A Woman Rides the Beast

  • Thread starter Thread starter heavenly_fire
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
All of you have been incredibly good to me. 🙂 I have been beyond impressed with all of the sources you have given me to work with. I cannot thank you all enough.

I should also tell you that I absolutely will not make plans to marry him until this issue is worked out. It would not be the right thing to do, not at all.

I do think that I first want to continue to research, so that I have a more broad background of facts to counter his claims with. Meanwhile, I pray all the time for our common Father to open up my significant other’s eyes. Knowing him like I do and having read Catholicism and Fundamentalism myself, I am going to wait on having him read that. Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic sounds like a great book, and I will definitely check it out. This sort of thing needs to be taken slow. Obviously, most of the work that is being done on this is coming from God Himself, not me. Yet I will do everything I can to gently lead my boyfriend on the right road.

God bless all of you who helped me so much. I will never forget your kindness.

:blessyou: :bible1:
Amy

By the way, PhilVaz, I seem to remember reading a dialogue you had with someone on the Catholic religion in the past. Am I right?
 
40.png
BobCatholic:
David Hate is a bigot. Period.
Click to expand...
Careful here I do not agree with anything this man has to say but we must still show respect, and not tear someone down when calling names that just gives him strength. With Charity we can win this battle because we allow the Holy Spirit to be with us, however when we fight hate with hate we invite the other.

God Bless and I do like a lot of your posts Bob, but be Catholic and stop calling names.đź‘Ť
 
I jmarried an anti-catholic.
He is now catholic.

For the first years I continued to practice my faith - and luckily he allowed me to make the decisions concerning baptism and religious ed of the children (he wasn’t so bad that he thought we were going to hell)

Slowly over the years - previous ideas he had were refuted.
He realized many things he was told were wrong. When an anti-catholic realizes that one thing they believe about the church is wrong - they might chalk it up to luck. Then when a second myth is refuted - they begin to wonder how many more things they’ve been wrong about.
This is what happened with us - bit by bit.

Now we are united.
If I had insisted on only marrying a catholic - I would not be with the wonderful catholic man I am with now!!

I think you know best how receptive he is to listening to your point of view. It is nice to hear he is worried about your salvation - he cares for you.
Maybe when he sees more of how you live out your faith - and meets your fellow parishioners and the priests - hopefully he will soften up.
 
Lisa B: Hi. I hope your husband will see the light of Christ one of these days! I just feel compelled to gently point out, though, that a marriage between a Catholic and a non-baptized person is not sacramental. Have you talked to a priest about your marriage situation?
God bless
 
I apologize. I have been told on another thread that a marriage b/w a Catholic and a non-Christian (non-baptized) can be permitted (special dispensation)…though it is still non-sacramental. I’m still new at this…I’m not yet confirmed, and am a convert from Evangelical Christianity.
 
I broke up with a boyfriend of 3 1/2 years and our disagreement on religion was a key point, but not the only one.

If you marry this man, at this time, you will be turning your back on the Church and the fullness of the faith. You will not resolve your differences but only visit them upon your children and extended families and then end up in a devastating divorce.

I thank God I left my boyfriend (I thought we would eventually become engaged and I really loved him, FYI).

Here’s what I recommend: Take a breather. Don’t move forward in your relationship, and don’t move back. Post on as many message and prayer boards as you can and ask Padre Pio to pray on your behalf, as well as St. Jude. Ask for the intercession of every saint you can think of, ask for the prayers of your Church, the people posting here, and also that they pray elsewhere on your behalf.

Take a retreat for women, tell them about your problem, and actually take time before and after the retreat to be away from your significant other to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Pray for his conversion.

I will be praying for you and so will everyone here. I am confidant that this can be resolved but only through faithful prayer as there is clearly a battle here that just the two of you cannot resolve. Your steps will be directed as promised in the Bible, and what is needed is the conversion of your “other half”.

Others here have also given you good counsel, but honestly, take it from a woman who wasted years of her life on someone who would not change…be prepared to follow Christ, not a human. Love is emotion, but Christ is eternity. Don’t let another human stand in the way of what you know to be right. Remember that Jesus told his followers that they would have to leave their families and suffer rejection. You may have to suffer the same thing in order to follow Christ in the one True Religion, but understand also that your sacrifice can lead to the happiness God intends for you.

