Ex-Catholics - Anyone evangelized these rare gems?

[nickybr38]

My title is slightly sarcastic. I cannot TELL you how many times I hear stories about people who were DEVOUT, well studied Catholics who ended up being delivered from the evils of the Catholic cult and are now safely nestled in the arms of the Baptist, Pentecostal or Etc faith.

Usually they espouse that Catholics don’t know Jesus, don’t have the Holy Spirit and worship Mary. All while claiming they were well studied Catholics.

These types just make me so angry that I have a hard time talking to them.

Has anyone had any success dialoguing with this type of Christian? Do you try to evangelize them? Correct their misinformation? Or do you just leave them alone?

 

[Gods_Peace]

They are deceived, and they need our prayers always.

 

[BListon]

I have a friend who is Calvinist. They are absolutely THE hardest people to evangelise in the world!

 

[Monster_Simpson]

I have a friend who is Calvinist. They are absolutely THE hardest people to evangelise in the world!

Correct me if I’m wrong but aren’t Calvinists basically the same thing as Presbyterians? And if so Heavens above you’ve got a job on your hands!

 

[nickybr38]

I have a friend who is Calvinist. They are absolutely THE hardest people to evangelise in the world!

Bless their passion but goodness! Stubborn eh? Haha.

How about an ex-Catholic Calvinist?

 

[ByzCathCantor]

I know many more Catholics, including well educated and catechized ones. who have fallen away for reasons other than being lured away by the message of other denominations.

We should also consider that some felt as if they were driven away, in an era where there was much confusion and misinformation about the direction and mission of the Catholic Church. It is much easier to reach these people, who at some level would welcome reconciliation more readily. My father-in-law was one such individual, and he has over the course of a few years brought himself back into the fold (with a few kind and encourgaging words from many over the course).

The so-called “New Evangelization” is geared toward the fallen, and we should take note of the guidance to be given by the Church in coming months on this topic.

As for those who have been convinced of the “falsehoods” of the True Faith by others, I find it is often rather pointless at first to try to convince them otherwise, yet we should make every charitable over time to attempt to persuade them to reconsider their own understanding of the teachings of the Church they now find objectionable or outright error.

 

[nickybr38]

I know many more Catholics, including well educated and catechized ones. who have fallen away for reasons other than being lured away by the message of other denominations.

We should also consider that some felt as if they were driven away, in an era where there was much confusion and misinformation about the direction and mission of the Catholic Church. It is much easier to reach these people, who at some level would welcome reconciliation more readily. My father-in-law was one such individual, and he has over the course of a few years brought himself back into the fold (with a few kind and encourgaging words from many over the course).

The so-called “New Evangelization” is geared toward the fallen, and we should take note of the guidance to be given by the Church in coming months on this topic.

As for those who have been convinced of the “falsehoods” of the True Faith by others, I find it is often rather pointless at first to try to convince them otherwise, yet we should make every charitable over time to attempt to persuade them to reconsider their own understanding of the teachings of the Church they now find objectionable or outright error.

The ones who feel driven away are different.

But lately I’ve been running into SO MANY who were ‘devout’ Catholics in their youth and yet claim the Church teaches things it just DOESN’T. I never know how to respond to it. My knee jerk reaction is to correct their misinformation but they’re pretty stubborn and convinced that what they were taught is correct and what I say is wrong.

These are the sort of people who encourage and spread the distorted view of the Catholic faith that some Protestants have (not all, of course).

I think it would be easier to deal with people who were simply hurt by someone in the Church and thus driven away… in a way their objections are entirely subjective and much easier to combat.

 

[Jeanne_S]

I have run into a few former Catholics who refer to themselves as “recovering Catholics”

 

[Allegra]

A friend of mine is a Presbyterian choir director. She needed to be out of town for a weekend and she hired me to lead the choir for that weekend. She told the choir the week before that I would be there and I was Catholic so they all knew I was Catholic when I got there. They assured me that being a Catholic and a Presbyterian were practically the same thing.

 

[nickybr38]

I have run into a few former Catholics who refer to themselves as “recovering Catholics”

OH dear. I’m a recovering Protestant so I totally understand.

 

[CopticChristian]

My title is slightly sarcastic. I cannot TELL you how many times I hear stories about people who were DEVOUT, well studied Catholics who ended up being delivered from the evils of the Catholic cult and are now safely nestled in the arms of the Baptist, Pentecostal or Etc faith.

Usually they espouse that Catholics don’t know Jesus, don’t have the Holy Spirit and worship Mary. All while claiming they were well studied Catholics.

These types just make me so angry that I have a hard time talking to them.

Has anyone had any success dialoguing with this type of Christian? Do you try to evangelize them? Correct their misinformation? Or do you just leave them alone?

Nicky,

It depends on how long they “used to be Catholic and now I am Christian”…early on difficult, later on difficult,…much later easier…

 

[ByzCathCantor]

But lately I’ve been running into SO MANY who were ‘devout’ Catholics in their youth and yet claim the Church teaches things it just DOESN’T. I never know how to respond to it. My knee jerk reaction is to correct their misinformation but they’re pretty stubborn and convinced that what they were taught is correct and what I say is wrong.

Well, just think of all the “positive reinforcement” of their misunderstanding received over a lifetime from society at large and the media, as well as from other communities?

When attempting to engage a “former” Catholic, it is also important to be sensitive to a possible interaction with clergy or enthrenched members of the laity who might have caused harm in the past in the eyes of these individuals. We must honestly accept that these things can and have happened. One never knows what may have prompted someone to drift, walk or run away …

 

[BListon]

Bless their passion but goodness! Stubborn eh? Haha.

