The Day I Realized My Religion Got It Wrong
This post is the first in a series entitled: Letting God Lead: My Journey Through Protestant and Catholic Belief. Click here to find out more about this series and to find a list of all of the posts. *This post contains affiliate links.
It started out innocently enough. My mother-in-law (a devoted Catholic) gave me the book Surprised by Truth, which is a compilation of 11 very different peoples’ Catholic conversion stories. At first, I didn’t really understand why she was (albeit very politely) trying to “convert me.” Didn’t she realize we were the same religion? I mean, we were both Christian and we both believed what I thought were the “essentials” (The trinity, Jesus died for our sins, Heaven, etc). So why did it matter if I was Catholic? Did she think I wasn’t Christian?
(My mother-in-law is wonderful. I wasn’t upset. Just confused. I didn’t understand what all the “fuss” was about.)
You see, faith has always been a very important part of my life. My mother was a preacher’s daughter and a lot of that commitment to church and to the faith was passed right on down to me. Growing up, my mom and I were at church pretty much every time the doors were opened it seemed–at least three times a week. And we usually showed up early and stayed late as well.
And we weren’t just “Sunday Christians” either. My mom and I both read our Bibles, read other Christian Living books, listened to Christian radio, prayed, helped others, etc etc very regularly. We both sang in the church choir and praise band and even attended the same Bible college (though not at the same time). I was helping out at church multiple times a week, was helping out in the community, and had just started a Christian blog. Not that any of these things MAKE you a Christian–they don’t. But if she needed to worry about “converting” anyone, it wasn’t me.
But hey, I enjoy reading about Christianity and Christian beliefs and I wasn’t really that busy at the time, so I figured, “Hey, why not?”
Love Catholic conversion stories? Find it on Amazon!
As I sat down to read Surprised by Truth, honestly, I struggled to make it through the first chapter. I seriously wanted to chuck the book at the wall. I’m a very logical type thinker. I’m not going to believe something “because someone says so.” I want proof. I want facts. I want Scriptural support. Not that faith isn’t important–it is–but first the person better prove to me that they’re worth listening to. And here, the first chapter was full of “I believed because it just felt right, and I came into the Catholic church rejoicing and shouting “Hallelujah” to saint whoever!” Please. Spare me.
I mean, if you enjoy reading conversion stories (like this one you’re reading now 🙂 ), then it’s a really good book. It just wasn’t what I thought it would be or what I was looking for. But I kept reading. Because “hey, why not?”
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And as I kept reading and wading through all the fluff, it wasn’t long before certain sentences began to jump out at me (both good and bad), and I started learning new pieces of information that no one had ever told me before, although in snippets.
Sentences like: “To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant.” Now I’ll be the first to admit, I knew VERY little about church history. If I knew more, would that change the way I saw things?
And then, three-quarters of the way through the book, I finally found an author with a similar background as mine (Baptist), who gave an account that wasn’t fluffy, but that was actually full of facts and support and that made a lot of sense. Suddenly, things I was once so sure of… I wasn’t so sure of anymore.
The real turning point happened, though, during a conversation with my husband. I’m not sure what we were talking about specifically, but suddenly it clicked that “Protestant” was derived from Martin Luther’s protest. Now, yes, I did know this before, but I had never really thought about it much. Except, this time, I did.
How–in the 16th century–could some guy suddenly decide he didn’t like the church so he was going to make a new one of his own? Now, I’m not arguing that the Catholic church was in the right. From what I’ve read since then, there was definitely some awful, sinful behavior going on that needed to be addressed. (No one’s perfect, not even the church.) BUT, what gave Martin Luther the right to pick the beliefs he wanted to pick and to abandon the rest? Who was he to get to say what was Scriptural or not?
It was at that moment I realized I couldn’t be Protestant anymore. I couldn’t support a man who left the church, took things into his own hands and decided for himself what truth should be. It just wasn’t Biblical. We’re called to repair, not divide.
Ceasing to be a Protestant wasn’t a problem for me. We did a lot of church-hopping when I was younger, and I can count NINE churches I’ve regularly attended in my life so far. I’ve never taken a denominational label–just called myself “Christian”–and I was still a Christian, so that was fine.
But investigating the Catholic Church’s beliefs was a much longer and more tumultuous journey. A journey which involved a lot of questioning, a lot of struggling and a lot of tears. A journey which I hope to cover throughout this series.
