Catholics: Tell your Protestant / Non-Catholic friends about your beliefs!

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mesl4

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I was raised Protestant/ Christian non-denom. Attended various churches, baptized at a Mennonite Church, attended Baptist the past 7 yrs, and am now journeying toward Catholicism. I ws pretty anti-Catholic for awhile, but really had never had a Catholic explain or defend their faith w/sound apologetics. I only knew nominal Catholics if that. Anyway, this isn’t a question, but just an encouragment. Most Protestants I know have no idea about the history and Early Church Fathers of the Catholic Church (which is really all Christian’s church). I began reading church history and realised that if that were true, I needed to become Catholic. To verify though, I needed more research and apologetics from the Catholic point of view…something I had never done. The more I read, the more convinced I became and though I’m still wrestling w/some things…(mainly the Mary dogma/prayers and Rosary), I’m seriously considering and am starting RCIA next wk. Anyway, I take this as a tremendous opportunity to evangelize my numerous Protestant pals. Maybe there was a reason God put me in that world for so long, and gave me a heart for evangelism. Now I can teach them all I"ve learned and maybe convert a few! Go for it guys! Tell them about www.earlychristianwritings.com , and to read 1 Clement of Rome, letter to the Corinthians - especially Ch 44-48. Totally opened my eyes to the idea of authority. We Protestants are clueless about that stuff! We were always taught not to rely on anything but the Bible. Maybe there’e some truth to that, but a ton of useful history and knowledge of how the church was set up in those Early Church Father writings. Then try the aplogetic books by Karl Keating like Answers to Anti-Catholic Fundamentalists. Good stuff!
Spread the Word friends!
 
Thanks for the website. I will particularly include the information when I teach baptism classes at our parish. I will also include you in my prayers as you begin your journey in the RCIA program. Welcome home!!
 
I had a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses come to my door about a week ago. Their arguments actually reminded me of some Evangelical friends I have. I was trying to explain the unbroken apolostic succession to them, telling them the story of St. Polycarp, who was one of St. John the Apostle’s followers. My point was that the message of Jesus was carried to the Apostles down to our times in an unbroken chain. All he could say was, “where is St. Polycarp in the Bible?”
 
Congrats on your conversion!!! :clapping: Welcome home!!! 😃

I agree completely about evangelizing. I believe that so much anti-Catholicism comes from misunderstanding, plain and simple. We need to evangelize those around us - not just our protestant brethren but those nominal Catholics as well.

That said, it’s sometimes a little scary for me to try to evangelize. (I’m not a good speaker and get flustered easily.) The Catholic part of my family is far away from where I live - in the “buckle of the bible belt” as they call it here - and all of my local family is protestant. I guess you could say I’m outnumbered. And they don’t object to my being Catholic, but they don’t believe the same things I do either. Last year when the pope said that the Catholic church is the one true church established by Jesus Christ, my family took it to mean the pope was condemning them! I tried to explain that wasn’t the case, to no avail. They were angry and then looked at me as if ***I ***were condemning them. What does one do in a case such as this?

So I try to lead by example and practice what I preach. I offer as much information as I can about the church, but I wish I could do better in that department. When you’re trying to evangelize your own family, things can get… sticky. I have to be subtle I guess.

Alright, I’m tired and babbling! LOL 😉
 
I guess different techniques work differently for different people, but for me, I’m very analytical, and already had issues I couldn’t quite come to terms w/in my evangelical world so kinda felt like the black sheep at times, but for me, I couldn’t trust anything anyone would tell me. I’d heard the apostolic chain thing many times before but that means nothing to Protestants because we don’t believe Church Authority is anything. Our only authority is Jesus/God and we know about it through the apostles who left us writings preserved in the Bible. We believe all believers have the authority - or at least the Protestants I was around seemed to believe this. It just wasn’t ever mentioned. When I saw Clement of Rome, in the very first century, someone who was trained/taught by apostles themselves, taught there was a heirarchy established and the apostles planned this out, my jaw dropped a light bulb went on. “God you really did establish your earthly kingdom here! You really did want to have people in charge here!” It was the turning point in my beliefs. I had to hear it from the horse’s mouth. If you can lead a person to read that stuff w/an open mind, maybe it would at least pose doubt in their beliefs and plant a seed. It might not be as meaningful to everyone as it was to me, but maybe to some. Then I came to Catholic.com and read all the tracks on infant baptism, transubstantiation, Mary, infallibility, etc. Those were all really wrong to me before, but in seeing even Early Fathers talk about it, and realizing that the Church had practiced these things for 1500 yrs (+/-) I thought, “Man, that means Luther/the reformers actually were going against authority. They rebelled and we are all a result of that. We all changed the teachings that had been practiced since the first century!” I couldn’t believe it, but I did. I wouldn’t say I"m fully a convert yet. But I"m pretty sure I will. I’m still scared. I’m afraid at times that what if it’s wrong and I go to hell for following a false prophet/making man into a god by letting him rule me, but I pray for God’s mercy if that’s the case. I really have felt his pull this way and too many coincidences in struggling w/something and turn on the radio and the same doctrine is being discussed. At first I thought it was the devil trying to trick me and lead me astray, then I thought, “I can see that happening if I weren’t praying and seeking God’s guidance, but I’m always begging and pleading to God to grant me discernment, wisdom, faith, guidance, etc so why would the devil try to communicate w/me more than God?” I’d feel worried the rest of my life if I didn’t follow those signs I believe he’s giving me. Pray for me though. I’m still praying, and praying my husband will come along also. (He’s never been very spiritual at all, but was confirmed Catholic at 15. It never meant anything to him though.) Pray he gets a passion for Jesus, for God’ Church, and for being the spiritual leader of our family, and for hating sin and loving virtue. Thank you!
 
