Catholics, Protestants and exclusionary beliefs

[Sunshine007]

I have a Protestant background for over 20 years but deconverted a few years ago. I was conditioned as a young teen to believe my family was going to hell so I had problems growing up with my family and they were all good people and I also could not develop normal relationships with other people because the various churches I was in always had me on guard about nonChristians. Catholics were also going to hell. I am now in late 30s and I would like to go to a church that will not cause a rift with my family, or a feeling of disconnection with co-workers, or neighbors. I have been told that many Catholic churches do not judge nonCatholics and I could have friends that I would choose as good people with good taste with character and such and I would not feel a rift with my family. When I was a Protestant, every time I left a church, I would lose all my friends from the former church because the churches were too different. I am thinking this would of been different if I went to a Catholic church. I know that some Catholic churches are exclusionary but a number of them I heard are not, is this true?

Please PM me if you wish. I do not wish to cause arguments here. I would like a variety of replies.

My goal is to be a Christian again without feeling that other good people are going to hell. I want to remain friends with others. There are people I know are not good people out there too and I avoid them when I sense they are that way. It is not like I want to be friends with everyone. It’s not like that. But I had severe social anxiety because of my church background. I have a feeling that if I went to a certain type of Catholic church that that would not of happened.

Please reply.

 

[fbl9]

Hello and welcome to CAF Sunshine007…
The Catholic Church of the Latin Rite welcomes all through her doors.They are free to join in the worship,praise,and prayers of the mass…They (non catholic visitors) are not allowed to parcipate in the sacrements,till they have made a public profession of faith.After completing an investigation period known as “The Rite of Christian Initation for Adults” RCIA for short.
A note to “not allowed to participate in the sacrements” as usual there are some exemptions,marriage being one.Even this is not a full participation as in the eyes of the Church.

 

[emeraldcoast]

I have a Protestant background for over 20 years but deconverted a few years ago. I was conditioned as a young teen to believe my family was going to hell so I had problems growing up with my family and they were all good people and I also could not develop normal relationships with other people because the various churches I was in always had me on guard about nonChristians. Catholics were also going to hell. I am now in late 30s and I would like to go to a church that will not cause a rift with my family, or a feeling of disconnection with co-workers, or neighbors. I have been told that many Catholic churches do not judge nonCatholics and I could have friends that I would choose as good people with good taste with character and such and I would not feel a rift with my family. When I was a Protestant, every time I left a church, I would lose all my friends from the former church because the churches were too different. I am thinking this would of been different if I went to a Catholic church. I know that some Catholic churches are exclusionary but a number of them I heard are not, is this true?

Please PM me if you wish. I do not wish to cause arguments here. I would like a variety of replies.

My goal is to be a Christian again without feeling that other good people are going to hell. I want to remain friends with others. There are people I know are not good people out there too and I avoid them when I sense they are that way. It is not like I want to be friends with everyone. It’s not like that. But I had severe social anxiety because of my church background. I have a feeling that if I went to a certain type of Catholic church that that would not of happened.

Please reply.

Hi Sunshine! Welcome to the forum!

I have a couple questions for you if you don’t mind. What kind of Protestant Church did you belong to? Why would you leave one church for another? If I am reading your post correctly, you did not go to church with your family growing up?

God Bless!

 

[dianaiad]

I have a Protestant background for over 20 years but deconverted a few years ago. I was conditioned as a young teen to believe my family was going to hell so I had problems growing up with my family and they were all good people and I also could not develop normal relationships with other people because the various churches I was in always had me on guard about nonChristians. Catholics were also going to hell. I am now in late 30s and I would like to go to a church that will not cause a rift with my family, or a feeling of disconnection with co-workers, or neighbors. I have been told that many Catholic churches do not judge nonCatholics and I could have friends that I would choose as good people with good taste with character and such and I would not feel a rift with my family. When I was a Protestant, every time I left a church, I would lose all my friends from the former church because the churches were too different. I am thinking this would of been different if I went to a Catholic church. I know that some Catholic churches are exclusionary but a number of them I heard are not, is this true?

Please PM me if you wish. I do not wish to cause arguments here. I would like a variety of replies.

My goal is to be a Christian again without feeling that other good people are going to hell. I want to remain friends with others. There are people I know are not good people out there too and I avoid them when I sense they are that way. It is not like I want to be friends with everyone. It’s not like that. But I had severe social anxiety because of my church background. I have a feeling that if I went to a certain type of Catholic church that that would not of happened.

Please reply.

Oh, make everybody annoyed with you. Become a Mormon.

 

[Jean_1958]

Hi Sunshine007 and welcome to CAF,

The Catholic Church does not teach shunning, disassociation, or disfellowship.

The Catholic Church does not forbid its’ members to have friends other than Catholic.

I hope this answers your question on exclusionary beliefs.

God Bless,

Jean

 

[emeraldcoast]

Hi Sunshine007 and welcome to CAF,

The Catholic Church does not teach shunning, disassociation, or disfellowship.

