Why people would convert to Catholicism?

Answer 1

An individual would convert to Catholicism because they understand that it is the true Church, established by Our Lord Jesus Christ, outside of which, as the Church has unceasingly taught, nobody can be saved. They might be convinced of the veracity of the Catholic claims by the miracles which have always accompanied the Church (Google Lourdes, the Shroud of Turin, the miracle of Lanciano, the miracle of the Sun at Fatima in 1917, etc. for more information.) Or, they might be swayed by the reasonableness of the Catholic religion, which is not based, as many Protestant denominations are, on a blind faith, but on deductive logic. The Church teaches that it is actually a heresy for a Catholic to assert that one cannot prove the existence of God and the veracity of the Catholic religion. Further, a convert might be attracted by the history behind the Catholic Church, which extends to Apostolic times. The list of Popes, beginning with today's Pope Benedict XVI, extends back through 2,000 years and 266 predecessors, to the first Pope, St. Peter himself, who left Antioch and established his see (bishopric) in the city of Rome where he was subsequently martyred. We know from scripture and tradition that the true Church has four marks. She is one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic. The Catholic Church is the only religious body claiming the name "Christian" which meets these requirements. She is one in faith and belief: From the earliest times until now, the Church's teaching has remained unchanged and unchanging, not subject to foibles and variations. If it is a matter of divine faith, it is untouched -truly, some "Catholics" dissent from one teaching or another, but they do not represent their Church, only their own heretical ideas. She is holy -the doctrine of the Catholic Church has produced holy men and saints in every age, as one may readily ascertain by a brief reading of their lives, works, and faith. Her doctrine conforms to the same exemplary morality as her founder, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Even anti-Catholic and anti-religious rationalists, such as Harnack and Kant, have acknowledged that the Catholic moral code, while difficult, is the most perfect known to man. The Church is Catholic: that is, she is universal and visible. Her faith has been professed everywhere, always, by all the true followers of Christ. It is one, and it is universally the same. Finally, the Church is apostolic, meaning that She originated with the apostles, and faithfully preserves their teaching and authority down to the present day. The head of the Apostolic college was St. Peter, as Scripture tells us, and his authority passed to his successor-bishop, Pope St. Linus of Rome, thence to St. Clement, and onward, to Pope Benedict the Sixteenth today. The Catholic faith's unchanging nature is readily ascertained by reading the Church fathers of the first centuries, whose written records of the faith and belief of Christians in those early ages uphold and fully support the Church's claims to be the True Church. The alternatives to Catholicism do not satisfy, either on a spiritual level, a moral level, or an intellectual level. Intellectually, they all fall short, owing their origination not to Our Lord, but to some fractious and troublesome schismatic (as in the case of the Eastern Orthodox) or to a heretic who arrogantly upheld his own false teaching or understanding over the interpretation given by Apostolic tradition and authority. Some of them, such as the Protestant denominations, were founded more than a thousand years after the Catholic Church ----the implications of this are absurd: everybody was living in darkness for 1,500 years (and Our Lord's promise never to desert his Church or let her fall into error was proven wrong) until a German monk with strong political ties thought that he could come up with a better idea than anyone else before. In the Catholic Church, a man submits to God's will: God's authority is vested in the Church, who guides us to eternal life. But in the Protestant system, a man is his own authority unto himself, allegedly inspired by the Holy Spirit (this inspiration falls, however, when we look at the 30,000+ sects who all claim the correct inspiration and interpretation of The Bible and religious matters.) Morally, the Catholic Church permits nothing which is objectively sinful, and forbids nothing which is objectively good or morally neutral. The same claim cannot be made for other religions: some ban alcohol, some, innocent amusements such as dancing or card playing, others permit moral evils such as abortion or contraception (a selfish and lustful deliberate thwarting of the natural ends of the faculties which God gave us for the propagation of the human race.) In sum, there are many, many reasons to become a Catholic, and no reasons to avoid becoming a Catholic, save those which are motivated not by virtue, but by a predilection to vice. (If a man loves adultery and commits it often, is "addicted" to it, so to speak, and knows that the Catholic Church condemns this sin, he is unlikely to go out of his way to join the Catholic Church even if he acknowledges its truth, because it would inconvenience him. Such an attitude is understandable, but not pardonable ---it is very short-sighted. He will have his pleasure in this short time on earth, but even that will be ultimately hollow and unfulfilling, and in eternity he will have ample opportunity to rue his wasted life.)

Answer 2

In addition to the things which are common to most Christian denominations i.e. that you gain eternal life by entering the Kingdom of Heaven through Baptism and by practicing the essentials for living a Christian life Catholicism teaches the offering of sacrifice to God and partaking of the sacrificial offering (various animal and bird offerings in the Old Testament, the Lamb of God in the New Testament, the sacrifice of the Mass in the Catholic Church). Because Catholicism is the faith of Christ. The only Christian denomination that Jesus Christ himself founded, it is the only true apostolic faith.

Answer 3

People become Catholics to go to the Kingdom of the Lord after death. They shall become happy. Eternal life is theirs, and even though currently during life,you shall have trouble, you will be happy after death. If you are considering becoming a Catholic, I say you should.

God bless you.

Answer 4

people convert into Christianity because they think that it is probably better than their own religion. i think people should stick to their own religion and respect everyone else's religion. if someone does want to convert then it's their personal reasons or they really like that religion and think it's better than other religions because they pray a lot, they are respectful, and many more reasons..

Answer 5

It's just Catholic, not Roman Catholic. Roman is an epithet first commonly used in England after the protestant revolt to describe the Catholic Church. It is never used by the official Catholic Church.

Personally, I was raised in the Lutheran and Episcopal Churches. I chose to be a Catholic when I looked into it and discovered that the Catholic Church was the only one that Jesus Christ started and that He guaranteed it until the end of the world. The Lutheran Church of my childhood was started by Martin Luther in the sixteenth century, and the Episcopal Church of my youth was started by King Henry VIII of England, and may I say that both of their motives were less than sterling, despite what later historians may have made up about them. I will stick with the only Church founded by God for my salvation.

Answer 6

To obtain the eternal reward of being with the Lord, the fullfillment of a human being.

Answer 7

People would convert to Catholicism because they believe it to be the truth.

Answer 8

Because they want to obey Jesus by following Him in His Church.