Peaceseeker Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 (edited) I think I have some good resources to start with and I don't want to upset anyone on either side of the 'family tree'. I know religious threads can be tricky here. I think I found a Catholic forum online that may be better suited to my questions but I appreciate everyone's help who posted. I don't think I need to continue this thread further. Thanks every one! Edited September 26, 2017 by CaliforniaDreaming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted September 26, 2017 Author Share Posted September 26, 2017 If there is a better or more appropriate place to reach the Catholics on this board let me know. I have posted on the Orthodox group board. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnE-girl Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 I don't have any answers for you. I'm a cradle Catholic, and I can't imagine being anything else, but I'll pray for you and your family to be able to find your church home soon. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catwoman Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 If the Catholic Church is actually right across the street from your house, why not attend Mass there a few times and see how you feel about it? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 My favorite theology book ever is Theology for Beginners by Frank Sheed. If you are an anglophile in your pleasure reading, he has that type of Lewis/Chesterton vibe. He was a street apologist in England for many years. I am Roman Catholic. I can sympathize with how you must feel about the liturgy. Have you tried to find a Latin mass in your area? It would of course still be very different, but in many ways might speak to you. You can pm me if you want. God bless you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 I considered both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. I honestly feel they are for the most part two culturally different expressions of the same faith. And i the end, culturally I come from a Western tradition and fit more in the Roman Catholic Church. I do appreciate the Orthodox approach to original sin, but there is nothing about being Catholic that prevents me from sharing it. As for the Pope, as one author put it, sometimes my Father is wrong, but that doesn't mean I don't need one. Francis really has impressed on me personally how having a Pope, a central figure, can help guide the central soul of the Church. When he was elected I finally understood how powerful having that one central figure to be a spokesperson, to be a moral center, can be. I don't think he is perfect, far from it, but he is important to me in a way I hadn't expected. And I agree that practically, having a Church across the street vs so far away makes a huge difference. HUGE. God wants you to have a faith home, and I'm sure He'd rather you attend worship regularly at whichever Church rather than hardly ever at the "right" Church, if there is such a thing. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted September 26, 2017 Author Share Posted September 26, 2017 (edited) If the Catholic Church is actually right across the street from your house, why not attend Mass there a few times and see how you feel about it? That is a very good question and I keep thinking I will. But then I don't. I should just go. Edited September 26, 2017 by CaliforniaDreaming 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted September 26, 2017 Author Share Posted September 26, 2017 I considered both the Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Church. I honestly feel they are for the most part two culturally different expressions of the same faith. And i the end, culturally I come from a Western tradition and fit more in the Roman Catholic Church. I do appreciate the Orthodox approach to original sin, but there is nothing about being Catholic that prevents me from sharing it. As for the Pope, as one author put it, sometimes my Father is wrong, but that doesn't mean I don't need one. Francis really has impressed on me personally how having a Pope, a central figure, can help guide the central soul of the Church. When he was elected I finally understood how powerful having that one central figure to be a spokesperson, to be a moral center, can be. I don't think he is perfect, far from it, but he is important to me in a way I hadn't expected. And I agree that practically, having a Church across the street vs so far away makes a huge difference. HUGE. God wants you to have a faith home, and I'm sure He'd rather you attend worship regularly at whichever Church rather than hardly ever at the "right" Church, if there is such a thing. Yes I am beginning to think the 'right church' is the one I will actually regularly attend. Still trying to figure out which one that is though... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted September 26, 2017 Author Share Posted September 26, 2017 (edited) NM Edited September 26, 2017 by CaliforniaDreaming 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted September 26, 2017 Author Share Posted September 26, 2017 My favorite theology book ever is Theology for Beginners by Frank Sheed. If you are an anglophile in your pleasure reading, he has that type of Lewis/Chesterton vibe. He was a street apologist in England for many years. I am Roman Catholic. I can sympathize with how you must feel about the liturgy. Have you tried to find a Latin mass in your area? It would of course still be very different, but in many ways might speak to you. You can pm me if you want. God bless you. Thank you for this recommendation- off to check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 (edited) I just want to say that none of this seems weird to me. I actually avoided a parish near me because they didn't kneel during Mass. And I've been known to stick at a parish because of the voice of the Priest or the Cantor....something about the music just can become transcendent to me. Are there multiple Catholic parishes near you? Can you check out a few, particularly the music? Edited September 26, 2017 by ktgrok 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted September 26, 2017 Author Share Posted September 26, 2017 (edited) I just want to say that none of this seems weird to me. I actually avoided a parish near me because they didn't kneel during Mass. And I've been known to stick at a parish because of the voice of the Priest or the Cantor....something about the music just can become transcendent to me. Are there multiple Catholic parishes near you? Can you check out a few, particularly the music? I probably have at least 3-4 parishes within a half hour. Thanks for that suggestion. Edited September 26, 2017 by CaliforniaDreaming 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 There are reasons that Catholicism and EO are not the same the are far deeper than culturalism. There is a reason for the split. I have no idea what happened to you but I'm really sorry it did. I'd be in the same boat if something happened to us at our current parish. Oh, there are definitely differences. But deep down they come from the same place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartlikealion Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 I don't know if this will help but a priest gave me a book to share with dh if he was interested (I am Catholic, he is not). Inside it shows www.catholicapologetics.com. This particular book is called "Beginning Apologetics 