Dr. Taylor Marshall has a real treasure of a post today
entitled 10
Reasons why it’s Hard to Become Catholic. By all means get on over to his
site and explore, especially if you are a first time visitor. Sign up for his daily
email if you’re interested.
Considering the nature of this blog, Contra|Diction, Dr. Marshall’s post is a keeper so I’ve reproduced
it below. Enjoy! (but if you're not Catholic, give him an honest listen)
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10
Reasons Why It's Hard to Become Catholic
Is it
difficult to become Catholic?
I
don't often disclose personal thoughts on this blog, but I feel that this is
something that might be helpful for folks on both sides of the Tiber: Ten
Reasons why it's hard to become Catholic.
I have
spoken to somewhere between 50-100 Protestant ministers who have become
Catholic or are contemplating entry into full communion with the Catholic
Church. Most of these are Anglican or Presbyterian. A few have been
Lutheran.
Over
the last several years, I've gathered up the "big ten" that either
cause pain or lead to a man saying "No thanks," to the Catholic
Church.
#10
Theological Submission
It's
difficult to say serviam ("I will serve"). Theology is no
longer "what I think". It requires a submission of the mind. At the
same time, this a liberation of the mind. Still, it is difficult to tell
oneself: "I don't fully understand the Treasury of Merit, but I will
submit my reason to the reason of the Church."
#9
Priests
Catholic
priests are not like Protestant ministers. Relatively speaking, they are more distant
than Protestant clergy, albeit for good reasons sometimes. A Protestant has the
experience of a minister smiling whenever he sees you, memorizing your name,
and generally going out of his way to make a personal connection. This rarely
happens in Catholicism. I admit it - it wounds my pride a little. I wish that I
were greeted and hailed by the pastor after Mass. It's humbling to be part of
the masses at Mass.
Protestant
ministers usually have smaller congregations and more competition with one another.
Hence, the minister is much more likely to say, "Hey, let's go to
Starbucks this week and talk about your faith."
Of course, I know dozens of Catholic priests who do reach out on a personal level, but for the most part, Catholic priests are stretched out more thinly. Consequently, personal access is more rare. And to be honest, I'm glad to know that my priests are hearing confessions and going to the hospital all the time. That's a much better use of their time than drinking expensive coffee with me.
Of course, I know dozens of Catholic priests who do reach out on a personal level, but for the most part, Catholic priests are stretched out more thinly. Consequently, personal access is more rare. And to be honest, I'm glad to know that my priests are hearing confessions and going to the hospital all the time. That's a much better use of their time than drinking expensive coffee with me.
#8
Liturgy
I am
beginning to think that there is nothing as controversial in the Catholic
Church as liturgy. It is at the center of everything.
I like
clean, tight liturgies. Altar boys turning on a dime and making a 90 degree
right angle around the altar. Latin. Gregorian chant. Synchronized
genuflections. Defined signs of the crosses. Corporal folded the proper way (up
not down!) You may have guessed it. I attend the Extraordinary Form of the
Mass.
However,
it's not like that everywhere. There are some wonderful liturgies and some
not-so-wonderful liturgies. Sometimes, potential converts walk in to a
not-so-wonderful liturgy with broken rubrics and oddities. It's difficult for
many - especially if they are coming from a more liturgical form of
Protestantism. I don't know the best answer to this problem. All I know that it
is a problem.
My suggested solution is the "Great Catholic Migration of the 21th Century." Click here to read more about "the great migration."
My suggested solution is the "Great Catholic Migration of the 21th Century." Click here to read more about "the great migration."
#7
Dealing with marriage, divorce, homosexuality, contraception, abortion
Some
people have irregular marriages, live homosexual lifestyles, or enjoy the
comforts of contraception. It's painful to allow your divorce and re-marriage
to be examined by the bishop's tribunal. It's embarrassing to talk
about a 'lifestyle.' It's not easy to imagine having a minivan overflowing with
car seats or to rethink the vasectomy.
For
some, they have to revisit an abortion that occurred decades ago. These sort of
things cut deep to the heart and make us squirm. All this is understandable and
I think that these things should be addressed with caution and compassion. If
you're a potential convert, pray for and seek out a good priest with whom you
can speak confidentially.
I'll
also add from personal experience, the healing a good confession is about 100
times more powerful than any of the shame or fear associated with past
problems. I think others here would agree.
