Catholic guy dating a JW girl.. Please help..

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Hi, my brothers in Christ! šŸ™‚

Donā€™t worry, my friends. I will emphasize to her that I will not leave my Catholic Faith for the sake of this relationship. I rather walk away than to be converted.

Also, in 3 years, Iā€™m open for new Catholic girls to date.

Maybe I will agree for a one on one bible study with a JW, but we will use the KJV or the NIV, not the NWT. Iā€™ve in my spiritual arsenal the stummpers to the JW beliefs. Who knows? Maybe God put me in this situation to share the Catholic truths to our lost brothers in Christ. Maybe God will use me to share the Gospel to them, to her.

She already told me that sheā€™s open minded and sheā€™s willing to consider the arguments and truths I will set forth in favor of Catholicism. We will research and pray together. Maybe itā€™s a long road, but I still hope that she will see beautiful truth in Catholic faith.

Thank you so much for your opinions šŸ™‚
 
Their Bible studies arenā€™t studied from the Bible, not even the NWT JW version - theyā€™re studied from Studies in the Scriptures, The Watcthower magazine, and with the ā€œstudy leaderā€ reading arranged lines from a copy of Reasoning from the Scriptures (you can buy it on Amazon), which contains seemingly good rebuttals to most Christian doctrine, at least on the surface.

In this thread, of all threads on this forum, youā€™ve had both all sorts of Catholics, and a Protestant or two, giving you unanimous advice - look for the significance in having the two agree in one, whereas Catholics and Protestants never agree on this forum.
:signofcross:
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto,
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum.
Amen.
 
jnoelbalana14 said:
Hi, my brothers in Christ! šŸ™‚

Donā€™t worry, my friends. I will emphasize to her that I will not leave my Catholic Faith for the sake of this relationship. I rather walk away than to be converted.

Also, in 3 years, Iā€™m open for new Catholic girls to date.

Maybe I will agree for a one on one bible study with a JW, but we will use the KJV or the NIV, not the NWT. Iā€™ve in my spiritual arsenal the stummpers to the JW beliefs. Who knows? Maybe God put me in this situation to share the Catholic truths to our lost brothers in Christ. Maybe God will use me to share the Gospel to them, to her.

She already told me that sheā€™s open minded and sheā€™s willing to consider the arguments and truths I will set forth in favor of Catholicism. We will research and pray together. Maybe itā€™s a long road, but I still hope that she will see beautiful truth in Catholic faith.

Thank you so much for your opinions šŸ™‚
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I am telling you ā€¦ these people dont even celebrate CHRISTMAS!!! and bad mouth us that do!!!

Wellā€¦ If you are set on dating this girlā€¦ Suggestion. Take as strong Catholic friend or 3 with you to the classesā€¦ and have your own meetings and critiques at the local pub later.

Sheesh!

One last thought ā€¦ do you want to bring children into this world that believe in a false Christ and have no clue how to get to heaven. And go door to door trying to convince anyone gullible enough ā€¦ to follow them??
 
Actually orthodox Protestants and Catholics probably agree on a lot more than either side is willing to admit.
 
Especially Anglicans and Lutherans, but even Evangelicals and Fundamentalists, if the latter would give up their Rome-hatred.
  1. The Trinity.
  2. The Hypostatic Union
  3. The Bible as the Word of God.
  4. Salvation by grace, through the merits of Christ (sola gratia, sola Christi).
  5. For most traditional Protestants, baptismal regeneration.
  6. The supersession of the Mosaic law.
And the list goes on. Christians have much in common together (on the internet, and often in real life, we argue about minute theological points that seem absurd to anyone whoā€™s not been initiated, such as how exactly the grace works, or whether righteousness or justification is imputed or infused), whereas Jehovahā€™s Witnesses have more in common with Muslims.

The trinity of main theological points:
  1. The Trinity
  2. The Hypostatic Union
  3. Jesus died for our sins.
 
