A question for some Protestants who feel it is necessary to proselytize Catholics

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Dokimas my friend, I do not know why this bothers me; but your statement to my question “did you read what I posted to you” and your response was “Probably not. I don’t get too far in reading sometimes when I run into things I don’t agree with” leaves me a little flabbergasted. I guess it is because you make an assertion regarding the CC citing specific references you feel supports your claim, we read then in order to understand the question, your position, and context in which you are asking the question or the assertion you are making. In turn we provide countering references for your consideration, and you do not even give us the courtesy of reading them in order to formulate another assertion with the information provided to you, or maybe, just maybe learn something new. This has to be a two way street here, how else can we learn what each other believes. I have to say that holding to the principle of “I don’t get too far in reading sometimes when I run into things I don’t agree with” is not very charitable and does not lend its self to the equitable exchange of ideas. I am not saying that you have to believe in the Catholic Faith, Doctrines, Traditions, and Disciplines, what I am asking is that you know what the truth is regarding the Catholic Faith, Doctrines, Traditions, and Disciplines, not anti-Catholic sentiments and falsehoods. To do this then you need to read what is presented to you with regards to your questions and assertions. Peace.
 
I’d like to make an analogy for the sake of others understanding why Catholics get offended by those that do not take the time to listen and read biblical references and such. To not even try to understand what we are saying and still not believe them is fine. But not to listen or read at all is very uncharitable.

I grew up around a few other faiths in my family. Non-nominational, Church of Christ and Southern Baptist. Let’s take SB for instance. I could turn around and say that SBs don’t think you have to do anything to be save except the prayer in your heart and drive it into the ground by saying that means they don’t have to love God, love other, pray, worship, etc. Well, in fact once they say that "little prayer in their hearts’, voila that’s it. nothing more and live like a pagan the rest of their lives. Now I know SBs that would be very insulted by such remarks. But the confused and/or uncharitable person might construe what I just said to be absolutely the truth because they may know some SBs that say this and try to back it. My SB sister just told me yesterday that she believes you can lose your soul after you’ve been “saved”. She also told me of a preacher at another congregation up the road that taught that only a finite number of Christians would be saved. She stopped going to church there I believe. She is wondering in the wilderness the same way we did for most of our life trying to reconcile what they believe with the “right church home”. It’s very difficult.

I think that in order to be sincere on this forum we must be willing to listen to other people’s honest thoughts about what they believe or misunderstand. BUT we must also be willing to listen to the other side by people in the know. No one man can know everything. We must join our efforts together to come to an understanding of the other’s faith. In my case I know several beliefs because I’ve continually sought truth my entire life. I see subtle changes from one congregation to the next at minimum. I also see major doctrinal changes from congregation to congregation. In the Catholic Church, if you see that that could mean that there is a heretic among them teaching false doctrine, which happens. That is why it is important for us to have reference to authentic Catholic teaching that goes to the beginning, since Christ. Now coming to a fuller understanding about those things taught from the beginning is another matter that requires an enormous amount of effort. That is partly why you may see so much confusion. There is an official and authentic Catholic Teaching, but years of anti-Catholic efforts are distorting Catholic understanding of it. That is why Protestants may be seeing a major “RENEWAL” occurring within the Catholic Church. Catholics are being called to learn the faith passed down and to enter into charitable diologue with Christians from other faiths. WE are NOT to condemn them because not even the Pope or collection of bishops can do such a thing. Only God knows a man’s heart. But that does not mean they are going to heaven or hell. We simply have not been given the authority to condemn souls, period. We may come to an understanding of what will cause a soul to be condemned to hell, but we can NOT claim their soul is in heaven and why it is completely offensive to hear other Christians in either Catholic or other faiths make such false presumptuous claims that very clearly violates the teachings set out in scripture. In other words it goes against the bible.
 
guanophore said:
You are right that there is a double standard here at CAF. Catholics get away with saying all kinds of things that result in non-Catholics getting banned. Although it says we are all to be respectful of everyone and their beliefs, I have read some appalling insults against non-Catholics here.

Catholics are also allowed to Proselytize, where non-Catholics are not.

The point was, though, that you are on a thread about why some Protestants feel the need to evangelize Catholics. That is why we keep asking you if these objections you have toward Catholicism are grounds for evangelizing.

If, as you have said, you believe it is wrong/sinful/disobedient to God that Catholics choose from among those called to celibacy to be priests, or that it is wrong for us to agree upon a corporate fast during Lent, then perhaps you think we are sinful in this way because we do not know the God of the Bible, and therefore need to be evangelized. If we were to become bible Christians, we would not act in these ways.
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I’m a sinner so I’m not throwing stones, just making observations and then commenting on my observations.
 
guanophore said:
So then we can agree that having sexual relations with someone does not necessarily make them your spouse?
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Legally, yes.

But what did Paul mean in 1 Corinthians 6?

16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”
 
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