Defending Catholicism

[Aaron780]

Hi everyone, Ive just got a question about defending my faith, If anyone has read my previous posts at all, You’ll know that im finally getting confirmed in a few weeks, Now my journey up this point hasnt exactly been easy at times, Not the learning or going to mass and seeing the Father, Thats been the best part, But its more whats happened with family and friends which has been the hardest, Im not lucky enough I guess like some Catholics who have been brought up by it and are surrounded by Catholics, My family is a mixture of Prodestants, Non practicing Prodestants and athiests, and thats pretty much the same with friends, I will be the only Catholic, Ive had to put up with alot of criticism from all corners, Ive got one person in my family who wont even talk to me now, Ive felt very lonely at times, my only sanctuary is when I go to mass and im surrounded by Catholics, I dont know why it has to be like this, I dont push my ideas on other people, I dont judge them on their beliefs, but because I want to be Catholic im looked upon lke im some weirdo.

Today for example we had a mothers day breakfast and again I was lectured of all things bad about Catholicism, I didnt say anything like I usually do, I dont want to infame the situation, I just sat their and let them have their go, Things that were said were like “Catholicism is dying” …“Catholics are hypocrites”…“Prodesticism will be the largest Christian religion soon”…“Catholics are the richest organization in the world yet give nothing the poor”…“most Catholic priest are pedophiles”…and so on. Then the athiets want to have a go as well… “Jesus has never been proven”… " people believe in God because they are scared of the truth"…" The church was created for wealth and to keep the people in line" and blah blah blah!!! These are things that get thrown at me on a regular basis, and at times I admit I get pretty down by it, I Pray to Jesus to help me and keep me strong and he does, I will not move an inch from what I believe, I love the Catholic church immensely and I want to defend it.

After all that I want to ask is their things I can tell these people that could put them back in there place a bit, I can only take so much, Today I felt so offended and had anger growing in me with the rubbish they were saying about Catholics, but yet again I sat there and took it, I want to scream, WE are the ONE true church of Christ not your break away watered down versions of it!!! Theirs nothing wrong with defending Catholicism and our faith is their? I really dont want to be like this, but at times I feel im pushed into a corner and I want to fight back.

So are their any good one liners or things I can say which might make them back off and leave me alone or do I just take it and hope over time they will accept it?

 

[julianp24]

Hi Aaron, I can see that you’ve been through quite a lot, but to be a Catholic was never easy to begin with, we have to take up the cross and follow Him! So continue to persevere in Christ and never give up!

Unfortunately there’s no one-liner that can be used to throw them off guard that easily, if that were the case more people today would have converted. In order to defend your faith properly and faithfully, you’ll need to study the catechism and bible. However, first of all you can start by a simple prayer to pray for the strength of the Holy Spirit for his guidance and inspiration. Because, “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31)

One biblical passage comes to mind when I saw this post,
1 Peter 3:15-16 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Try talking with the Catholics in your church, talk about the problems you’ve been facing, as brothers and sisters in Christ we are more than willing to help you out!

Peace be with you

 

[Aaron780]

Hi Aaron, I can see that you’ve been through quite a lot, but to be a Catholic was never easy to begin with, we have to take up the cross and follow Him! So continue to persevere in Christ and never give up!

Unfortunately there’s no one-liner that can be used to throw them off guard that easily, if that were the case more people today would have converted. In order to defend your faith properly and faithfully, you’ll need to study the catechism and bible. However, first of all you can start by a simple prayer to pray for the strength of the Holy Spirit for his guidance and inspiration. Because, “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Romans 8:31)

One biblical passage comes to mind when I saw this post,
1 Peter 3:15-16 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Try talking with the Catholics in your church, talk about the problems you’ve been facing, as brothers and sisters in Christ we are more than willing to help you out!

Peace be with you

Dont worry ill never give up, If anything its made me even more determined, The Catholic church has brought me to Christ, No way will I give that up, This IS his Church, Thanks for your advice Julian!

 

[Robyn_p]

Just say, look, I believe in Jesus. And I want to follow him. And following him means obeying and believing everything he said. He said he would build his Church on Peter and that Church would never fail. If he went through all that trouble, he must know what He’s doing. Since I love him, I want to be part of the Church he founded. And there’s only one Church that can trace itself unbroken all the way back to the apostles. That’s the Catholic Church.

Not a one liner I know, but it gets to the heart of why you are Catholic, because you love Jesus. That just might catch them off guard and cause them to listen.

Then learn the reasons for why we believe what we do. Deal with the objections one at a time. Dont let them get away with spouting off untruths. Start with something you are comfortable with.

