Why would anyone become Catholic?

https://www.indiegogo.com ^ | October 2, 2014 | Indiegogo

[NKP_Vet]

Why would intelligent, successful people give up their careers, alienate their friends, and cause havoc in their families...to become Catholic? Indeed, why would anyone become Catholic?

As an evangelist and author who recently threw my own life into some turmoil by deciding to enter the Catholic Church, I've faced this question a lot lately. That is one reason I decided to make this documentary; it's part of my attempt to try to explain to those closest to me why I would do such a crazy thing.

Convinced isn't just about me, though. The film is built around interviews with some of the most articulate and compelling Catholic converts in our culture today, including Scott Hahn, Francis Beckwith, Taylor Marshall, Holly Ordway, Abby Johnson, Jeff Cavins, Devin Rose, Matthew Leonard, Mark Regnerus, Jason Stellman, John Bergsma, Christian Smith, Kevin Vost, David Currie, Richard Cole, and Kenneth Howell. It also contains special appearances by experts in the field of conversion such as Patrick Madrid and Donald Asci.

Ultimately, this is a story about finding truth, beauty, and fulfillment in an unexpected place, and then sacrificing to grab on to it. I think it will entertain and inspire you, and perhaps even give you a fresh perspective on an old faith.

[Iscool]

The fall back position on those that can not / will not use reason.

Nope...It's the main and fall back position for those who trust in and believe God...

Pro_3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Pro 23:4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

Isa 5:21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!

1Co 3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
1Co 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
1Co 3:20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
1Co 3:21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;

God says to do just the opposite of what you claim...Using your own or your religion's reasoning trying to understand the spiritual things of God is a serious no no...

Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Joh_12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.

Heb 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

When you get to the final judgment, God is going to open the books (of the bible) and you are going to be judged out of those books...

If your beliefs and life don't line up with what's written in the books such as things like Mary is our co-redeemer, etc.,,,,,well you know the rest...

Non Catholics try to go by the books of the bible...Do some get it wrong a little bit??? Sure they do...But they are light years closer to the truth of God and the scriptures than anything your religion teaches...

[Vermont Lt]

Just curious, what are those books made of? Paper, metal, stone? They must be pretty darned big. Lots of trees.

And who is writing this stuff down? And if God is omniscient, why does he have to write this stuff down?

[Springfield Reformer]

I am sorry the word “career” offended you. It doesn’t mean anything bad to me. I am even sorrier you totally misunderstood the point I was making. Those problems with Peter are not prejudice, but a fair summary of some of the problems he went through. However, I specifically stated that my “conclusion,” that he was the second worst apostle, was an opinion that should not be defended as coming from Paul’s writings in Ephesians. It was a deliberate demonstration of poor source citation.

But instead of getting my point, you demonstrated it. Which is why the practice is bad. Proposed “integration” indistinctly blended in on the heels of a citation can cause heartburn in well intended readers, and would be roundly castigated if attempted, for example, in a law review comment or article. And its problematic not just for the reader you are talking to, but lurkers and other participants, who should be given a fair chance to sort out a citation and its content. It’s just the right thing to do.

As for what I think of Peter, what matters to me is the grace of God. Paul claimed to be worst of all, yet all the more reason to glorify God for His undeserved gift to us. So when a Protestant points out Peter’s very severe failures, you should understand it is by those weaknesses we feel closest to him, and it is how to best understand the sweetness of spirit he so amply demonstrates in his epistles. The grace of God was mightily displayed in him. Is that now a bad thing to you? It is a wonderful thing to those of us who have walked that same path, and coming to what seemed a dead end, found Jesus waiting with open arms.

So I declare to you that you have greatly misunderstood us. To the extent I have been unclear, please accept my apology. But honestly I think if the environment were not so hostile, you would been able to see what I said in a better light. Speculation, I know. But I can hope.

Peace,

SR

[af_vet_1981]

First of all, what's with this church group mentality ? 13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. 14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. 15 And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples, and said, (the number of names together were about an hundred and twenty,)


Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

one holy, catholic, and apostolic church





Nondenominational (or non-denominational) Christian institutions are those not formally aligned with an established religious denomination, but are historically Protestant, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations. Nondenominational church congregations may establish a functional denomination by means of mutual recognition of or accountability to other congregations and leaders with commonly held doctrine, policy and worship without formalizing external direction or oversight in such matters. Some nondenominational churches explicitly reject the idea of a formalized denominational structure as a matter of principle, holding that each congregation is better off being autonomous. A 2012 Gallup survey reported that 10% of U.S. adults identify as non-specific Christian.[1]


Protestant denominations spread and multiplied, especially in the United States, as Denominational confessional statements began to be used more to exclude than to include Christians with different doctrinal convictions.[citation needed] Each denomination maintains to differing degrees some form of organizational and visible unity with its member churches, albeit radically decentralized compared with the Catholic Church. Today, nondenominational churches, like the Independents at the Westminster Assembly, refuse to recognize any ecclesiastical authority above the local congregation and deny the visible unity of the Church (though not the unity of the invisible Church) despite the fact that the original denominations were formed by substantially the same ideology.


