Does conversion upset you?

[Vanez]

Yes, when I was a Lutheran (WELS), I never understood why our church spent all of this money on evangelizing in Russia. Russia already has a Christian Church with a great and long history. Why not spend more effort on places that aren’t already Christian? (Fine if they want to bring non-Christians in Russia into the Lutheran Church, but I bet they stole more than a few Orthodox sheep too).

exactly!

 

[Captain_America]

You haven’t talked to many Lutherans then . In fact, and I learned this recently, Lutheranism seems to be logic next station for Catholics who are unsatisfied with their church, whether it’s because they perceive the Catholic Church is not adapting to the modern times (in which case they love ELCA churches) or because they perceive the contrary, namely, that the popes have not measured up to what is expected from them, in which case they find the LCMS or WELS churches very appealing.

. . . I’m lovin’ the “adapt to modern times” error. People are people; sin is sin; group voting on a moral question means nothing at all.

 

[Captain_America]

Personally, I think all three major Christian traditions (Protestantism, Catholicism and Orthodoxy) are valid, and I do not see my “Great Commission duty” covering the conversion of one to another. All are already Christians, and that’s good enough as I see it.

Similarly, I do not appreciate my Catholic or Orthodox brethren trying to win me over to their traditions. I already do appreciate and learn from them, and have adopted some Catholic and Orthodox theology as my own, but I am already a Christian and do not need to be converted. I’m happy with the Anglican flavor of Christianity.

I’m on board with this. I would caution any and all that if another Christian wants to tell you about his “flavor” that’s not a bad thing at all (as long as there’s no arm-twisting). I have run into a great many confused Anglicans, for instance, and other Protestants, who just lip the Reformation agitprop and really don’t know the Church.

 

[LutheranScholar]

Great question! I would answer this question by saying " if converting to another Christian tradition bears better fruits of the Christian life than you’re bearing now, then by all means, go ahead!" I find that I’m far more able to love God and my neighbor now as a Lutheran than ever I was able to as a Baptist. The Holy Spirit guides me to *do *more, not because I have anything to do with it, but because God is pouring His Grace on me. If you’re content with your tradition and you feel that the Holy Spirit works through that tradition to make you the best Christian you can be ( and you see that in your own life), then stay where you’re at.

 

[Scears]

Interesting to see so many Orthodox believers on this site. I have to confess I know little about Orthodoxy. I’m interested in how you got interested in this Church, unless you are cradle Orthodox? The reason I’m asking is that most Orthodox Churches I’ve seen appear to be affiliated with a particular ethnic or national group (Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, etc.) Before converting to Catholicism, I would not have sought out Orthodoxy because I have this perception that I would be like an outsider crashing the party since I’m not an Orthodox nationality…Perhaps this is a misperception someone could help me with.

I feel the same way. If I was any of those ethnicities/nationalities I’d feel different or if there was a German Orthodox Church.

 

[Catholic_farmer]

I am working to bring my family into the Church. I see their pain and anger that they carry and I want very much for them to learn about the Church and gain healing through the sacraments. Free will means I have to be patient and loving while hoping they give it a try someday. If they at least went to another Christian faith, I would be happy. However, I will admit that I believe Catholicism is the best way.

So, no, I don’t get mad. I do wish more people would experience the treasure that the Catholic Church holds for them. And I really wish I had discovered the Church a lot sooner. My life could have been made much easier.

I also would never be mad at anyone for leaving the Church, but I might check to see if they knew what they were giving up.

 

[aidanbradypop]

I am working to bring my family into the Church. I see their pain and anger that they carry and I want very much for them to learn about the Church and gain healing through the sacraments. Free will means I have to be patient and loving while hoping they give it a try someday. If they at least went to another Christian faith, I would be happy. However, I will admit that I believe Catholicism is the best way.

So, no, I don’t get mad. I do wish more people would experience the treasure that the Catholic Church holds for them. And I really wish I had discovered the Church a lot sooner. My life could have been made much easier.

I also would never be mad at anyone for leaving the Church, but I might check to see if they knew what they were giving up.

The RCC was not for me but I am glad you find great peace and joy there. I will pray that your family will come to know Jesus in whatever church home!

Peace!

 

[LutheranScholar]

The RCC was not for me but I am glad you find great peace and joy there. I will pray that your family will come to know Jesus in whatever church home!

Peace!

Amen to that, aidanbradypop! My own family has come to know the Lord in a wide variety of denominations… Catholic, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist ( United, Regular and Southern), Brethren, Presbyterian, Nazarene, Mennonite… the list goes on. I think I have some distant cousins who are Latter- day Saints, come to it ( my family’s got a branch of people very much into genealogy). What matters is keeping Jesus as the central focus and coming to a right relationship with Him.

 

[Catholic_farmer]

For my family, many on my dad’s side are fallen away Catholics. They know and crave the Eucharist. They need to get through a few things that are hard before they can fully return. I see the slow change they are making and it fills me with hope for them. They have begun the first steps towards forgiveness and healing of old wounds. This familiar old pain we carry can be let go of through the sacraments. Their burdens are hurting them, both physically and spiritually. So, I pray for their return home.

 

[LutheranScholar]

My particular hope for the many atheists on my Dad’s side of the family is that they would see that there’s more to life than the materialism that they’re used to, so I pray for them… " while there’s life, there is hope." Sadly enough, a couple of my unbelieving relatives ( an uncle and aunt) passed away over the last couple of years and their daughters show every sign of following their example…

 

[Catholic_farmer]

My particular hope for the many atheists on my Dad’s side of the family is that they would see that there’s more to life than the materialism that they’re used to, so I pray for them… " while there’s life, there is hope." Sadly enough, a couple of my unbelieving relatives ( an uncle and aunt) passed away over the last couple of years and their daughters show every sign of following their example…

I’m sorry.

They sound like my mom’s side of the family. I was raised by my mom in a purely secular household. The only religion I knew about was her anti-Catholicism, lol!

 

[LutheranScholar]

I’m sorry.

They sound like my mom’s side of the family. I was raised by my mom in a purely secular household. The only religion I knew about was her anti-Catholicism, lol!

Yeah, my mother’s Mom was raised by her Catholic French Cajun mother and we’ve got a lot of items that granny inherited from her. My great grandmother was from a large Catholic family in South Louisiana and when she married a Protestant from Kentucky, she was disowned until said Protestant converted to Catholicism and promised that the children would be raised Catholic, too. I think that experience soured her mother on Catholicism, so that when my grandmother met a Presbyterian from Tennessee and was married by a JP in Rockville, MD, she didn’t raise much fuss about it. I just never heard of any anti- Catholicism at all ( it would be seen as an attack on my great grandmother’s ethnicity as well as her religious faith) in my grandmother’s household ( in fact, she loved watching EWTN). My sister and I were raised Baptist, as that was the church my mother and her family wound up going to. My dad’s family, except for a devout Methodist and my great- uncle, who joined the Church of the Brethren, were largely, as far as I can tell, unbelievers. I’ve seen militant Christians and I’ve seen militant atheists and I must say, I don’t see much difference in attitude between them. I try to follow a moderate path.