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moonshadow
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Posted: Tue May 13th, 2008 10:20 pm |
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A stranger handed me a small booklet that explained the gospel. I took it but refused to talk to her. On the back, I found handwritten the title of a book by C. S. Lewis. I knew this British author and checked out his book from the library. I read Mere Christianity in a weekend and learned that the torturous death of Christ reconciled me to God. I learned that, by faith and baptism, I shall share in Christ’s glorious resurrection. I thought, “If this is the truth, and I think it is, then I want to believe it.”
I got involved with other Christians and church. I split my time between the Catholic Church and an evangelical Protestant church. I attended both for a couple of years, including weekly fellowship and Bible study at the evangelical Protestant church.
I met nice people at both churches. Some at the evangelical Protestant church tried to convince me that the Catholic Church was not a Christian church. I did not understand that. I heard Christ proclaimed in the Catholic Church, even by the priest in my childhood parish.
Eventually, I stopped going to the evangelical Protestant church. I outgrew it, I think, somehow. I became more active in the Catholic Church, teaching catechism as a certified catechist, attending daily Mass and serving as Eucharistic minister, attending small group faith sharing and Bible studies. Along the way, I earned a master’s degree in theology and started a family.
I am interested in why people change religious affiliation and I am interested in helping people towards membership in the Catholic Church in a parish RCIA program.
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"And while the Pope owns 51% of General Motors
And the stock exchange is the only thing he's qualified to quote us" - George Harrison, "Awaiting On You All"
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Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 796 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Wed May 14th, 2008 12:08 am |
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Welcome to the Forum, Moonshadow! I, and the rest of us, can, tell right off that you weren't taken in by alot of that evangelical version of theological moonshine. Congratulations! You're going to have a lot to offer everyone, especially something called a informed and realistically enlightened sense of hope! 
Welcome in, sister! 
Steven
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For anyone suffering from a mental illness or has a loved one with a mental illness, my book "Lead kindly Light: A Devotional For The Mentally Ill" might be of some help: http://www.lulu.com/ (Use search box at the top of page.)
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Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 796 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Wed May 14th, 2008 12:09 am |
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And, oh yeah, we'll keep our on and doors open to our heads and doors open to our hearts for you, too.  Last edited on Wed May 14th, 2008 12:11 am by Steven Barrett
____________________
For anyone suffering from a mental illness or has a loved one with a mental illness, my book "Lead kindly Light: A Devotional For The Mentally Ill" might be of some help: http://www.lulu.com/ (Use search box at the top of page.)
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tedjenczewski
Member
| Joined: | Thu May 10th, 2007 |
| Location: | Richmond, Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 204 |
| First Name: | Ted | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Presbyterian, Catholic |
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Posted: Wed May 14th, 2008 01:21 am |
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| Hi Moonshadow, and a big welcome to the forum. I, like you, have looked closely at protestantism, and have found it denies many of the doctrines of the faith as tought by the apostolic fathers and passed down thru the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church. Faith leads to understanding.
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"...the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth." 1Tim 3, 15
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Dave Armstrong
Network Apologist
| Joined: | Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 |
| Location: | Melvindale, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 1414 |
| First Name: | Dave | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Evangelical "Jesus Freak" (Arminian) / "Lewisian Schaefferite" / Catholic |
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Posted: Wed May 14th, 2008 10:55 pm |
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| Glad ya stayed, moonshadow! Welcome to our forum.
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I'm happy to offer whatever theological & personal assistance I can. My blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, contains 1900+ papers & web pages (absolutely free) & 16 apologetic books (for sale):
http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/
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Jackie
Member
| Joined: | Sat May 12th, 2007 |
| Location: | Jersey Shore, New Jersey USA |
| Posts: | 114 |
| First Name: | Jackie | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Catholic |
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Posted: Wed May 14th, 2008 11:16 pm |
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Welcome moonshadow moonshadow....sorry couldn't resist!!
Might I ask a question here? What was it about the trac and the C.S. Lewsis thing that caught your attention? I mean in light of the fact that you didn't talk to her straight up?
How long ago was this?
Just curious........J
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moonshadow
Member
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Posted: Thu May 15th, 2008 06:50 pm |
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Hey Jackie - Jersey Shore, nice!
The booklet was Bill Bright's orange Four Spiritual Laws. But I never read it!
Instead, I sought out the Lewis book whose title was handwritten on the back cover of the Campus Crusade for Christ tract, "The Problem of Pain." Obviously, during my undergraduate years of college, right? 20 yrs. ago.
I thought, yeah, I got pain sometimes, but browsing the library shelf, "MC" attracted me and I read it quick. It was definitely a scales falling from the eyes experience. I had no idea about Jesus until then.
Campus Crusade was the evangelical group that I attached myself to initially after reading Lewis, and I made the acquaintance of the girl who had given me the tract. I never came clean with her, but after getting to know her, I realized how difficult that sort of "cold" evangelism was for her. I also recalled how brisk I had been with her. So, God wasted no time working to change my heart.
Thanks for the welcome, Dave and all.
