To catholics?

Question

what makes you happy about your religion?
whats it like to be a catholic who follows church and biblical laws?
thanks!

ex-fundie looking at catholicism.

Answer 1

I don't even know where to begin!

What makes me happy in my faith is that it "feels" right.

I can look back over the history of the Church and see that the core teaching has never changed.

Knowing that this IS the Church that was founded by Jesus Christ nearly 2,000 years ago, the Eucharist, confession and all that goes with it.

If you are seriously looking into becoming Catholic, please go to your nearest parish and ask to speak with the Director of Adult Formation or the one who runs the RCIA classes and talk to them. I did that 3 years ago and I haven't looked back.

Answer 2

I'm an ex-Jehovah's Witness (which I guess would be an ex-fundie) who converted to the Catholic Church 2 years when I was 30.

I went through RCIA, and finally learned the Faith like I'd never known it before. As a protestant coming in from the outside, I naturally scrutinized everything the Church taught and Her history. I found that She is the one, true Church set down by Christ. I also found the fullness of the faith in the Catholic Church.

It's hard for me to list all the things I love about the Church because there's so many, :D (She only has 2,000+ years of wisdom and history to teach me). I have come into a personal relationship with Jesus that I never had before. I've learned the power of prayer and meditation. I've also learned the power of the Holy Mass, which is the center of my life.

I'll add that as a protestant, 1) I had to unlearn everything the JW's taught me, which wasn't fun, and 2) I had the burden of trying to learn my faith all on my own from wherever I could, but never being able to fully trust that I had it right. Jesus lifted all those burdens with the gift of His Church. I pray everyday, study the Holy Bible, and study the catechism. I find most times that learning about Jesus is all I care about. That's how much peace and joy the Church has brought me.

Hope this helps. God bless.

Answer 3

Well first of all let me say I congragulate you for getting a taste of other Christian denominations. Now I have been a Catholic for my entire life, however, I have read up on other Churches, and of course you know all the similarities. Many of the basic beliefs are obviously the same as other forms of Christianity, however, a few things are different.

1. We have a special respect for saints (holy people) and Mary, we do not worship them on the same playing field with the Trinity like some people think, we have a great respect for them, and we can look to the saints on a good example, of normal humans living Christ-like lives.
2. We carry on Jesus' Last Supper tradition every Mass, as we do communion, and partake in his body and blood. Though this sounds odd, we are doing what he passed on to us.
3. We confess our sins to a member of clergy, usually a priest- this practice if often attacked by non-catholics, however, there are references to confession in the Bible, also Catholics do believe that your sins can be forgiven by God, but participating in the sacrament of reconciliation (confession) allows you to recieve God's grace, which is in all the sacraments.
4. We have a defined structure, yes the Catholic Church is very hierarchal in structure, the head of the Church is the Pope (I am sure you knew that), following him are the Cardinals, then Bishops, then Priests, then Deacons, and then us.
5. Though the Catholic Church does follow the Pope's guidance and decrees, a common myth is that everything the Pope says is infallible, this is not true the pope makes it clear when he is speaking infallibly, and throughout history there has only been 2 times when the pope has spoken infallibly, and no pope has spoken infallibly in recent years.
6. The Catholic Church is the oldest organized denomination of Catholicism, the history of the Catholic Church can be traced back to Jesus death. The term Catholic was first used in the 100's, at the time virtually all "conventinal" (those that were not gnostic, etc) were Catholic, as the word Catholic does mean universal. It was around the time of Constantine when the Catholic Church began to become much similar to what it is today.

Well I hope I helped you, and good luck and God bless.

Answer 4

What make me happy about my religion? Well it makes me happy that I was born in to a religion that was founded by Jesus Christ him self that makes me proud to be his daughter a catholic.

I know that a lot of people think that we should not follow the laws of the church well if these laws are base in the God’s laws and his laws are there to protect us and guide us and helps us to have a better life here on earth why not follow them.

This is just a personal decision I made after looking in to so many other religions because while been a teenager I rebel against my religion but not because it was wrong but because I was ignorant. I was not a good church going catholic and by saying a church going I do not mean mass it self but going to bible studies to prayer meetings ect.
When I started learning about my catholic religion and understanding my faith that is when my faith was confirm, since then my life has change there is more love and unity in my home
If by following the teaching of Jesus Christ our Lord makes my life happier why not follow him.

Answer 5

I personally find ritual comforting and exciting. It is the same and yet different each time. I take comfort in the sure belief that I CAN be forgiven and that makes me want to be as good a person as I can.