How about an ex-Catholic Calvinist?

Amen and Amen

 

[jpink1019]

I was raised in a baptist church and really… its hard to describe the way that i feel when I read these responses.
Protestants and other christians as “misinformed” “misguided”
The catholic faith being the one True Faith.
Also the idea that former catholics were “lured” away by the message of other denominations.
In reality, while growing up I have visited many different churches baptist, pentacostal, southern baptist, non-denominational and other services and the messages do not preach against catholicism. There was never a message that mentioned the catholic faith.

Hearing for myself, the message always focused my mind on the gospel, on Christ, and learning what it meant to follow Christ, God’s commandments for us as christians.

What exactly was luring these catholics away from their faith?

 

[ByzCathCantor]

I know many more Catholics, including well educated and catechized ones. who have fallen away for reasons other than being lured away by the message of other denominations.

What exactly was luring these catholics away from their faith?

FWIW, kindly consider - while I did introduce that term in the discussion here, I did so specifically to suggest the opposite - that is, that most fallen Catholics I know have stepped away from the Church for other reasons.

 

[nickybr38]

I was raised in a baptist church and really… its hard to describe the way that i feel when I read these responses.
Protestants and other christians as “misinformed” “misguided”
The catholic faith being the one True Faith.
Also the idea that former catholics were “lured” away by the message of other denominations.
In reality, while growing up I have visited many different churches baptist, pentacostal, southern baptist, non-denominational and other services and the messages do not preach against catholicism. There was never a message that mentioned the catholic faith.

Hearing for myself, the message always focused my mind on the gospel, on Christ, and learning what it meant to follow Christ, God’s commandments for us as christians.

What exactly was luring these catholics away from their faith?

The misinformation is things like; Catholics worship Mary. Catholics worship statues. Catholics don’t know Jesus. That’s often what I hear these ex-Catholics saying. It’s untrue and when spread it’s almost slander towards Catholics.

Often what happens is that these Catholics are ‘lured’ away by a message of greater love to be found in another denomination. Often the ex-Catholics I’m dealing with felt they were in a cult when they were Catholic. They feel they were ‘saved’ by whichever denomination brought them out. Doesn’t that sound odd to you? It does to me! When I hear the language they use I respond with similar language. They say they were SAVED! I say they were lured. Perhaps it’s not correct but it’s something I fall into.

I understand not all Protestants teach these things but these are the ex-Catholics I am being exposed to. How would you suggest I handle the things they’re saying? When I know what they’re saying is NOT what the Church teaches?

PS: I used to be Protestant. I used to attend services that WOULD bash the Catholic Church. I understand not all Protestants faiths do this but these are the churches I grew up in. It does happen, even if you haven’t seen it yet.

 

[Lokabrenna]

We’re not that rare! Although, perhaps “ex-Christian” would be a better descriptor for me!

 

[PeterJohn]

I was raised in a baptist church and really… its hard to describe the way that i feel when I read these responses.
Protestants and other christians as “misinformed” “misguided”
The catholic faith being the one True Faith.
Also the idea that former catholics were “lured” away by the message of other denominations.
In reality, while growing up I have visited many different churches baptist, pentacostal, southern baptist, non-denominational and other services and the messages do not preach against catholicism. There was never a message that mentioned the catholic faith.

Hearing for myself, the message always focused my mind on the gospel, on Christ, and learning what it meant to follow Christ, God’s commandments for us as christians.

What exactly was luring these catholics away from their faith?

I’ve seen a few close to me lured away because another church had “fun” activities, “energetic speaking” and the “true way to live the way God wants you to”

 

[asd72]

I was raised in a baptist church and really… its har[BIBLEDRB][/BIBLEDRB]d to describe the way that i feel when I read these responses.
Protestants and other christians as “misinformed” “misguided”
The catholic faith being the one True Faith.
Also the idea that former catholics were “lured” away by the message of other denominations.
In reality, while growing up I have visited many different churches baptist, pentacostal, southern baptist, non-denominational and other services and the messages do not preach against catholicism. There was never a message that mentioned the catholic faith.

Hearing for myself, the message always focused my mind on the gospel, on Christ, and learning what it meant to follow Christ, God’s commandments for us as christians.

What exactly was luring these catholics away from their faith?

I would be very surprised if you hadn’t encountered the message that Catholics needed to be “saved” even if it wasn’t from the pulpit. I spent only about 6 months influenced by non-denominational fundamentalists and when I said I was becoming Catholic I found out they didn’t believe Catholics were Christians and a lot of them thought it was Babylon from Revelation.

 

[Lady_Love]

My sister left the Catholic Church became a baptist and now is non-denominational. I believe she left because of birth control (although she tries to make it about other things). She wanted to use NFP but her husband would not go along with it. After a while of feeling alienated by her husband she started questioning the church.

I try to stay on topics that we agree on. When she accuses me of Mary worship or idol worship. I am sure not to play into carefully taught, practiced and calculated traps. I just kindly say, “God is a Father and he loves his children to be in relationship with each other.” She will make some comment about “communicating” with the dead and quote from the book of Kings. I kindly remind her that since Christ paid the price, death has merely become the entrance to life and those who have died in Christ are not dead but alive. Therefore, I am communicating with the LIVING not the dead. Oh yes, I almost forgot, a great response to why we pray through Mary is this: When I pray through Mary, Jesus gets to answer not only my prayer but also his mother’s. A son loves to give gifts to his mother. It’s a two for one deal for Him!"

As soon as she starts to get angry I end the conversation because she is in her ego and not her heart.