The Day I Realized My Religion Got It Wrong

Brittany Ann

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?”

 

Surprised by Truth Book

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?”

 

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.

 

Statue with arm extended

 

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?

 

 

10 Common Catholic Myths that Critics Believe

 

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?

Is Faith Alone Enough?

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

Protestant and Catholic Beliefs Series Conclusion

Brittany Ann is an ECPA bestselling author and founder of Equipping Godly Women and Monetize My Ministry. She’s also a Christian speaker, podcaster, and conference host. Her work has been featured on numerous TV, radio, and online ministries, including CBN, MSN, Christianity Today, Evangelical Alliance, Patheos, Crosswalk, and more.

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275 Comments

  1. I am excited to read this. My parents were Catholic growing up and converted to a non-denominational church when I was 4. I grew up protestant. Recently, my parents converted back. I am very interested in hearing your story. Thanks for sharing.

  2. It would be so much easier for a discussion about these things to be a conversation rather than a comment! You’ve tackled a huge topic, but it is one we all ought to be doing daily – examining the Scripture to see if what we are being taught is true (Acts 17:10-11). I understand that the focus of the series comes from your current frame of reference. In the end, the question is not really one of Catholicism vs. Protestantism (or any other major religious system) but one of truth vs. error.

    We must follow Jesus, not any man. Identifying with mainly Protestant beliefs does not necessarily mean one is following Martin Luther or that one agrees with everything anyone associated with that system claims. Luther was not the only one who disagreed with the Catholic church, and many different men have contributed to the development of Protestantism over time. Our ideas about doctrine must be based on the Bible and what the Bible says about the Bible.

    Truth does not always repair; it often divides. Jesus himself stated that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword (Mat. 10:34), and His presence challenged the major religious system of the day. To many, Jesus is a “stone of stumbling and a rock of offense” (Rom. 9 and 1 Pet. 2 quoting Is. 8). We ought to strive for a manner that does not give offense but understand that the truth may offend.

    Repair is not always the best option for a broken system; sometimes a replacement is necessary. Simply adding truth does not adequately deal with major error; it is often necessary to completely rebuild on a foundation of truth (Mat. 9:14-17, Mk. 2:18-22).

    May the Holy Spirit give you great grace and understanding as you continue to navigate your search and this series.

    Blessings, Abi

    1. Right, I’ve never been one to take a label, so I don’t really care who says something (whether Protestant or Catholic), but speaking about the Catholic church provides a good frame of reference. I am definitely diving hardcore into the Bible to see what it ACTUALLY says instead of just following what religious leaders have told me all of my life, which is how I became a Protestant in the first place. As a result, I’ve found that quite a few of the things I was taught aren’t actually based on Scripture! I really hope you’ll stick around and see what 🙂 Not that you have to convinced or converted (I’m not), only that you’ll have more information at your disposal 🙂

    2. Love the TRUTH part, because in the end that is what we should all seek; Jesus = The Truth.

      It is true that “Luther was not the only one who disagreed with the Catholic church”. There were others in his own day, that disagreed with both the Catholic Church and him, in extremely important issues, and between Martin Luther, John Calvin and Ulrich Zwingli, things got pretty ugly. The three pillars of the Reformation could not agree on what was essentials and began THREE different churches. Can we expect things to have gotten better?

      Actually the landscape is a bit worse, and more diversified yet. The Oxford Encyclopedia puts it at about 35,000 variations/denominations (but uses erroneous math). To be factual it is more like hundreds (maybe thousands). So, in 450 years it went from 3 into hundreds.

  3. Hi Brittany!
    Thank you for sharing at Women With Intention Wednesdays- you will be the feature tomorrow 🙂 I grew up Catholic but consider myself a non-denominational Christian. I’m looking forward to the rest of the series!