The more I read, the more convinced I became and though I’m still wrestling w/some things…(mainly the Mary dogma/prayers and Rosary), I’m seriously considering and am starting RCIA next wk.
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Ive been Catholic all the twenty some years of my life except for a few years when I lapsed. I know plenty of people around my age that know nothing about the faith they were raised in, and who now no longer attend church, so it doesnt surprise me one bit that people arent able to explain or defend it very well these days. Until recently I was one of them. My generation (and I suspect my parents too) has been for some reason cheated out of being properly catechised. So I agree we should not be shy in explaining our faith at the same time so many people dont know how too.😦

As for Mary and the rosary it is not necessary to understand everything right now just follow Jesus focus on Him and He will introduce you to His mom when you are ready.
 
20+ years ago, after CCD and through Confirmation I was going to an off campus fellowship meeting with fellow students. I seriously believe I was the ONLY Catholic there. I admit I saw more people on fire for God among my Protestant friends than I saw among my Catholic friends. But oh, did I get in trouble when I took home the Protestant Bible I was given from that group. At that point, I gave up on everything and when I left home I drifted. I drifted so far away and so off course but I kept praying. I’m back home now to the Catholic Church and know I never should have left.

Let there be no divisions, agree on what you say. I love the support I see here. My first time as a Catholic, I was sleeping. When I came back I was repeating my anti-Catholic days in reverse, that was something I didn’t want to do wasn’t it? I have to learn, being on the offense without being offensive… it can be so easy to slip for me. Then there’s the urge (speaking about myself here) to go right back to ‘in your face’ attitudes but the delivery… do children take medicine better with a ‘spoonful of sugar’ or just give it so they taste the medicine? Like when you give a pill to a dog, if you try to pop that pill in they spit it out. But if you wrap a treat around it, they’ll scarf it down in a second.

Yes, Jesus, be my center! Teach me Your WAYS oh Lord!
 
Roza said:
But oh, did I get in trouble when I took home the Protestant Bible I was given from that group. At that point, I gave up on everything and when I left home I drifted. I drifted so far away and so off course but I kept praying.
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Why did the Protestant BIble throw you off course? what’s the difference aside from the lack of 6 books? Are there textual/translation differences that change the meaning too?
 
re: Mary and the Rosary…

remember that the Rosary is an OPTIONAL practice. the Eucharist and the Mass are required, but “private practices” like the Rosary are not.

now i am a Rosary fanatic, and ended up converting because of the Rosary, but we dont all get to the church by the same route. its ok!

IF you want more information on the Rosary, or on Mary. i can suggest several books, but the easiest one for a religiously educated protestant is probably one of the books by Scott Hahn.
and you may find Rosary Army interesting to read www.rosaryarmy.com the forums are a bit different that i was used to, but a lot of good educated folks on line there. (even if we dont all agree)

its funny, the best way to introduce Catholicism, or “out yourself” as a Catholic, is the Rosary… but if you plan on doing any evangelizing you truly need to know your topic, as many people have some serious misconceptions about the Rosary.

Tiber swim team, '08
 
I’m honestly trying, but it seems like such an uphill battle. My friends are so entrenched in secular society that they think the Church has brainwashed me. :rolleyes:
 
replying to mesl4
20+ years ago, in the off campus fellowship… in my mind at that time it seemed everyone there really knew God far better than I did and around the same time I was going through Confirmation I was offered drugs the first time (by another student). I compared the two and was more drawn to those in the off campus fellowship than I was to anything Catholic. We were given Bibles back then and when I brought mine home all @*)) broke loose. I did have a Catholic Bible too but really didn’t know the difference between the two, I think I had a Catholic New Testament too. Back then I really didn’t know much, or if I did the NAM was of more interest to me because I believed in dumb things like ghosts, hauntings, UFOs etc. So if the people that seemed to know God better weren’t the ones I was supposed to be around and a kid in my Confirmation class offered me drugs… I did throw in the towel at that point. That, I think, was a big reason the NAM was more real to me.
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There were a few other things too that I don’t need to mention… I also remember hearing "What about Mary?’ when my Protestant Bible was found and back then I really didn’t understand or know much about Mary, I’m striving to understand more now.
 
What’s NAM?
I still didn’t get what the difference in the Bibles is translation wise.
Roza said:
replying to mesl4
20+ years ago, in the off campus fellowship… in my mind at that time it seemed everyone there really knew God far better than I did and around the same time I was going through Confirmation I was offered drugs the first time (by another student). I compared the two and was more drawn to those in the off campus fellowship than I was to anything Catholic. We were given Bibles back then and when I brought mine home all @*)) broke loose. I did have a Catholic Bible too but really didn’t know the difference between the two, I think I had a Catholic New Testament too. Back then I really didn’t know much, or if I did the NAM was of more interest to me because I believed in dumb things like ghosts, hauntings, UFOs etc. So if the people that seemed to know God better weren’t the ones I was supposed to be around and a kid in my Confirmation class offered me drugs… I did throw in the towel at that point. That, I think, was a big reason the NAM was more real to me.
__
There were a few other things too that I don’t need to mention… I also remember hearing "What about Mary?’ when my Protestant Bible was found and back then I really didn’t understand or know much about Mary, I’m striving to understand more now.
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Sorry, NAM meaning New Age Movement… anything from that like spiritism, channeling, spirit guides, wicca, etc.

That was the reaction I had gotten at home and it frustrated me back then. As far as differences; Introduction from The Holy Bible Douay-Rheims Version online. It explains the differences between the Catholic and Protestant Bibles. I didn’t understand why numbering in Psalms was different until I found this site.
 
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