Catholics Becoming Protestant

[Albert_Kopsho]

My brother became Methodist when he and his wife were married and was a Methodist for several years until they left the Methodist Church. After my brother and his wife left the Methodist Church, my brother was thinking about coming back to the Catholic Church and my brothers wife was thinking about becoming Catholic but one Sunday morning they attended Mass and they did not like that there was no Bible study after Mass so they joined a Non Denominatinal Church. I wish that my brother had come back to the Catholic Church, but there is nothing that I can do about it now since they have three children with two of them attending the school that their Non Denominational Church runs.

Albert Kopsho

 

[ProudArmyWife]

We have several friends who are like your brother. It seems that they have a different definition of what going to Church means. For Catholics, it is more of a personal time (Eucharist, etc.). For Protestants, its more of a community affair. I grew up Protestant and was put off, at first, of the lack of “friendliness” during the Catholic mass. It wasn’t until I understood the meaning of Mass that this changed. I’m sure if your brother’s family only understood what Mass is about, they would change their minds.

Perhaps you may want to start your own at-home Bible study. You could even start out with discussion of the Passion (great for Lent). Maybe some others have some ideas for at-home Bible studies. I attend a women’s group that studies the Creed line by line - along with apologetics. That was awesome and by the time we were done, everyone had a complete understanding and appreciation of what it means to be Catholic.

 

[pippin]

My whole family drifted out of the Catholic Church in the early seventies. So far I’m the only one to come back. My parents have been Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist and now Baptist. My older sister is currently Weslyian. My younger sister has been Prebyterian and is now Baptist. One brother attends a non-denominational church and the other doen’t go to any church. All you can do is pray.

 

[Jenlyn]

I pray continually for my fallen away Catholic family members. Two of them are athiest.

Isn’t it amazing how they wonder from place to place? How they feel restless? How they change places of worship based on the “way the wind blows?” Only when they come back to the Catholic church will they find peace because it is only here that they can recieve him and sit with him.

Pray, pray, pray for them just as St. Monica prayed for St Augustine. Never stop.

Peace,
Jen

 

[dnewbern]

Albert,

I’m familiar with your brother and sister-in-law’s behavior. For sveeral years, I too, treated the Catholic Church as “just another Church”, like it was “just another item” to purchase at Wal-Mart.

Perhaps you could invite your brother to a Mass when there is, in fact, a Bible Study afterward, or invite him to watch EWTN when they have one of their many Bible-study sessions. EWTN frequently advertises their schedule for the next day and the next week.

I live in the rural South where Catholicism is not a prized faith. It’s not publicly condemned like it used to be by my Protestant bretheren, but I am used to having to defend my faith. The Methodist Church, with it’s celebration of Lent, seems “Catholic lite” to me, but it lacks the Real Presence of the Eucharist, the congregation of saints, and many other aspects of early Christianity. Socially, being a Methodist in the rural South is “safe” and “plain vanilla” where you won’t be questioned at all–but it lacks so many Christian essentials.

Pray, pray and pray–and let the Lord do the heavy lifting for your brother’s conversion.

 

[dnewbern]

Albert, one other note. You mention that your brother has two chiildren in the non-denominational school. Is there a Catholic school in the area? Catholic schools usually have more resources and superior credentials than non-denominational schools. Perhaps you can mention this to your brother.

I can relate. My wife, who is non-Catholic, put our two oldest children in a fundamentalist Protestant school. I thought it was okay at first—at least they were not in the rowdy public school environment. I blithely went along and didn’t pay much attention.

And, of course, everyone at the Protestant school seemed so friendly and everything seemed okay. Then, I found out that the Protestant school advocated almost exclusively the “properity Gospel” and “Word-in-Faith, Name-it-and-Claim-it” that rejected Jesus’s call to deny yourself. The prosperity Gospel advocates “indulge yourself”. I had finally had enough when I discovered that many of the textbooks were purchased from Bob Jones University Press. The BJU website claims that the Pope is “a Satan”.

Despite my wife’s insistence and all the friendly smiles at the school, I yanked the kids out and placed them in public school and we are making the best of it. Catholic school is an option, but we are not there yet.
Remember that the school year ends in May, and your brother’s children need not go to the non-denominational school. Perhaps you can speak to him about a Catholic School or the local public school system. Mention it, it’s all you can do… pray for him… and I am praying, too.

