Can anyone tell me what ritual converts you to catholicism (and most denominations). What must one do to become a legitimate catholic? (Rich or poor free or slave there is only one ritual).
Since you asked, I expect you'd want a reply from an actual Catholic Christian (that would be me).
point A: no ritual converts anyone, the Holy Spirit acts within the individual to convert him/her. It is God that does the work, and it is the person who can choose to respond with "yes" or "no," just as I suspect any Christian on this site would say and agree with me on this point. The rest is where you will find many MANY diagreements amongst this community as what one ought to do once God has called them. I would pretend to be an expert in other Christian practices, because that is not my place, so I will only speak to the practice of Catholic Christians.
If one wants to join the Church as an adult, one typically finds a Catholic church in one's area and is put into a program called RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). I went through RCIA myself just for a refresher in the faith a few years back. Here, people who don't know as much about Catholic Christianity start from scratch and learn what the Catholic Church believes, why it believes as it does, what these beliefs mean for the individual, and how to live according to these beliefs.
After the individual has learned all of this and studied Catholic Christianity, he or she may make a choice: to either become a Catholic Christian or not. If one chooses not to, that's it, and he or she is free to do as he or she pleases without any pressure from the church. Many non-Catholic Christians take RCIA when they marry their Catholic spouses just to understand them better and they themselves may never become Catholic. It's a great way for non-Catholics to understand their Catholic friends, neighbors, and family members better.
If the individual chooses to become Catholic, he or she participates in those sacraments of the Church that most Catholics have already partaken in before becoming adults. First, they are baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with water. They may be immersed if they so choose, but this is no the typical case. If they have already recieved a valid Christian baptism (one done in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy spirit and with water) in their life at any point, then the individual does not have to be baptised again. We believe that one valid Christian baptism is all that is needed, so if someone has already been baptized, there is no need for a do-over. The Catholic Church believes that anyone can baptize, priest or layperson, so if this has already been done, no need for another.
The convert is also asked to partake in the sacrament of reconciliation in which one confesses his or her sins (unless you haven't been baptised yet, because we believe baptism forgives all sins preiviously commited so no need to confess them if you are about to be baptized). Then the individual, if having been baptized and/or gone to reconciliation, recieves the sacrament of Confirmation. This essentially is given to mature youth and converts and is on one hand an afirmation of belief in Catholic teaching, and on the otherhand, since being seen as a stage of maturation for the Catholic, is a final calling upon the Holy Spirit to continue to bless the Christian with the gifts of the Holy Spirit in a special way to help the individual to continue to live out his or her life as a strong, committed Christian. The final sacrament that is typically recieved after RCIA is that of the Eucharist, aka Communion. This communal meal is a partaking in the life of the Body of Christ and is seen in two ways: a spiritual nourishment and also a bond between all Catholics (where 'communion' is truly had in the body of Christ).
Now, as for the comment someone else made about the papal hat...there are 3 (I know this, because I am a nerd).
1) The Mitre: this is the common hat most people call the "pope hat" but it is in fact worn by all bishops of the Church. It has taken many, many forms over the centuries and has nothing to do with a fish god (?).
2) The Tiara: Pope John Paul II discontinued the wearing of this "hat", but it has also taken on many forms over the centuries. Only the pope ever wore it, and it was a sign of his office as bishop of the diocese of Rome.
3) The Zuchetto: The name comes from Italian and means "little zuchinni (or pumpkin!). This is worn by the pope, bishops, and some priests. It evolved probably from the Jewish yamika (spelling?) and had a very practical purpose. In the old days, members of the clergy (including monks) would shave their head into what is called a tonsure, or corona. Naturally, the little bald spot left on top of their head made them cold in the winter, or it would get sunburned in the summer, so the skullcap/zuchetto helped keep warm in the winter and offer protection from the soul.
At any rate, suggesting it is to hide horns is a bit childish and disrespectful to the dignitiy of the human person.
Another fun fact: the pope didn't always wear white. This trend began when a Dominican friar was elected pope and wore his white habit instead of the traditonal cassock. Fun fact 2: any Catholic male can be elected pope, even if he isn't a priest, bishop, or cardinal.
Why am I such a nerd?
As for the pope being the antichrist: Which pope? This one? The last one? The next one? Every decade someone makes the accusation that the current pope is
the antiChrist. They cant all have been the antiChrist unless we want to propose the validity of re-encarnation, which I am quite sure conflicts with Christian eschatological belifes.
and also: I live in a state that is 4% Catholic and my experience has been that I know my Catholic faith better than all the non-Catholics I encounter claim too
. That's like me saying I know more about the Russian language than a native Russian...or to be more relevant, that I know more about Calvanism than most Calvanists because I live in a predominately Calvanist part of South Carolina. You know, my church here had a school that opened up in 1954 and was the first integrated school in SC? The KKK immediately came to burn a cross on the property and threaten our priests, nuns, parishoners, and black and white leaders and students with death. What does this have to do with the sincerity of their Christian descendents? Nothing. Don't hold the past of a people against those who were not alive then and do not do those things now.
