Catlick

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    Catholic

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  1. Hello Catlick, its a pleasant surprise to see you back here again, I had occasionally wondered about you. I see you asked your question back on August 6, but I mainly look in the gospel questions forum and don't often look in the forum where you posted your question so I didn't realise you were back until just the other day. I'm not sure if you remember me; you and I exchanged a few messages a few years ago. I recall I spoke with you somewhat boldly about coffee I think? Or maybe it was about being indecisive, I'm not quite sure. 

    Two years and still investigating? hmmm. I'm not making and judgements here, everybody works at their own pace, and I'm pretty good at procrastinating and being slothful and its definitely not as easy when you are doing it on your own without your partner. Let me remind you of 1 Kings 18:8

    (Old Testament | 1 Kings 18:21)
    21  And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?  if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him.  And the people answered him not a word.
    I encourage you to reflect on this verse and hope that you will be kind enough to share your reflections.

    Once more, its nice to see you again

     

     

    1. Catlick

      Catlick

      Thank you for your message! I haven't logged on to this forum in weeks (kids started a new school year--so busy!). I so appreciate your advice--and yes, 2 years is a long time to be stuck. I do remember our conversations about coffee--and I still struggle with that, as I love coffee. Even if I could just switch to decaf--but alas, not an option. I will highlight the 1 Kings scripture and ponder it. It speaks directly to my indecision and my mulish stance at this point. I really do need to act on what God has whispered to me. Thank you so very much.

       