____________________
"And while the Pope owns 51% of General Motors
And the stock exchange is the only thing he's qualified to quote us" - George Harrison, "Awaiting On You All"
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Dave Armstrong
Network Apologist
| Joined: | Fri Nov 2nd, 2007 |
| Location: | Melvindale, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 1414 |
| First Name: | Dave | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Evangelical "Jesus Freak" (Arminian) / "Lewisian Schaefferite" / Catholic |
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Posted: Fri May 16th, 2008 06:24 pm |
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| Two New Joyzee gals on the forum?! Uh oh! We visited the NJ Atlantic shore twice and got in some great body surfing (esp. in 2002).
____________________
I'm happy to offer whatever theological & personal assistance I can. My blog, Biblical Evidence for Catholicism, contains 1900+ papers & web pages (absolutely free) & 16 apologetic books (for sale):
http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/
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Steven Barrett
Member
| Joined: | Tue Nov 14th, 2006 |
| Location: | Hadley, Massachusetts USA |
| Posts: | 796 |
| First Name: | Steven | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Episcopal communicant, Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Thu May 22nd, 2008 12:24 am |
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| Yo, hope it wasn't as cold as Maine water. Youze would still be defrosting!
____________________
For anyone suffering from a mental illness or has a loved one with a mental illness, my book "Lead kindly Light: A Devotional For The Mentally Ill" might be of some help: http://www.lulu.com/ (Use search box at the top of page.)
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brian
Member
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Chicago South Burbs, Illinois USA |
| Posts: | 746 |
| First Name: | brian | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | methodist, evangelical, anglican, catholic |
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Posted: Thu May 22nd, 2008 03:13 pm |
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I am very happy to hear your story as many seem to be swayed at times by overconfident evangelicals who misrepresent Catholicism or who may have left the Catholic Church themselves. These attitudes made it difficult for me to consider anything good about Catholicism for a while, but eventually may have made me seek it more sI saw that there was more to the story than I was familiar with and a lot they were not telling me about their own hstory of beliefs. Still, I run into some from there. One thing I have heard is how they did not grow or were just growing through the motions at the Catholic mass. I can see this happening if people are not properly catechised or challenged. I pray that these people who need conversion of some sort can find it within Catholicism and find no need to look for it elsewhere, and I am glad there are people like you to spread the faith and strengthen people. I kind of wish there were programs or talks about this very subject in some parishes so that people will know how to hear the Catholic side out before simply leaving. I know that some could find the mass boring at times if they are less than completely aware of what is actually going on. This was the case of the last person I talked to who seems to be more enthusiastic about the evangelical services, but if they were truly aware of the miraculous sacrifice of the mass and the reality of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist I do not know how one could even fathom being satisfied anywhere else. (wish I would have thought of saying that when I talked to her, but I di not think fast enough or want to sound rude)
I think many Catholics simply need to appreciate what they already have. also I think we ned to be as good ay spreading our confidence in the authority of the church as evangelicals are in spreading their confidence in scripture. I think too many Catholics are picking and choosing where they agree with the church and disrespecting it precisely because they do see it as other humans telling them what to think or do, instead of being fully aware of its origin and authority. And some of the problem is probably people not looking into it themselves. Still I think one of the solutions is for all of us as lay people to work toward personal conversion and evangelizing one another more so than waiting for or expecting the clergy to do everything. Of course the danger in this is when the lay people evangelizing one another may not completely understand their faith. I get scared sometimes when I hear stories about people who catechize others who may not really know the faith entirely themselves. Sorry for rambling, but the bulk of my message is that I am very happy to read of your convictions and to see that God showed you how to be patient and not believe everything you were told and that you saw enough goodness in the Catholic Church to not let it get so easily dismissed.
Brian
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moonshadow
Member
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Posted: Thu May 22nd, 2008 05:27 pm |
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brian wrote:
all of us as lay people to work toward personal conversion and evangelizing one another
I am very happy to read of your convictions and to see that God showed you how to be patient and not believe everything you were told and that you saw enough goodness in the Catholic Church to not let it get so easily dismissed.
Yes, I agree with having an attitude of continual conversion to Christ, even as Catholics. And thank you, my aim was to share an encouraging (and true!) story. Peace.
____________________
"And while the Pope owns 51% of General Motors
And the stock exchange is the only thing he's qualified to quote us" - George Harrison, "Awaiting On You All"
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japhy
Member
| Joined: | Thu Apr 26th, 2007 |
| Location: | Princeton, New Jersey USA |
| Posts: | 180 |
| First Name: | Jeff (you can call me "japhy" | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic (Latin Rite) |
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Posted: Thu May 22nd, 2008 05:33 pm |
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Dave Armstrong wrote: Two New Joyzee gals on the forum?! Uh oh! We visited the NJ Atlantic shore twice and got in some great body surfing (esp. in 2002).
I'm a "Joisee guy". I know of moonshadow from her blog; she lives relatively close to me.
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[Mary said,] "Do whatever he tells you." - John 2:5
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moonshadow
Member
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Posted: Thu May 22nd, 2008 05:38 pm |
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| This is how rumors get started, japhy.
____________________
"And while the Pope owns 51% of General Motors
And the stock exchange is the only thing he's qualified to quote us" - George Harrison, "Awaiting On You All"
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