Dear friend.
I was married 13 years ago in the Catholic Church. My husband and I both were Catholic but non practicing. 4 years ago JWā€™s came to our door and he decided they were right and went with them. Heā€™s now a practicing JW. He challenged me on my beliefs as a Catholic and it scared me because I wasnā€™t a theologian. I decided I need to learn my faith. I needed to know which religion Jesus was talking about when he said ā€œYou are Peter and on this rock I will build my churchā€. I read the Early Church Fathers and studied and learned the bible. I can now quote scripture verses to prove the Catholic Church is the Church of Jesus Christ but he too has been studying. Some say that Jehovahā€™s Witnesses are not a cult, but I can see the brainwashing they are doing to my husband and it aches my heart. I love him so very much. By the grace of God we are still a family. We have 5 children and because we were married in the Catholic Church, I was able to remind him of our marriage vows that our children must be raised Catholic. He stepped back and is allowing me to raise them in the faith. I work hard to teach my children catechesis as well as apologetics so they too will be able to defend their faith in case he comes to them and wants to convert them to the JWā€™s. If you are a practicing Catholic, you must get married in the church. In order for her to do that, she will have to leave the JWā€™s. Her religious beliefs wonā€™t allow her to be married in the Catholic Church. Read the Early Church Fathers and learn their faith. Catholic Answers author Jason Evert has an EXCELLENT book on Jehovahā€™s Witnesses and their beliefs. Iā€™ve tried to engage my husband in conversation about their beliefs but he gets defensive and walks away from me whenever I try. Iā€™m not sure what theyā€™re telling him about me, but my guess is itā€™s to stay away from any conversation regarding religion. Speak to her gently and kindly, and most of all, please pray for her. Offer up prayer and fasting for her and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in truth.
God Bless you and Iā€™m praying for the both of you
Christine
 
Christinex5 said:
Dear friend.
I was married 13 years ago in the Catholic Church. My husband and I both were Catholic but non practicing. 4 years ago JWā€™s came to our door and he decided they were right and went with them. Heā€™s now a practicing JW. He challenged me on my beliefs as a Catholic and it scared me because I wasnā€™t a theologian. I decided I need to learn my faith. I needed to know which religion Jesus was talking about when he said ā€œYou are Peter and on this rock I will build my churchā€. I read the Early Church Fathers and studied and learned the bible. I can now quote scripture verses to prove the Catholic Church is the Church of Jesus Christ but he too has been studying. Some say that Jehovahā€™s Witnesses are not a cult, but I can see the brainwashing they are doing to my husband and it aches my heart. I love him so very much. By the grace of God we are still a family. We have 5 children and because we were married in the Catholic Church, I was able to remind him of our marriage vows that our children must be raised Catholic. He stepped back and is allowing me to raise them in the faith. I work hard to teach my children catechesis as well as apologetics so they too will be able to defend their faith in case he comes to them and wants to convert them to the JWā€™s. If you are a practicing Catholic, you must get married in the church. In order for her to do that, she will have to leave the JWā€™s. Her religious beliefs wonā€™t allow her to be married in the Catholic Church. Read the Early Church Fathers and learn their faith. Catholic Answers author Jason Evert has an EXCELLENT book on Jehovahā€™s Witnesses and their beliefs. Iā€™ve tried to engage my husband in conversation about their beliefs but he gets defensive and walks away from me whenever I try. Iā€™m not sure what theyā€™re telling him about me, but my guess is itā€™s to stay away from any conversation regarding religion. Speak to her gently and kindly, and most of all, please pray for her. Offer up prayer and fasting for her and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in truth.
God Bless you and Iā€™m praying for the both of you
Christine
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Cool Christine:thumbsup:šŸ‘šŸ‘

Hang in there Iā€™ll be praying for you all.