  4. Brittany,
    I am looking forward to reading about your process of delving deep into Scripture and the history of Christianity. I am a convert to Catholicism. I was raised Evangelical and took a detour through agnosticism before God used my love for a friend to call me not only home to Him, but home to the Catholic Church. I love to go deep into the study of theology, and I the more I study, the more rational and beautiful the Faith becomes to me. Beyond all the history and theology, however, there is the reality of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist that makes me fall to my knees in awe of the love Our Lord has for us. He wants us to be united to Him and each other BOTH physically and spiritually, and there is nothing that compares to receiving Him. He truly is with us as the Incarnate Son until the end of the age. May God bless you as you continue your journey.
    In Christ,
    Megan

    1. Aww, what a sweet story! I get a lot out of the knowledge and facts based side of things too. Not that I don’t have faith, but seeing all the facts line up really strengthens my faith. Sounds like we’re similar in that! I hope you enjoy the rest of the series!

  5. Hi Brittany,

    I grew up Catholic and then became a saved Christian at the age of 15. I think it takes courage to reevaluate your faith, and I believe that God welcomes our questions and longs to fill us with knowledge of who He is. Currently we attend a non-denominational church and love that emphasis is placed on Scriptures, not on a label. In the end, instead of splitting hairs on a label or a certain doctrine that’s more correct than the other, what need is God’s Word and believing salvation through Christ. May we all not judge according to a denomination, but use the Word of guide as the light to our path that it should be. I’ll be praying for you on your journey of faith and look forward to the other posts. BTW- you’re featured this week at the Sat. Soiree & Social Media Share. Many blessings to you!

    1. Yay!! I’m so excited to be featured again! Thanks! And yes, I don’t really care about claiming a label (which is why I don’t currently have one–other than just Christian), but I do think that it’s important that we all-regardless of our label or lack thereof–know what we believe and why! Hopefully this series will inspire everyone to really look hard at the truth and see what they can find. 🙂

  6. I wouldn’t say Martin Luther created more problems than he addressed. Time itself did that for him. Man will generally get things wrong because we are, after all, flawed. Over time the things that have been gotten wrong can pile up. I do believe the Catholic church has made course corrections over time within itself, and outside of the Catholic church course corrections have happened in the form of denominational splits, sometimes those splits led to better doctrine, sometimes worse. It’s one of the reasons I count myself as non-denominational. I’ve come to the point of thinking that every denomination probably has a few things wrong and we’ll probably only find out the complete truth when we reach Heaven. Meanwhile here on earth we should still do our best to find the truth, not saying we shouldn’t, but we do need to have grace for when we get things wrong.

    I find it interesting that Church history is so crucial to your story. I personally find it horrible that Church history is so little understood and am rather grateful for the education I received in it growing up. There is so much that even people raised in church are never taught! I really wish teaching of Church History was more common place.

    1. Re: “every denomination probably has a few things wrong and we’ll probably only find out the complete truth when we reach Heaven” — I agree completely! And my purpose in this journey is just to try to discover the truth as best as I can with the information and resources I have available to me. And to inspire others to do the same! If I end up claiming a denomination, fine. If not, that’s fine too.

      I’ve never been a history person AT ALL. But that quote “To be deep in history is to cease to be a Protestant.” was one of the first things I read on this journey and it really stuck with me. And the more I’m researching, the more I’m finding out that I never knew before!

  7. Brittany —

    I am a cradle Catholic. One of the most beautiful blessings of Catholicism is the gift of Christ in the Eucharist and I am so excited that you will be covering this topic. It will be interesting to see the Eucharist from your perspective.

    I am looking forward to seeing the Catholic Church through your eyes; sometimes another perspective can help enliven and deepen a Faith that I might otherwise be tempted to take for granted.

    I am so impressed by this journey you are taking. The process of reviewing what you believe and making sure that you are pursuing Truth is so important. I will definitely be keeping you in my prayers as you are making this amazing journey.

    God Bless,

    Tahlia

    1. Thanks, Tahlia! Having a new perspective really does help. I’ve loved hearing some of the things my husband has had to say about the Protestant church we visited–things I never would have thought of!