I will pray for you and your boyfriend. God Bless!
 
heavenly fire, I just want to let you know that I know exactly how you feel. Been there with DH. Although his feelings weren’t as extreme as believing Catholics were going to hell and the Church is the Whore of Babylon, but we had the same debates when we started dating. I must say that it’s probably one of the best things that happened to me because it forced me to learn more about the Faith and understand it. I married him under the condition that we would be married in my Church and the kids would only be raised Catholic and he reluctantly agreed. He has been wonderful about it so far. He respects that agreement that we made and he was even furious when his mother pulled my kids aside and told them it was mean to pray to Mary. (:mad: ) I think after the Faith was explained to him and he witnessed me and my family practicing it, he softened up to it. He told me last year that his only reservation now with the Catholic Church are the beliefs in Mary. That is a HUGE step forward from when we met.
So if I were you, I would definitely put off marriage, but you don’t necessarily need to wait until he converts. Wait until he understands what the Church REALLY teaches and is at a point where he can respect your beliefs, even if he doesn’t agree. With constant, open communication between you two, he WILL get to that point. And when that happens, he should be able to accept allowing you to raise your kids Catholic.
And the rest, leave up to God cuz if you persist He WILL convert your boyfriend when the time is right!
 
heavenly_fire,

I know exactly where you are coming from. I dated a woman who belonged to the Plymouth Brethren and thought that I was probably going to hell because I considered becoming Catholic or Orthodox (as of six years later, I still have not done so–I’m Episcopalian–but my views on most things are more Catholic/Orthodox than Protestant and would never have satisfied her). That wasn’t the only reason we broke up, but it was a major one. (Now I’m married to a wonderful woman who understands and agrees with most of my beliefs–she’s a United Methodist so would have some issues with my becoming Catholic if I do finally do that, but she certainly would not think my salvation is in doubt.) He probably has hopes of converting you. My suggestion is that you concentrate on showing him that you do love Christ with all your heart, and pray that he comes to realize (through your actions) that his view of Catholicism is wrong.

If you have specific issues from Hunt’s book that you would like to discuss, please raise them, either here or in a private email (I believe you can send emails to me through this forum, though I’m not quite sure how). Or you could put me in touch with your boyfriend and I could email him directly. I’m not myself a Catholic, as I said (although I still consider it and probably always will, unless I either take the jump to Rome or become Orthodox), and this may give me some credibility in his eyes (on the other hand, fundamentalists generally dislike Episcopalians as much as they do Catholics, if not more so).

In Christ,

Edwin
 
A lot of great resources have been mentioned and linked here. I agree that a softer approach may be more fruitful than books that directly oppose Fundamentalism (at least for the time being). Yet it is important to address the greatest stumbling blocks, which prevent him from learning more. Someone mentioned the issue of sola scriptura, and I agree that this may be a good issue to focus on.

I would recomend By What Authority?: An Evangelical Discovers Catholic Tradition, by Mark Shea. In a very logical and methodical manner, he explains how the only reason we even have the Bible is through Sacred Tradition. If Protestants wish to remain intellectually consistent, and if they reject Sacred Tradition, they must also reject the Sacred Scriptures. If your boyfriend can discover that the entire foundation of what he believes presupposes Sacred Tradition, that will open his mind to really start learning about Catholicism.

This book was pivotal for me. It’s an enjoyable read, as well! 👍
 
Heavenly_fire,

If and when you marry, please don’t go into it with the idea of converting your spouse. It is a wonderful desire and something you should pray for daily, but don’t set yourself up for a major disappointment. If you really want your intended/spouse to become a Catholic, then the best thing you can do is set a good example by regular attendence at Mass and other Catholic services and living out your Catholic faith every day. I and many others know this works. It happened in my marriage and others. You have to be patient and never, never pushy about getting him to be involved in the Church. Always invite him to attend with you, but let that be all. If he asks questions, answer them, but don’t initiate these discussions yourself. A good way to gage his interest is seeing how often he approaches you for answers. Also, if you don’t know the answers to his questions, tell him you’ll get them for him. Be sure you own a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Suscribe to a Catholic newspaper such as Our Sunday Visitor or the Catholic Register and put it with the other papers, magazines you have so that he can read it if he chooses. Again don’t be pushy, live your faith daily and…just love your spouse and know that God wants what you want for him.

Bob
 
Bob Walker:
If you really want your intended/spouse to become a Catholic, then the best thing you can do is set a good example by regular attendence at Mass and other Catholic services and living out your Catholic faith every day.
Click to expand...
:amen:

I saw a billboard outside a store once that read: “If everyone practiced what they preached, no one would have time to preach.”

– Mark L. Chance.
 
dear heavenly fire,

I would agree with others who say you should delay marriage until he converts. Casti Connubi strongly discourages mixed marriages and says you seriously risk your salvation if you do it.

One thing to over and again EMPHASIZE to your boyfriend is that Jesus said there would be EVIL MEN in HIS CHURCH: see Matt. 13, the parable of the wheat and the tares. Therefore, no matter how many moral abuses have been committed by members of the Catholic Church, it cannot be used against the Church to say it can’t be the true Church. Granted, there were merciless inquisitors, lazy, immoral and lax bishops, and today, most USA Catholics don’t even deserve to called Christians because they know nothing of their faith and live and believe like pagans. But that can’t disprove the RCC is not the true Church. You have to attack it’s teachings that are formally disseminated in Councils and ex-cathedra papal statements and the Catechisms.

You have to let him know that only a very small minority of Catholics in this country are worthy of the name.
 