For example, they say the Church doesn’t care about poor people? Say, hey, are you aware that the Catholic Church is the single largest charitable organization on the planet? That there are millions of monks and nuns who have given up everything to serve the poor?? Who invented the hospital system we have today? The Catholuc Church. The riches are all gifts that many people over the centuries gave to honor God. Those magnificent cathedrals are for God’s glory. Just like the temple in Jerusalem, which scholars have estimated would cost over a billion of today’s dollars to make. Yet God blessed Solomon for doing such a thing. So did Jesus, when Mary of Bethany poured expensive ointment on him, and some in the room complained that the ointment could have been sold and given to the poor, Jesus said what she did was GOOD. Giving God our best is never wrong.

Just pick one thing at a time. I know, it gets overwhelming when they say so much, but sometimes correcting someone on one topic might just be enough to plant some seeds.

 

[Aaron780]

Just say, look, I believe in Jesus. And I want to follow him. And following him means obeying and believing everything he said. He said he would build his Church on Peter and that Church would never fail. If he went through all that trouble, he must know what He’s doing. Since I love him, I want to be part of the Church he founded. And there’s only one Church that can trace itself unbroken all the way back to the apostles. That’s the Catholic Church.

Not a one liner I know, but it gets to the heart of why you are Catholic, because you love Jesus. That just might catch them off guard and cause them to listen.

Then learn the reasons for why we believe what we do. Deal with the objections one at a time. Dont let them get away with spouting off untruths. Start with something you are comfortable with.

For example, they say the Church doesn’t care about poor people? Say, hey, are you aware that the Catholic Church is the single largest charitable organization on the planet? That there are millions of monks and nuns who have given up everything to serve the poor?? Who invented the hospital system we have today? The Catholuc Church. The riches are all gifts that many people over the centuries gave to honor God. Those magnificent cathedrals are for God’s glory. Just like the temple in Jerusalem, which scholars have estimated would cost over a billion of today’s dollars to make. Yet God blessed Solomon for doing such a thing. So did Jesus, when Mary of Bethany poured expensive ointment on him, and some in the room complained that the ointment could have been sold and given to the poor, Jesus said what she did was GOOD. Giving God our best is never wrong.

Just pick one thing at a time. I know, it gets overwhelming when they say so much, but sometimes correcting someone on one topic might just be enough to plant some seeds.

Thanks for that, The ignorance I hear at times is astonishing, You couldnt make it up, My uncle for example today said all the churches are paved in gold lol… Yet you let the poor starve… Can you believe that?! I said well I must not go to a Catholic church then because there aint no gold at my parish! I dont see anyone rolling around in money, Its just brick, wood and glass, The first paragrapgh you said was a good one, I might go of that, Thanks Robyn…

 

[Auntie_A]

Sometimes the best thing to do is to change the subject or walk. But if you are stuck in a small group, you might try preparing for the occasions.

I like starting with sarcasm with hostile critics. And I like trying things like agreeing with them: "Oh, us whacky Catholics, we’re always spoiling someone’s fun! (Then get serious) Now would you like to know why we actually believe that________(insert their issue). This requires you to study a bit of apologetics but there are basically only about 10 things that get brought up:

No God? They ask you to prove there is a God. You can ask them to prove there is not a God.

No “organized” religion? Ask them if a disorganized one is better.

“I prefer to be spiritual?” How do you know that your spirit is being exposed to something good vs. evil? (refer back to organized vs disorganized religions)

Jesus as mere man, not God, no Trinity. From C.S. Lewis: If Jesus was just an “enlightened” man like Buddha, He’d actually be pretty crazy because He stated He was the Messiah on many occasions and He died for that reason.

No real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. What did He mean when He said “This is my Body.” Did He say “This is My symbolic body”?

No virgin birth. Why can’t a Messiah have a virgin birth? It may seem strange to some but it makes sense that Jesus’ life would even begin with a miracle. He was a miracle man, the Son of God!

Do Catholics worship Mary and the saints? We venerate them as we remember heroes and beloved family members who have died. Mary was Jesus’ mom; that should count for some special regard and respect.

Pedophiles in the church? There are pedophiles in the public schools, military, boys and girls clubs, FAMILIES, no place is immune from this horrid abuse. It must stop everywhere!

Catholics impose their morals?..Unless you are an anarchist, all laws reflect morals. It is a way of living in truth and justice.

Your homework because I’m sleepy:
No direct line of popes to Peter.
The Church and money.
Why do you Catholics have such pagan holidays?

Studying apologetics actually deepens your faith. Read Peter Kreeft and Bishop Sheen. Good luck.

 

[Lion_IRC]

…So are their any good one liners or things I can say which might make them back off and leave me alone …?

Tell them you’re happy. And then smile.
And leave it at that.

