I used to like Michael Matt and Taylor marshall...but lately all of them sound like they just want likes and comments...and that's what generates money...that's just my personal opinion, not meant to defame anyone.. I follow Father Heilman..if I'm spelling it right.
If you are earning income from podcasts it is a constant effort to get likes and subscribers. It goes with the territory. Sigh.
Published in 2002, this was quite unusual to see at the time. A Buddhist converting to Catholicism. Admittedly he had been raised as an Anglican but had been a Buddhist practitioner and later Professor of Tibetan Buddhist Studies at an English university for many years. I enjoyed reading about his journey and his reasons for embracing Catholicism. The book received some criticism from Buddhists for his (in their view) 'shallow' depiction of Buddhism but there were also many positive reviews (was also having a look on Amazon just now). Unfortunately the book is now quite expensive to buy and there isn't a Kindle edition. From the Book Description: "The story of one man's unexpected pilgrimage from Buddhism to Catholicism. There are Christians who, in mid-life decide to abandon their Christian faith and become Buddhists. Paul Williams did the opposite. After twenty years spent practising and teaching Tibetan Buddhism in Britain, scholar and broadcaster Paul Williams astonished his family and friends in 1999 by converting to Roman Catholicism. Williams explains why he joined a Church that many Buddhists and others might regard as a repressed and outdated way of life and belief. He argues that being a Catholic in the modern world is no less rational than being a Buddhist, and may in many respects, be more so." There is also an old interview with Dr. Williams from the Journey Home series in 2003, which I'll post, if you might be interested to hear his story.
Article by Paul Williams from Why I'm Catholic.com On converting from Buddhism to Catholicism - One converts story. Paul Williams, OP. (Lay Dominican) https://whyimcatholic.com/index.php...st-converts/65-buddhist-convert-paul-williams
The Catholic Truth Society (CTS) booklet on Buddhism (From a Catholic Perspective) was written by Paul Williams.
A very good example of someone who converted from Islam to Catholicism is shown in this 2018 episode of the Journey Home program, which is an interview with Derya Little who eventually found her way home to Catholicism: "Derya Little grew up in a culturally Muslim household in Turkey, but when her parents divorced, it caused her to question everything, including the tenets of Islam. Studying it critically for herself, she was put off by its treatment of women, its chaotic history, and the master/slave relationship between Allah and his followers. She rejected God altogether until she met some Evangelical Christians who had both convincing arguments and compelling witnesses. However, the more she studied Christianity, the more she began to wonder about the question of who had the authority to interpret Scripture, and a study of history and theology eventually helped lead her to the Catholic Church."
Derya Little's book on her journey "From Islam to Christ". "Born and raised in Muslim Turkey, Derya Little wandered far and wide in search of her true home. After her parents' divorce, she rejected her family's Islamic faith and became an atheist. During her stormy adolescence, she tried to convince a Christian missionary that there is no God but was converted to Christ instead. Her winding path through the riddles of God was not over, however. While attending a Turkish university and serving as a Christian youth minister, Derya began to compare the teachings of Protestantism and Catholicism, and during her doctoral studies in England, she entered the Catholic Church. Ultimately, she ended up in the United States, where she has become a citizen and has settled down to raise a family. Derya's story provides a window into both Islam and modernity. It shows that the grace and the mercy of God know no bounds. Rather, the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ reaches souls in the most unlikely places."
It seems evident that, as peoples are mixing more and information is becoming more freely available, there will be increasing numbers of converts to Catholicism. The ones leaving Catholicism are the lukewarm, it seems to me, but the reports are that it is the more fervent believers of Islam, at any rate, who are choosing Christ. Perhaps, the lukewarm choose the easiest path available.
T.K. Coleman, an American minimalist philosopher, is a convert to Catholicism. Here he tells his story of coming home on the Benedictine Dialogues. https://media.benedictine.edu/media...-his-catholic-faith-the-benedictine-dialogues
Steve Patterson is a philosopher and podcaster (he hosts Patterson in Pursuit) who is "coming around to Catholicism." Here he is in conversation with T.K. Coleman.
"Coming around to Catholicism": that's sensible and convincing; nothing to do with 'enthusiasm' or 'following the herd' (seems unlikely!).
He mentions at the beginning that it's the first show he's done in about two years. In the meantime he'd been looking into Christian philosophy, especially in relation to Catholicism and Orthodoxy and to his own surprise is "coming around to Catholicism." Appears to be genuine.
Rajesh Mohur, the son of a Hindu Brahmin priest, was inspired to convert to Catholicism through his personal interaction with Saint Carlo Acutis, whose love of Jesus in the Eucharist and love of the Poor affected him deeply. https://ewtn.ie/2023/05/30/from-hinduism-to-catholicism-how-blessed-carlo-acutis-inspired-a-man-to-convert/#:~:text=''When I saw Carlo's acts,at Acutis' parish in 1999.
This thread is so inspiring. How alarming it must be to the WeAreChurch hierarchy to see souls come to the true Church in spite of all their nonsense.
I think it's just an overreaction to the sterile, non-marrying godless young people who don't want children. There are a lot of those, and it's what's been being pushed in society for so long, that this is a huge counter push from those who are disillusioned with the godless culture. I know what you mean, though. There's something missing in a lot of it, and I think what's missing is humility. I have the same gut reaction you do when I see women proudly tooting their own horn for having so many children. There are endless posts about how women who have many children are doing such a service to God and the world...but coming from a place of years of infertility and 5 miscarriages, I've learned through much sorrow and acceptance of God's Will that God doesn't always want us to have a large amount of children. What these women seem to be missing is that it is being willing to do God's Will over our own that is the real blessing, and how many children you receive is up to God entirely. It is a gift to be humbly grateful for, not a badge of honor so you can consider yourself holier than mothers of 1 or 2 children. But again, I understand that they're not thinking of women like me when they post; they're thinking of the godless culture that pushes having only 1 or no children to save the planet. I am so glad to see all of the conversions taking place among the young. And I want to add that it's not just the young converting or re-converting. I've had people all around me returning or coming into the Faith, from every generation. There is definitely something happening--an outpouring of grace, a last-minute gathering of souls before the day of justice arrives and it will have too late for them. We have to remember to not expect perfection--saintly humility, a deep prayer life, etc--in all these new converts and influencers, because they are babies in the Faith and it takes time to grow in virtue. We ourselves are so flawed even though we've had faith for many years. We should encourage and pray for each other. Believing in God, being baptized, and at least trying to follow Christ is enough to have snatched their souls from the jaws of Hell, and we should be so grateful for every single soul saved.
Yes, there should be no pride in the sense of patting ourselves on the back. If we find ourselves and/or our families bathed in the grace of God we should be amazed with joy and gratitude, humbled when trials come (for they surely will), repentant when we fall, yet always confident in His benevolent care. There's a song we used to sing now and then (among others) as a family when the kids were young, usually in the morning before school; always followed by the family Rosary in the evening! How great is our God, how great is His Name; How great is our God, forever the same! He rolled back the waters of the mighty Red Sea; And He said: "I'll never leave you; put your trust in Me!
I love to read about all converts. But there is something about Jewish converts that particularly strikes me. When they convert they bring such a wealth of insight into how are Faith links back to Judaism. They teach us our roots. The most striking Jewish convert of modern times was the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Israel Zoli. Stunning and he and his family paid a huge price for it.
