Primary Motivation in Becoming Christian?

I think the primary motivations in becoming Christian should be:

1. Because it's true.
2. Because it brings great joy.
3. Because it gives our lives meaning.

Perhaps too short, or missing - but, indeed, Christianity is the most joyous religion, with the most good news possible. It is, in the face of a world clearly imperfect and with many suffering people, the happiest, best news we can imagine. 

In fact, we know it is greater than we can imagine - surpassing our best hopes and dreams.

The Saviour commands us to love God with everything, and we start by imagining or understanding God as He is - the most loving, caring Father possible, overflowing with joy and happiness and the infinite beauty of Himself and creation that He desires to share with us.

To participate we, ultimately, only have to let-go of the darkness in our lives, the falsehoods, errors, and flaws that somehow bind us and are destructive to creation and joy. We need to repent those things and seek God, to love Him.

The threat of great suffering is real, as we should know even now from sufferings in-this-life, but the greatest will be the loss of that relationship, and joy with God - He is infinite, and eternal, and the sufferings of that loss from a Heavenly perspective are of a greater pain, a greater loss to God's creation, and so worse than we can possibly imagine now (just as the joys are also beyond our happiest imaginings and dreams).

God Wills That None Are Lost

Some "Internet Catholics" say most are condemned to eternal torment (except, perhaps, readers of the blog?)

https://stevensperay.wordpress.com/the-fewness-of-the-saved-most-christians-go-to-hell/


Yet how can you hold that view without undermining the Mercy and Charity of God - and the efficacy of the Son of God's eternal sacrifice?

2 Peter 3:9New International Version (NIV) 

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

1 Timothy 2:3-4New International Version (NIV) 

3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be savedand to come to a knowledge of the truth. 

John 3:16-17New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 

16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 

17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 

Everyone's a Heretic

My first tongue-in-cheek title.

The real problem I've had in starting out a Catholic is that I find my own beliefs and understandings of Church doctrine are quickly called heretical by other internet Catholics, and that for those who profess that "Church teachings are very clear and consistent" appear to enjoy using that to try and bludgeon others into accepting their system - I think there is great pride for some in being the biggest "I am the most correctist person" and pointing out everyone else's heresies for them.

--

Bonald writes that the Pope's apparently heretical statements have made him doubt the trustworthiness of all the Pope's statements and writings.

David responds that we must be "subject to the Roman Pontiff" or we're going to Hell, presumably because otherwise we're heretics.

George says out the SSPX has left the church because the "Vatican II" council contains statements that or in error, or tending towards heresy, while liberals within the church accuse the SSPX of being schismatic and potentially facing the same punishment as heretics for not being directly obedient to the current Pontiff (and his apparent heretical beliefs?)

David responds that George's understanding of the Vatican II teachings (that non-Catholics belief systems can lead to salvation) are wrong and the teachings are consistent, and that George is preaching heresy by believing his interpretation of those teachings.

Olaus concludes by accusing Bonald of being heretical traditionalist, and furthermore daring to preach the heresy of Fideism.

--

I asked my local conservative Priest (I think the most, or one of the most, conservative in our parish) about what it-all-means. He explained that, indeed, non-Catholics may obtain salvation and that we should hope for it - though the Catholic church is the only true path and church established by God.

The last part sounds about right, but I'm not so sure about the first (though I'd like to believe it). At least he's not quite as heretical as the Pope, but I fear the internet might still condemn him as a heretic for not condemning all non-Catholics to Hell.

It's good to know that we as Catholics can at least figure it all out (?) even when the Pope's statements are especially hard to interpret in light of previous statements - because they're not really heretical or you're a heretic for thinking so. (I'm pretty sure Bonald's commenters have also pointed out that's a heresy too though.)

The Essential Problem of Catholicism

The essential problem of the Catholic church today is a failure to adapt to certain circumstances, and adaption attempts that have lead to more evil than good.

Traditional Catholics recognize the failings of the "Vatican II" adaptations, and would like to simply return to a pre-1960s church. Liberal Catholics want to ignore history and rewrite the doctrine of the church to be largely secular and modern. Conservative Catholics are attempting to make an apparent continuity between the traditional church and the broken and erred modernism introduced into the church with the reforms.

The specific problem is the transition of modern society from hierarchical to its present corrupted democracy. The church for centuries functioned by direct control largely via rulers, and directed a whole Catholic culture and society. It has now for many years been attempting to reassert and prove this authority (e.g. Papal infallibility) in the face of radical changes, yet has continued to fail holding onto a Catholic society and Christian populace as Protestantism fractures into further segments and the rulers and propagated culture of society itself has become anti-Christian.

The church attempted to "adapt" to this, which was an analysis of a legitimate problem, by attempting to adapt secular values - which as mentioned are largely anti-Christian. Yet at the same time the real problem persisted of a completely authoritarian church, used to ruling through secular and political ties to a large extent, completely losing those ties.

The reality is we can no longer rely on the top-down conversion of political rulers, who are in the sway of evil, but must rely on a mass, individual, personal Christianity that is made real and revealed on the individual level. We must return to a more apostolic Christianity which relied on individual conversion and experience of the Holy Spirit - direct insight and individual confirmation of the reality and truth of Jesus and Christianity.