Converting
- Thread starter Albanzas
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No, it is because some of the things Catholics believe and promote go directly against what is actually taught in Scripture.
That looks like a bit of word salad there. Quite a few here came out of Catholicism. They understand it just fine.
Don't think we're stupid or lack understanding just because we don't believe what you want to.
Sorry about the typing, I had to do it quick because I had to help my little sister. I just meant that a lot of people look into Catholicism and only see what they think is bad. I didn't mean everyone and I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone.
While I applaud your search for truth, I'm sorry to hear that you have settled for a lie. May God graciously remove the scales from your eyes and set you free from the error you have embraced.
I am a Baptist Preacher. I understand the fear you must feel for leaving the teachings of your family. The Bible states we are to honor our father and mother, and it can be hard to be honoring to them while telling them that you are not following their faith based beliefs.
I would suggest you speak to them about your new found faith. Your parents are not your enemy. They want the best for you. It is important to keep the dialogue open. Share with them, IN A LOVING WAY, why you believe Catholisim is the right path. ALSO, be open to listening to their concerns and reasons for following this path of belief.
In the end, we are all to seek God and know His truth. If we seek His truth we will find it. But we can only find His truth in the Holy Bible.
I would ask you to do this one thing as you seek God. Read His Word and know what He says. Do not trust any man, pastor, priest, or whoever to lead you. Let God be your guide.
Psalm 20:7 "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God."
Remember to put your faith in God. Don't place it in a denomination or tradition of faith. These merely provide a standard to guide us in our walk to God. All are flawed. All are led by men. Man will always fail you. God, on the other hand, will never fail. Seek Him and His truth and o ey His commands.
Honor your parents. They want you to know and serve God. Let them help. Let them share what they know and take it all to the Bible. Do the same with the teachings of the priests. Take it to the Bible. And in the end, let God be your guide.
Catholicism was not the “first Christianity” there was. Study history. Jesus said in Matthew 16:18-19 that he would build His church. He did exactly that in 33AD. The New Testament is FULL of references to Christ’s church in existence. Acts 2:47- the Lord added to the CHURCH daily those who were being saved. Paul gave instructions to the churches in the New Testament in 1 Cor. 16:1-2 and most all of his letters ( epistles) were written to the churches in different locations. 1 Corinthians was written to the CHURCH at Corinth. Galatians was written to the CHURCHES of Galatia; Thessalonians to the CHURCH of the Thessalonians. Romans 16:16 says the CHURCHES OF CHRIST salute you. The church is all over the New Testament but it was not the Catholic Church. The churches of Christ Romans 16:16 were the first Christian churches. The official beginning of the Catholic Church was in 590 AD with Pope Greggory. ( check history). That’s almost 600 years too late to be one of the churches in the New Testament. Besides that, the Bible condemns many practices and beliefs of the Catholic Church. Like calling a man on earth “Father” as a religious title when Jesus plainly taught we are not to use religious titles and call no man Father because God is our only Father religiously. The practice for hundreds of years of not eating meat on Fridays and forbidding marriage is condemned in 1 Timothy 4:1-3. In fact, the Holy Spirit is describing the Catholic Church when it talks about “in latter times some will DEPART FROM THE FAITH, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy,…forbidding to marry ( Catholic Church forbids priests and nuns to marry) and commanding to abstain from foods ( meats on Friday). There is no secular evidence that Peter was ever a pope; in fact Peter was married. Matthew 8:14. Catholics bow down to images and pray to them in spite of clear instruction from God that Says we are not to bow down to an image in Exodus 20:4. And many, many more things they practice that is foreign to the Bible and scripture.
The Catholic Church is Not the church in the Bible and wasn’t even in existence for 600 years after the Bible was written, but it does have the distinction of being the FIRST DENOMINATION that Paul describes as “leaving the faith.” In 2 Timothy 4.
2 Thess. 3:3-12 describes the pope and the Catholic Church. He says that Christ will not return until the “falling away” ) departing from the faith) comes first. And the “MAN OF SIN will be revealed, the son of perdition who OPPOSES AND EXALTS himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that HE SITS AS GOD IN THE TEMPLE OF GOD, showing himself THAT HE IS GOD (the pope).The pope claims to be divine, claims that he IS GOD. And people now down and worship him. This is evil in God’s sight and the scripture goes on to say that these people will be destroyed by THE BREATH OF GOD’s MOUTH!
Thank you so much for this! I'll definitely consider it before I make the final decision! God bless!
Hey Albanzas, I'm glad that you are here!
I definitely agree with what Brian Parsons said about talking to your parents about your concerns. I don't know how old you are, but if you are underage and still living with them then I think it's good and Biblical to honor their wishes as much as possible when it comes to attending church. You can stretch your wings soon enough when you soar off on your own
. I attend a church that was started by former Baptists who didn't like how organized and strict their church was getting. So they started their own. We take communion, and believe in miracles and putting God above all else. All members are encouraged to follow God's leading to make disciples and spread His love. We don't really have any rules other than what's clearly laid out in the Bible. So there are definitely non-Catholic options for what you are seeking and I hope you will be open to checking them out!
