Journey to Christendom - Chapter 1
Journey to Christendom - Chapter 1
“C’est pour cela que je fus nais” (It was for this that I was born) – St. Joan of Arc
Chapter 1 of Journey to Christendom - The Freedom Dance.
The courage to write a book about the God-inspired purpose of my life, its whole meaning and driving force, as well as the possible relevance it might have to others, is what I still need to gain. If you read even to the end of this first chapter, or perhaps only to the end of the following few paragraphs, you might see why this is so. People in today’s morally relativistic culture do not generally make the dogmatic religious statements that follow, at least not away from the privacy of their family dinner table.
The prevailing spirit of the modern world is often arrogant and dogmatic about its own philosophies, which demand that we allow anyone to do anything by which they feel “affirmed.” And this affirmation typically results in sliding down a continuum toward deadly anarchy, yet, this same spirit demands that religious people remain in their place and be quite politely relativistic regarding religious belief. It handcuffs religious discussion, so to speak. The spirit of the world insists on the absolute right of radical rebellion, called freedom of expression. Still, it demands that no religion can be believed with a similar objective absoluteness that would deny some the right to any and all “freedom of expression.” In other words, the rude spirit of the world believes that the only objective truth is that there is no objective truth, except the firm rule that one must not cross the spirit of the world.
The story of my spiritual journey through Catholicism says quite the opposite. I crossed the spirit of the world and learned that the modern world is wrong and that the ancient Catholic Religion is right. I was resurrected in heart, mind, and soul due to acting on this comprehension. I am writing to tell you my purpose, why I am writing it now, and the circumstances that led to my inspiration. It might help you better understand the full story of my conversion and possibly reap more benefits from it. So, this first section is dedicated to laying the foundation for the rest of the book. I will start by telling you this much: the reason I have written what is in this book can be summarized in the following words:
“This is what we have heard from him and are declaring to you.”[1]