  2. That would be great! Actually, it goes back into the budget that is spent on replacing books that have been lost by patrons.
  3. It is so helpful to hear from other converts, An Investigator! And congrats on 'taking the plunge'! Great point about Catholics being drawn to the LDS church, it would be a matter of the recognition of the truth, wouldn't it? I never thought of it that way! And Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel is one of my favorites, too! As well as I'll Go Where You Want me to Go.
  4. Iggy, I am a librarian by trade and I would love to eventually be called as librarian. I haven't even been baptized yet, but that would be soooo cool!
  5. Jane_Doe, It is so good to hear that you don't hesitate to keep in contact with friends from your former congregation. And the music--thank you for such a practical way of looking at it. Of course, I can still listen to the music, it won't just disappear. I think I need to make my peace with still having those aspects of my Catholicism with me while taking on a new faith identity. anatess2, thank you so much. Comparing tithing to taxes is something that never crossed my mind, what a helpful comparison! It really helps put it in perspective, and I do see the good it does in doing the work of the church, maintaining buildings, etc. That makes total sense. Still something I'd have to budget out, and something I don't look forward to discussing with my agnostic husband. I'll keep praying on this, because I feel so strongly led on this path.
  6. tesuji, that is one of my favorite quotes as well! It has definitely helped put things in perspective for me. And the ward members have told me that keeping in touch with my Catholic friends and any social events is fine, and may help ease the process. I just know for sure that the LDS church is true and probably the truest thing I've heard with regard to the meaning of life. Thank you.
  7. Hi all, Well, two years of investigating and I'm still stuck and undecided. Thank you all for bearing with me. I've worked through many of the roadblocks I've had over baptism, yet there are still a couple of issues that I'm struggling with. The first is tithing in a single-member family. The missionaries told me that since my husband will not be joining the church and I am a stay at home mom, my tithing responsibility would be zero. However, I am in the job market and will likely be back at work in the next year or so. It is my understanding that once I'm working, I would be tithing based on my own income. I've done the math, and I would be tithed about $350-400 a month based on a $50,000 a year salary. Yikes! That is a car payment--on a *nice* car, and would basically be what I would be paying in after school child care. It wouldn't even make working worth it at that point, and I love my field of work (librarianship) and would not want to lose it. For full-member families, tithing is a given, but for me, it is quite a daunting thought. (Not that I'm planning on buying a car, but I'm just using that to quantify just how much of our budget that would constitute.) My second question is more emotional in nature. Although at this point I am in opposition to Catholic doctrine, I've only ever been Catholic and I'm afraid I would get "homesick." While I am ideologically in line with LDS beliefs, I worry that once I'm a church member I would miss my parish, the music, my old church community, etc. Have any of you converted and had to deal with the emotional aspect of leaving behind a faith tradition? How did you cope? These are such strange, random issues to be blocked by, I know! I'm trying my best to resolve these issues so I can go into a possible baptism with no regrets or second thoughts.
  8. It is so interesting to see the topic of "friendshipping" brought up, because I've been wondering about this just recently. I began investigating the church about a year ago. I met several other moms at my sons' school who are LDS, and I knew nothing about the church at that point. They seemed so friendly, and so welcoming, and encouraged the friendship between our kids. I felt so valued. We talked about faith at times, and they knew I wasn't 100% invested in my Catholic faith, that I was having doubts. We were invited to a few baptisms, and I was introduced to two sister missionaries by one of my friend's husbands. At that point, I was intrigued and was a "golden investigator"--I had lots of questions and was very open to hearing what the missionaries had to say. Fast forward a year--I'm still studying with the missionaries and am seriously considering baptism. However, I've noticed a change. Now that I'm in the "missionaries' hands," my friends have stepped back. I won't lie--I'm hurt. I miss their friendship, and there are no more play dates, no more texts, no more interaction on Facebook. I've actually emailed one of my closest friends (the wife of a bishop) a couple of times about my journey, about how I'm excited yet afraid of baptism, about how much I appreciated the lovely ward members that I've since met, and while she's replied, there is something guarded about her responses. She knows I'm considering baptism, yet I've had no "check-ins," nothing I would probably do for a nonmember investigating friend. I would have invited that nonmember to my home for General Conferene this weekend (I watched it at my home), I would be responding with enthusiasm and joy. When I see her at the school, its a quick hello as she walks briskly by. Hmm. I can't help but to think I've been dropped. It hurts, and I don't know what to think. That said, it doesn't make my love for the LDS church any less. I still study my scriptures, and although it may take me some time to be baptized, I do believe this church holds the fullness of truth.
  9. I'm so glad to read all of these responses, they really do help me clarify how much I'm relying on intellectual knowledge vs heart knowledge. And I agree that sometimes questions are really just veiled challenges, and I hate that. Rhetorical arguments are mean spirited and dishonest. Which is exactly why I came here to ask my questions (and continue to do so!)--there never seems to be an appropriate time to ask about the WoW, or temple garments, or why sealings are necessary, etc. I don't want to offend my close friends, as I value their friendship too much. I would never ask at Sacrament Meeting or in Doctrine and Covenants class for fear of sounding like one of those who is couching a criticism in an "innocent" question. So I come here just to lay out my honest thoughts and questions and get direct answers. Thank you all so much! This is an invaluable space for me to learn.
  10. hagoth, your 3-legged stool example is how I've always experienced faith, thank you for that. And thanks for the D&C links--those are very helpful in remembering that heavenly logic is on a level that I cannot understand as a human. That requires humility, and I know my pride gets in the way of that. Something more to pray on. estradling75, you make a good point. I think that my coming from a non-LDS background, I tend to assume that religions all have that theological background and desire/ability to discuss the deeper issues. Someone mentioned in this thread that I'm not questioning doctrine at this point, but culture of the church. I have a fear holding me back that I won't fit in, that I'll question at some point in my life (I always do in matters of faith), and that I'll keep thinking like a Catholic (even though I don't ascribe to Catholic doctrine). Oy vey.
  11. (I wish I could figure out how to quote all of you in one post, sorry about multi-posting, but here goes one more...) I live in California, and we don't have any LDS bookstores that I know of. I'll check out Deseret Book and the others you mention online, but I'd love to physically browse an LDS bookstore! I've gotta make that Salt Lake road trip someday, I really do.
  12. Wow, sounds like a jerk! Truly, my LDS friends are some of the smartest people I know--they're all professionals and have not only spent plenty of time in grad school for the book smarts, but have the life experience that I don't that makes them especially aware of the human experience (probably due to the mission years?)
  13. While I don't totally agree with you, yjacket, that there is no place for reason in the church, I love what you wrote above. I've spent so much time trying to figure things out in my head that I'm no closer to baptism and I still feel confused. I don't want to still be in this same place ten years from now, trying to make things fit on the rational level while not actually practicing my faith. I am going to print your words out, in fact, so that I have them as a reminder. I needed to hear this.