So whether you are Protestant or Catholic or something else all together, I hope and pray you will join me with an open heart and an inquisitive mind. I’m not seeking to convert you or to say that one side is right and the other is wrong. At the time of this writing, I’m neither Catholic or Protestant, and I’m still unsure as to how this journey will end.
But what I DO know is it’s been quite an enlightening year and I’ve learned a lot. And I’d like to share some of what I’ve learned with you. Because honestly, wouldn’t you like to know if what you believe is true? I hope so. And I hope you’ll continue to join me every Wednesday throughout this series to find out more.
As we start this series, I’d like to know: Are you a Protestant or Catholic? Did you grow up that way or did you switch?
Ready to read more? Don’t miss the rest of the posts in the series!
The Day I Realized My Religion Got it Wrong
10 Common Catholic Church Myths that Critics Believe
Is the Eucharist Really Just a Symbol?
Who has the Ultimate Authority? A Biblical Look at Sola Scriptura
A Brief Look at the History of Christianity
What All Christians Should Know About Priests, the Pope and Confession
What Do Catholics Really Believe About Mary, Saints and Statues?
Infant Baptism or Believer’s Baptism? Which is Correct?
What is Purgatory? What are Indulgences?
Why Do Catholics….? Honest Answers to Your Burning Questions
If a label is needed I’m a Pentecostal. More so, I believe that God is manifest in 3 -Father, Son, Holy Spirit. I believe that when the veil was torn in the temple the moment Jesus died (after all, he died for us) that we have direct access to God. We need not rely on a priest, saint, father, mother, pastor or preacher to reach God. He seeks a personal relationship with us, one that is two-sided….like a good conversation with friends.
I understand what you saying about a religion started by a man, but it is a slippery slope as well. Catholicism, the more I learn, has many hands in it’s pot per se.
I was taught we have direct access to God, and I still believe we do. (I’m not sure that Catholics would say we don’t… just that that’s not the way they usually do things. I know they don’t JUST pray to saints, for example. They pray to God, but they CAN pray to saints too, if they want to. We’ll get into confession in a future post–still researching 🙂 ).
And what do you mean by “many hands in it’s pot?”
As a minor clarification: we don’t pray TO saints, we ask the intercession of Saints. Just as we ask holy men and women in our lives here on earth to pray for us, we also ask holy men and women who are in heaven (and therefore closer to God) to pray for us. This is part of recognizing that there is one Body of Christ, just one, not one on earth and one in heaven. (Communion of Saints) 🙂
Ooops, yep. That’s what I meant, but totally not what I said. Thanks for clarifying!
I think of it as Catholics pray “Through” saints. The saints are the vehicle that takes the prayers to God, not the ones actually making anything happen themselves.
@Beth anne- Let me ask you? What is prayer? What is intercession? What is to have faith in someone or something? First prayer is worship- its a form of worship, the same as singing, bowing, etc. So when praying to someone or for intercession IT IS WORSHIP. Second you can’t say you just pray for intercession. It’s sill praying to saints. You can’t get around it. I seen it with my own eyes. someone loses something, they pray to saint Anthony for intercession. You lose something, you pray to a certain saint/once a man/ a person to help you find it. Jesus said he is the only mediator between man and God, there is no other way. No other person, no other saint. And by the way those saints are sleeping- waiting for the return of our Lord. They can’t hear you. God said the dead know NOTHING. They are just sleeping. When Jesus returns the dead in Christ will rise first and then the living. So to think God has or needs a bunch of saints, saint for lost, saint for pregnancy, saint for rain, saint for growing, saint for hunting, etc is crazy. what happened is these saint took the place of all the roman Gods. The Romans had to have a God for everything to pray to. Stop trusting in Saints and turn to the one true God of Heaven. He alone you can go to. He is our mediator, our Savior, our hope, our life!
Hello Tara,
Yes I have often heard your point of view and every time in makes me wonder.
I wonder how did I find God and know that it was through my parents. I also wonder how others have. Did Jesus simply appear to me or any of the other believers?
I suspect that most found Him through others by perhaps word or example.
Wouldn’t that then make them a go between or a mediator between that person and God?
I’ve also thought that God became man to that man could have a hand is in own salvation. And better yet what of those that have, let’s say, drifted from Him only to be brought back to the saving grace of God by another. Is that not mediation, is that not some form of intersession by someone other than Christ Himself.
I ask the saints to join me in petitioning the Lord in prayer and I ask others to do the same. Would not my prayer for you now be a prayer of intercession?