Blessings my Sister, I'm glad you are questioning what you believe, and why!
You really need to study your Bible. The only thing ir church that matters is the one that practices what God says in the scriptures. God is the one that has made the laws ( rules) for how we get to heaven. If you get in a church that doesn’t do it HIS WAY you are wasting your time and will be lost in the end.
Let me give you some scriptures to read and then YOU decide whether or not the Catholic church is God’s church (and the Baptist church also). Compare EVERY church to what the scriptures say.
Matthew 16:18- Jesus said He would build HIS church. Matthew 23:9- we are not to call any MAN Father. Only God is our Father. ( this is talking about using religious titles). 2 Thess. 2:3-4 this describes the “Pope” who claims to be God on earth, infallible and divine.. we are not to bow down to images- Exodus 20. The church that Jesus built wears His name and is called after Him. Romans 16:16. 1 Timothy 4:1-3. Condemns religions that forbid people to marry ( like the Catholic Church forbids priests and nuns to marry) and forbidding people to eat meat which the Catholic Church did for hundreds of years. These things are not pleasing to God. Please reconsider your choice. It’s not up to us to please ourselves—we should aim to obey and please God.
Hello Albanzas,
I was raised Roman Catholic and asked questions about my church when I was young. My Mom taught Sunday school and I have taught at a parochial school. When I got saved, I had a lot more questions that I had to get the answers from diligent work, reading books and studying the Bible.
I've done the work so I am happy to share answers to your questions about Catholicism and the Baptists. I've been both and have a handle on their beliefs.
Feel free to let me know if I can help @HealthAndHappiness
Blessings
Very hard for me to read your post.. I was born into a catholic family and was raised in that religion. I went to a nunnery primary school and a Marist brothers catholic high / college.. I was an altar boy for 10 years. and only missed one mass ( because of sickness ) in my first 17 years.. But i never knew the Love of the truth of the LORD Jesus until a friend at work gave me a Bible to read..
I thank the LORD for seeing to it that i received a Bible and i was moved to reading it all.. I was so Glad to find out about the awesome Atonement of the LORD Jesus that paid the penalty for all sins and was glad to renounce the false catholic religion and become a Bible believing Christian..
I hope that one day you repent of your decision to join such a false religion and once again believe in the Word of God.. May you be forgiven..
WORKS... Works added to faith and faith not in grace that saves but added Works that save..
Albanzas:
Neither the Baptists nor the Catholics have any kind of God-ordained right to be God's church. Neither do the Methodists, Nazarene's, or anybody else. Every Protestant church I've been to gets most of it right but none are perfect. The Catholic church, unfortunately gets some pretty important things wrong. The apostles were very important men, but just men, you can't pray to them. Mary was an important woman, but just a woman, you can't pray to her. Popes are just people too - not infallible. A lot of Catholics are kept from salvation because the Catholic church has a view that works and faith are needed for salvation. The Bible says that you will have good works if you truly have faith that it's the faith that saves - not holy days of obligation, confession, or any of the Catholic "sacraments".
The appeal of Catholicism is that the churches are big, impressive, have stained glass, statues, gold, beautiful robes, fancy lecterns, and the service is an visually exciting theater production. It brings in the crowds but doesn't get many of them to heaven.
Before you choose a church you need to test that church's teaching against what God says is right. Without knowing God's reading God's requirements for yourself, it's impossible to choose the right church. The first step is to commit to reading the entirety of the New Testament. An honest read will take 6 to 12 months. Add daily prayer asking for direction to find the right church and I promise you that God will show you which church you should be involved with. Making a spiritual decision without including God will always get the wrong result.
Neither the Baptists nor the Catholics have any kind of God-ordained right to be God's church. Neither do the Methodists, Nazarene's, or anybody else. Every Protestant church I've been to gets most of it right but none are perfect. The Catholic church, unfortunately gets some pretty important things wrong. The apostles were very important men, but just men, you can't pray to them. Mary was an important woman, but just a woman, you can't pray to her. Popes are just people too - not infallible. A lot of Catholics are kept from salvation because the Catholic church has a view that works and faith are needed for salvation. The Bible says that you will have good works if you truly have faith that it's the faith that saves - not holy days of obligation, confession, or any of the Catholic "sacraments".
The appeal of Catholicism is that the churches are big, impressive, have stained glass, statues, gold, beautiful robes, fancy lecterns, and the service is an visually exciting theater production. It brings in the crowds but doesn't get many of them to heaven.
Before you choose a church you need to test that church's teaching against what God says is right. Without knowing God's reading God's requirements for yourself, it's impossible to choose the right church. The first step is to commit to reading the entirety of the New Testament. An honest read will take 6 to 12 months. Add daily prayer asking for direction to find the right church and I promise you that God will show you which church you should be involved with. Making a spiritual decision without including God will always get the wrong result.
The Catholics worship false idols.
To be a follower of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we must have a personal relationship with Him. Do not be deceived by false idols.
To be a follower of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, we must have a personal relationship with Him. Do not be deceived by false idols.