 

[Timshel]

I can’t understand how difficult it must be for a person to convert to the one true church and having to defend it. But, I do understand how difficult it is to defend the faith from the majority of irreligious people that I am accustomed to living in a secular country. I have friends who spew hatred for religion with the same fervour as religious fundamentalists. It can be quite intimidating at times during informal conversations and the topic of religion comes up. I do hope and pray one day I can defend my faith, through constant studying, patience and a bit of courage given by the holy spirit to defend such matters.

At the moment I feel like a ‘Catholic’ in hiding in the catacombs of imperial Rome.

Dominus vobiscum!

 

[Aaron780]

Yes I do try and walk away or change the subject but this morning I couldnt, The “I hate organized religion” was said a few times and it always gets me confused that one?? Is this actually an arguement because like you said is disorganized a better way to go? The funniest one I heard though was that Stephen Hawkins has proved God isnt real, I just laughed and said wow…and you think im crazy! Putting all your faith in what he says! Like ive said the ignorance ive heard is nuts, NONE of them have put in any time reseaching Catholicism, Its like they just jump on the bandwagon and shoot off their opinions, They even brought up the crusades lol, I said hang on a sec, that was over 1000 years or so ago! Nobody alive today can take any responsibilty for that, I just said things have slightly moved on from then dont you think. But I guess being the only Catholic around im going to be a target, The father warned me of this, its their problem not mine…

 

[Aaron780]

I can’t understand how difficult it must be for a person to convert to the one true church and having to defend it. But, I do understand how difficult it is to defend the faith from the majority of irreligious people that I am accustomed to living in a secular country. I have friends who spew hatred for religion with the same fervour as religious fundamentalists. It can be quite intimidating at times during informal conversations and the topic of religion comes up. I do hope and pray one day I can defend my faith, through constant studying, patience and a bit of courage given by the holy spirit to defend such matters.

At the moment I feel like a ‘Catholic’ in hiding in the catacombs of imperial Rome.

Dominus vobiscum!

I just dont understand why Catholics have to kop it? Ive said before I dont judge anyone in what they want to believe in, I dont force my religion on anyone, Whatever floats your boat I say, If your happy then im happy, Ive found God and Jesus and peace in my heart through the Catholic church, I feel at home here, Is that so bad? Im not Hitler!

 

[agnes_therese]

Today for example we had a mothers day breakfast and again I was lectured of all things bad about Catholicism, I didnt say anything like I usually do, I dont want to infame the situation, I just sat their and let them have their go, Things that were said were like “Catholicism is dying” …“Catholics are hypocrites”…“Prodesticism will be the largest Christian religion soon”…“Catholics are the richest organization in the world yet give nothing the poor”…“most Catholic priest are pedophiles”…and so on. Then the athiets want to have a go as well… “Jesus has never been proven”… " people believe in God because they are scared of the truth"…" The church was created for wealth and to keep the people in line" and blah blah blah!!! These are things that get thrown at me on a regular basis . . .

So are their any good one liners or things I can say which might make them back off and leave me alone or do I just take it and hope over time they will accept it?

Seriously, that is beyond rude. I think it’s time to turn it around on them. Just a plain “Wow! That’s rude!” or “What have I done to you, that you feel you have to attack me?” (ask this in a very serious tone, you really want to know). If they try to say they’re not attacking you, it’s the Church, just tell them that by attacking your faith, they are attacking you.
It’s possible that if you call them on this rudeness every time they start, they’ll get tired of it.

 

[agnes_therese]

Tell them you’re happy. And then smile.
And leave it at that.

That’s good, too. Drives the haters crazy.

 

[Aaron780]

Seriously, that is beyond rude. I think it’s time to turn it around on them. Just a plain “Wow! That’s rude!” or “What have I done to you, that you feel you have to attack me?” (ask this in a very serious tone, you really want to know). If they try to say they’re not attacking you, it’s the Church, just tell them that by attacking your faith, they are attacking you.
It’s possible that if you call them on this rudeness every time they start, they’ll get tired of it.

Yeh its rude thats for sure and hugely offensive to me, Next time it happens I may not be so polite about it, its just I dont want things to get out of control thats all, I love the church and I can only take so much, When your being lectured by protestants and athiests about what they think is right its not easy to hold back on, I just wish I had more Catholics around me to back me up, It could just be their not used to it yet, They should get over in time… I hope!

 

[Dorothy]

Yeh its rude thats for sure and hugely offensive to me, Next time it happens I may not be so polite about it, its just I dont want things to get out of control thats all, I love the church and I can only take so much, When your being lectured by protestants and athiests about what they think is right its not easy to hold back on, I just wish I had more Catholics around me to back me up, It could just be their not used to it yet, They should get over in time… I hope!

Remember that Jesus told us that we would be hated because of Him.

