Accused of Being 'Catholic'

  • Thread starter Thread starter nsper7
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
N

nsper7

Guest
Earlier today, something humorous happened. I am an unconfirmed Episcopalian who has been doing a little reading on Roman Catholic theology. I also am a college student and I bumped into a friend of mine who is a public evanglizer/campus minister and he was having a discussion with a Roman Catholic young woman.

Later, he and I spoke and he was telling me how the RCC is “Satanic”, “the largest cult in the world” and “sending so many people to Hell” and that they have a different Gospel, different Jesus, they “worship” Mary and pray to the dead and stuff. When I challenged him, actually repeating (and giving credit for the information of course) much of the apologetics used on this site, he accused me of getting too Catholic and getting sucked into their propaganda (or something like that) and he even gave me a blatantly Anti-Catholic tract (NOT Chick though); he also said the Episcopal Church might be putting Catholic ideas into my head or something.

Anyway, it was just kind of humorous to be accused of being too Catholic, even though I’m not Roman Catholic, because I was questioning the rhetoric he kept putting forth. He never really answered my questions in a filling way, he only pointed at that tract he had and went on about how bad the RCC is.

Accused of being ‘too Catholic’? Never thought that would happen.
 
What is drawing you to the Episcopal church ? I want to understand…thats all.
 
What is drawing you to the Episcopal church ? I want to understand…thats all.
Click to expand...
  1. I like their liturgy (i.e. Eucharist) and rituals. For example, they sometimes do Reconciliation of the Penitent (Confession) and it was very helpful to me (I’ve only partaken of that once, but the Chaplain at the Campus CHapel House I attend said she’d be willing to do Penitential Confession for me) since I deal with OCD and not feeling forgiven for stuff.
  2. I like their history (can trace Apostolic Sucession back to the Church of Scotland and the Church of England, which can trace AS back to St. Augustine of Canterbury being made first Archbishop of Canterbury by Pope Gregory the Great). In order to maintain AS, the Episcopal Church went through the Church of Scotland (which traces AS through the CoE). For example, the original Church of England was none-too-pleased after the Revolutionary War and America did not want the Sovereign of England involved in its quasi-national church.
  3. I like its original theology. I admit certain Episcopalians are going off the apparent deep end theologically (a.k.a. Spong), but I like what our Catechism and Article of Religion put forward. I like that we strive for the via media between the Roman Catholic/Orthodox Rites and the Reformed/Protestant Churches. It’s tragic how, in wanting to reform the church, some-to-many Protestants threw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater and are getting like the guy I dealt where it is almost like Roman Catholic is a bad word or a total heresy or something.
  4. I like the people I have dealt with so far. They seem to be truly seeking God.
 
nsper7 said:
  1. I like their liturgy (i.e. Eucharist) and rituals. For example, they sometimes do Reconciliation of the Penitent (Confession) and it was very helpful to me (I’ve only partaken of that once, but the Chaplain at the Campus CHapel House I attend said she’d be willing to do Penitential Confession for me) since I deal with OCD and not feeling forgiven for stuff.
  2. I like their history (can trace Apostolic Sucession back to the Church of Scotland and the Church of England, which can trace AS back to St. Augustine of Canterbury being made first Archbishop of Canterbury by Pope Gregory the Great). In order to maintain AS, the Episcopal Church went through the Church of Scotland (which traces AS through the CoE). For example, the original Church of England was none-too-pleased after the Revolutionary War and America did not want the Sovereign of England involved in its quasi-national church.
  3. I like its original theology. I admit certain Episcopalians are going off the apparent deep end theologically (a.k.a. Spong), but I like what our Catechism and Article of Religion put forward. I like that we strive for the via media between the Roman Catholic/Orthodox Rites and the Reformed/Protestant Churches. It’s tragic how, in wanting to reform the church, some-to-many Protestants threw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater and are getting like the guy I dealt where it is almost like Roman Catholic is a bad word or a total heresy or something.
  4. I like the people I have dealt with so far. They seem to be truly seeking God.
Click to expand...
Do you understand covenental relationship and the one flesh union ? As husband and wife become one, so do we become one flesh with Christ and offer ourselves to GOD. I’m not looking for debate or argument. I just want to dialogue.
 
I’d be glad to dialogue. Do you have IM? It’s quicker and more private than threads like these.
 
No I dont. I think we can email each other thru the profile page. I will try.
 
nsper7,

I find your encounter on campus to be sadly typical of some (although not all) campus ministries. At one of the local community colleges near here, there’s a chapter of a rather well-known national protestant campus ministry. While not overtly anti-catholic, many in leadership had what I would characterize as “serious misgivings” regarding whether or not Catholics could even be considered Christians. This was many years ago, and I hope attitudes have changed, but from your tale, it appears things have not progressed well on our college and university grounds.

With regard to the via media to which you alluded, you may be interested if you have not already done so to read one of John Henry Newman’s books, “Apologia Pro Vita Sua” (or simply, “Apologia.”) I’m almost positive it’s available online, and a current printing can be purchased for a reasonable price as well.

Newman for years was one of the principles in the 19th century “Oxford Movement” (sometimes called “The Tractarian Movement.”) He wrote vigorously in his younger days defending the via media. While working on another of his landmark works, “An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine”, he arrived at some pretty startling conclusions…conclusions that you may find not so very far removed from where you are now. In his Apologia, which is partly an autobiography, he explains at length what some of those discoveries were.

Consequently, John Henry Newman is today better known as the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman (soon, may it please God, to be Blessed and then Saint soon thereafter!) I think his writing style and nack for logic will appeal to you.

