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Talithacumi
Member
| Joined: | Sat Sep 30th, 2006 |
| Location: | Eastern Ohio, USA |
| Posts: | 308 |
| First Name: | Cheri | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Catholic - Latin Rite |
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Posted: Thu Nov 16th, 2006 03:25 am |
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Hi, everybody. I was looking at another poll on here regarding denominations that people have belonged to (I had to put "other" as I'm a Cradle Catholic - hope that was OK)...
Anyway, I noticed some of you - many of you, in fact - mentioned belonging to several different churches over the course of the years. I became curious... thought I'd put out a new poll that's sort of a "spin-off" of the other one. I'm kinda curious to know how many of you - up until now, that is - have come from a background where you were a member of only one denomination in your life, or whether you have done a lot of church-hopping over the years, seeking the Right One, or, for that matter, if this is your first foray into "Religion" at all. I hope you all will join in my poll. I'm interested to know how many of you "kissed a lot of frogs" before finding your Prince  . Hey, that's just an analogy. I don't mean to imply that you didn't find Jesus anywhere else...
JMJ
- Cheri
____________________
“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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DavidVS
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Ohio USA |
| Posts: | 46 |
| First Name: | Dave | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Presbyterian - On the Journey to Rome |
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Posted: Fri Nov 17th, 2006 01:21 am |
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Talithacumi wrote: Hi, everybody. I was looking at another poll on here regarding denominations that people have belonged to (I had to put "other" as I'm a Cradle Catholic - hope that was OK)...
Anyway, I noticed some of you - many of you, in fact - mentioned belonging to several different churches over the course of the years. I became curious... thought I'd put out a new poll that's sort of a "spin-off" of the other one. I'm kinda curious to know how many of you - up until now, that is - have come from a background where you were a member of only one denomination in your life, or whether you have done a lot of church-hopping over the years, seeking the Right One, or, for that matter, if this is your first foray into "Religion" at all. I hope you all will join in my poll. I'm interested to know how many of you "kissed a lot of frogs" before finding your Prince . Hey, that's just an analogy. I don't mean to imply that you didn't find Jesus anywhere else...
JMJ
- Cheri
Dear Cheri:
Congratulations on being a cradle Catholic. It is truly a blessing to be born into the one true church.
I was raised Presbyterian. I have very pleasant memories of Sunday School and Summer Bible School in our local Presbyterian Church. I had Catholic relatives and friends but religion never seemed to come up in our conversations. I had no desire to convert them to "presbyterianism" and they had no desire to convert me to Catholicism. I dated Catholic girls in my youth but, it was the same thing. The subject of religion never came up. Then our local cable company began carrying EWTN. I was first captivated by Mother Angelica. Then I began watching Web of Faith and The Journey Home. I began hearing about church history. It was then that the wheels began turning in my head. I am homebound now and have not had the opportunity to even visit with a Catholic church, but my journey is underway. I no longer identify with the Presbyterian Church and feel Catholic, even though I have not yet been able to take RCIA classes.
Dave
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Darlene
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 868 |
| First Name: | Darlene | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Christian, trusting His love and forgiveness |
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Posted: Fri Nov 17th, 2006 01:33 pm |
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Dave,
I am in a similar situation as you. I am on my way home too. I haven't yet begun to take RCIA classes either. Are you married? If so, what faith is your wife? Your children?
God Bless You on Your Journey,
Darlene
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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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Talithacumi
Member
| Joined: | Sat Sep 30th, 2006 |
| Location: | Eastern Ohio, USA |
| Posts: | 308 |
| First Name: | Cheri | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Catholic - Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sun Nov 19th, 2006 05:11 am |
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DavidVS wrote: Talithacumi wrote: Dear Cheri:
Congratulations on being a cradle Catholic. It is truly a blessing to be born into the one true church.
I was raised Presbyterian. I have very pleasant memories of Sunday School and Summer Bible School in our local Presbyterian Church. I had Catholic relatives and friends but religion never seemed to come up in our conversations. I had no desire to convert them to "presbyterianism" and they had no desire to convert me to Catholicism. I dated Catholic girls in my youth but, it was the same thing. The subject of religion never came up. Then our local cable company began carrying EWTN. I was first captivated by Mother Angelica. Then I began watching Web of Faith and The Journey Home. I began hearing about church history. It was then that the wheels began turning in my head. I am homebound now and have not had the opportunity to even visit with a Catholic church, but my journey is underway. I no longer identify with the Presbyterian Church and feel Catholic, even though I have not yet been able to take RCIA classes.
