First Baseman
Retired athlete
Sound off, Catholics. Where are all of you guys and gals?
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Where are all the Catholics?
- Thread starter First Baseman
- Start date
VitoOFMCap
Member
Watching. I'm not very active here, but I try to chime in when I can. =)
First Baseman
Retired athlete
Thanks for responding. What's up?
Mainly lurking these days. After debating on forums for years about the same topics, seeing the same debate subjects getting dredged up again and again kinda gets old. I still pop in on threads where people have genuine questions about stuff.
First Baseman
Retired athlete
I know what you mean about the same old same old. Glad to hear from you!
First Baseman
Retired athlete
Being new I had assumed it was because there aren't many Catholics on this site?
Hello there.
I'm still active here, although I've taken it upon myself to not use the internet during the week. (Monday-Thursday). Hence the late reply.
First Baseman
Retired athlete
That's okay, thanks for responding. I look forward to speaking with you.
Forever_Catholic
Active Member
I had been taking a break from debating with atheists, Jehovah's Witnesses, and other non-Christians all the time on these forums. I thought I'd try some online interaction with Christians for awhile for some mental exercises that might go deeper into the faith than whether or not God exists; whether or not He is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, etc.
And now I need a break from that -- or from the resentment and hostility that comes with debating certain Protestants. It's interesting to observe that aside from the differences between our theologies, we also have different attitudes toward each other. The Catholic Church calls them "our Protestant brothers and sisters," and they call the Catholic Church the "Whore of Babylon."
And now I need a break from that -- or from the resentment and hostility that comes with debating certain Protestants. It's interesting to observe that aside from the differences between our theologies, we also have different attitudes toward each other. The Catholic Church calls them "our Protestant brothers and sisters," and they call the Catholic Church the "Whore of Babylon."
Depending on the Protestants in question, of course.
First Baseman
Retired athlete
I was a Protestant before becoming Catholic 3 1/2 years ago. Protestants are taught all sorts of weird things about Catholics that are simply not true. I was taught that Catholics do not believe faith in Christ gets them saved but believe in a works-based religion. Also, many other doctrines tend to get slipped into what Protestants believe about Catholics. It really isn't the basic Protestant's fault that he's wrong but it is the fault of the various denominations that teach falsehood about the Catholic faith.
Forever_Catholic
Active Member
Yes, many of them can engage a friendly religious discussion, even when not receptive to Catholicism.
Well, we have something in common! I am also a convert to the One True Faith. I was brought up in various Protestant Churches as my family moved from place to place, but never identified with any of them.
I saw that they tend to explain away the literal truth of many scriptural verses while inserting subjective meanings into others. And it was confusing that their teachings on the meaning of a given bible passage so frequently did not make sense and/or conflicted with the words of other verses. What really bothered me growing up was always getting different answers from different pastors and teachers when I asked the same questions, and never getting any of it solidified in my head.
I have very little tolerance for the false teachings and arguments of Protestantism, but just so you’ll know the brighter side of my attitude toward our Protestant brothers and sisters, I love them all as fellow souls and pray for their sake that they will be drawn back to the one and only Church that Jesus established.
There are innumerable Protestants with good minds and loving hearts who are faithful Christians, despite having been mistaught. My own mother was one of them, and I have no doubt whatever about her salvation. Even though she died as a Baptist, she’s Catholic now, as is every soul in the Church Triumphant. But her Christian Faith could have been so much fuller and more comforting to her on earth. That’s how it could be for all Protestants.
First Baseman, have you noticed a difference in the depth of your faith and understanding since converting? A difference in your awareness of Christ’s presence with you?
Yeah, I know how that goes. I'm starting to think debating religion is a futile endeavour, especially with those who have an overt ideological opposition to religion.
I think a change of tact here is called for. We shouldn't shrink from discussing our faith, but (as far as discussing our faith goes) I'm not going to be so inclined to get drawn in to baited debates anymore. I think we'll both have a much more relaxed time here for it.
First Baseman
Retired athlete
God bless you, brother.
Yes, I have. I know that Christ is working in my life to make me more like Him and I think He always has been but now I am very much aware of His presence in my life. I still have a long way to go but Christ will get me to where I need to go. The hardest part is just putting all of my trust in Him instead of doing what my fleshly desires want me to do.
First Baseman
Retired athlete
A hearty "Amen" to that!
Forever_Catholic
Active Member
You're right. We shouldn't shrink from discussing our faith. It gets discouraging sometimes, and some people really do enjoy baiting others into a debate just for the fun of arguing. Even so, I remind myself now and then that no effort is wasted. If nothing else, it sharpens our skills. And maybe something from what is said will be left in another person's mind and eventually develop into a new enlightenment.
You speak for us both, including as it pertains to the fleshly desires problem.
Here. I was gone for awhile.
Mmhmm. My mom's medical transportation driver the last few times is a Baptist type and we were talking about the Mass and such. He didn't understand why we do some things, but he was nice and willing to learn. We both agreed that the people saying crap like we "worship" Mary and are going to hell for being Baptized "wrong" are just ignorant and not willing to listen to others to learn different viewpoints. He's a great guy.