As for following the laws and whatnot... like most Catholics, there are a few official teachings that I just cannot stand behind. But I take those decisions seriously and really have given some thought and prayer over them, as well as looked into the theology that goes along with them. But for the most part, I don't find it a burden to follow Catholic teaching.

Answer 6

Many things.

Catholicism is more about both than either/or:
+ Both faith and reason
+ both God and man (Jesus)
+ Both flesh and spirit
+ Both Adam and Christ
+ Both law and faith
+ Both mother and virgin (Mary)
+ Both Creation and evolution (if you choose)

Catholicism goes back in an unbroken string to Jesus and the Apostles.

The laying on of hands done today to every confirmed Catholic goes back directly to the Apostles laying their hands on their successors.

Catholicism really is universal. In just about any country in the world, you can enter a Catholic Church and feel at home.

Catholicism starts out for people like a list of rules but once lived a wide panorama of deep spiritual vistas open up.

If you are interested in joining or just learning more about the Catholic Church, contact your local parish and ask about information about their RCIA Inquiry group.

You can go and ask any questions you want.

This is the first step in RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) but you can stop at any time.

There is no obligation to become a Catholic.

With love and prayers in Christ.

Answer 7

I was raised Catholic. When I turned 19, I left the church in search of my own path. Last year, my son decided he wanted to join the Catholic Church and going through his RCIC (Rite of Christian Initiation of Children) with him helped me to learn a lot about the Catholic faith that I had never known or understood before.

Going to church again was like coming home. (I am also OCD, so I imagine the ritual nature of the Mass has something to do with it as well...LOL)

I do not presume to tell other people what to believe, but all I know is that I find a sense of peace within the church that I do not feel anywhere else. I don't agree with 100% of what the church teaches, but I do know that it is the only place in my life where I can open myself up completely without fear or apprehension.

Answer 8

I'm a Catholic convert who joined the Church because I love the Mass and the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the time when I feel closest to the Lord and to all of my brothers and sisters in Christ, and it's a very beautiful experience.

I also love the stability of the liturgy and the traditions that the Catholic faith has maintained over all these centuries. It gives me great peace and joy to know that I'm a part of a religion that stretches back unbroken through time.

As far as I'm concerned, following church and Biblical laws also brings me peace and security because our focus is on Christ. When you seek His will and make Him the center of your life, you will still have problems, but He Himself said:

Matthew 11:29-30. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I encourage you to talk to other Catholics who have studied their faith and to look into taking RCIA classes (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.) I think you'll find that Catholicism will bring you much spiritual peace and comfort. God bless you!

Answer 9

As a former anti-Catholic, I know that you are on an interesting and sometimes scary path.

What's it like?

Peaceful, loving, secure, Christian in the most complete and fullest sense.

"There are not over a hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church. There are millions, however, who hate what they wrongly believe to be the Catholic Church—which is, of course, quite a different thing. These millions can hardly be blamed for hating Catholics because Catholics “adore statues;” because they “put the Blessed Mother on the same level with God;” because they “say indulgence is a permission to commit sin;” because the Pope “is a Fascist;” because the Church “is the defender of Capitalism.” If the Church taught or believed any one of these things, it should be hated, but the fact is that the Church does not believe nor teach any one of them. It follows then that the hatred of the millions is directed against error and not against truth. As a matter of fact, if we Catholics believed all of the untruths and lies which were said against the Church, we probably would hate the Church a thousand times more than they do.

If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hates. My reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches of the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh. If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world. Look for the Church that is hated by the world, as Christ was hated by the world. Look for the Church which is accused of being behind the times, as Our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned. Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because he called Himself the Truth. Look for the Church which amid the confusion of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly, it is other-worldly. Since it is other-worldly, it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ Himself. ... the Catholic Church is the only Church existing today which goes back to the time of Christ. History is so very clear on this point, it is curious how many miss its obviousness..."

--Bishop Fulton Sheen

Answer 10

Being Catholic is the only way to truly follow Jesus Christ. Other Christian faiths of course are sincere in their efforts to follow Christ, but they do so within the context of the various human traditions set up by their human founders, many of which are far removed from original Christianity. Catholicism simply is original Christianity, following the fullness of truth as revealed directly to its first bishops, the Apostles, by its divine founder, Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church is the Church that follows the stated will of Christ Himself, "that they all may be ONE". The true Church founded by Jesus Christ remains ONE in belief, ONE in teaching and ONE in worship after 2,000 years.