1. How to Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith." Maybe it will clarify some things to you, whatever conclusion you reach. Hmm, I can't get the website to load. This is the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Beginning-Apologetics-Explain-Defend-Catholic/dp/1930084005 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 (edited) I sort of went in the opposite direction from you. :-) There are no Catholics in my family, ever, until my mother and I were baptized when I was five. I don't know what that was about, and my mother passed away almost 20 years, so I cannot ask her. I AFAIK, she never went back to the Catholic Church after that. :-) I lived with my non-Catholic grandparents until I was 11, when I went to live with my mother and career-Navy stepfather. At one point he was stationed in South Carolina, where I made friends who were Catholic, and I began going to Mass, and made my first Communion. I managed to be confirmed when I was 18; it was by the skin of my teeth, apparently, because I don't remember what I did or how I did it. I just remember the actual event. And I didn't stay in the Church. I just sort of wandered off. A few years later, after a terrible marriage, I had an instantly-life-changing experience at an Assemblies of God church; a couple of weeks later, I met Mr. Ellie, who had grown up in the Southern Baptist tradition, and a few months after that we were married and have lived happily ever after. :-) We have always been active in the church: I've been a Sunday school teacher, women's ministries leader, nursery coordinator, Bible study leader, Missionettes coordinator, and more. I have never doubted my faith for a nanosecond. And then about 8 years ago, I was on my way to a dance class, and I was looking for a talk radio station (all my favorites had sports. :-p) I found one, and was really touched by the man speaking, but as he talked I realized that he was Catholic. Not only that, but I agreed with almost everything he said. WUT?! How could that be?? From that point on, I listened to that Catholic station every time I got in the car. I realized after a few days that I understood/agreed with 90 percent of what I was hearing; which made me wonder about that other 10 percent. So I began searching the Internet, and I found two really excellent Catholic forums (the Coming Home Network and Defenders of the Catholic Faith). I began lurking on those, eventually getting up enough courage to join and ask my own questions Finally, I decided I needed to talk to someone IRL, and so I looked up Catholic churches in my area, and found one pretty close by, and talked to a priest and to the man in charge of adult faith formation. After about a year, I took the necessary steps to return to the Church (lots of details, which I can bore you with another time, if you're interested). For me, everything came down to this: I believe that the Catholic Church has the full deposit of faith. I don't understand it all, I'm still working out my salvation with fear and trembling, but I have to have the truth, and I believe it is here. I don't have a problem with the authority of the Pope. It's really more of the authority of the Church, not just the man who is currently the Pope. He doesn't have the kind of power that some people think he has. The Immaculate Conception makes sense if you understand the Church's teaching on original sin and whatnot. Purgatory...I'm working on that, lol, but that is something else that is often misunderstood. I'm planning on living my life in as godly as fashion as possible no matter what. The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church *are* saying much the same thing; after all, they used to be one Church. If there's a Catholic church across the street from you, it couldn't hurt to make an appointment with the pastor and go talk to him. Edited September 26, 2017 by Ellie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadenceSophia Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 I will keep you in my prayers. I'm too distracted by babies to write a good post, and I'm very sorry for that. I was raised nominally Catholic, found the faith much more deeply as a young adult, and converted to Orthodoxy 5 years ago after 2 years at an Eastern Catholic church. I did feel very at home in the Catholic church and for a long time could never imagine being anywhere else... Until I had to be. There are many problems in the Orthodox church (as anywhere else..all these churches on earth are made of flawed humans..) but theologically I could never be anything but Orthodox. There is truth and then there is the fullness of truth. You know it when you see it..I knew it when I saw it and there was no other place for my heart. It is very very hard to be Orthodox in many places in America with the distance between churches. Twice as hard if you've been hurt in one of the small family like churches. It isn't the same as other faiths where you can hop until you find the right one. I don't know your best solution but I have no doubt God will offer you what you seek. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barnwife Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 Others have given some great resources. I will also recommend We Believe and We Worship by Oscar Lukefahr and Rediscovering Catholicism by Matthew Kelly. You might also want to check out the Dynamic Catholic website. (These are all RCC resources.) It's too early for me to be able to articulate any good thoughts on the issues you list. But I do want to encourage you to just take the leap and attend Mass. I agree with another poster that Latin Mass might be something for you to consider. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 CaliforniaDreaming... I know you've been struggling with this for some time. I appreciate the spirit in which you've asked this question, but I am hesitant to answer as I don't want this thread to become contentious and I don't want to appear to be bashing Catholics. Hugs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted September 26, 2017 Share Posted September 26, 2017 Lifelong Protestant who entered the Catholic Church via RCIA. Never considered orthodox. The only Orthodox Church I know of around here is Greek, and since I'm not Greek, I never considered it. I'm sure they would be welcoming, no offense to anyone or the church. Plus it's 45 minutes from me so that was a deal breaker too. Perhaps talking to the priest would be a good first step. Many priests are happy to talk honestly with you about your doubts and concerns and aren't judgemental. My current priest was a fallen away Catholic who became a lawyer and then went to seminary in middle age. So he gets it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceseeker Posted September 26, 2017 Author Share Posted September 26, 2017 (edited) CaliforniaDreaming... I know you've been struggling with this for some time. I appreciate the spirit in which you've asked this question, but I am hesitant to answer as I don't want this thread to become contentious and I don't want to appear to be bashing Catholics. Hugs. I appreciate your response. I definitely don't want any Catholic or Orthodox bashing and I think I have what I need. There is no need to continue this thread. The resource recommendations have been helpful- thanks every one! Edited September 26, 2017 by CaliforniaDreaming Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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