The Bible tells us that the saints do exist and that they do carry prayers.
Did not the departed rich man intercede for his brothers?
Rom 15;30 Join me by your prayers to God on my behalf
2Th 1;11 we always pray for you
Eph 6;18 making supplication for all the saints and for me
Did not Jesus converse with Elijah and Moses, saints long gone by that time?
Romans says that, death cannot separate us from Christ, so yes the saints are dead but not separated from Him and of course they are not Him but they can intercede on our behalf
Thank you,
Eric
Actually, to “pray” means to ask, not to worship. Think of how in Shakespeare’s time they would say, “…I pray you…” and make a request.
I don’t agree they are sleeping in the sense that they can’t be aware of us. Scripture says we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses, it would be strange to say that if they were asleep. And what about when Moses and Elias joined Jesus at His transfiguration, were they asleep? Revelation 5:8, John writes that the saints in heaven offering our prayers to God as “golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” If the saints in heaven are offering prayers to God, then wouldn’t you agree they must be awake? And what are they praying for, if not us? Those in heaven don’t need our prayers, those in hell can’t use prayers either. To pray means to ask, what are they asking for?
I am Baptist. While I grew up attending various churches with family & friends off & on, I wasn’t saved until 2 years ago. Being an inquisitive person who questions everything, I have done a lot of research, including some on Catholocism. While I do not agree, I’m interested to see what you have to say. 🙂
I grew up in a Baptist church! So I think that this series will be especially interesting for you, since we come from similar backgrounds. (I find that the issues people have vary based on what they were taught. Mennonites would have different issues with Catholicism than Baptists would, etc). Thanks for joining us! It’s going to be great!
First, I just have to express how much I am in awe of your courage to seek the truth. It can be challenging to sift through the information, the emotions, and process everything.
I have read half of the book, Surprised by Truth. I also have the 2nd book, but haven’t read it yet. Sometimes I listen to the Journey Home radio program (also available on EWTN), and I’m always struck by how amazing God is, by the ways He works in our lives. Completely unique to the individual.
I grew up Catholic, but didn’t completely understand the richness of the faith, and fell away in my teens. During my early twenties, I had a longing for God, and went out to seek Him. I’m forever grateful that He led me right back to my roots. Yet, this time, I researched everything I could about the faith. I had a lot of reconciling to do with what the Church believes, and what I believed. I delved into the WHY, behind (what I thought) was a restrictive religion. I was surprised to find true freedom and true faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paired with my Bible, was what helped me to understand all the tenets I had wrestled with.
Then came my day of reckoning. My heart surrendered, and the change began. I professed my faith, had a good Confession, and amended my life. Because of Jesus in the Eucharist, I am home. There are no words that adequately express everything, yet God knows. And I know, because of the mercy I have received, that He calls all of His beloved.
I’m looking forward to reading more posts about your journey (wherever it leads). Thank you, for sharing something so personal. You remain in my ardent prayers.
Thanks, Melanie. I’m a little nervous about how this is going to go with the more “preachy/teachy” ones coming up… Since I’m still researching all of this, I’m hardly the expert. But the more I research into the things, the more I’m learning. And I want to share that knowledge with all of you! Both to the Catholics and the Protestants. Both will benefit from this, I think.
Love your story, by the way, and thanks for the prayers. 🙂
Melanie, Welcome home! What a beautiful story you shared!
Martin Luther was one of the greatest Christian people in history. He stood up against a giant who was perverting the bible. I’m not saying that is the case now in Catholicism. The best thing to do if you are questioning, is not read or rely on church history, but read and study your Bible over and over. Then you will be a Christian. Not Protestant, Catholic, Lutheran, etc. And you can be Christian and sit in worship in any of those churches. Worship God. Know God. Be you. I would love to hear about your journey but not if it is conversion to a “church”. You are Christian! Know the Bible…know your beliefs! Excited for you to be seeking deeper faith!
Yes, someone definitely did need to stand up against what was going on in the Catholic church, that’s for sure. But I’m not sure if I agree with the way he did things. I am reading, reading, reading as much as I can, let me assure you! And yes, I do consider myself a Christian, not really a member of any denomination. But I want to make sure that what I believe is based on the truth, not just what I was always taught–which I’ve learned a lot of which is incorrect. Hope you’ll join me through the whole series!!
