A
Aleria_Star
Guest
Well, this is my first post, but I really need some help with this:
Pretty much, I’m Catholic and my boyfriend’s not.
When we first started dating about seven months ago, he told me he believed in God, but refused to go to church or anything else, he was a fall away Catholic from the time he was 12. He didn’t believe church was needed and he could do it all from his bedroom if needed.
He also used to be a very sexual oriented person, all his previous relationships before me were based solely on sex and attraction, nothing else. They all ended bitterly too.
So on, about three months ago he started going back to church, but not with me. Instead he drives about an hour away to go to a church in Gettysburg, PA called “Gettysburg Church of Christ.” Now, this isn’t even what I could consider church, there’s no priest and the Lord’s Supper isn’t even blessed, it’s just given out while a parishinor reads a couple lines from a Gospel and says a prayer. Then the ‘preacher’ arrives–you don’t see him until the songs are sung and the Gospel is ‘read’–and he gives a serman on whatever he wants, despite what verses were read from the Gospel. Then ‘church’ is over.
Now, he’s been going to this and coming back with all these fanatical facts that the Catholic Church is wrong and that I’m blind to it and refuse to open my eyes and see how wrong it is. I’m very stubborn thankfully. He points out thinks like calling priests “father’s” is against the Bible, confessing to a priest is against the Bible, we changed the Ten Commandments, we pray to Mary and place her above or equal to God with the other saints, we changed the Bible by taking out the “Gospel of Thomas” and we have graven images in our Church.
I have shown him where these aren’t true, but he always conveniently ‘forgets’ and insists he’s proved me wrong over and over. Unfortunately, he’s set in only looking at Scripture and not at tradition. I’ve shown him things from Peter and Paul in the Bible, but he says he’ll side with Jesus before them so I’m still wrong because Peter and Paul are mortal and therefore will say things contrary to Jesus.
He also has picked up from his friend, who is also a fall away Catholic, something called “Understand Roman Catholicism”. But it isn’t understanding it at all, what it is is a collection of pieces from the Catechism and the Bible verses it breaks even though it doesn’t and I’ve shown him that as well. I’ve told him this isn’t understanding Catholicism because all it does is bash Catholics and show one side of the argument–it doesn’t show where we got it or what verses do coenside with the Catechism.
Our arguments aren’t few and far between, unfortunately, and usually leave both of us angry, frustrated and me hurting. I have said to him before “I don’t know what you want me to say” and he responds “I want you to open your eyes and stop being Catholic”. And this is tearing me apart inside. I will not give up my faith, I know with my heart and soul that this is where I belong and it is the right path, but I don’t want to give him up either, though I am prepared to.
Please, if anyone can help, I’d greatly appreciate it, I cannot see this relationship lasting too much longer in the direction we are heading. I’ve been praying the Novena, but any other prayers will be appreciated as well.
Pretty much, I’m Catholic and my boyfriend’s not.
When we first started dating about seven months ago, he told me he believed in God, but refused to go to church or anything else, he was a fall away Catholic from the time he was 12. He didn’t believe church was needed and he could do it all from his bedroom if needed.
He also used to be a very sexual oriented person, all his previous relationships before me were based solely on sex and attraction, nothing else. They all ended bitterly too.
So on, about three months ago he started going back to church, but not with me. Instead he drives about an hour away to go to a church in Gettysburg, PA called “Gettysburg Church of Christ.” Now, this isn’t even what I could consider church, there’s no priest and the Lord’s Supper isn’t even blessed, it’s just given out while a parishinor reads a couple lines from a Gospel and says a prayer. Then the ‘preacher’ arrives–you don’t see him until the songs are sung and the Gospel is ‘read’–and he gives a serman on whatever he wants, despite what verses were read from the Gospel. Then ‘church’ is over.
Now, he’s been going to this and coming back with all these fanatical facts that the Catholic Church is wrong and that I’m blind to it and refuse to open my eyes and see how wrong it is. I’m very stubborn thankfully. He points out thinks like calling priests “father’s” is against the Bible, confessing to a priest is against the Bible, we changed the Ten Commandments, we pray to Mary and place her above or equal to God with the other saints, we changed the Bible by taking out the “Gospel of Thomas” and we have graven images in our Church.
I have shown him where these aren’t true, but he always conveniently ‘forgets’ and insists he’s proved me wrong over and over. Unfortunately, he’s set in only looking at Scripture and not at tradition. I’ve shown him things from Peter and Paul in the Bible, but he says he’ll side with Jesus before them so I’m still wrong because Peter and Paul are mortal and therefore will say things contrary to Jesus.
He also has picked up from his friend, who is also a fall away Catholic, something called “Understand Roman Catholicism”. But it isn’t understanding it at all, what it is is a collection of pieces from the Catechism and the Bible verses it breaks even though it doesn’t and I’ve shown him that as well. I’ve told him this isn’t understanding Catholicism because all it does is bash Catholics and show one side of the argument–it doesn’t show where we got it or what verses do coenside with the Catechism.
Our arguments aren’t few and far between, unfortunately, and usually leave both of us angry, frustrated and me hurting. I have said to him before “I don’t know what you want me to say” and he responds “I want you to open your eyes and stop being Catholic”. And this is tearing me apart inside. I will not give up my faith, I know with my heart and soul that this is where I belong and it is the right path, but I don’t want to give him up either, though I am prepared to.
Please, if anyone can help, I’d greatly appreciate it, I cannot see this relationship lasting too much longer in the direction we are heading. I’ve been praying the Novena, but any other prayers will be appreciated as well.
