Hi, James —

There was a lot of incorrect information in the e-mail you sent us.

You said:

• Is it true Augustine took out the second commandment, changed the forth and split the tenth?

No, You must have got that from an uncatechized Catholic or ill-informed Protestant:

Here is a posting that addresses that question.

You said:

• Also, isn't it true Constantine brought paganism into the Church and changed the Sabbath to Sunday, instead of keeping it on Saturday?

No, the Catholic Church by the authority given to St. Peter by Jesus changed the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.

Here is a posting that addresses that question.

The Catholic Church took symbols that were pagan and Christianized them:

e.g. our Christmas Tree.

You said:
I used to be Catholic; I was baptized Christian and for two whole years, never thought about coming back until I talked to my Confirmation teacher and he reminded me about St. Ignatius of Antioch and St. Irenaeus.

You have a smart Confirmation teacher.

Read up on the Early Church Fathers who lived from 100 A.D. to 850 A.D. You'll be surprised to find out: they were Catholic!! Also check out my other website dedicated to the Early Church Fathers:

BibleBeltCatholics.com

I recommend this set of books: Faith of the Early Fathers by William Jurgens

You said:
I want to confess all my sins and go to Heaven but I'm not sure if I want to be Catholic anymore. I love the Church but

James, this is like saying,

"I love my wife, I just don't want to be near here or get her opinion on anything important in my life." 

You can't separate [Christ|God] from the one Church He founded on St. Peter and his successors. The Catholic Church is the only world religion that can historically claim and prove that God founded their Church.

Based on the questions in your e-mail, I sense you were never taught the faith correctly to begin with.

You are not alone Jim. Many in our Church don't understand the teachings of the Church and, at the same time, others, who know what the Church teaches, scandalize the Church by words and deeds that are contrary to Catholic teachings. Get a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church or read it on-line.

You said:
I don't believe in Purgatory or Limbo since it was taught after the Great Schism.

First, the very first Christians believed in Purgatory. Limbo was never a doctrine of the faith nor was it required for any Catholic to believe in. Limbo fell into the realm of theological opinion: Non-doctrinal opinions and speculations by theologians of the Church; that's it!

This posting may also help big time:

• What is Purgatory, why does it only apply to Catholics, and what is the Scriptural basis for this?

You said:
I also don't believe in the seven sacraments or that the Crusades was the will of God.

Why don't you believe in the sacraments? Do you know what they are?

All seven sacraments:

1. Are outward signs
2. instituted by Christ
3. that give grace. Period.
   

We know this from Oral Tradition. Before His glorious Ascension into Heaven, He instituted all seven sacraments:

Sacraments of Initiation:

1. Baptism
2. Eucharist
3. Confirmation
   

Sacraments of Healing:

4. Confession
5. Anointing of the Sick
   

Sacraments of Service:

6. Marriage and
7. Holy Order

These sacred oaths, the sacraments, are the means by which God binds human beings to the Divine Family. (Scott Hahn)

The goal of the Crusades were to protect the Church from Muslims who were attaching Christians. Some one is giving you anti-Catholic, or bad, information.

Search our knowledge base for some good postings.

For encouragement, check out my favorites page. I have the following articles posted:

• Why Am I Catholic
• 12 reasons I enjoy being Catholic
• How does one become a Catholic
• Ten Reasons to go to Sunday Mass
• "Christian" non-believer
• The Catholic Apologist's Daily Prayer
• When was your church founded?
• Ten Things Pope Benedict XVI Wants You to Know
• The Top 10 Reasons to come back
• Eight Habits of Highly Effective Fathers
• Married Priesthood a solution?
• Why Am I a Catholic Child?
• How to share the Gospel with Your Jewish Friends

You said:
C'mon, it's not really true that Israel belongs to any Christians. God gave that land to the Jews.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but Pope Leo added seven books to the Bible and now even Pope Benedict is saying Luther was right that were saved by faith alone.

Here is a posting that addresses the issue of the so-called added seven books.

What you are referring to in the second part of your comment is the Catholic-Lutheran Agreement on Justification.  In fact James, the document, correctly understood, states that works are necessary for salvation.

I encourage you to spend some time searching our knowledge base for answers.

Oh. and if your reply is: "Where is that in the Bible?" Check out my Bible passages page here:

• https://www.AskACatholic.com/ScripturePassages

Some final thoughts:

• If you want to learn about what Methodists believe, you don't go to a Baptist.
• If you want to learn about what Anglicans believe, you don't go to a Mormon.
• If you want to learn about what Seventh Day Adventists believe, you don't go to a Quaker.
• Well, If you want to learn about what Roman Catholics believe, you don't go to any one else but a faithful, practicing Catholic.
  

Protestant Bible Studies and Services can give out a lot of distortions about what we believe as Catholic Christians. Probably because many of them have Catholics who were neve catechized properly or raised by their parents to love their faith.

Go to the source Jim!!

Mike