Hi Brittany,
I admire your courage to walk your spiritual journey with the blog world. I will keep you in our prayers as you seek truth. As a “cradle Catholic” who knows that the Catholic Church is the fullness of the faith, I always enjoy hearing how the Holy Spirit works in others lives to bring them to the fullness of the faith. The Church was established BEFORE the Bible was written and if you look back in history the first Christians were Catholic with mass celebrations and liturgy. A great book about where the Bible came from is this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0895557967?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0895557967&linkCode=xm2&tag=aslofsmli04-20
Also have you heard of Scott Hahn? Protestant preacher who was out to save all the Catholics from hell who had a conversion to Catholicism. His book Rome Sweet Home is amazing too: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0898704782?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creativeASIN=0898704782&linkCode=xm2&tag=aslofsmli04-20
I look forward to following your story and will pray for your journey!
Thanks, Tracy! I appreciate it! And yes, I have heard of Scott Hahn and read Rome Sweet Rome. 🙂
I am looking forward to reading your journey. Am I the only guy here?
Anyway, if I may suggest, there is one book that is really good which you may connect well, because of your faith foundation.
“Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic” by David Currie.
The one thing that I hope you have noticed, which will help you sift between the ‘official’ and non-official authoritative voice of the Catholic Church, is that there are many Catholics that are not faithful to the Church, so I hope and pray that the Lord will grant many graces to discern the truth from opinions.
The books you are reading now, I went through them 16 years ago, and many, many more. I will keep you in my prayers. Without struggles and pain there is no Easter/Resurrection. If there is anything I can do to help, just ring.
Thank you Tracy and Antonio,
I grew up Evangelical (the daughter of a pastor, no less) and became Catholic on my own at the age of 19, to the horror and disappointment of my family. People have to understand the history of the Church and the Bible. Any scripture Jesus referenced was the old testament. The new testament wasn’t even around. Jesus left us men, human beings, to spread His teachings. That is where the Church began. (Well with Peter to be exact). Those men taught others, and those others taught others. And eventually a new testament was put together by the Church (Catholic). Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against it (the Church). Yes, there were some bad things going on in the Church, but that’s no reason to start a new one. Protestantism was a protest to something. What? THE Church that Christ started. I mean, Peter himself denied Jesus! But Christ still chose him to lead His Church. It’s SO hard to understand this when you are brought up Protestant. The Bible is NOT the only way to know God. It was never intended to be. I’m not trying to ruffle any feathers here–I cherish the Bible! I feel like Protestantism is not complete, which is why they say that Catholicism is the “fullness of faith.” Scott Hahn, Steve Ray are good sources to name a couple. I agree that Born Fundamental, Born again Catholic is a good book. God bless you on your journey.
Well, I don’t think Martin Luther was TRYING to protest the entire church–just some very bad things that were going on at the time. It’s crazy what a little much-needed reform turned into!
You might consider doing a little more research on Martin Luther. He NEVER wanted to start his own church. He only wanted to open a dialog and try to change some of the church practices that he felt (through intense Bible study) were unbiblical. He wanted reform – not division.
Completely agree! And in fact, I did look into the issue more. You can find the more in-depth version here: A Brief History of Christianity
Excellent post! I love that you challenge to know what we believe and why we believe it. I attend a Protestant church, and have done quite a bit of study for the reasons you mention. So when asked, I call myself a Follower of Jesus. I look forward to following your series. So glad I found you through Jenny and Women With Intention.
I’m glad you found us! I’d love for you to continue to follow along and share some of the things you’ve found through your studies as well. The more knowledge, the better!
I have to agree with Jill that reading the Bible is the only way to truly know God. I grew up Southern Baptist and accepted Jesus Christ at age 12. My only concern about reading these types of reports is the same as I feel happened in Martin Luthers time. ONE person has an opinion and it can sway the course of history. Books have been left out of the Bible as we know it today -because a man King James -didn’t think they should be there. I’m going to read your story and pray that the Holy Spirit enlightens us all.
Absolutely. Don’t just take MY word for it. I’m just one person. But my hope throughout this series is to bring you a wealth of Scripture verses and other important information that I’ve learned along the way too. To encourage people to really think about what they believe and make sure it IS Scripture, instead of just to blindly believe what they’ve always been taught because they’ve never really thought about it.
I’m not really going to give an opinion either way (I know I love and worship Jesus and that is all that matters to me) but I just want to say that I admire your courage in posting this. People can be very specific and heated in their opinions and more power to you for being true to yourself and your unique faith.