The Catholic Church does not forbid its’ members to have friends other than Catholic.

I hope this answers your question on exclusionary beliefs.

God Bless,

Jean

The Catholic Church does however exclude other Christians to the Lord’s invitation to the Lord’s Supper. Kind of exclusionary, don’t you think?

God Bless!

 

[Jean_1958]

The Catholic Church does however exclude other Christians to the Lord’s invitation to the Lord’s Supper. Kind of exclusionary, don’t you think?

Communion is all about being in unity of belief. I have been in Baptist and Lutheran churches that have asked the people attending to not take communion if they did not belong to that particular church or theological belief. That is kind of exclusionary too, don’t ya think?

I thought the OP’s original question had to do more with social concerns or relationships with people rather than theological beliefs about communion.

God Bless,

Jean

 

[Sunshine007]

Communion is all about being in unity of belief. I have been in Baptist and Lutheran churches that have asked the people attending to not take communion if they did not belong to that particular church or theological belief. That is kind of exclusionary too, don’t ya think?

I thought the OP’s original question had to do more with social concerns or relationships with people rather than theological beliefs about communion.

God Bless,

Jean

yes, its not about communion at all. If I was Catholic and they only allow Catholics to take communion that is not an issue, it is when I was Protestant they condemned all nonChristians, including Catholics so I felt in myself alienated from a number of people, and wrongly so I believe. Now I see how ridiculous they are. I want to know if I can go to a Catholic church and still in good conscience associate with my family and others without believing they are going to hell just for not being Catholic. I respect each person’s ability to make their own choices about God. If they want to become Catholic also, then that is up to them. I don’t associate personally with people who are drunks, thieves, sexually promiscus, things I know about them. If they are just nonreligious, but good people, then I have no right to judge them, that is up to God later.

 

[Jean_1958]

I want to know if I can go to a Catholic church and still in good conscience associate with my family and others without believing they are going to hell just for not being Catholic. I respect each person’s ability to make their own choices about God. If they want to become Catholic also, then that is up to them. I don’t associate personally with people who are drunks, thieves, sexually promiscus, things I know about them. If they are just nonreligious, but good people, then I have no right to judge them, that is up to God later.

The answer to your question is yes. You can attend a Catholic church and still associate with others that have different beliefs from your own.

I hope you will be able to get answers to a lot of your questions here at CAF. There are many good people here of many different beliefs.

God Bless,

Jean

 

[Sunshine007]

Hi Sunshine! Welcome to the forum!

I have a couple questions for you if you don’t mind. What kind of Protestant Church did you belong to? Why would you leave one church for another? If I am reading your post correctly, you did not go to church with your family growing up?

God Bless!

Every Protestant church I went to condemned the other Christian churches, the Catholics and the nonchristians yet they seemed normal in other respects. They were civilized like but in reality, too intolerant for me.

When i was Baptist, and I left for a Charismatic church that believed in miracles and spiritual gifts and I still felt good about the Baptists but, the Baptists were horrified and said I was going to hell and was decieved. I was in a church that believed in the Old Testament and the importance of actions in salvation and the Charismatic church said that was horrible and said I was decieved. I was in a deliverance church and learned of spirits that I could tell to leave me alone, and the Church of God offshoot sect said I was apostate and going to hell. No one would retain me as a friend. Every time I went to another church, the former church members would not associate with me.*** It was not me***, they did it to ALL others. I’d hear about it and see it happen to others and I thought that they must of done something else or I would be different. No. I saw everytime I was there how they would talk about the unsaved, they would bash Catholics at times saying they were decieved after the service though not during it. In my teen years the Baptists showed all kinds of videos about Catholics and Mormons and the Newage and how they were all evil and decieved. I was in a number of churches looking for one that took the “works” a little more seriously, belieived in spiritual gifts without the forcing of tonuges or the wild services, did not bash other people and condemn them to hell, and never once saw one Protestant church that made any allowances for any nonChristian people and allowing them to just have their dignity before God alone and make their own decisions. I switched churches because I was in churches that didn’t believe about spiritual gifts, deliverance, or health. I should be allowed to do that and still be a Christian. Those people are disgraceful to my common sense. I learned a lot but they were all exclusionary and caused terrible terrible unnecessary paranoia in me about my family, co-workers, neighbors, etc. thinking that these people were dangerous. I deconverted about 4 years ago. I miss being around people who pray and who have wholesome spare time activities and like to talk about values.

My family was not Christian growing up. Only I was.

 

[Jean_1958]

Every time I went to another church, the former church members would not associate with me.*** It was not me***, they did it to ALL others. I saw everytime I was there how they would talk about the unsaved, they would bash Catholics at times saying they were decieved after the service though not during it. In my teen years the Baptists showed all kinds of videos about Catholics and Mormons and the Newage and how they were all evil and decieved. I was in a number of churches looking for one that did not bash other people and condemn them to hell, never once saw one Protestant church that made any allowances for any nonChristian people and allowing them to just have their dignity before God alone and make their own decisions.

