Are you Catholic and why?

Question

Are there still people out there who believe in the Church?Im a sad catholic because there seems to be few anymore, everyone else says we worhip Mary and teh saints. COme on let it out guys. NO INSULTS THIS IS AN ACTUAL ?

Answer 1

--is Catholic--

I converted to Catholicism way back when I was doing my undergraduate studies. It is a long and terribly involved story but here is the jist of it. I was raised Lutheran/United Methodist (confirmed United Methodists). I want particularly religious (nor "spiritual" as the saying goes) but I was attracted to all things of historical mythology and science fiction, both things of which are ultimately concerned with the ultimate concerns and the working of the universe. So from the beginning you could say that I was interested in things of history and things of true, philosophy if you.

At my undergrad, I started to become heavily (and I mean heavily) involved in an evangelical group on campus (standard evangelical beliefs nothing fancy). A lot of the things that they were saying didn't mesh with my religious upbringing. The constant advice was to read the bible and then you will get it.

So I did, but I did the one thing that evangelicals hope you don't do. Being that I was confused between what I was brought up by, what the evangelicals were saying, and that the evangelical method of reading scripture was causing me to read the Gospels Arian, I searched out how historical the meaning of the bible. In other words, I started reading things in their historical context. This provided a forth option, because anyone reading early Christian works knows that they do not mesh with evangelicalism or Methodism.

At this time, I hooked up with a bunch of people who were interested in what we called "intellectual Christianity" as opposed to the "emotive Christianity" that tends to permeate modern Christianity. It was all about trying to flesh out a historical connected Christianity, one where we didn't have to check our intellect and reason at the door.

Secondly, when you have read enough classical mythology (all types) and science fiction (which really is mythology for moderns) you start to see a connection running through every thing and that these things were not written as BS but rather there is a hope and deep longing that connect everything and points as an arrow shot in the dark. Though I haven't read it at the time J.R.R. Tolkien’s
Mythopoeia (was instrumental in the conversion of C.S. Lewis)
http://home.ccil.org/~cowan/mythopoeia.html
pretty much sums up my feelings on the matter. The first chapter of "The Building of Christendom" is terrific at see how everything fits together.

Somewhere along the way, we started running into Catholic sources. They literally were like a breath of fresh air. If you have ever read a solid Catholic source, it is literally incredible at how clear it is philosophically and how holistic it is. This doesn't make it true however. What needs to be done is to compare them with the Protestant arguments and see which one is historically and philosophically superior; ie which sees the world as it is.

Some of my friends started to move towards becoming Catholic. So question started to revolve around the truth content of Catholicism. Anyone with 1/2 a brain can see that there is truth in Catholicism as well as truth in Protestantism, so you, or at least I, start to really look to see if first if there is something more true and more expressive about fundamental truths of human existence than Protestantism. Yes Catholicism is more expressive about what it means to be human. Ok then, is there something more expressive than Catholicism? What about something non-religious like Atheism? What about something philosophical like Confucianism? What about a different religion all together? What about another form of Christianity? How about Orthodoxy? Now that is very interesting, very much like Catholicism, but different on several points.

Somewhere along in there I read the book "DOES GOD NEED THE CHURCH?" which was very instrumental in my thinking process, even if perhaps not the world's best book. Orthodoxy fell to the side because the orthodox are not united at fundamental levels. There is a lack of communion in the Orthodox Churches, where as in the Catholic Churches (both eastern and western) there is unity in faith, even if the theologies and modes of worship differ.

There is also the important question of whether or not there could ever be anything more true than the Catholic Church in the future? You can look at the answer to that in two ways, first even if there could be something more true, Catholicism is the most true now so that is where you should be, or second that the Catholic Church will be continuous with that future true thing.

So Catholicism won out and I converted because to be Catholic is to maximize the amount of truth that you have, to maximize the human experience, and to maximize one's connectivity to God.

There are a lot of other factors in the conversion, especially some priests who I talked with about things, and a few other books. My former great friend, who is evangelical and ended the friendship because I converted, was terribly instrumental in the conversion, though one shouldn't say that to her.

