Catholics/Becoming Catholic

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Expert: - 2/4/2006


Question
 
 I started going to mass this past Decemeber and i loved it.  I starting thinking and doing a lot a research on the Cstholic faith. And i have decided that the Catholic faith is for me, but my friends are totally against it.  I know its my decision, but it makes it quit difficult not to have my friends supporting me.  Did you ever have this problem, if so how did you deal with it?  

Answer
That's wonderful! You know, these days I find myself going to Mass practically every day. But I remember at the beginning how I was sort of embarrassed that people in the university might see me. I really don't know why! I guess it was deemed "cool" to be a Pagan or an Agnostic. And worshipping Christ was often met with cynicism. But the thing is, going to the Mass made me feel good. So I just followed that. And I've never looked back.

The way I see it, friends should respect you for who you are. People tend to change quite a bit through the life cycle. Some friends change along with you, others become more like acquaintances and some go in different directions altogether. The important thing in life, as I see it, is to be who you are.

If you happen to become not so close to some of your old friends due to your faith, you'll most likely make new ones through the Church.

All the best. Be yourself!

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Michael Clark, Ph.D.

Expertise

I'm a progressive Catholic--not a liberal, conservative nor a single-minded critic of Catholicism. I simply believe that adults in the 21C should use the mind God gave them and not just repeat ancient and medieval modes of thinking.

I can probably help with questions that intelligently and respectfully question those aspects of Catholicism that are not infallible. But if you're looking for someone to vigorously defend or perhaps refute Catholicism as a whole, that's not me. So please ask another expert.

Experience

I run an educational website earthpages.org and know what the web has to offer. I might suggest hyperlinks and/or book titles as I have a Ph.D. in Religious Studies and a considerable personal library.

Publications
Print Media:
My table from "Religions and Cults" at earthpages.org is reproduced with permission in L. Lindsey, S. Beach and B. Ravelli, Core Concepts in Sociology, 2nd ed., p. 157

World Wide Web:
My online article "Letter to God" coauthored with Buddhist monk, E. Raymond Rock, appears on several different spirituality-based websites, including http://tinyurl.com/db7a5o

I've interviewed, as a Christian, a self-proclaimed mystic: http://tinyurl.com/cawykr

My articles appeared at the former New View magazine nuvunow.ca and are published at earthpages.org.

Education/Credentials
Ph.D. in Religious Studies
M.A. in Comparative Religion
B.A. Hon. in Psychology/Sociology
For more info, please see my CV and letters of recommendation and my blog at michaelwclark.com.

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