I think you will find us Catholics to be a very tolerant group of people as a whole.

God Bless,

Jean

 

[Sunshine007]

I think you will find us Catholics to be a very tolerant group of people as a whole.

God Bless,

Jean

I am really glad. I am happy about how they think about works and how spiritual gifts is accepted without it being a wild show or that they don’t cast out spirits right and left. That church went too far. I am not used to the rituals of the Catholic church but I do not believe they are evil! like I was told.

It’s important to me that I am able to think with a good conscience about the people around me and also choose at my own discretion who to be around or who to like. It’s horrible when I think about how I grew up.

 

[Jean_1958]

Are you considering attending a Catholic Mass?

God Bless,

Jean

 

[Sunshine007]

Are you considering attending a Catholic Mass?

God Bless,

Jean

yes I am now.

I just read in another thread how Catholics don’t decide if they are saved, they leave it to God and that makes sense to me. With Protestants, they have to know right away by a prayer which is not even in the Bible and I always wondered if they knew what they did wrong, and know how to not do those things again. They don’t. They say they are sorry but not told to name anything they did wrong even or have any plan to change.

 

[guanophore]

Welcome to CAF Sunshine!

I am now in late 30s and I would like to go to a church that will not cause a rift with my family, or a feeling of disconnection with co-workers, or neighbors.

This may not be possible. If you are serious about your faith, as you seem to be, then your faith will cause controversy.

Matt 10:34-39

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.
35 For I have come to set a man against his father,
and a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36 and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household.

37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38 and whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.

Instead of focusing on other people, make your priority to be right with God. Then, if there are rifts, you will know that this is the fruit of the spirit.

 I have been told that many Catholic churches do not judge nonCatholics and I could have friends that I would choose as good people with good taste with character and such and I would not feel a rift with my family. When I was a Protestant, every time I left a church, I would lose all my friends from the former church because the churches were too different. I am thinking this would of been different if I went to a Catholic church. I know that some Catholic churches are exclusionary but a number of them I heard are not, is this true?

My goal is to be a Christian again without feeling that other good people are going to hell. I want to remain friends with others. There are people I know are not good people out there too and I avoid them when I sense they are that way. It is not like I want to be friends with everyone. It’s not like that. But I had severe social anxiety because of my church background. I have a feeling that if I went to a certain type of Catholic church that that would not of happened.

Please reply.

The position of the Church is that it is up to God to judge the soul, not ourselves, so you will not find good Catholics going around convinced that others who believe differently are going to hell. I can assure you, though, there are people going to hell! First just focus on how to keep yourself out, then you can help your loved ones!

 

[Jean_1958]

Sunshine007,

I’m glad to hear that.

Please come back to the forum and share with us the experience of your first Mass.

God Bless,

Jean

 

[guanophore]

The Catholic Church does however exclude other Christians to the Lord’s invitation to the Lord’s Supper. Kind of exclusionary, don’t you think?

God Bless!

No. The only ones invited are those who are in unity with the Successor of Peter. This is how Jesus set it up, and we are obedient.

 

[SteveGC]

Oh, Sunshine…

may I be so bold as to say…

You are SO ready to begin your Catholic Christian journey

It is time, my friend. From everything I’ve read on your thread here, it is time.

I just felt compelled to say that to you, for some reason.

And it’s not just because you’ll find a universal humility and acceptance by all faithful Catholics (you will indeed). It’s not just because The Church doesn’t exclude anyone from the possibility of salvation (She doesn’t, although She does say that if they ARE saved, it is by virtue of God’s grace which works through Her).

It’s because Christ is the Truth you are seeking. And The Church is Christ’s own gift to God’s faithful.

It’s because you are seeking a “home”. And there is no home on earth more undeniably proper for you (for anyone) than The Catholic Church. We truly are the Body of Christ.

Let us know how we can help you on this journey, when you’re ready.

God Bless

 

[Rawb]

You will not find a Catholic saying a nonCatholic is going to hell, because we are expressily FORBIDDEN from saying such a thing. To judge a soul is the jurisdiction of God alone, and not the place of humans.

You are also correct that Catholics do not believe salvation is a one time, instant process as many protestants do. We believe it is a journey, and that the Sacraments can help us stay on that path, or return to it if we’ve strayed.

True, Sacraments are only for those who are Catholic, but that is not exclusion for exclusions sake. The Sacraments are powerful, and can have negative effects if used by non-believers or adamant sinners. It says as much in Sacred Scripture.

You are perfectly allowe to hang out with nonCatholics. My best friends are Catholic, Protestant, Agnostic, Atheistic, and vaugely Jewish, so we run the whole gamut. We’re all very good friends.

 

[kalt]

The Catholic Church does however exclude other Christians to the Lord’s invitation to the Lord’s Supper. Kind of exclusionary, don’t you think?

God Bless!

The Catholic Church excludes no one–Christian or not.

Everyone may choose to participate, to belong.

The Catholic Church excludes no one. Many exclude themselves.