I think so. As you can see, I’m in Dallas, TX. Let me give you an example of how the “pit of the bible belt” is here.
Right across the street from my apartment is a small Presbyterian church. Just a mile and a half north on my street is another HUGE Lutheran church. Literally, a 1/2 mile north of that one is another “mega” church. All along the same road. I pass by those three Protestant churches on my way to work.
The nearest Catholic church? 3 miles away.
Just this past weekend we were in a town that is north of the Dallas area that has a bunch of new development (thanks, Urban sprawl!). When we left the party, about a mile from the house we saw a baptist church. The next block over across the street, a Presbyterian church. Then a couple miles from that, Methodist. I’m not even sure where the nearest Catholic church is from that house. It’s like that nearly all over the metroplex. I notice it because clearly, this is the bible belt. So there are quite a few Protestants around.
There were a couple (at least one that I know of) mega churches that were the home base for televangelists here.
Now, I’ve been in dallas for about 15 years. Most of my experiences with Protestants that I complain about stem from my experience while living in Dallas. But there was also where I grew up in, southern California, Los Angeles. I met a few Christians at school, of course. Invariably, when they would find out that I was Catholic the response was pretty much “Oh! Well, I’m
CHRISTIAN.” Somehow as if putting the emphasis on the word “Christian” seemed to imply that I wasn’t. Infact, when I asked one friend why she said it like that she said, “Oh, because we believe in Jesus Christ. Catholics believe in a church.” I was dumbfounded.
So needless to say my opinions of Protestants has been formed by that. Plus in addition to being told that we’re not the one true church, which I firmly believe. I admit,however, that there are plenty of Protestants who embody Christianity far better than I.
It’s not so much that there is out right, “Join us! We’re
Christians!” but the threads seem to have more of a, “Well, we’re right, you’re wrong, and here’s why
pointing to the bible.” Infact, one dude just started here recently and then he let out he had been in seminary school - and so now he knows all about Catholics. Thing is, I doubt it was a Catholic seminary.
Yeah, I just saw when you logged on. (If you haven’t been on here before that.) I was on prior in 2004 or 2005. Something like that. I just looked and odly enough, I don’t see my name on here anymore. (When I decided to come back to the Catholic church, I also decided to log back on to the forums here. I did not go by my old name because upon Google searches of my name it used to show up associated with the Catholic forums. I didn’t want employers to find that. Oddly enough, I don’t see my name on Google having posted in the Catholic forums now.) But it was decidedly different then, at least, the “non-Catholic” forum was.
Well, we
are on a Catholic message board.
Yes, I have seen that. Infact, and I’ve been meaning to let you know… our last interaction I took a good look at how I was on the forums and I’ve really been trying not to come off so self righteous.
I’m actually not like this in person. Honest! So I think I need to be more of a “live and let live” on the boards too. So I have you to thank for showing me that about myself.
But you’re right in that the forums can have more of an extreme. There are some Catholics on here that were I to talk to them in “real life” I’d wonder if they were evangelicals or fundamentalists.
Completely agree with you. Which is why I’ve been taking a look at how
I act on the forums.
At anyrate, enough about me. This thread is about Cutie.
Peace.
But he is definitely trying to persuade us all of his belief system, and spending a great deal of bandwidth “teaching us” the “errors” of the Catholic faith.)