      For me, it’s knowledge that deepens my faith, and that’s what I hope to uncover here. And to inspire others to do the same! Thanks for joining me for the journey! and for the prayers! I’m going to need them!

  8. Brittany,
    I am so excited that I found your blog. I too have been struggling with the religion from my childhood. I have grown up Methodist, but my maternal grandmother was an Episcopalian and I went to church with her a lot. I have been on my journey for a year now. The first book I read was “Surprised by Truth” and I have read a few more since then and my Amazon wish list is filled with 100s more:). I feel like I am reading my thoughts. The first time I went to mass I had this awesome feeling come over me, I felt at home. I have been back to the Methodist church once since I started this journey and it just didn’t seem the same. I consider myself a Catholic but I look forward to going through RCIA so I can make it official. Good luck on your journey.~Tina

    1. Do you have plans to start RCIA soon? I’ve found it very interesting. Honestly, I’ve learned just as much or more by researching on my own, but it’s really great to get an “insider opinion” and real person clarification that you can’t get from books.

      1. I want to go through RCIA but the time they have it is during the middle of my daughters dance class. After researching for a year and finally coming to the conclusion that this is where I belong I hate that my schedule does not permit. I think I am going to try and go this coming week and see what the time commitment will be to be able to take my first communion. I feel I need to do this sooner then later because I have an 11 year old and 7 year old that I will also have to bring into the church. I am so excited to read your blog and follow your journey.

      3. I went to the RCIA meeting Monday and loved it. After speaking to the Priest I should be able to become in full communion with the church this Easter Vigil. I am so excited!

  10. Well it took me a while to get here, but I’M HERE! (lol)

    Brittany, good for YOU for seeking truth and exploring your faith deeper!! I have so many questions and concerns about the Catholic faith and the relentless rules and doctrine that they carry within the church. I grew up Methodist- no idea the difference between that and Protestant. I am a BIBLICAL Christian. That’s all I say I am.

    I loved reading the comments here. LOTS of good stuff for you to pray about and consider and research while you are in your journey for God’s truth.

    Religion is a messy thing. Faith isn’t. Just remember that it’s all about FAITH.

    God will honor your pursuit and your questions… He loves it when we seek Him further with hopes to deepen our FAITH!!

    I will be anxious to read the rest of your series, my friend!

    1. Hi! Don’t worry, comments are still rolling in! (Almost faster than I can keep up. It’s 1 am and I’m still replying!!)

      I think Methodist is a form of Protestant, but I don’t know a lot about what they believe, so I can’t say for sure.

      Thanks for joining in! 🙂

    2. My dad (a cradle Catholic) calls Methodists (my mom’s denomination) “Catholic light,” and I think it’s a pretty accurate assessment. Methodists observe Lent and Advent, but pastors can marry, or be women. Also, the communion sounds much the same (in words) as Catholic, but it is believed to be a symbol, not an actual living form of God, if that makes sense to you. There is also no confessing to the pastor. There are some other things, but that’s a good basis.

      and yes, Methodist is a form of Protestant

    3. In terms of Christianity, the mainline division is Catholic and Protestant. The Protestant confessions are all those that protested and broke off from Catholicism either directly (like Lutherans and Calvinists) or indirectly (like Baptists, Anti-Baptists, and Methodists). Today’s non-denominational communities, evangelical free churches and large mega-churches (like Willow Creek) are all Protestant as they tend to be breakoffs of breakoffs. Someone posted earlier that there are well over 40,000 Protestant denominations today but still only one Catholic Church.

      If you are interested in doing some really scholarly reading and exploring, I recommend Dave Armstrong. He was a Protestant apologist – someone who defends the Faith – for many years before reading and being surprised by the Truth. So many things he had been told as a child were simply falsehoods – much like the false notions Robin posted above. His blog is at https://socrates58.blogspot.com/2006/07/books-by-dave-armstrong-one-minute.html

      Many blessings to you

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