A Conversation with a Re-formed Catholic

A Conversation with a Re-formed Catholic

    I had the privilege to sit down with one of my good friends Tim and pick his brain about his life previously as a practicing Catholic and now as a Presbyterian. He ecstatically agreed and we had a great conversation about his life. Tim grew up in Harrisburg, the son of Catholic parents, he was baptized as an infant, went to a Catholic school, was confirmed and went to Mass every weekend. Tim said he did the whole “shabang.” Here is a bit of our conversation:

     Sam: What was your biggest problem with Christianity before becoming a Christian?

     Tim: The fact that I didn’t know a lot of nice Christians was the biggest problem. When my friend tried to introduce Christianity, he came out kinda snobby and attacked the faith that I grew up with. He pointed out the things that Catholicism did that did not line up with Christianity like the pope, confession, communion, baptism and Mary. I knew the gospel before when in Catholicism and they are not that different from Protestantism.    

      Sam: What would you say Protestants miss in terms of understanding Catholicism?

     Tim: When I talk to them they have this radical, radical view of Catholicism. They think that Catholics have this view that the only way to get to heaven is your works, that Mary is glorified more than Christ. It isn’t the case, she is just glorified. It is still wrong, but they sometimes have the view that she is over Christ. They sometimes think the Pope is some sinister power hungry anti-Christ. They feel as if the priest is like a walkie-talkie for God when in the confession booth and that is not the case.

     Sam: As a Protestant now what would you tell your Catholic self five years ago?

     Tim: I would probably tell my old Catholic self: “Is the faith that I am pursuing and taught, truly following scripture and Christ?” I would ask myself to evaluate the wrongs and the rights of what I was learning.

    Tim went on to describe his experiences coming from a Catholic context and becoming Reformed. Tim to this day has only been a Christian for a year and a half. He attends Thaddeus Stevens where he says he has the hardest time living for Christ. Tim later in the discussion commented on how there is a need to know the “deeper things” of Christianity. He  told of how his encounters at college with inner-city students have required him to learn to answer some of the harder questions of life and how even though they may be looked down upon for being from the city, they were certainly not dumb. Tim said there is a need for students of the Bible to go and befriend some of his colleagues to show that Christianity has the answers and that Christians are not hypocrites.