 

[Scott_Lafrance]

This is unfortunate, because any Catholic who faithfully attends Mass every Sunday and holy day of obligation will get the ENTIRE bible, from cover to cover, with thoughtful explanation every three years. Most “non-denominational” church have there set of favorite bible passages that they repeat over and over, and ignore a significant part of the rest. Not to mention that they are NOT getting the 7 books that were cut out of the Protestant bible.
Albert Kopsho:

My brother became Methodist when he and his wife were married and was a Methodist for several years until they left the Methodist Church. After my brother and his wife left the Methodist Church, my brother was thinking about coming back to the Catholic Church and my brothers wife was thinking about becoming Catholic but one Sunday morning they attended Mass and they did not like that there was no Bible study after Mass so they joined a Non Denominatinal Church. I wish that my brother had come back to the Catholic Church, but there is nothing that I can do about it now since they have three children with two of them attending the school that their Non Denominational Church runs.

Albert Kopsho

 

[Albert_Kopsho]

dnewbern,

There is no chance of my brother coming back to the Catholic Church and there is no chance of my nephew and niece being enrolled in a Catholic school because my brother and family are very involved in their Non Denominational Church and my nephew and niece are very happy attending the school at the Non Denominational Church and so I have given up on my brother coming back to the Catholic Church. As long as they are Christians that is all that matters.

Albert

 

[monica_fan]

Albert,
Never give up on your brother and his family. God won’t. We have to keep praying for our fallen away family members. Look at how long St. Monica prayed for her son, Augustine, her pagan husband, Patricius and her mother in law. After many years of praying and treating them with kindness, they all came back. One of the reasons God gives us these Saints is to show us how to deal with situations like these. God bless~
Albert Kopsho:

dnewbern,

There is no chance of my brother coming back to the Catholic Church and there is no chance of my nephew and niece being enrolled in a Catholic school because my brother and family are very involved in their Non Denominational Church and my nephew and niece are very happy attending the school at the Non Denominational Church and so I have given up on my brother coming back to the Catholic Church. As long as they are Christians that is all that matters.

Albert

 

[bengal_fan]

ProudArmyWife:

…It seems that they have a different definition of what going to Church means. For Catholics, it is more of a personal time (Eucharist, etc.). For Protestants, its more of a community affair…

well, considering the early church had both (read acts 2) i would say they have a point. i don’t think the eucharist is a time for socializing but i also think it is patently wrong for some one to go to mass and leave and never talk to anyone with whom they are worshipping. fellowship is an integral part of being a Christian. we must love one another. that is how people will know we are Jesus’ followers, by our love for one another. again, i am not advocating a social hour during the eucharistic celebration, but i think a mandatory part of mass should be coffee and donuts in the parish center immediately following each mass. (that may sound strict but some people need to be compelled to do certain things). i think that when people just come to mass and don’t get to know and love the others in their parish, they are ignoring the commands of God and looking for their own personal comfort just as much (if not more since they have the fullness of the faith) as protestants who deny the authority of the church so that they can “worship” any way they choose.

 

[mercygate]

Albert Kopsho:

After my brother and his wife left the Methodist Church, my brother was thinking about coming back to the Catholic Church and my brothers wife was thinking about becoming Catholic but one Sunday morning they attended Mass and **they did not like that there was no Bible study after Mass **so they joined a Non Denominatinal Church. . . .Albert Kopsho

Right.

Fifty bucks it’s birth control, abortion or confession.

It’s DEFINITELY not because “there was no Bible study after Mass.”

 

[Island_Oak]

I come from a very large extended family–who were all raised Catholic–many of whom have gradually fallen away with their own families. I would be grateful if they attended any Christian church–much less returned as Catholics.

Interestingly–it was my parents/aunts+uncles’ generation “the boomers” that fell away and now my generation (the cousins) are more involved in their faith. You would think it would be the other way around–but I guess when the parents rebel and leave the conventional behind…the kids’ “rebellion” consists of taking up the conventional.

 

[Albert_Kopsho]

mercygate,

Yes the reason that my brother did not come back to the Catholic Church and his wife did not become Catholic is because there was no Bible study after the Mass that they attended. When they were Methodist’s there was Bible study after the church services in their Methodist Church. My brother has made an invitation to attend their Non Denominational Church one of these Sunday’s and I might attend and I will have to receive Holy Communion to keep peace with my brother.