40.png
quasimodo:
If I may address another issues. Please remember that YOU will not convert anyone to the Church. That is the job of the holy Spirit.

I reccomend that you do not fight fire with fire. In other words, do not give him Karl Keating’s book or any other refutation to the calumny he has accepted and is spreading. YOU take the high road. I recommend this book too often perhaps but it is very good and might soften his heart: Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic by David Currie. Once he has softened, then give him Karl Keatings book or some of the other refutations.

Assuming that what you said about the relationship is accurate, I agree with the others. Go slow!
Click to expand...
Very astute advice. I have read them both and the difference between them is that Currie wrote his book to explain to his children (when tHey are older) what led him to leave the strong Evangelical faith of his family. It oozes paternal love.

Keatings book is as excellent as everyone says - but as the title implies it is a defense from the “Attack on Romanism by Bible Christians”.He does finally soften up at the very end, but it is hard hitting all the way through.

Final thought: a book is not going to solve your problem. This man you love, do you two pray about this problem together? That would be a start. Was it out of a loving concern for you that he gave you his book to read?
 
As much as I love Karl’s book, it really is more geared for preparing a Catholic to defend the Church against Fundamentalism.

For explaining the Catholic faith to a Fundamentalist, I would rather recommend David Curries’ " Born Fundamentalist, Born Again Catholic"
 
People are sometimes forced to rethink the vocation process and choose new potential spouses. Whatever the outcome of trying to present reason to this person remember that the most important thing is that if you are to marry anyone you must remember the possibilty of child bearing and their need to find a homelife filled with Catholic traditions and faith.

I think you need to take the other person to sit down with a priest and yourself and discuss the possibilities that really exist.
 
In Rev:19:11 Jesus Christ rides the white horse. see it and the “Conversion of the Jews” at www.istheBeast.com This passage is the Second Coming of Christ (First for Jews). There is no woman on the Beast.
 
[To miss. Name Unknown:
If you love for this man is based on this book or other books like this you are in deep trouble your faith as a Catholic is in jeopardy. I was an adopted child from Ohio raised in Ariz from the age of 2years old in a Lutheran family at the age of 12 caused a 13-year separation between God and I, their Lutheran faith was unacceptable to me. In 1976 the last thing she said to me before she died that night was I would rather see you go to the Catholic Church than not to go to Church at all. 3 years Later in SF, CA I was Baptized and confirmed Catholic in St. Patrick’s Church in 1980 In 1996 I meet my blood family they are Baptist it is not easy they have a padlock on their Eyes, Ears and Heart that says Baptist they would rather spread lies about our faith than go to one Mass or talk to a priest. If it is this bad now for you what will it be like after you are married? It is the woman’s choice than make him Mary you in the Catholic Church if not forget it. If not and you have a conflict in two different religions you have two strikes against you before you start. Below is a link you might enjoy. Let Jesus and the Mother of God always be in the center of your life.

Loading…

heavenawaits.wordpress.com
 
heavenly_fire said:
Karl’s book is wonderful, and I wish that it would be enough to crack this case. However, this book has so many arguments that I can’t find refutations for! I know that the reason I can’t find them refuted is because they’re so unscholarly as to be considered ridiculous by Catholics and even some Protestants. Therefore, they are dismissed. I would simply tell my boyfriend that they are ridiculous, but he is going to want something much more solid than that, as he believes the claims of this book. I know, these things seem so impossible to solve to me, also. We have had many heated debates in the past, and I sometimes don’t know if he’s the one for me because of it. We are truly in love, and I believe that love conquers all. I pray to the Lord for guidance, but so far I really don’t even know if I’m meant to be with this man. I am entirely confused, and don’t know where to turn.
Click to expand...
O.K. …What would be his main stumbling blocks in the Catholic Church?
 
Heidi_Mae said:
[To miss. Name Unknown:
If you love for this man is based on this book or other books like this you are in deep trouble your faith as a Catholic is in jeopardy. I was an adopted child from Ohio raised in Ariz from the age of 2years old in a Lutheran family at the age of 12 caused a 13-year separation between God and I, their Lutheran faith was unacceptable to me. In 1976 the last thing she said to me before she died that night was I would rather see you go to the Catholic Church than not to go to Church at all. 3 years Later in SF, CA I was Baptized and confirmed Catholic in St. Patrick’s Church in 1980 In 1996 I meet my blood family they are Baptist it is not easy they have a padlock on their Eyes, Ears and Heart that says Baptist they would rather spread lies about our faith than go to one Mass or talk to a priest. If it is this bad now for you what will it be like after you are married? It is the woman’s choice than make him Mary you in the Catholic Church if not forget it. If not and you have a conflict in two different religions you have two strikes against you before you start. Below is a link you might enjoy. Let Jesus and the Mother of God always be in the center of your life.
http://heavenawaits.wordpress.com/revelation-17-who-is-the-woman-who-sits-on-7-hills
Click to expand...
I think this is good advice. đź‘Ťđź‘Ť
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top