What converted you and why?
How we were raised will always be a part of us. Keep the good, throw out the bad. Explore all of the different possibilities, and go where your gut instinct takes you.
Well, basically what drew me to the Catholic Church was the historicity of this denomination. When I was shown a list of popes going all the way from Peter up until the modern Pope Benedict XVI, I was pretty much convinced that the Catholic Church was true. Unfortunately, when I learned about this line of popes, I was so convinced that I totally ignored my own beliefs and just automatically believed everything else that the Catholic Church taught. But now as I have had more time to question those beliefs, I have realized that the Catholic Church really isn't for me.
One example is the prohibition of the use of contraception and condoms combined with the outright ban of all forms of abortion for any and all reasons. To me, it doesn't make any sense to say that a person cannot get an abortion for any reason at all. I mean, sometimes getting an abortion is necessary to save the life of the mother. And plus, even if a person should avoid abortion, they should at least have a reliable way to prevent unintended pregnancies. In my opinion, a great way to reduce the number of abortions that are taking place is to make contraception more widely available and less expensive. And then there is the whole condoms ordeal. Having unprotected sex can be very risky and leads to numerous STDs, some of which can be fatal in some circumstances such as HIV/AIDS. It has been proven that condoms are the most effective way of preventing infection with HIV other than outright abstinence. But seriously, abstinence is not an option for most people. I mean, would God really expect someone with HIV to just permanently refrain from sex? I personally don't think God would. I think God would rather them practice safer sex and use a condom rather than deprive them of one of the most wonderful joys in life which is a sexual relationship with one's partner.
Also, there is the whole gay marriage issue. I personally do not think it is right to prohibit a same-sex couple from having the same rights as an opposite sex couple. I mean, so they are attracted to members of the same sex, so what? What is so wrong with that? In my opinion, nothing is wrong with that. In fact, I am pretty sure it has been proven that homosexuality exists in animals so therefore it must be natural. Of course, some would disagree with me on that but that is my own opinion.
And of course there is also the issue of the ordination of women. The Catholic Church prohibits the ordination of women and I personally feel that is wrong. Women can make just as effective pastors as men. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a woman leading a congregation in worship and preaching to them. In my opinion, to deny women the right to ordination is to be sexist.
And let's not forget the whole issue of married clergy versus celibate clergy. I think the Catholic Church would be doing a great thing by allowing married priests throughout the entire Church. In fact, they currently allow married priests in the Eastern Catholic rites. So why not allow married priests in the Latin/Roman rite? I honestly think if they would allow married priests in all rites that they would see a huge increase in the number of vocations. One can try and argue that celibate priests do a better job at leading a congregation because they have much more time to focus on God but I think all Protestant churches allow married clergy and their clergy do just as good a job at leading their congregation as the celibate ones. In fact, the married clergy may even have an advantage in some cases. They know more about being dads and husbands and therefore are in a better position to counsel and preach to those who are married. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that all clergy should be married, I am just saying that it should be an option. If someone wants to be a celibate clergy member, that's fine!
Also, there is the issue of closed communion versus open communion. I personally think it is wrong to only allow Catholics to participate in the communion part of worship. There is nowhere in the Bible where Jesus said that only Catholics or members of any other specific denomination could receive communion and that no one else could. I believe that God welcomes all people to the communion table, including the unbaptized Christians faithful.
And finally, I also want to touch on euthanasia or assisted suicide. I feel that if a person reaches a point in their life where they are in so much pain that daily life is just agonizing for them or whatever, they should have the right to end their life with the help of a physician who can help them do so without any pain. I do not believe that God will condemn people who choose to end their own life. 99% of the time a person who is ending their life feels like they have no other choice. Sometimes those who commit suicide are experiencing psychosis. I don't believe that God would condemn someone in that situation.
That's all for now. Later!