I Do Not Understand Why JWs Leave & Become Catholics!

by minimus 239 Replies latest jw friends

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  Satanus

  I won't be becoming catholic in this lifetime. However, i think that the church is getting a bad rap. Let's try to see it w less preconceptions.
  
  S
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  NanaR

  Both positions require you to judge others based on what they believe about a set of man-made religious doctrines.

  Catholicism does not require me to ever judge others, at all. At every Mass, I am called upon to examine MY OWN conscience, and so is every other person in the room, including the Priest.

  Pax,

  Ruth
• 

  GoingGoingGone

  Isn't religion supposed to be about serving God? And so someone who wants to serve God will want to find the religion that tells him that WE, and we alone, have the one PERFECT path to God.

  The RCC does acknowledge that other Christians are their 'brothers', but not so much so that their 'brothers' from other Christian churches can, for example, share the Eucharest with them. And if one is to live their life closely following Catholic law/rules/beliefs, then they could not marry a non-Catholic; never miss Sunday Mass intentionally; never have sex with anyone other than their Catholic mate, and then never use contreception; never ever divorce their Catholic mate, not even for adultry, and never be free to marry again until that mate dies; and the list goes on and on.

  Of course, if you have joined (or been born into) the Catholic religion and believe that it is, in fact, the way that God wants to be worshipped, (religion is supposed to be about serving God, remember?), then you have no choice but to follow all of the Catholic rules to the letter. Will anyone condemn you if you don't? No - but if you're a true believer, then you'd condemn yourself because you believe the Catholic teaching that not obeying the Church will land you in hell.

  I have more I could say but I have to go to the meeting. (JUST KIDDING!!!)

  GGG
• 

  yesidid

  Regarding popes, I agree that some of them have done shameful things, at least as shameful as Peter denying Christ three times

  Hi Tom,

  I find it very interesting that you put sins of the popes, (the inquisition would have to be included) in the same sentence as Peter's impetuous outbursts of one evening.

  And if the inquisition can be so easily brushed aside, it seems to me that most anything can be excused on the basis of Peter's example.
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  FlyingHighNow

  There are some exceptions to the only Catholics sharing in the Catholic Eucharist rule. In the USA there times communion can be admininstered to Episcopalians and The Last Rite can be administered to Episcopalians. On the other hand, those two cannot be given to members of The Church of England.

  Someone likened leaving the JW's and becoming Catholic to trading one straight jacket for another. This couldn't be farther from the truth. There are some fundamentalist churches and cults you can liken to a straight jacket, I give you that. But being Catholic is much easier unless of course you are priest who wishes to marry. Then is when many of them leave and become Anglican Catholic, or Episcopalian priests, here in the USA.
• 

  justhuman

  Very interesting points I have seen...But there is another examination that needs to be done regarding the history of the Church.

  After Saint Constantine(Both early Churches Orthodox and Catholic accept that)set the New Rome in Constantinoupolis and gave freedom to the Christians the Early Church was free to practice their faith. The were free to build Churches and coming out from the catacombs that they were persecuted for more than 300 years. We have millions of Christian martyrs over those 300 years. So it would be rediculous for those early Christians to die for something that is apostatic, plus all the hate that was developed by the Roman Empire against the Christians. Faith was preserved all this centuries by the Apostles and their succesors.

  When an heretic idea was insert then the Council of the Bishops- Synodos in Greek was held to face those heretic views and define the Christian faith. One of those was Aruis a Bishop that tried to fight Trinity. He knew he was wrong but he insisted. He had a tragic end at the toilet the same day when the Synodos was held. He told that although he knew he was wrong he will fight Athanasius.

  The Church continued to be united, and we can see that from the Emblem of the Romanae Empire(Byzantine)the 2 headed Eagle, symbol of the East(Constantinoupole)and West(Rome). For 1000 years the East and West Church was united in worship and Holy Communion. The head of the West the Pope was equal among the rest of the Bishops of the Church, and in no way he was superior from the other Bishops. Unfortunately the POLICAL GAMES of the Franks leaded the Church to the 1080 A.D schisma. This was the unfortunate event that split the Church. Then the West part of the Church the Roman Catholic Church seperated from the East Part the Orthodox and in matters of Christian dogma.

  One of the basic differences is the Filoque issue. In the Symbol of Faith that both accepted the Papal Church insert the idea that the Holy Spirit comes also from the Son and the Father, forgetting that the Synode defined that it comes only by the Father because He is the Source of the Godship and the causality of the Son and the Holy Spirit.

  Then is the Pope's infalible. The Church for all those years all the members of the Synode they were equal and if the Presiding Bishop the Ecoumical Patriarch was out of line the rest of the Bishops can correct him.

