There is a wonderful new website, “Why I’m Catholic,” or www.whyimcatholic.com. Among the many stories on this site is the one told by my friend, Richard Sherlock, Professor of Philosophy at Utah State University. Richard, who was received into the Catholic Church just this past Easter Sunday (2011), is a convert from Mormonism. He begins the account of his journey in this way:
One should never leave the religion in which one was born or raised for anything but the most serious of reasons. Warm feelings, family, friends, a social ethos, should never be the reason for joining or leaving a religion. The fact that you do not like the priest, pastor or parishioners should never be a reason for staying or leaving. Anyone who knows me well knows that I have never been a person to “go with the flow” or seek popularity. I was a conscientious objector in the Vietnam War and I have a 1-0 draft card to prove it. I have been an absolute opponent of abortion, euthanasia, and capital punishment my whole adult life. When I was a professor of moral theology at Fordham University in the mid-1980’s I happily defended the view that artificial birth control is morally wrong. This was at a time when many, if not most, actually Catholic moral theologians wouldn’t do so, or wouldn’t do so strongly. I have not left religion or Christianity. But I have left Mormonism. I have become a deeper, more intellectual, more spiritual and truer Christian than I have ever been, literally. I am converting to the Roman Catholic Church. All true roads do lead to Rome.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In