FRUSTRATION with Protestantism

[Jubilarian]

I’m a Catholic revert. For at least 15 years I was into Fundamentalism and dabbled with many Protestant denominations. I’m a practicing Catholic (again) for a few years now.

I’m not sure that I would call it anger, but I have developed some degree of resentment towards Protestantism that I need to work through. Frustration is another emotion. Whether you are a cradle Catholic or a revert, do you have any of the same feelings?

The “its not in the bible” mantra from Protestants is tiresome as well. Sometimes I can’t get a good Catholic AM/FM radio station and I end up listening to my old Protestant radio station as a supplement and that fuels my discontent. Any understanding on that too?

 

[TimothyH]

Shut off the radio.

*Silence is the door-keeper of the interior life.

• St. Josemaria Escriva*

Frustration and anger are a result of unrealistic expectations not being met. It is unrealistic to believe that worldwide Protestantism is going to change or that you can do anything about it. Focus on what God has placed you in charge of and nothing else.

---

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen. ***

-Tim-

 

[Della]

I’m a Catholic revert. For at least 15 years I was into Fundamentalism and dabbled with many Protestant denominations. I’m a practicing Catholic (again) for a few years now.

So glad you found your way home.

I’m not sure that I would call it anger, but I have developed some degree of resentment towards Protestantism that I need to work through. Frustration is another emotion. Whether you are a cradle Catholic or a revert, do you have any of the same feelings?

I think it’s only natural to have such feelings. I certainly did when I first entered the Church 25+ years ago after many years in Evangelical/Pentecostal sects. I felt I’d been lied to all those years, which I felt quite bitter about. Such feelings are, as I have learned, the kind we have when we feel betrayed. During my years as an E/P Protestant I meet former Catholics who had the same bitterness towards the Church because they thought they’d been lied to all their lives and had “found the truth” in their new sect(s). Former Catholics were the most anti-Catholic because of that. Remembering that helped me get past my bad feelings, allowing me to forgive my former sect leaders, etc., the same forgiveness Jesus offered on the cross when he said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”

The “its not in the bible” mantra from Protestants is tiresome as well. Sometimes I can’t get a good Catholic AM/FM radio station and I end up listening to my old Protestant radio station as a supplement and that fuels my discontent. Any understanding on that too?

Since clinging to that mantra means salvation to them, it’s not surprising they chant it regularly. In my case having used the Bible as a proof text poisoned Scripture for me for quite a while. I couldn’t read a Bible without hearing in my head the erroneous teachings I’d learned that had caused me to live in fear for so many years. I realized I’d been involved in a quasi-cult that used fear and intimidation to keep its members in line. I would have nightmares about being in the sect, and sometimes still dreama about it all these years on. Such experiences deeply affect us–they are spiritual and mental sufferings. Fortunately, no suffering need go to waste. We can offer up all our sufferings to God, sharing with Christ in his mental and spiritual anguish in the garden. It took me a long time to get to that place, though. God has been good. My joy at having found the fullness of the faith has outweighed all the bad things I experienced, as well as remembering all the good that God gave me before I was reconciled to his Church.

If listening to the Protestant station gives you bad feelings and reopens old wounds, don’t do it. Buy some good Catholic CDs to listen to, instead.

 

[Jubilarian]

Thank you Della. What a great response and I can take all your words to heart. They make sense. Extremely helpful. It is tough sometimes when a Protestant tosses their sola scriptura quips at you. I need to work on some rather quick Catholic apologetics answers because sometimes these “debates” are in passing, someone you bump into at a store.

For example, one Ash Wednesday I was in a deli and a woman said to me as she saw the ashes on my head, “oh I remember that”. I smiled and said something like ,“well, we will all return to dust”. She said, it’s not in the bible (the anointing of ashes I suppose). I had no great response and wished her a nice day.

 

[Jubilarian]

Shut off the radio.

Silence is the door-keeper of the interior life.

• St. Josemaria Escriva

Frustration and anger are a result of unrealistic expectations not being met. It is unrealistic to believe that worldwide Protestantism is going to change or that you can do anything about it. Focus on what God has placed you in charge of and nothing else.

---

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen. ***

-Tim-

Good advice!

 

[Della]

Thank you Della. What a great response and I can take all your words to heart. They make sense. Extremely helpful.

You’re very welcome. I simply related my own experience and what was in my heart.

It is tough sometimes when a Protestant tosses their sola scriptura quips at you. I need to work on some rather quick Catholic apologetics answers because sometimes these “debates” are in passing, someone you bump into at a store.