Kindest regards,
Tim
 
nsper7 said:
He never really answered my questions in a filling way, he only pointed at that tract he had and went on about how bad the RCC is.
Click to expand...
Those types won’t. Because they use the shotgun approach to evangelization, they will keep firing and firing just because they are strong on accusations and weak on answers.

Over on MSN, we have a couple of members in one of the groups like that. They will keep putting things out there, not accept our answers, will not answer our questions, and will change subjects when cornerer. It would be humerous if they were not so pathetic.
 
What I think is most hilarious about these types of evangelizers is that often they are newbie Christians themselves.

It’s almost like “I’ve been a Christian for SIX months now. Look how wrong those Catholics seem to be… I need to go show them the error of their ways…” There are those that are ‘old’ in their belief that d this too, but the babies are the largest number of “Evil Catholic” types

If it really did take the learning of a 6 month old to completely destroy catholic belief, the catholic church would have long ago died…

It shows a lack of humility
It shows an excess of pride
It shows a lack of Love
It shows a lack of Christ

In Christ
 
Don’t stress too much about being accused of being too Catholic. The pain and hurt passes with time 😉 . God bless you on your journey to truth.
 
Don’t worry, we’ll get em in the end! Just like how we got Newman… or how they got me!

😉
 
ralphinal said:
Don’t stress too much about being accused of being too Catholic. The pain and hurt passes with time 😉 . God bless you on your journey to truth.
Click to expand...
It didn’t bother me. I just thought it was kind of humorous and worth repeating. I have to admit when some Protestants use the ‘shotgun’ approach to evangelization, it does not strengthen their case for a lot of people and certainly not to apologetically-inclined types like myself.
 
nsper7 said:
It didn’t bother me. I just thought it was kind of humorous and worth repeating. I have to admit when some Protestants use the ‘shotgun’ approach to evangelization, it does not strengthen their case for a lot of people and certainly not to apologetically-inclined types like myself.
Click to expand...
Too true, too true. Those whose faith is based in both reason and faith are too hard to shake. Again, God bless you on your journey.
 
nsper7 said:
1)I admit certain Episcopalians are going off the apparent deep end theologically (a.k.a. Spong), but I like what our Catechism and Article of Religion put forward.
Click to expand...
I’m glad you discount him, as should any reasonable person. 🙂
I recently read a book by Mark Shea. It was originally being written as a rebuttal against Spong and certain theological “movements”, but turned into him discovering Catholic Tradition. Shea mentioned Spong’s many books, which have “A Bishop Rethinks…” in the title of many of them. Shea stated that he thinks Spong just likes to keep his Bishop title so it sounds more credible than “A Janitor Rethinks…” 😃

But in all seriousness, I am glad that you are discovering a denomination that is so rich and promising. Keep up the learning.

-Mark
 
nsper7 said:
Anyway, it was just kind of humorous to be accused of being too Catholic, even though I’m not Roman Catholic
Click to expand...
You sound a little like Dr. Francis Beckwith, shortly before he returned to the Catholic Church… :rolleyes:
 
nsper7 said:
Earlier today, something humorous happened. I am an unconfirmed Episcopalian who has been doing a little reading on Roman Catholic theology. I also am a college student and I bumped into a friend of mine who is a public evanglizer/campus minister and he was having a discussion with a Roman Catholic young woman.

Later, he and I spoke and he was telling me how the RCC is “Satanic”, “the largest cult in the world” and “sending so many people to Hell” and that they have a different Gospel, different Jesus, they “worship” Mary and pray to the dead and stuff. When I challenged him, actually repeating (and giving credit for the information of course) much of the apologetics used on this site, he accused me of getting too Catholic and getting sucked into their propaganda (or something like that) and he even gave me a blatantly Anti-Catholic tract (NOT Chick though); he also said the Episcopal Church might be putting Catholic ideas into my head or something.

Anyway, it was just kind of humorous to be accused of being too Catholic, even though I’m not Roman Catholic, because I was questioning the rhetoric he kept putting forth. He never really answered my questions in a filling way, he only pointed at that tract he had and went on about how bad the RCC is.

Accused of being ‘too Catholic’? Never thought that would happen.
Click to expand...
Keep up the good work.
 
Welcome to:D my world!!
The number of times that I have been accused of being “one of those Catholics–you’re all brainwashed!”…and then I say, 😃 😃 “Actually, I’m a United Methodist…Now, as to what you were saying before, you do realize that…[fill in the blank].” And go right on…
The amount of nonsense that some people believe about Catholics never ceases to amaze me. It seems like there is a kind of cottage industry in “Rotten Things to Say About Catholics”.
You’re doing good!!👍 Sometimes, it’s better to have one of us non-Catholic Christians do the correcting of people’s misperceptions. (And, sometimes,🤷 they just think we’re :rolleyes: crazy; I can live with that…).
God bless.
 
You know, nsper7, it sounds like the parts of the Episcopalian tradition that you like are the Catholic ones. 😃

There are Anglican groups that are almost indistinguishable from Catholicism, and one big one in particular (the name escapes me at the moment) that is in talks right now about rejoining Rome.

Though, there are other Anglican groups, like the one that recently ordained a Muslim priest and is trying to redefine the Trinity, that have truly gone off the deep end. It would be to your benefit to investigate your chosen group to determine if it matches the calling of your conscience. There’s some wacky stuff out there, so it’s best to be informed.

Best of luck in your journey! 👍 We’ll all be happy to answer any questions you may have.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top