I Do Not Understand Why JWs Leave & Become Catholics!

by minimus 239 Replies latest jw friends

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  Big Tex

  Out of all religions, Catholicism, to me, is wrong and clearly could never be the truth.

  I've got to admit, when I was a Witness I kind of envied Catholics. What I envied most was the concept of confession. I like(d) the idea of confessing anything and everything you've done wrong and then receiving absolution. No judicial committees, no condemnation, no thundering pronouncements that Jehovah is furious with you, or considers you dead.

  Of course you've also got to believe in it too. But I think it would be neat to believe in being forgiven, truly forgiven, for what you've said or done.
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  lancelink

  I am very happy now, and I never try to push my views on anyone else, I just know what I feel inside. wordly andre, thank you for saying this !!
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  dogisgod

  Every belief is an obstacle to overcome.
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  FlyingHighNow

  I personally do not understand why an ex-JW would become a part of any other religion. I hate religion so much it is indescribable!

  JK

  Jk, how many religions have you personally had experience with? Since people are flawed and religions include people, religions are inevitably going to be flawed. But they do a lot of good, especially the non fundamentalist faiths. St. Mark's feeds over 130 homeless men and women breakfast each weekend. They knit hats, scarfs and mittens for the poor and homeless. They collect food and money for food pantries. They participate in the hunger walk each year. They do the landscaping for a women's and children's shelter here each spring. They have a breakfast and forum of the homeless women each Thursday. They have gotten the word out so that people are coming forward with jobs and homes for these ladies. The church helped me out in many, many ways with Mickey and Julian. I can't even begin to list all they did and still do for Julian. Catholic Churches do many good things in the communities they reside in. If you don't choose to participate in religion, that is fine. Many people make the same choice everyday. But please realize that your experience is very limited. One day you just might get a very pleasant surprise.
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  FlyingHighNow

  Of course you've also got to believe in it too. But I think it would be neat to believe in being forgiven, truly forgiven, for what you've said or done.

  We forgive our children: don't we?

  I used to long for the church I grew up in where people could believe different things if they wanted and God was a kind, loving, very, very forgiving fatherly figure. I used to long for the kindness of the people in the church who never made me feel uncomfortable, save one Sunday school teach with a naturally sour disposition.

  I went back to my church. Not the same one, but the Episcopal Church. I love it. It's not perfect, but it respects my conscience will lead me to do the right things eventually.The sermons last 15 minutes. They are always positive.
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  FlyingHighNow

  The attire of the clergy is absurd (to me).

  Minimus, do you know why they wear vestments? Because it is exactly the attire of Jesus' day. The Roman priests from the beginning wore that attire and didn't update it. The Anglicans and Lutherens also wear it. And the Orthodox Churches wear similar garb.
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  StAnn

  Minimus, just how extensive has your study of Catholicism been? I assume you formed your opinion of the RCC based upon your readings of her official writings, such as the Catechism of the Catholic Church? What in the Cathechism seems so wrong to you?
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  inrainbows

  Well, I can't comment for those who leave and become Catholics who believe that Catholicism is THE Truth.

  But I think that is where the error of thinking lies; JW's think religion is about finding THE truth. About literalism. Thus the idea of an x-JW becoming a RC is abusrd.

  But for most people it is about belief and metaphor. In many countries Catholics are actually quite relaxed in their belief. Ignoring the vocal minorities in any creed which distort ones perception of a religion, Catholicism is not about totalitarian unswerving specifity of belief.

  Many Catholics quite happily ignore many 'rules', contraception, marriage, etc., etc.. Many rarely go to church. But they still feel they are real Catholics.

  They identify themselves with a TRADITION of belief that has changed and will change, as soon as the old guard die out. Another Pope could have been a cusp; this Pope (Pope Fester; check the photos and compare) is a traditionalist who has rewound some progress. But the RC as is cannot sustain itself.

  Thus is we free ourselves from the ideological straitjacket we had imposed opon us and accept that this may not be the way other people (or x-JW's) view their religion, people becoming RC's (at least of a modern liberal bent) is not surprising.
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  justhuman

  The Papal Church holds a prominent possition in the Christian world. Plus it is much closer to the Christian Gospel from the rest of the Protestand religions and groups. It has history that goes back centuries and holds monuments of Christianity.

  But what actually should a JW or anyone coming from the Protestand movement it is to examine the Christian history from the Early Church until now. Doing this there are many questions that coming up and need to be examine:

  1.Is the Holy Bible the only basis for the Christian faith?

  2. Were in the Bible indicates that only the Bible is our basis for our Christian Faith?

  3. Who set the Biblical Canon?

  4.What is the Protestand basis to accept the 66 books of the Bible instead of 77 that Orthodox and Catholic Church accepts?

  5. Were in the Bible is telling us the Books that we should accept as the Biblical Canon are part of the Holy Scriptures?

  6. Can you indicate a verse in the Bible that claims to be infalible?

  7. Were in the Bible is telling us that the faith of the Church is being set according to the Bible and not the opposite?

  8. In the Early Christian Church we had the Apostoles and the Prophets and they were appointed by the Holy Spirit Elders (Episkopoi in Greek)and this succesion is being carried for over 2000 years in the Apostolic Church, starting from James the first Bishop of Jerusalim.Do JW's or any Protestand has any Apostolic Succesion?

  9. Has the Apostolic Church ever Apostasized?

  10.Why do Protestands accept a Bible that was set by the Apostolic Church with Saint Athanasius(Greek Orthodox) at the 3th century who defined the Biblical canon?Is it correct on their behalf to accept a Bible that came out from the "apostate" Christians?

  11. What do the writtings of the first 2 centuries of Christianity indicate to us regarding the Christian faith since we have letters from the immediate succesors of the Apostles like The letter to the Church of Magnisis from Saint Ignatios the Bishop of Antioch? It was written between 97 AD - 107AD.

  12. Would Jesus allow Satan to turn the Church that He set with His Blood an "apostate"Church, and Satan would truimph over Jesus Church for hundreds of years?

  I do understand why many JW's become Catholics. As a member now of the Holy Catholic Apostolic Orthodox Church I found answers to my questions to the Church that Jesus set 2000 years and still is going strong despite the many obstacles.

  I know God is not a God of hate and that in the end we are ALL going to be saved by the Grace of Jesus. Because God is Love that is why Jesus blood set us free
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  WTWizard

  Some born-in witlesses are more comfortable with that style of religion, and are choked off by the witlesses. Hence, the Catholic church is the religion that will give them the balance of structure and freedom. Still, I feel being totally independent of any religion is far better.