You can do that, if you wish, but oftentimes it’s best to simply smile and be polite instead. After all, anyone who accosts a stranger to proselytize is not disposed to listening to an opposing idea. Still, if you feel the interior prompt to reply with a good answer, then yes, you need to be prepared–at least spiritually for Jesus promised that he would give us the words to defend the faith when needed. Prayer is the best defensive and the best offensive against this kind of challenge, IMHO.

For example, one Ash Wednesday I was in a deli and a woman said to me as she saw the ashes on my head, “oh I remember that”. I smiled and said something like ,“well, we will all return to dust”. She said, it’s not in the bible (the anointing of ashes I suppose). I had no great response and wished her a nice day.

.

She’s wrong about that. There is plenty of evidence for the applying of ashes in Scripture. I did a quick search of the word ashes in the RSV online search:

Job.42[6] therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes."

Isa.58[5] Is such the fast that I choose,
a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it to bow down his head like a rush,
and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him?
Will you call this a fast,
and a day acceptable to the LORD?

Jer.6[26] O daughter of my people, gird on sackcloth,
and roll in ashes;
make mourning as for an only son,
most bitter lamentation;
for suddenly the destroyer
will come upon us.

Jer.2.[34] "Wail, you shepherds, and cry,
and roll in ashes, you lords of the flock,

Dan.9[3] Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

 

[jatkins29]

You are not alone. I grew up in the Southern Baptist Church with a dad who is now a retired preacher and an older brother who still preaches. For me, it is not only sola scriptura but I have a problem with every church having their own interpretation and then condemning others who do not believe the same way. Some of their doctrine is not biblical yet they point their fingers at Catholics for basing our faith on tradition and scripture. I’m not saying every Protestant church is like that, but the ones I attended as a child definitely were. I pray every day that God will help me not to be angry or frustrated with our separated brothers and sisters in Christ. I continue to learn more about the Catholic Church (have been Catholic for 5 years) and prepare myself with scripture and information from the CCC when I am faced with the common questions a Protestant would ask a Catholic.

 

[danzibr]

I had/have similar feelings as Della (the being lied to bit).

I remember going to a non-denominational church (ex-Baptist), and knew little of the Bible. The preacher was a learned man, having memorized a great many verses. He justified the be-baptized-because-you’re-saved thing by quoting part of Acts 2:38. Just “be baptized …] for remission of your sins,” appealing to the two ways to interpret “for” in English.

This bothers me because he left out the beginning of the verse and, more importantly, the end of the verse. I now believe he was knowingly fooling me (and others in the room).

I’ve also read quite a bit of stuff from other protestants. On the real presence, one guy was talking about how Jesus often spoke using metaphors, quoting John 3:3. Which is alright, but the protestant went on to say that Jesus did not clarify his statement in John 3:3, essentially pretending John 3:5 doesn’t exist.

Anyway… I’m bitter about being lied to, and unhappy with myself for believing it.

Also it bothers me that they attack Catholicism so much.

 

[Jubilarian]

**** Yes, the constant erroneous attacks on the Catholic Church are annoying. A ton of recycled nonsense gets spewed out by Evangelicals. As a Protestant I believed the crafty reconstructions of Protestant thought. I had to be “reprogrammed” from the bible only philosophy. Missing books of the bible is another one.

 

[SeekerWillie]

If listening to the Protestant station gives you bad feelings and reopens old wounds, don’t do it. Buy some good Catholic CDs to listen to, instead.

I have a subscription with Lighthouse Catholic Media. I get a new CD every month for a very reasonable price. (About $6, IIRC.) I listen to most of them multiple times. My neighbor and I sometimes swap CDs with one another! I also keep a rosary meditation CD in my car. I deal with traffic on the Beltway surrounding DC Monday through Friday, and the rosary has helped me maintain my sanity more than once.

I find I still have a soft spot for many Protestants. Technically, I’m still one of them. When you’re raised in a specific faith, surrounded by people who mostly believe as you do, it can be very hard to open yourself up to ideas that challenge what you “know” as the Truth.

When someone uses sola scriptura logic with me, I share with them that Scripture is what led me to the Catholic Church! Mary? It’s in Scripture: Jesus gave her to us! Gabriel greeted her as “full of Grace.” The Eucharist? That was the last barrier for me, and it’s absolutely in Scripture: “THIS IS MY BODY.” Pick any translation. It’s not “This REPRESENTS my body.” It blew my mind when I realized it was right there in front of me all along. I’d read it many, many times, but didn’t fully understand. Or probably didn’t want to understand, since it contradicted what I’d been raised to believe.

Then again, there’s the fact that sola scriptura isn’t actually scriptural.