jesus g
 
Christinex5 said:
Dear friend.
I was married 13 years ago in the Catholic Church. My husband and I both were Catholic but non practicing. 4 years ago JWā€™s came to our door and he decided they were right and went with them. Heā€™s now a practicing JW. He challenged me on my beliefs as a Catholic and it scared me because I wasnā€™t a theologian. I decided I need to learn my faith. I needed to know which religion Jesus was talking about when he said ā€œYou are Peter and on this rock I will build my churchā€. I read the Early Church Fathers and studied and learned the bible. I can now quote scripture verses to prove the Catholic Church is the Church of Jesus Christ but he too has been studying. Some say that Jehovahā€™s Witnesses are not a cult, but I can see the brainwashing they are doing to my husband and it aches my heart. I love him so very much. By the grace of God we are still a family. We have 5 children and because we were married in the Catholic Church, I was able to remind him of our marriage vows that our children must be raised Catholic. He stepped back and is allowing me to raise them in the faith. I work hard to teach my children catechesis as well as apologetics so they too will be able to defend their faith in case he comes to them and wants to convert them to the JWā€™s. If you are a practicing Catholic, you must get married in the church. In order for her to do that, she will have to leave the JWā€™s. Her religious beliefs wonā€™t allow her to be married in the Catholic Church. Read the Early Church Fathers and learn their faith. Catholic Answers author Jason Evert has an EXCELLENT book on Jehovahā€™s Witnesses and their beliefs. Iā€™ve tried to engage my husband in conversation about their beliefs but he gets defensive and walks away from me whenever I try. Iā€™m not sure what theyā€™re telling him about me, but my guess is itā€™s to stay away from any conversation regarding religion. Speak to her gently and kindly, and most of all, please pray for her. Offer up prayer and fasting for her and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in truth.
God Bless you and Iā€™m praying for the both of you
Christine
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Praying for you and your husband as well.
 
It sounds like it boils down to a matter of choice. Which will you choose? Your faith or your girlfriend. What would you do at the end of the three years of study? If you donā€™t plan to convert, why waste three years of your life on that. I suppose thereā€™s always the chance that she will convert, but I sure wouldnā€™t count on it.
 
Jnoel,
I am going to give your girlfriend the benefit of the doubt. I am going to assume that she really does love you, and that she is being honest with you about her request. I donā€™t actually know if this is true - but I donā€™t think she needs to be called insincere to be able to make sense of the problem here.

Others have raised some very good points. And while a couple of people have briefly mentioned the question ā€œwhat will your children learn?,ā€ I suspect that a little more on that point is important for you to hear.

What is the purpose of marriage? Well, there are two purposes. One is to help your spouse get to heaven. The other is to have children, raise them in the faith, and help THEM get to heaven. Thatā€™s it. Thatā€™s what the love you have for each other is for. Itā€™s not for having a good time, or enjoying each otherā€™s company (although hopefully those things will happen to). The love that spouses have for each other is ordered towards helping each other get to heaven and towards creating new life and pointing those lives to heaven.

So letā€™s say that you do everything that she asks, you remain Catholic, and you end up getting married. Letā€™s assume that you are able to have children. What will your children be taught? Is she willing to let you raise the children Catholic? Will you be able to bring them to Church, teach them the faith in its fullness, and will you be able to keep them away from JW services and education? Someday, if you have children, you will be amazed at how much you love them. You will be amazed at how badly you want to help them get to heaven. And if you are unable to teach them the faith, or if you are forced to allow them to be raised with JW beliefs, you will be amazed at the heartbreak you will feel when you worry about their souls. You will have the tools to help them to get them to heaven, but your hands will be tied.

Being in a mixed-faith marriage can be truly heartbreaking because of this issue, especially when both spouses love their faith. When one spouse doesnā€™t really care, it might not be so bad, because the other spouse can pretty much do what they want. But this isnā€™t the case with you. You love your faith, and Iā€™m sure you want to pass it on to your future children. But your girlfriend loves her faith too. Who can fault her for wanting to pass HER faith on to her future children? Who can fault her for wanting to avoid that heartbreak? Not being able to point your children to heaven is not a glitch, it is a failure to meet one of the two goals of marriage. Do you really want to set yourself up for that heartbreak, and do you want to set your children up for that spiritual danger?

So this is where I sympathize with your girlfriend. I think that she may understand this (assuming she is being honest with you). It is right that she loves Jehovah more than you. And you should love God more than her. All spouses should love God more than their spouse. And as hard as it must be to hear this, I really believe that your girlfriendā€™s impulse to break up was the right one. I believe that you love each other. Out of love for her, let her go, and allow her to marry a JW man, so that she can have a fulfilling marriage and raise her future children the way she sees fit. Out of love for you, she should let you go, so that you can marry a Catholic woman someday, and be able to have the joy of giving your children the greatest gift any parent can give them, which is their faith. The fact that you are young doesnā€™t mean that it isnā€™t love, but t does mean that someday, you can look back on this first love fondly, and be thankful that you cared enough about each other to let each other go.
 
