Dialogue with anti-Catholic

[LSK]

I really just need some prayers and a boost for morale. I believe the discussion has ended on a “bad” note and I have had to ‘block’ this person from my blog and from my email access.

A gentleman describing himself as a PhD candidate and lecturer at Hebrew University in Israel left a message on my blog. It was antagonistic at best and mean at the most and centered on the question of whether Catholic Teaching had somehow changed in terms of the sanctity of human life. He made an assertion that it must have since the Catholic Church had been complicit with Nazis during WWII - so obviously we do not accept that the sanctity of human life should extend to the Jews.

I gathered information and sent it to him. At the begining I thought our exchange was going well. He sent me in directions of research, I thought I was doing the same for him. Then, by the third email, the tone changed. I was accused of ‘reeking with sexism’ because I asserted that forgiveness is necessary in society, that without it I could allow myself to become so overwhelmed with bitterness and hatred in regards to injustices committed against women and children over the centuries that I would be unable to love men and accept them as brothers in Christ. I was told he had to ‘dumb down’ to talk to me. When he told me that I suggested that a) he had begun the dialogue and b) if he was so tired of having to dumb down to speak to me that he was under no obligation to continue the correspondence; indeed, since he had been sending me 6 emails to my one that he was lucky to have such a dumb Catholic to talk to and remind him that his computer keyboard has a delete button. The last email, which I received this morning, was so mean I simply wrote him back that he was forgiven, and then blocked his access to my account (to be able to write to me).

I know this is a great chance for me to unite my suffering (if you can call it that - I don’t want to be grandiose) with the suffering of Christ. There is a part of me, however, that wishes I could have reached him somehow and that he had not gotten so angry and abusive. Please help me pray for his conversion, that the light of Love and Truth permeate his soul.

Thank you for letting me gripe.

 

[BlestOne]

Leslie…
A boyfriend from high school had this grand saying: Suffer the semi-idiots gladly. I think your scholarly friend qualifies here. Obviously, he has certain insecurities that make him feel like he has to elevate himself while putting you down. The sign of a true genius is a person that can relate to others on their level. Obviously, the intentions of this man was not to relate to you, not to have a dialog. He wanted to state his point, make you believe his point and go on his merry little way. You are right to pray for this gentleman, he needs God’s love and mercy very much.

I went to your blog and did some reading… you are very well spoken. Don’t let this guy get you down. Maybe God led him to you because you were just the one person that would treat him with the kindness he seems to need now.

God Bless You!!!

 

[LSK]

thank you! You are very kind and very encouraging…ok, I’m ready to take on the world again!

 

[Mywaters]

Dear LSK,

I just registered and this is my first visit and reply on the forums. The moment I saw the title of your thread (anti-Catholic) I knew I had to read your post.

First of all, this Jewish gentleman who purports to be so erudite needs to read the many books refuting the lies of the Vatican’s supposed complicity with Nazis and Jewish extermination.

Second, I am sorry you were subjected to his irrational replies.

Third, I have also been blasted with anti-Catholicism and have lost a good friend because of his prejudice. Too tired to go into all that now but it is disheartening and dismaying.

Fourth, I have lost an Internet friend due to my finally taking a stand against her lies about our faith. She claims to have been raised Catholic but insists on making claims that are so completely erroneous that I must doubt her.

And finally I must say I am grateful to have found this forum. I truly don’t want to isolate myself from others but I find more and more that only fellow Catholics stand so firmly on truth that there is an immediate rapport and true comfort in one another’s presence. I attended a family gathering last month for my father’s 80th birthday. Of his five children, only my eldest brother and myself are Catholic. And we were the only children who bothered to attend this birthday bash. We are also the children who are prospering in every way–spiritually, maritally, financially. No, we didn’t make our faith the main topic of conversation but there were references here and there. And it was just so wonderfully refreshing to be speaking the same language, to feel no need to explain or defend. Yes, all thirty guests were practicing Catholics!

By the way, I am a born again Catholic who did not get confirmed until I was in my 30s!!! What a blessing to come home after dabbling in the occult, Hinduism, Buddhism, fundamentalism, pentecostal and so much more.

Forgive my going on at length and please know my heart goes out to you and all Catholics who must continue the tradition of turning the other cheek, as we have done for two thousand years.

God bless you!

Michele in Lexington, Kentucky
formerly from Chicago and Nashville

 

[Chancellare]

I really just need some prayers and a boost for morale. I believe the discussion has ended on a “bad” note and I have had to ‘block’ this person from my blog and from my email access.

A gentleman describing himself as a PhD candidate and lecturer at Hebrew University in Israel left a message on my blog. It was antagonistic at best and mean at the most and centered on the question of whether Catholic Teaching had somehow changed in terms of the sanctity of human life. He made an assertion that it must have since the Catholic Church had been complicit with Nazis during WWII - so obviously we do not accept that the sanctity of human life should extend to the Jews.

I gathered information and sent it to him. At the begining I thought our exchange was going well. He sent me in directions of research, I thought I was doing the same for him. Then, by the third email, the tone changed. I was accused of ‘reeking with sexism’ because I asserted that forgiveness is necessary in society, that without it I could allow myself to become so overwhelmed with bitterness and hatred in regards to injustices committed against women and children over the centuries that I would be unable to love men and accept them as brothers in Christ. I was told he had to ‘dumb down’ to talk to me. When he told me that I suggested that a) he had begun the dialogue and b) if he was so tired of having to dumb down to speak to me that he was under no obligation to continue the correspondence; indeed, since he had been sending me 6 emails to my one that he was lucky to have such a dumb Catholic to talk to and remind him that his computer keyboard has a delete button. The last email, which I received this morning, was so mean I simply wrote him back that he was forgiven, and then blocked his access to my account (to be able to write to me).

I know this is a great chance for me to unite my suffering (if you can call it that - I don’t want to be grandiose) with the suffering of Christ. There is a part of me, however, that wishes I could have reached him somehow and that he had not gotten so angry and abusive. Please help me pray for his conversion, that the light of Love and Truth permeate his soul.

Thank you for letting me gripe.

With the way you describe his inability to grasp historical facts offhand, the guy does not sound educated to me. Just another “educated” ignoramus.

Many posters here can help if you pass on some of his allegations you want debunked.