. Jonathan A. Mitchican, a traditionalist Anglican priest, has also argued that the term non-denominational is essentially misleading: "If an American church calls itself “non-denominational,” nine times out of ten what that means is Baptist. Altar calls and appeals to personal conversion replace the sacraments as the means of grace. Baptism is a symbol of one’s personal conversion, nothing more, and it is only appropriate for adults", theological positions that are at odds with what Anglicans, and Christians outside of the modern United States, have generally believed.[4]

The only exception to this denominational, sect, group model that I see are the Independent Fundamental Baptists, who hold they are directly descended from the Jewish apostles, indeed even John the Baptist, and who are never ashamed to identify themselves as Baptist. I believe they generally follow the former model of having a fellowship of like minded churches, unlike an extreme and unrepresentative church like Wedtboro. Mars Hill, ( to which you've been assigned), has a group of sister churches, as does Calvary Chapel (perhaps I can arrange a reassignment. :)

[af_vet_1981]

So when a Protestant points out Peter’s very severe failures, you should understand it is by those weaknesses we feel closest to him, and it is how to best understand the sweetness of spirit he so amply demonstrates in his epistles.

I read your comments and am not persuaded. I have witnessed a chronic bias against Jacob, Simon Peter, and Miriam/Mary among the Gentiles that we generally tag as Protestants. Catholics, in general, have fallen in love with Simon Peter and Miriam/Mary because of Messiah. They have also turned to Jacob in these latter days.. I see Jacob and Simon Peter on thrones, and Miriam/Mary with a crown. I am not worthy. .

[CynicalBear]

≥>13 And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room,<<

Um, yeah, believers get together to pray, worship, and study. How does that translate into proclaiming I belong to the group "I follow Peter" or "I follow Paul"?

Your entire screed (or the screed you cut and pasted without giving source) attempts to assign all to some man made organization with no reference or understanding of what the ekklesia really is. Thank you for proving my point.

[wmfights]

STA: But having the Bible without the Church leads to a proliferation of errors, as exemplified by the countless Protestant sects, who all can't agree on a single doctrine, (even Sola Scriptura; see high church Anglicans), except that they're not Catholic.

There is a inherent lack of faith in this comment. After Pentecost and before the rise of an institutional church a couple centuries later Christians being led by the Holy Spirit managed to share The Gospel with unbelievers and Christianity grew at a phenomenal rate. In this decentralized environment there were disputes over a variety of issues, but the errors were nowhere near as devastating to Christianity as the errors introduced as orthodoxy by the rise of an institutional church using the power of the state to enforce it's will.

For me I'll happily stick with the decentralized biblical model and trust in the end any doctrines not clearly established in a literal first understanding of Scripture will be revealed to be the heresies they are.

[MamaB]

Good morning , dear. That poster tried the same thing with me and I refused. If it can not be said in public, then I do not want any part of it. I am not into secretive messages.

[MamaB]

Nah. Just an ordinary Christian lady. I thank God every day for his goodness to me. Don’t get me wrong. I have had my share of sorrow but with His help, I made it through them. I have legs to walk on, arms to hug someone, eyes to see with, and my hearing is fine. : ). God bless.

[Elsie]

JACK is a HE!

(Well; almost. He started OUT that way...)

I wanted to name him Frank (Ol’ Blue Eyes) but the wife insisted on Jack (Nicholson) ‘cause he’s so sly.

[Elsie]

That poster tried the same thing with me and I refused.

[Elsie]

How about we just preach Jesus and let the Holy Spirit draw those God has chosen?

Can't.

Not enough TRADITION in it.

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, 
Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.
 
—Matthew 13:24-30, Holy Bible: King James Version

[Elsie]

I read your comments and am not persuaded.

#1463

[CynicalBear]

LO . My apologies to Jack. In my world it would be more important not to let him see comments like that given his reduced long term heard value.

[Elsie]

That poster tried the same thing with me and I refused.

http://assets.amuniversal.com/485a81602d570132a2f0005056a9545d

[Elsie]

[Elsie]

Herd?

http://assets.amuniversal.com/ac5299902b330132a216005056a9545d

[Springfield Reformer]

Persuade yourself however you see fit. If you are not willing to accept my statements concerning my own beliefs and feelings at face value, I do not see how we can reasonably tackle more difficult questions that require some level of mutual trust to pursue. So I guess we are done for now.

Peace,

SR

[Elsie]

Mine like to do THIS:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0hPrdy0OsU

[GeronL]

bump