I converted to Roman Catholicism AMA

[lightsandmirrors]

I was recieved into the Roman Catholic Church a few years ago, having previously been an atheist. Ask me anything and I will try to answer!

What led to you changing your mind after being an atheist?

Do you follow all the teachings in the Catechism of the Catholic Church?

Did you have any faith experience prior to being atheist?

What drew you to Christianity and specifically the Catholic church?

Did you have road to Damascus experience?

Why?

(Majorly lapsed 'cultural catholic' here!)

What's your view on abortion and gay marriage?

What do you think of the way that the Catholic Church has handled child sex abuse, and why did you want in on an organisation that turned such a blind eye to men raping kids?

What are you views on papal infallibility?

@KnightsofColumbusThatHurt

Why?

(Majorly lapsed 'cultural catholic' here!)

Also a majorly lapsed cultural catholic and also my first thought in reading the title was ‘Why?!?’

Why do you want to be part of such a patriarchal institution?

Do you agree with the churches stance on contraception?

how has your life changed since becoming Catholic?

Cultural RC here, watching with interest.
Why RC in particular, as opposed to CofE or another denomination?

Lapsed Catholic here too. Why?

Another lapsed catholic here trying to fathom why someone would want in?!

It’ll be because of a bloke most likely.

Do you believe in transubstantiation?

Adrian Chiles converted to RC in adulthood, his account is interesting.

Really puzzled about how a person moved from atheism to belief in a deity. Would love to know what caused the change.

And how do you feel about Pope Francis, compared to Benedict?

Another cultural Catholic who finds it baffling why any person of average intelligence who has not been soaked in Catholicism from birth would actively choose to endorse a corrupt patriarchal institution which has been responsible for the sexual and economic abuse and detention of generations of women and children. (I make allowances to an extent for people of my parents’ generation, in whose psychological DNA It is.)

Why, if you were attracted to Christianity from having been an atheist, not choose a more liberal, progressive, egalitarian version, with a female priesthood or none, like Unitarianism or Quakerism?

In what ways has your life improved since becoming a catholic?

I, too, am a catholic. I stopped going for a long period and then started going again. For me, there is something that makes me feel warm inside. For me, the catholic faith is about living a life full of love, compassion and kindness. I also believe that it is not my place to judge anyone else. Gay marriage, abortions etc. I don’t and never would judge or have a negative opinion on anyone for those reasons.

@NameChange84

What led to you changing your mind after being an atheist?

Do you follow all the teachings in the Catechism of the Catholic Church?

Changing my mind was a very long process (over probably about 8 years) so difficult to communicate briefly. But I think that to sum up it would be doing more research and reading into religion in general, meeting people who took their faith seriously who I respected and saw as 'normal', and a kind of nagging feeling that wouldn't go away in the back of my which kept bringing me back to faith.

I try to follow all the teachings of the catechism and I have definitely had to make some sacrifices to do this and it has its challenges.

Are you woman OP, how do you feel about its teachings with regard to women and the role of women in the church?

(Brought up Catholic too)

How do you feel supporting an organisation that has systematically covered up child abuse, over a very long time?

I have had a totally bizarre desire to do this for 20 years and have no idea why. I went to a Catholic service on a French exchange when I was 17 and have never forgotten it. Thing is, I can't hand on heart say I believe in god. I go to church, I just don't feel at all drawn to the blobbiness of the CoE. It keeps changing. Do you now go to church every week or less often? Do you do charity stuff? How did your family take it? My mother is a vicar and I think she'd be really hurt, which is why I've never pursued it.

Came to ask the transubstantiation question but see it’s already taken.

So I’m going to ask did you previously consider yourself to be a feminist and if you did how does that tie in with your new found faith? I went to an RC school for sixth form and found the attitudes about women very, very distasteful and a reason as to why I could never be a Catholic.

Sorry another question, what about contraception? I can't face having another child...

So how did this happen? What made you believe in GOD? Why christianity? And why catholic?
I am catholic I would say (I believe in GOD and was raised in a catholic family), but I do not stick to all rules or really go to church much. I am ok with gay marriage.
Divorce better to be avoided, work on the marriage, but if there is no way, I am ok with it.
Abortion, I will not judge anyone, but I would not be able to do it. Yet, for medical reasons it is 100% different to me. I cannot bear Ireland's approach, a woman died of an infection after her foetus was already dead and all! And mothers can be forced to risk their health or complete pregnancies that will never be viable.
I am pro contraception.
I would never forget them for turning a blind eye to child abuse.

OP, dud addopting a faith change any if your views on these sort of things?