Considering
Converting to Catholicism?
Issues with Converting to Catholicism Today
We’ve
been contacted on more than one occasion by people stating they agree that the
Catholic Church is the true Church of Christ, but then they ask how they could
ever consider converting when the Catholic Church is so plagued with problems
and scandals today. This is an excellent question which we will address below.
Warnings in Scripture
First let us consider some warnings we see in Scripture. In multiple areas of
Scripture we clearly see warnings that we must carry our cross if we want to
follow Christ (Luke 14:27), and warnings of false Christs and false prophets
arising in sheep's clothing (in other words, they will not be be immediately
apparent) (i.e. Matt 7:15, Mark 13:22), and parables of the cockle and the
wheat, and the net which when cast into the sea catches good and bad fish
(Matthew 13), clearly telling us that we can expect good and bad people among
Christ's flock.
We also see warnings of scandals, wars, and disasters that must take place
before Christ returns (see all of Matthew Ch. 24) and revelation that few will
have the faith when Christ returns (Luke 18:8) and that the gate to heaven is
narrow and few there are that will find it (Luke 13:24). Clearly many of these
warnings apply to situations that have occurred throughout the centuries and
that are occurring at this moment, though we know that regardless of them, that
Christ promised the gates of hell will never prevail against His Church (Matt
16:18).
Examples of Early Problems in Scripture
Let us also consider some of the serious situations in Scripture among Christ's
followers. First we refer to St. Peter's denial of Christ (Mark Ch14) and Judas'
betrayal of Jesus (Matthew Ch26). Here are two men that Christ himself chose as
Apostles and they each chose to sin against God himself. Christ, being God
Himself, clearly knew of these men's faults beforehand, and foretold each (Matt
26) , but he chose and kept them as Apostles anyway for our instruction.
So to summarize up to this point, clearly we can
see Scripture warns us of good and bad people in Christ's flock, and we see
examples of serious mistakes by the Apostles themselves. Though Christ did not
abandon them and the Apostles continued with their goals of following Christ and
spreading His word.
Problems in the Catholic Church in the centuries after Christ
Now let us take a look at the
Catholic Church and what problems it has experienced in the centuries after
Christ. Clearly if we look at the history of the Catholic Church, it has been
plagued with major problems from the start. Clearly God has never protected His
Church from the faults of its members at any point in history, as we would
expect based on the warnings in Scripture we present above.
First we can see major heresies
creep into the Church from the earliest days, such as the heresies of Arius,
Macedonius, Nestorius, the Monothelites and many others. We also see schisms in
just about every century after Christ, and also occasions where antipopes falsely
claimed position of the Holy See (i.e. the Western Schism starting in 1378), and
even legitimately elected Popes who had serious personal sins (i.e. Pope John
XII, Pope Benedict IX). And we also often hear about the abuses that crept into
the Inquisitions (of which we write about in our Articles section on this site).
Each of these problems in the
history of the Church were eventually corrected, and regardless of how serious
the situations were or how long they lasted, the Church has continued as Christ
promised.
Clearly problems have been
frequent in the Catholic Church in every century. Though just as we do not
declare an apple tree bad when a rotten apple is found on the ground under it,
these problems and faults of others have never had any effect on the validity of
the Catholic Church itself just as Judas's betrayal did not affect the Apostles
or the early Church. Scripture has warned us of all of these heresies, and these
wolves in sheep's clothing, and each member of the Church involved in these
heresies and scandals will one
day have to render a strict account to God.
Problems in the Catholic Church today
Clearly the Catholic Church today is plagued with serious problems, and many
feel it is in worse shape today then it has been during problems in previous
centuries. Between the current and previous Popes teaching what has always been
forbidden by the Church throughout Her history, and the scandals among priests
and bishops, clearly the Catholic Church today is in a serious situation. We
have seen similar problems over the centuries so the problems we are seeing
today are not new, though they appear worse. Again, any
Popes, Bishops or Priests at fault for these problems will either one day
repent, or they may apostatize, or become heretics or schismatics, but we have
Christ's promise that His Church will continue regardless. The Church may appear
infiltrated with wolves in sheep's clothing and consumed in scandal at times,
but the true Church always exists somewhere, no matter how small or obscure.
It is important that we also
remember, Christ founded His Church for sinners (Matt 9:13) and the Sacrament of
Penance was established for a reason; because we are all sinners. Sinners in the
Church may not always be "members in good standing" but are nevertheless always
members.
Summary
Clearly Scripture
has foretold us about the situations we have seen in the Catholic Church
throughout the centuries and today. Yes, it is discouraging but nowhere in
Scripture are we told to give up, rather we are to persevere to the end and do
as Christ instructed us. Also keep in mind that the current scandals we are
seeing today are due to a great loss of the faith, as we are also warned of in
Scripture (Romans 1:18).
Recommendations
So what are those people to do
today who now see the Catholic Church is the true Church of Christ, but can
scarcely find true Churches and clergymen? And what are those people to do about
family members and friends who strongly disapprove of their converting to
Catholicism? The situation is clearly a difficult one, but there are options.
Here are some we recommend you start with:
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While considering conversion,
we recommend you strengthen your devotion to Our Lady and continue to pray
hard and frequently about the situation.
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We also recommend that when you
decide to attend Mass, that you find a
"traditional" Catholic church which adheres to the laws of the Church before
the Second Vatican Council (which having introduced doctrine that has always
been forbidden in the Church, was not a valid Council). A large majority of
Catholic Churches today are very "modernized" due to the decisions of this
Council, and you will see a major difference between a traditional Church and
modern Church because of it. A list of traditional churches in the U.S. and
Canada can be seen here:
http://www.traditio.com/tradlib/masslat.pdf
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Read up on the history of the
Church using older books before 1960 if possible. Many newer books have also
been modernized and content removed from them. One of the better older books
for learning is the Catholic Encyclopedia online at
www.newadvent.org
which contains a copy of the Catholic Encyclopedia from the early 1900's.
Reading papal encyclicals, about the Councils of the Church, and books on
Lives of the Saints are also excellent. Get educated on the early Church. When
reading older books like these you will easily see what the Church has always
taught and condemned century to century, so you will not be as easily mislead
by what some modern day Catholic churches are teaching today.
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As for disapproving family and
friends, this is probably one of the harder decisions converts have to face;
"ride the fence" in order to avoid conflict with family and friends, or
convert and chance being disowned by them. Unfortunately Christ has given us
specific instructions on how we are to be saved, and the first is that we must
be a member of the Church He founded. While family and friends provide support
for us here on earth, they will not be able to assist us at the hour of our
death or after we have passed on. Being a member of the true church of Christ
is mandatory and must be your primary goal. The decision to convert needs to be made
now, not tomorrow as we never know if there will be a tomorrow for us!
Questions/comments?
info@protestanterrors.com