Thanks, Jessy. I have to admit, I’m a little nervous how people are going to respond once we really dive into things, but I definitely think it’s a subject worth diving into! I really hope you’ll continue to follow along. 🙂
Brittany, I grew up Catholic, but I did not exactly “grow up in the church.” I was baptized and confirmed. I went to private school, but only because my parents didn’t like the public school. We went to church on Easter and Christmas, but that was pretty much it. I felt that I couldn’t relate to anything at all when I went to mass. From what I can recall, it was always about duty. If you do this, then you get to heaven. If you follow these rules, then God will love you. That didn’t sit well with me. I became a non-denominational Christian when I moved away to Seattle for school. It opened up a whole new world for me. I have always believed in God, but now I actually know Him. Good luck on your journey.
I’m sorry that you had a poor experience with the church. I have a difficult time relating to mass too, especially since I don’t yet understand so many parts of it and why they do all the things they do. And I’ve spent the last few years in a great non-denominational church too. It was definitely my favorite church I’ve ever attended.
I do know that it is not supposed to just be about duty though, even if it comes off that way sometimes. I’m addressing faith vs. works in two weeks. I hope you’ll check back!
I was born into a Catholic family, and raised a Catholic, and never left the Church. It is true that some things can seem legalistic and routine, just like in any other church. The kids go on Sunday to the Baptist or Lutheran churches/worship because the parents believe to be important; same with Catholics.
Having been a full active member for almost six decades, from my experience it has always been about being holy. Sure there are things we do and NEED to do, specifically because Jesus makes it very clear that those who love Him and will be saved are the ones that DO the Will of the Father.
Regarding the Mass, all I can tell you is that once you understand what REALLY is going on, it will blow your socks off. There are many things I could recommend on this, but a couple stand out:
Scott Hahn’s “The 4th Cup”
and Dr. Brant Pitre’s talks and works. You will find a generous amount in “Association of Hebrew Catholics”.
Roy Schoeman, an former Jewish/atheist Harvard professor also has great resources under “Salvation is from the Jews”
Enjoy a whole new world that you never imagined existed; the seamless between … Well, I will let you find it in due time.
Clarification. Roy Shoeman had an amazing conversion and is Catholic.
If you want more information about the Mass and the parts of it, a great book to check out is The How To Book of the Mass. It tells what all the parts mean, their origin, and the Scripture that backs them up. 🙂
That sounds like a fantastic book. I will check it out! Thanks!
The Mass Explained by Edward Sri is an excellent resource!
This is a really interesting topic! I grew up in a Pentecostal church but I have never considered myself to be a part of any denomination and to be honest I don’t know to much about any denomination except for the one I grew up in (Pentecostal), so I am really interested in hearing more about what you are learning!
Honestly, I don’t know a ton about the different denominations either. We attended several different churches growing up, but of course they don’t get into all their core beliefs during a Sunday morning sermon. So glad you found this series! Hope you learn a lot! (Follow along and I know you will 🙂 )
What a wonderful series you are starting. I can not wait to go on this journey with you. I am Church of Christ. Last year while living in Louisiana we attended a Baptist church. Now we are back at the C of C and I’ve been thinking a lot. What if I had grown up a different religion? Would I think that it was the only truth? Sure. So is that why I go to the C of C? Is that what I believe? As life evolves and we grow in the faith I think it is good to ask questions. We need solid food instead of milk like a baby as we grow. Like I said, I am excited to learn with you!
Thanks Heather 🙂 And yes, I KNOW what you mean! I’ve spent the last year questioning everything I believe to see if it actually has any basis in Scripture or if I just believe it because it’s what I’ve always been taught, and I found quite a few things were off! So glad you’re coming along for this journey! We’re going to learn a TON!
You will find that some things in Scripture can be interpreted one way or another; Baptist, Lutheran, Calvinist, Catholic, etc. In the end every one is faced with the question: Which one is the true interpretation? Which one did the apostles adhere to, or the earliest Christians were taught and practiced and believed? The beliefs that they died for, martyrs such as Ignatius of Antioch, or Polycarp.
You are in for a very rich journey, and it seems that many people will be following. Have fun enjoying the blessings the good Lord is pouring into your family.
That’s a big part of what I’m trying to figure out now. What did the apostles believe? I imagine if anyone had a chance of getting things right, it would be them!
Thanks again Antonio, you are so loving in your responses. I think it’s a great route to go–reading the teachings of apostles and the early christians. Seeing what they wrote, what they taught, what they believed.