Please, if you are Catholic, give me reasons why the Catholic church is a better choice than Protestant. I am completely sincere about this and am hoping for sincere answers in return...no bashing either denomination please.
2007-09-20 02:26:19 · 15 answers · asked by lillybreeze 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Dear Friend,
May the Peace of Christ be with you.
Here are reasons why you would want to be Catholic:
First, Christ Our Lord, in His divine Wisdom, did not plan on staying on earth forever as a Teacher. So He appointed His Apostles and disciples to teach. He founded a Church with Peter as the Rock. And this Church, as history would affirm, is the Roman Catholic Church. Historically speaking, there is no question that this is the legitimate Church that can claim its title to the legacy of St. Peter.
Secondly, Christ Our Lord died on the Cross to redeem mankind but He respects our free will, such that, even if He died for us to save us, if we disobey His Commands and commit grave sins, we cannot go to heaven. In order for us to share in His redemptive act, we must go to the Sacraments which He instituted in order that we may have access to His graces. His Precious Blood is channeled to our souls through the Sacraments. Sacramental Confession is alien to other religions, but it is very necessary to salvation, because Christ Himself gave power to His apostles when He said: whose sins you shall forgive they are forgiven them, whose sins you shall retain, they are retained... Sacramental Communion is also important, and it is not available in other religions. Christ Himself said,"Unless you drink My Blood and eat my flesh, you shall not have life eternal..." Only the Priests of the Catholic Church are given the power to consecrate the host and wine to the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Thirdly, Our Blessed Virgin Mary is nowhere else honored than in the Catholic Church. Therefore the other religions are bereft of this one singular Treasure of graces. Christ willed to come to the world through Mary. He did not drop down from heaven on raindrops, nor did He come down in flaming chariot... He came through the Blessed Virgin Mary only, not through any other woman. He chose to perform His first miracle in Cana through the request of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He chose her to be the treasurer of His graces, thus, it is through Mary that we come to Jesus and it is through Mary that Jesus sends us His blessings. You would know the joy of being Mary's Child only when you become a Catholic and have devotion to her.
Fourthly, the teaching of the Catholic Church is HOLY, as its Founder is holy. All who heroically practiced the teaching of the Catholic Church became holy, such that the Catholic church alone had produced over the years, MEN AND WOMEN whose holiness had influenced generations.
There are many other reasons why you would want to be Catholic... read www.sspxasia.com and check its library for some questions that you would want to ask..
May the Holy Spirit enfold you with His sevenfold gifts, may you receive the gift of Faith through Baptism and may you be faithful until death that you may win the crown of life. God bless you, friend.
2007-09-20 03:26:34 · answer #1 · answered by Yonder R 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I am not a catholic and cannot recommend becoming one. I can say, despite what you might read here, that it is possible to be a catholic and still be a christian and that even the pope has recognized one can be a christian and not be a catholic. Not knowing what you find unacceptable or missing in Protestantism makes it hard to answer your question.
Many who wish to become catholic generally do not do so for doctrinal issues. They cite the preference for a more meaningful and liturgical worship service, a better connection to the history of the church and a desire for a church which stands for something. It is rarely doctrinal issues which drive the switch. Not knowing which branch of the Protestant nest you are coming from I can't really discuss the pros and cons.
Most protestant churches admit 3 BC to AD 100, then there is a gap until about 1500 when time starts again. The protestant church which have a more liturgical service (Episcopalians, etc) tend to be the ones which seem to be compromising the most (at least in the West).
None of these reasons, IMHO, is sufficient to change though they can easily tempt one. You should do it on sound reasons of theology and doctrine which will last.
BTW don't forget the other major branch of Christianity, Orthodox. There is an impressive liturgy and connection to the church fathers.
2007-09-20 04:47:21 · answer #2 · answered by chessale 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I'm thinking that you need to have a Bible study first. You need to compare what the Bible vs church doctrine presents. There is truth found in the writings of the Bible. Even Jesus said that you need to search for the truth. Man-made doctrines are founded on human reasoning's and traditions of men. Protestants searched the Bible and found that beliefs in Catholicism were not found in the Bible. That is why they broke away from the traditions of men found in the Catholic religion. If the Bible says the earth will last forever Eccl 1:4 and a religion that you are looking into says they earth will be destroyed by either men or God, then you have not found the correct religion. The Bible should set the precedence for helping you make up your mind. The true religion should respect the Bible as fact, that it is inspired by God, that it promotes peace and unity among its members worldwide. It will not choose to fight or support wars, it will promote God's Kingdom and it will use God's personal name...Jehovah. Please have a Bible study before you decide.
2007-09-20 02:41:50 · answer #3 · answered by Gail B 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
"considering I easily have been exploring this new way of worship I easily have felt closer to Jesus than ever." that is why I switched over to Catholicism. And in case you think of you experience closer to Jesus now, merely wait till you acquire Him interior the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. ". . .the only reaction i'm getting is 'do no longer try this, its idolatry, catholics won't be able to be saved.'" Catholics *are* Christians, we don't worship idols, and we don't presume on God's mercy by asserting that different individuals won't be able to be saved. figuring out our very own salvation and dealing with our very own sins keeps us a lot busy. It would not bypass away a super type of time for attempting to tell God the thank you to run His introduction and who He can permit by the gates into Heaven. "I easily have in no way felt like an interloper and have continually been welcomed. I easily have enjoyed the homily and located it very uplifting." that is considering you *are* welcome. God's stretching out His arms to you, and you will discover Him at abode whenever you walk interior the door. and that i've got chanced on that maximum Catholics are stay-and-permit-stay people who welcome beginners and are keen to assist in any way that they might. I advise which you bypass forward and take the RCIA instructions, if just to have the skill to respond to different individuals's objections to the Church. you're under no criminal accountability to grow to be Catholic, and that i think of you will get excitement from gaining wisdom of extra approximately what we even have self assurance. God bless you on your religious journey.