  The woship of Mother Mary. In the Orthodox Church she is Holy but in no way equal to the Father and the Son. She is honored for her privellage to carry Jesus. She was always treaded like that by the Church, and in Revelation we see that she is the Woman with the 12 stars having a prominent possition in heaven.

  The political games of the Franks and their hunger for power and gold let them to attack Constantinoupolis with 2 Crusaders. Their excuse to free the Holy land siege Polis the Capitol of the Romanae Empire. As a result they did not show ANY RESPECT to the Christian Orthodox, and both times they capture the gold, Christian relics, they did not respect the Churches, and the City was full with dead bodies and raped women. Yes this is what the "Roman Catholics" did to their fellow Christians. As a result of this Constantinoupolis feld into the hands of the Othomans in 1453 A.D and there was not a helping hand from the Catholic Church...

  I believe one the basic reasons for the problems that Christianity is facing is language. The Gospel was written, preached, and spread with the Greek language. The Hellenic language is one of the most wealthy language in the world and the most ACCURATE. That is why the Orthodox Church still holds at the Eucharist the ORIGINAL Bible texts, for thousands of years. That is one of the reasons why the Roman Catholic Church failed to keep the original Christian faith as it was delivered by the Early Church.

  Unfortunately when Luther tried to reform fell into more serious mistakes. Instead of going back to the Early Church he developed his own Theology and as a result the Protestand movement occured with thousands of sects and dominations. All of them ingnoring the Early Church, the History of the Church having no Apostolic Succesion and claiming that they "found" the truth.

  Having the chance to be in one of the most extreme protestand groups I realize after my Odysee that I had the jewel of Christian faith in front of my face and I didn't had a clue about it.

  I found that the Church is a place of spiritual healing of my soul. A place to seek Jesus, and a place were I can ask forgiveness of my sins. I found that there is no Hell, but we are the ones who will create our hell when we are way from the Source of Love God.

  I know in the end by the Grace of Jesus ALL will be saved for having faith in Him, and that in the end His Church will Truimph again.

  I know the truth never changes, and it was there for 2000 years as it was delivered to us by Jesus the Apostles and their Succesors. I know that:

  "I believe in one Father, Creator of heavens and earth, visible and invisible things, and in one Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God that was born from the Father but not created, and everything was created by Him. For our salvation He came from Heavens and took flesh by the Holy Spirit and he became human through Mary the Virgin

  Crusified by Pontius Pilate, burried and resurrected at the third day according to the Scriptures, and accending to heavens sitting in the right side of the Father. And He will come with Glory to Judge the living and the dead, in His Kindom that will be no end

  And in one Holy Spirit, the Life giving, that proceeds from the Father, having the same worship and glory with the Father and Son, that was spoken by the Prophets, In one Holy Catholic Apostolic Church, I confess one baptizim for forgiveness of sins, I'm waiting for the resurrection of the dead, and in eternal future life."
• 

  reniaa

  I'll just say if i was a catholic I would be glad I live in this century and not in the time of "The Inquisition" i'd have been burned as a witch lol but seriously I think the Catholic church is directly to blame for why there are so many fractured christian faiths and denominations, if the catholic church had stayed truer to the bible teachings rather than getting rapped up in the pomp and idolatory then we might still all be catholics,

  As one of our oldest faiths it was entrusted with the spiritual well-being of the people instead it got too involved with acquiring wealth and politics (An interesting look-up is the history between kings/rulers and popes) it even stopped the normal person having access to the bible to read.
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  FlyingHighNow

  You know, I was just remembering all the many times that the WT publications quote the Catholic Encyclopedia.
• 

  minimus

  GGG made some excellent points!

  Unfortunately, I have to be careful in how much I post due to my posting limits.

  Tom, just because the majority believe a certain way, it doesn't mean it's correct. Jesus was in the minority and he was right and everyone else wasn't.

  Paul never said you couldn't marry. The Church tells priests they cannot....Big difference.

  Equating Peter's denials with the history of the popes makes you a bad boy, Tom. You know that's not even close! Tsk Tsk....But I still love ya, bro!

  This thread is quite interesting, including our Hellenic poster's thoughts.
• 

  undercover

  ...it is no real mystery as to why the Chruch would appeal to the mainly shallow religionists who stumble from the cult.

  Most people who 'stumble' from the Witnesses don't join other religions. They're still indoctrinated in the fear and guilt of the Society to think about going anywhere else. But those that gained enlightenment about the Soceity and realized that the religion was bogus, well, I would've thought they would be a little more careful before committing to another religion.

  It may not be a mystery when considering it the way you put it (which was pretty ballsy) but it perplexes me anyway. People managed to wake up to the scam of the Watchtower, yet won't apply the same critical reasoning they used in researching the Society to the Catholic Church. And they end up joining. It's illogical. Did these people not learn anything while escaping one pompous religion only to trade allegiances to another?