Stay close to the Lord in prayer and Sacraments, and find some Catholic friends who are supportive of your beliefs. Christian community helps a lot!

With regard to scandals in the Church…those who are involved in scandals need our prayers. The fact of the scandals does not eclipse the truth that Church teaches. Scandals are everywhere, not only in the Catholic Church.

May our Lord lead and guide you on your spiritual journey!

Dorothy

 

[JRKH]

Aaron,
Yes I can understand your troubles…unfortunately in many cases and in many situations there is just little that you can do…
Someone says
“I hate organized religion”…Just say “I don’t”
Catholicism is dying" …Respond, “Not while I’m alive”
“Catholics are hypocrites”…“Yes - some of them are”
“Protestantism will be the largest Christian religion soon”…“Protestantism is not a religion”
“Catholics are the richest organization in the world yet give nothing the poor”…"Source please. Actually the Catholic Church is the largest charitable organization in the world. (have a source for this)
“Most Catholic priest are pedophiles”…"Source please.

Any of these can and should be followed by an offer to, if they are truly serious, get together and have a real conversation about these issues.
Of course the odds are that such a meeting and conversation will never take place.

Another approach…assuming these are people who you consider friends (including family) is to take their general accusations very personal…If they hold such opinions bout the group you have joined…then their opinions are directed at you personally.
For example…
Someone says, “Catholics are Hypocrites”…You respond, “Why do you call me a hypocrite?”
Similarly if they go on with some of the other accusations pointed out above…you can simply respond that they must have a very low opinion of you since they believe you would join an organization such as they are describing.

Such an approach will put most people on the defensive since often times when attacking some group or other the old phrase is understood to be, “present company excepted” - and thus is not a personal attack. Yet it IS a personal attack. Obviously you feel attacked so use this - in a charitable way - to knock them off of their hobby horse and show them that their words are not academic prattle, but have real effects on real people.

Assuming that they respond with something like - “Oh I don’t mean you personally blah blah blah” - you have your opening to pursue the idea that either…they have a low opinion of you that you would join the church OR…If they have at least a reasonable opinion of you and your intelligence - that there just might be something wrong with their view of the Church…that perhaps you know something that they do not. Then again you can offer to have a deeper conversation with them.

In any event this approach just might make them think a bit…

Peace
James

 

[agnes_therese]

Yeh its rude thats for sure and hugely offensive to me, Next time it happens I may not be so polite about it, its just I dont want things to get out of control thats all, I love the church and I can only take so much, When your being lectured by protestants and athiests about what they think is right its not easy to hold back on, I just wish I had more Catholics around me to back me up, It could just be their not used to it yet, They should get over in time… I hope!

I understand. But while you don’t have to put up with it without responding, you also don’t have to be impolite. You can call them on their rudeness, without being rude yourself. JRKH gave some great responses you can use. Just keep smiling – if they can’t get to you, it won’t be any fun for them.

 

[Aaron780]

Some nice responses their JRKH, very helpful thanks, I really dont like getting into an arguement with my family and friends over this, I just want to get along thats all, But if they want to offend me and the Church like that again it wont be so one sided next time, I will defend it, Hopefully their isnt a next time, but being like they are I not getting my hopes up…

 

[JRKH]

I understand. But while you don’t have to put up with it without responding, you also don’t have to be impolite. You can call them on their rudeness, without being rude yourself. JRKH gave some great responses you can use. Just keep smiling – if they can’t get to you, it won’t be any fun for them.

This is a bit of wisdom that my mom passed on to us as kids…“If you ignore them they will tire of picking on you”. This is true to a considerable degree. Of course it takes time and a thick skin to “wait them out” and it may never go away completely…but on the other hand it can drive some people right up the wall that they can’t get to you (especially if they could before).

Some nice responses their JRKH, very helpful thanks, I really don’t like getting into an argument with my family and friends over this, I just want to get along that’s all, But if they want to offend me and the Church like that again it won’t be so one sided next time, I will defend it, Hopefully their isn’t a next time, but being like they are I not getting my hopes up…

Glad you found my thoughts helpful.
I agree that, especially with it being family, there will likely be a next time.
Just try to remember, in all things, charity.

Peace
James

 

[ellzeena]

Aaron, you are under such enormous attack, God must have BIG PLANS for you!!! “Count it all joy!” Keep going!

 

[snarflemike]

I think I might have commented that they must all be very afraid of Catholicism to be attacking it constantly. Then I would have noted how the Protestants and the atheists, who should be natural enemies, were happy to join forces to attack the Catholic Church. Very odd and very revealing.

Seriously, if you don’t feel like having an argument all the time, just tell them you are sorry they are so afraid of Catholicism and you hope they can overcome their fear and get on with their lives.

Then I would have crossed myself, said grace, and enjoyed my meal.