Hello! I feel like God is calling me to be a part of the Catholic Church and I am very happy. However, I come from a very conservative Baptist family and am having problems dealing with certain members about my beliefs and why I want to convert. If you have experienced a similar situation, please give me some advice. I want my family to understand and be supportive of me, but right now they definately are not. Thank you.

-- Ann (amb92@aol.com), November 02, 2003

Answers

Hi Ann. I am in a similar situation. I am an Episcopalian who is going through RCIA so that I can join my wife and three Catholic sons during the Eucharist. My mother is an Episcopalian and my brother is a Unitarian (sounds like Atheist from what I read). I am gently talking to them about my reasons and have referred them to some websites. I find olrl.org and catholic.com to be great sites for Protestants to look at. Look at olrl.org "for Protestants" section so that you can be aware why many Protestants have come back or discovered the Church as adults.

-- David F (dqf@cox.net), November 02, 2003.

Catholic.com is excellent, but I certainly wouldn't recommend olrl.org. This site, while it does offer some good instructional material, also includes some particularly hostile anti-Church "traditionalist" propaganda which is sure to confuse and worry anyone new to the Catholic faith, or seeking full union with the Holy Catholic Church.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), November 02, 2003.

Ann,

Having members of my extended family that are Catholic and my immediate family as Lutheran has been fine.

The key to our relationship...nobody pushes their religion on the other. If you find that you are feeling pushed against your own religion or isulted or put down...then it may be time to limit your exposure to the family members that seem to do this to you.

Religion is very personal value. I wish you well.

-- susan (susanlatte@aol.com), November 03, 2003.

If you want to join a religion that does praise a god, and really strives for peace and humanitarianism, I refer you to buddism or taoism. very succesfull and non-hypocritical, non-lieing, and non-thieveing religions

Very bad advice, RLD3 -- and factually incorrect.

Buddhism and Taoism are not "religions" -- as the word is understood by people who come to this forum. They are more-or-less spiritual philosophies (and practices following therefrom) -- but not really religions, because they have no personal God.

People shouldn't follow something based on its being "very successful," but on whether it is totally truthful. Buddhism and Taoism are not totally truthful, because they contain errors. Only Catholicism -- founded by Jesus, the Son of God, the way, the TRUTH, and the life -- has the fullness of religious truth, with no error mixed in.

You are wrong to say that Catholicism/Christianity is hypocritical, lying, and thieving. Instead, some specific Catholic/Christian PEOPLE are hypocrites, liars, or thieves -- just as some specific Buddhist and Taoist PEOPLE are also hypocrites, liars, and thieves.

-- (Don't Go@East.Young Man), November 03, 2003.

Quick tangent...

"You are a blind follower of a religion you know nothaing about and this saddens me."

Another protestant who knows more about Catholicism than practicing Catholics? I love this stuff!!!

"I pray for your soul, may God have mercy on you and the rest of catholics and not damn you to hell as the bible clearly states you deserve."

The Holy Bible teaches that Catholics should be damned to hell? Chapter and verse, please...

Anyway, the Holy Bible teaches that all of us deserve hell, because we all fall short loving and serving Our Lord as we should.

$0.02,

Mateo

-- (MattElFeo@netscape.net), November 03, 2003.

Lutheran - Founded in 1517 by Martin Luther - Germany Anglican - Founded in 1534 by Henry VII - Engalnd Calvinism - Founded by John Calvin in 1555 - Switzerland Episcopians - Founded by Sameul Seabury in 1789 - American Colones Baptists - Founded by John Smyth in 1609 - Amerstadam Methodists - Founded by John Wesley in 1739 - England Mormons - Founded by Joseph Smith in 1830 - New York Jehovahs Witness - Founded by Charles Russell in 1874 - Pennsylvania

Roman Catholic - Founded by Jesus Christ in 33 AD - Jerusalem

I rest my case...

-- Andrew (andyhbk96@hotmail.com), November 14, 2003.

Actually, the Anglican Church was founded by Henri the Eight of England. The Church was formed when Henry appointed himself the head of the Church so he could enter into an unacceptable marrital state. Just thought you'd like to know. Hope you're not offended!

-- Shawn Gisewhite (sharvin@acsworld.net), January 21, 2004.

Hi, Ann! I also have a fairly conservative Protestant family (on my father's side). One thing you can do is study apologetics, so that you know how to defend your faith. I like "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" by Karl Keating. There are also a lot of good books by Scott Hahn and Patrick Madrid that may be helpful.

Also, have you checked out the Coming Home Network? It's for Protestants who have/want to converted to Catholicism. The URL is http://www.chnetwork.org/

-- AVC (littleflower1976@yahoo.com), January 21, 2004.