In closing, I would like to return to the scriptures, even though I didn't talk much about them. The scriptures were always involved in my conversion. There was constant reading and constant trying to understand. And finally one day, the mess and the confusion became a flaming arrow that pointed in the direction of the Catholic Church.

Answer 2

Yes, I am a practicing Catholic. I do feel bad when, at Christmas and Easter, all those "twice a year" Catholics come out - but then I realize that it could be worse. It could very well be possible they don't come out at all. It's easy for someone, who attends Church every week, to go to Mass on Christmas, Easter, and Holy Days of Obligation. I often wonder just how much more difficult it is for people, who don't attend Mass regularly, to get out and go to Mass a few time per year. We can't imagine it, because we know what we'd be missing. I don't think these "twice a year" types can fully appreciate what it is they're missing. If they did, they'd be at Mass more than twice a year. I am proud to be Catholic, so it's all the more disappointing when I see people taking an "oh hum: attitude towards their vocation as lay Catholics. All we can really do about it is pray, and hope that they example we set will, someday, motivate them to start living the Catholic lifestyle all year round.

Answer 3

I am a Catholic too.

I was raised Catholic but when I grew up and could think for myself, I looked around and found that Catholicism was the faith which answered all my questions.

Don't be too sad about the Catholic Church. According to CARA at Georgetown University, there are more Catholics alive today than any other time in history.:

World Data 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2004
1970: 653.6 million
1975: 709.6 million
1980: 783.7 million
1985: 852.0 million
1990: 928.5 million
1995: 989.4 million
2000: 1.045 billion
2004: 1.114 billion

With love in Christ.

Answer 4

I was born into the Catholic faith. I would have continued to go further in it, had not certain events happened.
I married someone of the Protestant faith, and became a member of my husbands church..for unity within our family. Seems his mother had done the same when she married his father..
I am now a Christian, with strong ties to the Catholic way of things. Once a Catholic, always a Catholic..yes? I do miss the way the church was.. high mass - all the reasons for blessings..
and no offense to other faiths, I miss the way the churches use to actually care for the people in it's community.
(Grew up in the 50's-60's)

Answer 5

NO. I am not a Catholic. Catholicism is a false religion. The crux of the Catholic problem lies in the belief concerning the appropriate sources of authority in matters of faith and religion. Catholicism holds BOTH Holy Scripture AND Church Tradition as authoritative. The Bible, however, does not allow for this sharing of power. I would be happy to give a more detailed explanation, complete with many citations if asked.

Answer 6

Well when I was younger I questioned it all but when I got old I relised that some things should be kept simple, things like faith. Everyone needs something to believe in but what sucks now that there are poeople in the church that have done some bad things that have broken the people's faith in the church but I still believe. I worship the saints becuase I view them as my guide of what a person should try to be since they were once alive and human like us it shows us that is hope for all of us...

Answer 7

Yes I am Catholic and proud of it. There are a lot more of us than you think. We just don't tend to be a vocal as the former Catholics or the non-Catholics who don't understand. It is a lot easier to be quiet than to try and explain to those who don't understand.

I learned a long time ago to separate the faith from the Church institution and from the individual followers. Remain true to the FAITH and recognize the rest are fallible humans. They do not represent the Church as a whole, they only represent themselves.

Answer 8

I'm a Catholic. Our church is growing in leaps and bouds. We are the largest Christian denomination. The second largest is, however, ex-Catholics.

I'm a Catholic because the Holy Spirit led me back to the church after I'd left it for a time. Now I'm a total Jesus Freak!

Answer 9

One Hundred Fifty Reasons I'm Catholic

And You Should Be Too!
http://www.ourcatholicfaith.org/reasons.html

The first and foremost reason is the Eucharist. It requires supernatural faith, not natural understanding (of the flesh)

An off the wall reason I am a Catholic is that the Church can survive even some very corrupt Episcopates, if we can't destroy her ourselves from within, no one else can.

Answer 10

I was baptized Catholic and raised in the Catholic faith. My faith is an important part of my life and I am thankful for it.

Once you are baptized Catholic, you are always a Catholic even if you don't practice your faith. It can never to taken away from you.