2016-10-19 04:51:03 · answer #4 · answered by gustavo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Here's why you should be encouraged to become Catholic:
The Catholic Church is very BIBLICAL. (Those who say it's not are either lying on purpose or completely ignorant -- just attend one Catholic Mass and you'll see how most of it is word-for-word straight out of Scriptures.)
The Catholic Church is HISTORICAL. (Her teachings have been tested for 2,000+ years, and are proven to "bear good fruit." Most protestant churches are less than 200 years old and haven't had nearly the time of testing and refinement.)
Catholics get SEVEN sacraments instead of only one or two. I can't begin to tell you how much this has helped me in my spiritual growth. I used to struggle with the same sins, but now I see victory! The seven sacraments are baptism, reconciliation (confession + absolution + penance), communion, confirmation, holy matrimony, holy orders and anointing of the sick. ALL are Biblical. Most protestant churches have only baptism or maybe baptism + confession...a few anoint the sick, but rarely.
Catholics receive JESUS spiritually ("into our hearts"), intellectually (making a conscious choice to follow Jesus), emotionally, AND physically because we have the Holy Eucharist -- the Lord Jesus Christ makes Himself truly present in the elements of bread and wine, a miracle of God that we call "transubstantiation." Some will tell you that it's not possible, but that's why it's a MIRACLE. Also, the Bible tells us that Jesus would make transubstantiation possible. Not only did He easily turn water into wine (John 2) to show us His ability to easily turn wine into blood, but also in John 6, He made it very, very clear that we have to chew His flesh and drink His blood -- to the point where He was so graphic, some of His followers left Him. Had He been speaking symbolically, they would not have left.
Catholics also have the Communion of SAINTS -- in other words, we REALLY believe in the gift of eternal life. We believe that the saints who lived on earth and died have been saved by the Blood of the Lamb and now live eternally in heaven, so they are still part of the Church and still actively worshiping God and praying for various causes (the whole "good and faithful servant will be put in charge of many things" from Matthew 25). So you're never in this alone -- there are centuries of Catholic Christians joined with you in praise and worship and service to our Lord.
You have more "tools" of faith in Catholicism. In other words, you don't max out the teaching. My evangelical friends get bored with their preachers after a few years because "I've already heard all this so many times." Then they have to switch to another church and after a while, they realize it's the same old stuff again. There isn't a lot of depth. In Catholicism, there is ALWAYS more depth. There are always more spiritual disciplines to learn, more theology to study in depth, etc. You'll never "run out" of room to grow in Catholicism.
May the Holy Spirit be your guide and may God bless you!
2007-09-20 04:49:42 · answer #5 · answered by sparki777 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It is sad that many people are using this sincere request for information to bash the Catholic faith.
The catholic faith has the fullness of the revealed truth of jesus Christ. The catholic faith has all 7 sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ. None of the sacraments have been discarded. The Cathaolic Church has preserved the ENTIRE Bible. They have not discarded any books.
The Catholic Church is the only church that includes ALL members of the Body of Christ - those in this life, those in Purgatory, and those in Heaven - in the faith community. We pray for each other and ask others to pray for us. Non-Catholic faiths have abandoned those in Purgatory and in Heaven from their prayers and worship of God.
The catholic Church holds true to jesus words of "This is my body and this is my blood" when it celebrates the Eucharist. Other churches say Jesus was speaking metaphorically.
The Catholic Church believes Jesus Christ when He told His disciples that tehy had the power and authority to forgive and retain sins. Other churches have igored Jesus in this.
2007-09-20 02:44:18 · answer #6 · answered by Sldgman 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Why? If you believe the Bible you would get into a good church.
If you want man-made traditions and dogma become Catholic.
Read Col. 2:16-19. If you become Catholic you will cheat yourself of many glorious things the Scripture has for you.
I was once Catholic and Matt. 24:35 was the verse that brought
me out. Read it.
2007-09-20 02:34:21 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
I think some Christians consider the Mary thing in Catholicism idol worshiping. There is a part in the bible where someone bows to an angel and the angel tells him to stop, that he's a fellow servant. Christians worship God and Jesus, who was God as man. There wasn't anything wrong with Mary, but I don't think the bible taught anything about praying to her.
2007-09-20 02:46:17 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
As a former Catholic, all I can say is "Worship God and his word. Form a relationship with Jesus and YOU pray to God.
Do not follow rituals that are meaningless and say prayers to statues (idol worship). Ask for forgiveness directly from God in Jesus name. Jesus died for us so that we could come to HIM directly. It is a GIFT he gives to those who come. Works, or good deeds can not bring you to eternal life. Only faith and obedience through Christ Jesus can. Follow the Lord Jesus!
Current non-denominational born again Christian.
2007-09-20 02:42:00 · answer #9 · answered by Gardener for God(dmd) 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
So you don't want any reasons not to?
Edited:
I was married to a Catholic man. You don't marry the man you marry the whole family.
2007-09-20 02:33:16 · answer #10 · answered by Cheryl 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