Concerns about joining the Catholic Church

I have been seriously considering converting to Catholicism but there are some teachings of the Catholic Church I struggle with. I was originally looking into mainline Protestant denominations and leaned heavily into Lutheranism, but the more I look into Catholicism, the more I see how consistent it is with the early Church and the more accepting of the Catholic Church I become. But I’m having a hard time with the Church’s teachings on abortion, LGBTQ+, birth control/sterilization, and cremation. I know there is more to the Catholic Church and Christianity than these topics, but from what I understand, in order to join the Catholic Church you have to be in agreement with all of the Church’s teachings and you have to state your agreement with all of the Church’s teachings during confirmation.

However, from what I have seen in this sub, it seems that many of you don’t agree with everything the Catholic Church teaches while remaining in or converting to the Catholic Church. How do you navigate your disagreements while remaining in communion with the Church? I have read about the primary of conscience but I am not totally sure how it works considering you’re supposed to be in agreement with everything the Catholic Church teaches.

Also, while I want to raise my children in church, I don’t want them to experience religious trauma like I did growing up in church. I grew up in an Evangelical Non-Denominational church and was always scared about if I was really saved, and that if I died that I was going to hell or that I was going to miss the Rapture and be left behind. I know the Catholic Church’s teachings on salvation and the end times are different from what Evangelical Protestant churches teach but I know the Catholic Church teaches about hell and eternal conscience torment and I’m concerned that the Catholic Church’s teachings on losing salvation from one mortal sin and purgatory would cause my children to still experience religious trauma just in a different way. I don’t want them to be traumatized with alway being scared of going to hell for eternity or being scared that even if they are saved they will still suffer torment in purgatory. For those of you here raising children in the Catholic Church, how do you help your children avoid religious trauma?

Posted Sep 1, 2026, 4:32 PM UTC

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