Dave
Dave,
Yes, it is a blessing to be "born into the one true Church." But I have a confession to make... every once in awhile I almost wish I had been a convert from another faith. You may wonder why. Well, let me relate it to the Prodigal Son story. As a "cradle Catholic", in a way, I'm kind of like the elder brother... I've always been at "home" with my Father. Never left. Never rebelled. Never squandered away my faith and finally decided to come home. I've just always been here. And yes, because of that, I've had many blessings, sprinkled over time.
But familiarity... well, let's just say that it may be hard for outsiders to see the forest through the trees, but it also works the other way. From within the forest, one can't see the outside through the trees, either. Sometimes I wonder what it must be like to come from the other side. Like the prodigal son. Sometimes I want the fatted calf and the party. I know what you're thinking: "But you've always had The Eucharist." Exactly what the Father said to the elder son, really. But I guess what I mean is... it's not so much the "special attention" that I seek, nor the "special meal" because in the Catholic Church we can have that every day if we want! - so scratch that part... But, it's more like... sometimes I'd like to feel that sense of coming home that so many of you converts speak of. Sometimes when you're familiar with something and it's all you've ever known, we-e-ell... Don't get me wrong! I would never leave the Church just to satisfy some whimsical fanciful curiosity over something that is not as good as what I already have. That would be like giving up the gold for the glitter, and continuing along that analogy, maybe it's just that when the gold becomes old and tarnished, the glitter sometimes looks inviting (unless you know the true worth of what you already own - and I do; I just need to shine it up).
I think what I'm trying to say is something I want to say to all of you converts out there: I hope that none of you ever regret where you came from because wherever it was, it was what brought you here. It's kind of like that line in a country song that says something like "Thank God for all the broken roads that led me straight to you." (or something like that...). In other words, even though it may be a blessing to have been brought up in the Church and to be here my whole life (and I would never trade that in spite of my curiosity!), you are also blessed because you have a world of experience coming from the "outside" to bring into the Church.
I think that all of you converts out there have so much to offer! Through you the Church can reach others because you're "bilingual" in a sense (some of you have spoken of feeling like you're learning a whole new language, and it's very true. When I was dating a Protestant for several years, I became familiar with some of the "Protestant language," so I know what you're talking about). And because of your experiences with those other churches, you know the "tricks" that some use to snare unsuspecting Catholics, you know what the misconceptions are and through learning about Catholicism, you will learn what they are and how to combat those misconceptions and maybe even put some to rest for people that have them.
My point is that through you, the converts to the Catholic Church, we have a better chance at true ecumenism, a broader understanding among Christians. Perhaps one day we will all be united as One Church, or at least we must continually strive for that, and the battle belongs to you, the "New Blood." Recalling the "gold and glitter" analogy, with your shiny newness to the Faith, often converts can inspire the old gold crowd to polish their jewels and rub off the tarnish to help bring forth the gleam underneath. And that is one reason why I like this website so much: reading your testimonies and conversion stories inspires me and helps to bring some hope and a sense of revitalization to my spirit, and I thank you all for that.
Sorry, I don't know why I went off on this... but there it is, for whatever it's worth. Maybe it's just that I've read how some of you have talked about how you've felt "cheated" when you learned the Truth about Christian history and/or the meaning of scriptural passages and Tradition and so on. But yet, here you are. So rejoice in the present. You know what they say: "The past is dead, the future has not yet been born, and the present is all we have. It's a gift, that's why it's called the 'present.'"
Btw, Dave, I'm not really speaking to you specifically. It's just that one line that you wrote sort of stuck out in my brain and I sort of went off. Sorry.
Oh, and while I'm at it - and this is completely off the subject - I just thought I'd comment on the current results to my poll. I'm rather surprised. I've heard so many people say that they were "roamin'"from one church to another before finding themselves at the Roman Church door, so to speak... I really didn't think that twice as many people would have marked the option that said they'd only been at one other church before this, as compared to those who have church-hopped. I would have thought it would have been the other way around.
OK. Enough rambling.
JMJ
- Cheri
____________________
“We do not want a Church that will move with the world; we want a Church that will move the world.”
- G.K. Chesterton
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