They donā€™t believe in the Trinity, they donā€™t believe in the divinity of Jesus, they donā€™t believe in the immortal soul - theyā€™re not Christians, theyā€™re a new religion. Protestants believe in almost all or all Christian (that is, Catholic) doctrine, but they disagree on the organization and structure of the Church, its visibility, and its role. Not on dogmata of the faith. Christian = Nicene. Not Arian, docetist, Sabellian, Unitarian, monolatrist, polytheist, non-divine Jesus, new prophets or scriptures, etc.

Thatā€™s not offensive, either: if they thought they had the truth, they should be proud of being called a new religion. Calling JWs or Mormons Christians is like saying Christianity is ā€œnothing more than another splinter sect of Judaismā€.

JWism and Mormonism split from Christianity in a similar sense to how Christianity split from Judaism - they still have a Christian heritage, as well still have a Jewish one, but they are no longer a member of the religion they split from and rejected.
 
šŸ¤·
Khalid said:
They donā€™t believe in the Trinity, they donā€™t believe in the divinity of Jesus, they donā€™t believe in the immortal soul - theyā€™re not Christians, theyā€™re a new religion. Protestants believe in almost all or all Christian (that is, Catholic) doctrine, but they disagree on the organization and structure of the Church, its visibility, and its role. Not on dogmata of the faith. Christian = Nicene. Not Arian, docetist, Sabellian, Unitarian, monolatrist, polytheist, non-divine Jesus, new prophets or scriptures, etc.

Thatā€™s not offensive, either: if they thought they had the truth, they should be proud of being called a new religion. Calling JWs or Mormons Christians is like saying Christianity is ā€œnothing more than another splinter sect of Judaismā€.

JWism and Mormonism split from Christianity in a similar sense to how Christianity split from Judaism - they still have a Christian heritage, as well still have a Jewish one, but they are no longer a member of the religion they split from and rejected.
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Khalid, I wish it were as simple as ā€œChristian = Niceneā€ but I have yet to find this formula. The closest I have come up w/ is from St. Caesarius of Arles, (donā€™t remember where) that would at best define Christian as ā€œfollower of Christā€, a very open definition. I agree with your definition but you can see why JWā€™s consider themselves Christians.

My apologies to Protestants, our fellow Christians, but the more Iā€™ve studied both the JW & Protestant belief structures, the more I see similarities in them along with the vast differences. I am not considering Protestants are non-Christians, but if we were to start at preverbal zero point of true Christianity and move forward in the Protestant direction, why is it so hard to see a progression to JW?šŸ¤·

Is this being too simple minded?

Peace!!!
 
Bob_Crowley said:
Sorry to say this to you, but Iā€™d suggest you put Christ and the Church first and break up with her. I think youā€™re setting yourself up for a lot of heartache.
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I must agree!
I myself married a JW. Trust me it will not work and you are headed into a world of pain; your own child will turn against yo because you are not in the truth! She asked you to study the Bibel with the JW s but they do not study the Bibel; they actually call it book study because what they acually do is study the Watch Tower publications and use the Bibel to support it! Your marriage will end in disaster and you will be left spiritually weakened and broken; trust me ( better yet trust Jesus Christ and what he is saying to you in your heart) I have been there and done that!
I am praying for you Son
 
Yerusalyim said:
My advice is to find another woman to love. The whole point of them wanting you to study is to convert you. If they see that wonā€™t happen, what then? Are you prepared to spend your life with a woman (and her family) that donā€™t share your values?

How will you maintain your Catholic faith? How will you feel when she objects to celebrating Christmas? How will you feel about not celebrating Easter? or Birthdays? How will you raise your children and protect them from JW theology? Are you prepared to lose your future children to being JWā€™s? Are you prepared to have your wife out of the home three or four days a week with different JW meetings? Willing to sacrafice Saturdays so she can go out doing door to door stuff?

Hereā€™s the test. Agree to the study ONLY IF she will also go to RCIA to have a better understanding of the Catholic faith. If she refuses (and she will) then I recommend you move onā€¦

Iā€™m speaking from experienceā€¦I was married to a JW. If you are a man of faith and she is a woman of faithā€¦youā€™ll have little common ground on which to build your relationship.
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I agree,
I also speak from experience and was Married to A JW for 12 years, it will end in disaster!
I pray for you
Michel
 
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