(Please
leave a comment below to testify to this reality so others might be assured.)
#6
Financial discomforts
If
you're a clergyman you stand to lose your great pension, great health benefits,
discretionary fund, and your salary. I've been there and it's tough. It's
likely that you haven't been trained to do anything else that is marketable. I
doubt that anyone out there will pay you six figures to write sermons for them
or lead a small-group Bible study. It goes without saying that most ministers
take a major pay cut when they become Catholic. Their family income goes down.
They usually start having more kids. Also, they usually start paying for
parochial education - another hit to the pocketbook.
#5
Vocational confusion
It was
difficult at first to admit that my Anglican priesthood was invalid. I wasn't a
priest long, but I heard confessions, anointed the dying, etc. What was I
doing? What was God doing? Why did God let me function sacramentally with
people who were deeply hurting. I still don't know how to "classify"
those ministerial acts.
I think other would-be converts struggle with the same ideas. Even if they were laymen, they wonder about their past roles as Sunday school teachers, mentors, Bible study leaders, counselors, etc.
I think other would-be converts struggle with the same ideas. Even if they were laymen, they wonder about their past roles as Sunday school teachers, mentors, Bible study leaders, counselors, etc.
#4
Non-Catholic ridicule and estrangement
Family
and friends do not understand. Even when they try to understand, they will
never appreciate the frustrations, study, and heart-searching that goes into
becoming Catholic. Some Anglicans still call me "Father", which makes
me feel uncomfortable. Others have written terrible things about me. I've never
been more greatly attacked for anything else in my life.
Tension
often arises with parents and siblings. I've even heard of converts who were
cut out of the inheritance because they became "Roman".
#3
Catholic ridicule and estrangement
This
may seem odd, but some Catholics are suspicious of converts to Catholicism.
These come in two forms. Type A is the cradle-Catholic who has all their ducks
in a row and suspects the convert of being a crypto-Protestant unschooled in
the ways of being Catholic. If the new Catholic prays extemporaneously, then
it's "We don't do that." If the convert quotes Scripture about
something, they frown upon this, too.
Some
Catholics also seem to think that it is helpful to ridicule my past as a
non-Catholic, as if that would somehow validate me as now "one of
them." Some Catholics just love to hear converts bash their former faith.
This places converts in a strange position.
Type B
is the cradle-Catholic who is less committed to the distinctives of the
Catholic faith. They see zealous converts as a threat. These converts are
overly-concerned with dogma and truth. And this leads us to obstruction number
two...
#2
RCIA (Rite for Christian Initiation of Adults)
RCIA
must have been invented so that every conversion to the Catholic Church might
somehow be miraculous. It is becoming an element of Catholic lore that RCIA is
commonly led or organized by someone who is a "type B" Catholic as
described above. These people don't seem to understand how zealous these
converts can be. These leaders stress the "feelings" part of
Catholicism and not the "orthodoxy" part of Catholicism much to the
chagrin of the converts who have had it up to their ears in Protestant appeals
to their feelings.
It's
amazing how many people "give up" in RCIA. It's also amazing how many
push on through. I know many who have had wonderful RCIA experiences, but I
know many more who had to defend the Catholic faith while taking RCIA.
Just
so I don't step on any toes, I salute and applaud all the great RCIA teachers
out there. I know that you're out there and we are thankful for you! Keep up
the great work.
#1
Pride
I
don't know how to say this in a witty way, but pride holds the number one slot.
At one point in life I felt that I was too good for all those people who
respected the Infant of Prague. I'm ashamed to admit, but there it is. Why join
a religion where adherents air brush images of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the
hoods of their lowriders? (I grew up in Texas...) One Protestant gentlemen even
told me that he couldn't be Catholic because it was "the religion of the
masses." I asked him what he meant, and the term "Mexicans" was
employed in his reply.
It's snobbery
against the religion of the masses and immigrants.
It's
just cooler to go to an Evangelical mega-church that has a pool, basketball
gym, powerpoint presentations, podcasts, and a rocking "praise team."
I sometimes wish that our homilies had really cool cultural references in them
or solidly crafted "gotcha" endings. Alas, this is not typical of the
parochial homily.
Question: So
these are the top ten that I perceive. I'd love to hear what you think are the
obstacles to Catholicism.
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