Question for Catholics About Conversion from Evangelicalism

[isaachunter]

If a Protestant (Baptist maybe, or even a confused Reformed) decided they were needed to convert from Evangelicalism to Catholicism, mainly because of their perceived call to the solitary vocation (which is not accepted in Protestant/Evangelical Churches):

1. What would be the steps in this process of conversion? Are they automatically accepted or are there tests, etc?

2. What Catholic doctrines or theological/beliefs would be considered essential or non-negotiable to become Catholic (most specifically: transubstantiation, confession, veneration of Mary or the saints, acceptance of the pope as the final authority of the church, acceptance of Church tradition as the final authority of interpretation of the Bible, and can a Catholic convert still hold to Sola Fide)? Basically, could someone convert to Catholicism while still maintaining some or all of their protestant theology? Or would this be grounds for rejection or non-admittance?

3. Are there within Catholicism a diversity of beliefs held by members (i.e. on end times, types of gifts, evangelism), such as in Protestant denominations, or does everyone pretty much believe the same tenets across the board?

4. If there are any protestant to Catholic converts answering, how is being a Catholic different from being an evangelical? How has your life changed since conversion? What parts of Catholicism drew you and has post-conversion been what you'd hoped (Likewise, anyone who went from Catholicism to Protestantism, please provide the same answers to this question if you like)?

5. How important is the attendance of Mass for Catholics (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)? Is it an essential (if you don't attend local mass you are not Catholic)? Is there a lot of interaction with others during Mass? Can non-Catholics attend Mass (to see what it's like)? If so, is there any particular protocol?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can provide.

IH

[RightReason]

[isaachunter]

[benchwarmer]

If you attend the mass for 3 years, you will have received the Bible in its entirety. Nothing is left out.

Umm, no. Not likely. Perhaps you attend mass somewhere that has a lectionary that covers 100% of the Bible, but I never saw that in my many years of attending weekly mass.

I found this site which gives some interesting data:

https://www.stefanavey.com/r/2018/10/27 ... ary-part-1

If one wants to receive the entire Bible, just read the entire thing. Cover to cover. I think every Christian should be required to do this or they can't really call themselves a Christian, but obviously that's just my opinion. Don't expect sitting in mass every Sunday is going to get you through the entire Bible. Even if that were true somewhere, they jump all over the place.

It's actually quite astonishing how many Christians have not personally read the entire volume of documents that fully describes the basis of their faith. Many rely on their pastors and priests to feed it to them from the pulpit. I say go to the source and read the entire thing yourself. It's quite eye opening.

As for the OP, grab yourself a Catechism of the Catholic Church and read that too. You will find all the details therein.

[RightReason]

[RightReason]

If you attend the mass for 3 years, you will have received the Bible in its entirety. Nothing is left out.

Umm, no. Not likely. Perhaps you attend mass somewhere that has a lectionary that covers 100% of the Bible, but I never saw that in my many years of attending weekly mass.

I am referring to attending daily mass, not simply mass on Sundays. I also am referring to receiving a full array of the Bible -- readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, and Revelation. And the Church's wisdom in relating OT to NT, which is key. I was also referring to the fact that those who attend a Christian service fall to the personal preference of Pastor Pete in choosing what to talk about. The liturgy of the Catholic Church is based on a a 3 year cycle to insure we hear all that God wanted us to hear. There are more stories out there than the story of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal son.

If one wants to receive the entire Bible, just read the entire thing. Cover to cover. I think every Christian should be required to do this or they can't really call themselves a Christian, but obviously that's just my opinion. Don't expect sitting in mass every Sunday is going to get you through the entire Bible. Even if that were true somewhere, they jump all over the place.

Of course read Scripture! Or listen to it! Right now I am listening to Fr. Mike Schmidt's Bible in a year. In 20-30 minute daily podcast he takes you through the entire Bible in 365 days. It is awesome. I highly encourage. But yes, if one pays attention while at mass Scripture is everywhere and we can be confident we are being fed the Word of God as He intended.

It's actually quite astonishing how many Christians have not personally read the entire volume of documents that fully describes the basis of their faith. Many rely on their pastors and priests to feed it to them from the pulpit. I say go to the source and read the entire thing yourself. It's quite eye opening.

Yes, so true!

As for the OP, grab yourself a Catechism of the Catholic Church and read that too. You will find all the details therein.

Yes! The Catechism is beautiful and so helpful. It too is also full of lots of Scripture!

[isaachunter]

If one wants to receive the entire Bible, just read the entire thing. Cover to cover. I think every Christian should be required to do this or they can't really call themselves a Christian, but obviously that's just my opinion. Don't expect sitting in mass every Sunday is going to get you through the entire Bible. Even if that were true somewhere, they jump all over the place.

It's actually quite astonishing how many Christians have not personally read the entire volume of documents that fully describes the basis of their faith. Many rely on their pastors and priests to feed it to them from the pulpit. I say go to the source and read the entire thing yourself. It's quite eye opening.

I completely agree. This is how my faith in Christ was founded. I was in the military overseas and after each day of work I would go to my barracks by myself, close the door, and spend the rest of the evening reading the Bible, book by book, until I had finished reading all of it. Then I went through it again, this time with 3 highlighters. I would highlight what I agreed with, what I didn't agree with or didn't agree with and what I didn't understand. Each week I would write questions out and give my list of questions to an elder in the church and I would get his responses written out the next week. Those two years were really like a monastic or seminary experience for me and really grounded my faith solidly on the text. Over the years I've been very grateful for it.

Oh and I have the Catechism imported into my Logos program so any time I run a search on resources I get any hits automatically.

Isaac

[isaachunter]