Albert

 

[eleusis]

It astounds me that with today’s availability of resources on the true history of the Church that anyone would decide to be a Protestant. For 1500 years the Church was essentially ONE, the recorded writings of the Church Fathers, who the Protestants recognize and quote (out of context of course), demostrate they were CATHOLIC. Then suddenly Martin Luther comes along and voila the “truth” is suddenly revealed?? So we are to assume that the RCC was totally lost and it took over one thousand years from his resurrection for Jesus to FINALLY get the right message out?? History shows the original Church and faith was Catholic. As for bible study, if it is so important to the person and they noticed a gap in coverage in the parish perhaps the Holy Spirit was trying to show them where He needed them to become active. He may have had a basket full of grace to dump on them had they not freaked out and left HIS CHURCH. Astounding.

 

[mercygate]

Albert Kopsho:

mercygate,

Yes the reason that my brother did not come back to the Catholic Church and his wife did not become Catholic is because there was no Bible study after the Mass that they attended. When they were Methodist’s there was Bible study after the church services in their Methodist Church. My brother has made an invitation to attend their Non Denominational Church one of these Sunday’s and I might attend and I will have to receive Holy Communion to keep peace with my brother.

Albert

Nobody who was EVER Catholic would expect to find a Bible study after Church. So, if you scratch the surface – and it may not be your job to do that – you will find another reason for your brother’s dismissal of the Catholic Church.

As for your receiving Holy Communion in his Church, you know what is expected of you as a Catholic.

 

[Albert_Kopsho]

mercygate,

That is the reason that my brother gave for not coming back to the Catholic Church and I am not going to argue with my brother about it. If I were to attend their Non Denominational Church I would have to receive Holy Communion in order to keep peace with my brother for my nephew and two nieces sakes so I can continue having a relationship with my nephew and two nieces, which I find to be very important.

Albert

 

[mercygate]

Albert Kopsho:

mercygate,

That is the reason that my brother gave for not coming back to the Catholic Church and I am not going to argue with my brother about it.

As I said before, it may not be your job to argue about it.

If I were to attend their Non Denominational Church I would have to receive Holy Communion in order to keep peace with my brother for my nephew and two nieces sakes so I can continue having a relationship with my nephew and two nieces, which I find to be very important.

Albert

Participating in the Lord’s supper at your brother’s church in order to “keep peace,” is outright extortion, if that is what he demands.

Our martyred forbears in faith went singing to the flames or to the block for refusing “keep peace” by compromising truth. Will your brother respect you for tossing aside the discipline of what you believe to be true? I think not. Such action would give him yet one more reason to dismiss the Catholic faith.

 

[Albert_Kopsho]

mercygate,

But I want to continue having a relationship with my nephew and two nieces and I am worried that if I do not partake of the Lord’s Supper at my brothers Non Denominational Church that my brother will get mad and will not want me to associate with my nephew and two nieces anymore. And having a relationship with my nephew and two nieces is very important.

Albert

 

[mercygate]

Albert Kopsho:

mercygate,

But I want to continue having a relationship with my nephew and two nieces and I am worried that if I do not partake of the Lord’s Supper at my brothers Non Denominational Church that my brother will get mad and will not want me to associate with my nephew and two nieces anymore. And having a relationship with my newphew and two nieces is very important.

Albert

If your relationship must be based on a fraudulent reception of their “ordinance” of holy communion, then the relationship itself will be fraudulent. If your brother is putting this condition on your rleationship, then he is a bully. If the children are old enough to understand your brother’s reasons for rejecting you, then they are old enough to understand the principle of standing up for what one believes.

I sound tough here. But many of us face wrath from our families for becoming Catholic; that’s part of the life. It has been worth it.

 

[goldenautumnday]

Albert,

I am very new to this forum, but want to agree with mercygate, that you should not take communion.

I believe that you should hold steadfast to the
truths you hold as a Catholic. Your conviction to
Christ is more important than your brother.
Perhaps by staying true to your faith, your brother
and his children will come to a greater appreciation
of your Catholic tradition. By not participating in
this `fraudulent reception’ you show your conviction
to the Real Presence of Christ in the eucharist.

Paul