Do you suffer persecution for your faith?

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I live in a Catholic state so not really.

Some protestants online are silly I guess. Same with atheists. Wouldn’t call it persecution.

Unless you mean by temptation and devils.
 
Aggravation and annoyance, yes.
Persecution? No
 
Real persecution? No.

Being harassed at my old job, being mocked or laughed at, dealing with a secular culture that is very hostile? Yes.

I’m in one of the most secular places in the US. The hostility towards the church is still palpable given the scandals. While Protestant churches offer many activities, the Catholic church has to be careful or there’s often some kind of ruckus. There’s a church not far from me that has grounds that border the town lawn. During their annual town festival, they require that the church be locked and no one admitted except for Mass, in which any church employee (read here the priest) must be accompanied by at least 2 witnesses at all times. The church used to be open to selling food and many other things. But the cry of ‘molesters’ is so strong that it’s distrusted. And no one from that parish was ever accused, never mind convicted. It’s SO much worse in areas where there were convictions.

Although, 99% of it is “court of public opinion” and not actual sanctioned persecution.
 
Nobody is going to burn me at the stake tomorrow, but I do have a number of friends and acquaintances who would become very uncomfortable if I were to start discussing “Godly things” to the extent I do on here and in groups set up for the purpose of such things.

Not spending a lot of time with those “friends and acquaintances” these days. I’d rather go to church and see Jesus to be honest. He’s easier to get along with, and he hasn’t thrown a tantrum about any election, ever.
 
Hello.

Not physical. But am criticized by family members, especially those who’ve left the CC. They need my prayers. It’s odd though, lots of times when I’m concentrating more on being forgiving & kind and less on my situation and my problems persecution doesn’t seem to be such a problem.
 
Persecution? No. Annoyance, sometimes. But honestly most of the people that have been irritating, have been generally obnoxious people who happen to include religion in their list of things to be obnoxious about.
 
Verbal and emotional abuse. Especially from atheist friends when I returned to the faith. If I mention anything about religion, it’s like they are given the green light to foam at the mouth with madness.

Unfortunately I don’t respond well in situations where I’m mocked and ridiculed. In the sense that I don’t defend myself but just absorb the onslaught and say nothing. I sometimes think of Jesus at the pillar. When I’m in a calm emotional state, I pray for them.
 
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michaelArc said:
Unfortunately I don’t respond well in situations where I’m mocked and ridiculed. In the sense that I don’t defend myself but just absorb the onslaught and say nothing. I sometimes think of Jesus at the pillar. When I’m in a calm emotional state, I pray for them.
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Why isn’t this well? I thought this is exactly how we are supposed to react. As Christians. Jesus said we must turn the other cheek.
Anyway I behave the same way except I try to avoid closer relationship with people who do it. I am too proud. And I take it personally which is even worse. I think we are to think and worry that God is being mocked not us, we are nothing. I just get sad and don’t respond to jokes and sometimes people stop making them or at least making them in front of me. I simply cannot fake emotions they are always written all over my face.
They can only help us with their jokes, they hit and the only thing that hurts is our pride. Mockers will help us get healed of pride. I hope God forgives them because many atheists I met are actually very honest, not conceited. They do not believe and if God didn’t force them how can we? Should we? Maybe this is how they get saved by reminding us not to feel saved, or superior, or better than them.
 
Definitely with the media in Australia.Not in person as yet.
 
I suppose I would like to defend the faith but answer in a charitable way. I know when I’ve been faced with questions or comments peppered with mockery, I want to do better than shrug my shoulders and turn the other cheek. My reaction only seems to justify, if not fuel their behaviour.
 
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Not persecution but some sort of herrassment and verbally abusive responses from my dear atheist “friends”.
Just yesterday I got called an idiot and received some hurtful words about why there is no God, even though I clearly stated that nothing would change my mind here…
I live in a Catholic dominating country, by the way.
 
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michaelArc said:
If I mention anything about religion, it’s like they are given the green light to foam at the mouth with madness.
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Yet, if we ever say anything less than tolerant/ complimentary about atheism, it’s like we just insulted their mother.

The double standard where atheism is “cool” and religion, or at least Christianity, is “not cool” is annoying. It’s been going on for literally hundreds of years though, so I guess this is just something good Christians have to live with.
 
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I work in an elite, intellectual environment (university). I practice my faith openly yet discretely. Although everyone is “nice” to my face, I am 100% sure that at least some consider me naive and someone to be pitied or privately ridiculed due to my “non-progressive and superstitious” beliefs. Only fairly recently is there even an atmosphere at times of considering all religions (and by extension religious people) dangerous.

Oh, did I mention I work in a Catholic University? Sad.
 
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Catholics in China are persecuted. Catholics in Russia are only beginning to begin to see a lessening of decades and decades of persecution. Most of us will never know persecution.
 
Recently I phoned my sons Catholic secondary collage when I realised on that holy day of obligation there might not be a mass like there had been in all the years before.Faces have changed and values,to be a practicing Catholic at that school means you are different.The receptionist put me through to the religious
Coordinator who isn’t a catholic and I left a message on the answering machine :confused: To me that is a persecution
 
Greenfields said:
Recently I phoned my sons Catholic secondary collage when I realised on that holy day of obligation there might not be a mass like there had been in all the years before.Faces have changed and values,to be a practicing Catholic at that school means you are different.The receptionist put me through to the religious
Coordinator who isn’t a catholic and I left a message on the answering machine :confused: To me that is a persecution
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Ironically, my friend works at a public college with a Newman Center.

They had 2 vigils and 4 masses for the Holy Day.

The churches around me had 9am or 7pm…with one having an 8am. All the churches that are within 25-45 minutes of me. No noons, no vigils, no “dinnertime” nothing else.

Makes it tough for those who work or have kids…or both. 😩
 
I don’t know if persecution is the right term but I have family members who are rather uncharitable regarding my Catholic faith. One continually posts anti-Catholic rhetoric on Facebook, you know the kind of things that Catholics “believe” that are just myth or completely untrue.

I’m very open about my Catholic faith and I defend it as best I can. I come from a huge Protestant family where there are only five of us practicing Catholics. Most are charitable and either don’t mention it or ask kind insightful questions about my conversion.

Some in my immediate family make fun of me, asking when I’m going to join the convent, calling me sister whatever. But I just pray for them and wonder if they really knew, really understood what it means to live Catholic, would they be there next to me at Sunday Mass?
 
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That is frustrating.

In the future, I’d suggest providing your son a list of the contact info for the parish that serves the college (your Diocese can tell you what parish that would be) and other parishes within walking or driving distance (depending on his transportation).

Parishes schedule Holy Day Masses well in advance, most have a standard form (at our parish it will almost always be a 6 PM vigil in English, an 8 AM Holy Day Mass in English and a 7 PM Holy Day Mass in Spanish). That standard format will vary sometimes, so, a phone call, a peek at the bulletin or website will confirm the schedule.
 
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