus]

Do you kneel before Mary?

Yep. And before the Eucharist. The bishop. The saints. And before anything holy, really. Kneeling is a sign of humility. Many folks these days have great difficulty with that particular virtue.

[dan1123]

If not, then you don’t know what you’re doing and you’re headed for serious trouble.

What does that have to do with anything? He didn't join for religiosity, he joined because of a philosophical argument against (a possibly misunderstood interpretation of) Sola Scriptura. If he is interested in theological and philosophical backing to his faith, then that has nothing to do with religious people who missed the relationship with Jesus.