Expert: Fr. Michael - 10/21/2011

Question
Hi,

For 35 years I was a very loyal Roman Catholic. I was even an extra-ordinary minister of the Eucharist for one year...till I left the church. I left the church because in the summer of 2003 I found a book on the bargain book shelf at Barnes and Nobles. It was "A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs" by David Bercot. All the book really is is quotes from the Ante-Nicene fathers about 700 different topics in early Christianity. I began studying the book, along with other books I had, such as "Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma" by Ludwig Ott. Also I read other writings of the Ante-Nicene and Early Church Fathers that I found online. Mostly I used the online Catholic Encyclopedia to find the writings I needed.

My intended purpose of studying this was to prove to myself that the Roman Catholic Church is the true church and that it is the same church as the one that existed in the first 3 centuries of Christendom. But within 2 months I came to the conclusion that the teachings of the church evolved over time and that the early church of the first 3 centuries was not the Roman Catholic Church. Even within the first 3 centuries there was a lot of evolution of theology, but it was evident to me that in the first century the faith of Christianity was nothing like what it turned into during the middle ages.

One of the things that broke me was the evolution of the confessional. Originally there was no confessional. But for some reasons (reasons which could be speculated upon) the church developed the idea that if a baptized believer commits one of the 3 worst sins of Judaism, that that person becomes eternally lost, having committed an unforgivable sin. These people became the "lapsed", and once they had committed the offense there was no coming back. The church leaders therefore came up with a formula to allow these people back in by giving them a second chance in the form of what was referred to as "the second baptism". It was confessing the sin before the congregation, doing a long and harsh penance, and then being readmitted by the laying on of hands by the local bishop. For all this one can find Bible quotes, that if taken out of context, make it all sound plausible. Once I learned that the confessional was invented at least 180 years after the resurrection of Christ, I broke. I denounced the Catholic faith and left the church. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was a sacrament, which by definition was instituted by Christ, but in reality it didn't see the light of day till over a century after Christ died on the Cross of Calvary.

Then I learned about the evolution of the papacy, and how early bishops of Rome who tried to exert power outside of their jurisdiction were denounced and accused of over stepping their authority. Victor, Stephen and Damasus are all examples used by good Roman Catholics to defend the papacy, but Victor and Stephen were both ignored and condemned by other bishops of the time. And Damasus came to power with a 3 day massacre in with at least 137 people were killed This happened 53 years after Constantine legalized the church, giving it's bishops power and money. The position of the Bishop of Rome went from a position for which men were willing to die, to a position for which men were willing to kill.

When it came to studying Catholic Dogma in Ott's book, I realized that popes and councils have contradicted each other over and over again through out history. Even Luther said that when he started the Protestant Reformation.

I have realized that no modern day church is an example of the Apostolic church that existed in the first century. So I joined a denomination which I felt was closest to the early church. I became a Conservative Baptist. And that is where I am now.

A friend of mine who is a priest told me after he learned of my conversion that he never wants to see me again. When I was a child the nuns in Catholic school were some of the worst people I had ever met in my life and I think to myself that Jesus said: "Know them by their fruits." And no Catholic I know ever reads the Bible. I began thinking about these matters, and now 8 years later, I am happy I left and have no desire to return. If Jesus said know them by their fruits, and these are the fruits I see, then what other choice do I have but to leave such an institution?

Please Fr. Michael, tell me what you think of my conversion story. I'm curious as to what you might tell me if you were advising me. The reason I write to you is partly to get your answer, and partly to show you why so many people leave the RCC.

Thank you!!

Answer
The problem is that what you are describing as the "Roman Catholic Church" is not that.  It is the Newchurch of the New Order that was established after the Modernist Council Vatican II (1962-1965).  The reason I know that is that the true Catholic Church does not have "eucharistic ministers."  That is a corruption of Catholic and Apostolic practice.  Moreover, the "priest" that you talked to is not a priest, but a New Order presbyter, who does not believe in traditional Catholic and Apostolic teaching.

Many true Catholic priests (not the quasi-Protestant minister of the Newchurch) refused to go along with the corruptions that you describe, and courageously stood up for the true Catholic and Apostolic Faith.  In your researches you apparently missed this fact.  The true Catholic Faith is now often called "traditional" to distinguish it from the New Order sect that frequently calls itself "Catholic" but is not.

Conservative Baptists are closer to the true Faith than the liberalist New Order sect, but they are still a modern creation, from the 17th century, not the Catholic and Apostolic Church of Biblical times that you are seeking.  I would refer you to the Official Traditional Catholic Directory, available at www.traditio.com/nat.htm, which lists traditional Catholic and Apostolic sites geographically.  The Ante-Nicene Fathers could have walked into such churches and recognized them as authentic.  They would not recognize the churches of the New Order pseudo-Catholic sect as authentic.

I applaud your efforts to find the Catholic and Apostolic Church, but you clearly have gotten onto the wrong track with the best of intentions.  Keep studying; keep researching.  Deo volente, you eventually find the true path.