Editing to add: One of the things I hope to be able to do successfully is act as a bridge between Protestantism and Catholicism. I know I was taught so many things about the Catholic Church that just aren’t true. As someone who was raised in one faith tradition and chose another as an adult (okay, middle-aged person ), I’ve already begun to gently and respectfully correct some of the things my Protestant family, friends, and colleagues say when they learn of my conversion.

 

[bisco]

like a reformed smoker?

 

[danzibr]

I know I was taught so many things about the Catholic Church that just aren’t true.

I read your whole post, but wanted to comment on this.

I’ve had people make comments that in Catholicism, people can’t pray directly to God. We have to do so through a priest. Where the ---- does this come from? The first time a friend asked me that I said I’d never heard that before.

Or Catholics want homosexual people to be priests so they can molest children (while the first could’ve been curiosity, the second was surely an attack). People so tolerant they can’t respect my beliefs.

Or other similar nonsense. I mean… where does this **** come from?

 

[Cathoholic]

Jubilarian. I don’t have much more to say on the understandable frustration you experience. But I do have a couple more citations on the “dust” quip by the apparent ex-Catholic woman’s comment to you to dovetail regarding Della’s excellent post.

Jubilarian. You said:

For example, one Ash Wednesday I was in a deli and a woman said to me as she saw the ashes on my head, “oh I remember that”. I smiled and said something like ,“well, we will all return to dust”. She said, it’s not in the bible (the anointing of ashes I suppose). I had no great response and wished her a nice day.

From EWTN . . . .

. . . The Church adapted the use of ashes to mark the beginning of the penitential season of Lent, when we remember our mortality and mourn for our sins. In our present liturgy for Ash Wednesday, we use ashes made from the burned palm branches distributed on the Palm Sunday of the previous year. The priest blesses the ashes and imposes them on the foreheads of the faithful, making the sign of the cross and saying, “Remember, man you are dust and to dust you shall return,” or “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” . . . .

GENESIS 3:19 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

PSALM 103:13 13 As a father pities his children, so the LORD pities those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

You said . . .

I’m a Catholic revert.

Good to have you back home in the Church Jubilarian.

God bless.

Cathoholic

 

[Della]

I have a subscription with Lighthouse Catholic Media. I get a new CD every month for a very reasonable price. (About $6, IIRC.) I listen to most of them multiple times. My neighbor and I sometimes swap CDs with one another! I also keep a rosary meditation CD in my car. I deal with traffic on the Beltway surrounding DC Monday through Friday, and the rosary has helped me maintain my sanity more than once.

Great suggestion!

I find I still have a soft spot for many Protestants. Technically, I’m still one of them. When you’re raised in a specific faith, surrounded by people who mostly believe as you do, it can be very hard to open yourself up to ideas that challenge what you “know” as the Truth.

This is certainly true. I have the highest regard for people of every faith community who live according to the graces God gave them, as they understand it. My beef is with those who knowingly and willing mislead people about the Church’s teaching. :tiphat:

When someone uses sola scriptura logic with me, I share with them that Scripture is what led me to the Catholic Church! Mary? It’s in Scripture: Jesus gave her to us! Gabriel greeted her as “full of Grace.” The Eucharist? That was the last barrier for me, and it’s absolutely in Scripture: “THIS IS MY BODY.” Pick any translation. It’s not “This REPRESENTS my body.” It blew my mind when I realized it was right there in front of me all along. I’d read it many, many times, but didn’t fully understand. Or probably didn’t want to understand, since it contradicted what I’d been raised to believe.

It takes courage, one of the virtues, to admit what we were taught was contrary to Scripture itself. It’s so much easier to brush such things aside to remain comfortable where we are, isn’t it? And many have no idea that what they believe is contrary to the very Scripture they say is their sole guide in matters of faith and morals. It’s a dilemma for them that we need to help them see, in love and patience, of course.

Then again, there’s the fact that sola scriptura isn’t actually scriptural.

So true. Many practice a form of Bible idolatry, whether they know it or not. The Bible is the same thing as God to many of them–that is their faith community’s interpretation.

Editing to add: One of the things I hope to be able to do successfully is act as a bridge between Protestantism and Catholicism. I know I was taught so many things about the Catholic Church that just aren’t true. As someone who was raised in one faith tradition and chose another as an adult (okay, middle-aged person ), I’ve already begun to gently and respectfully correct some of the things my Protestant family, friends, and colleagues say when they learn of my conversion.

Ecumenicism is a good thing. It can be hard to do, though because others may not want to understand but want the Church to change her teachings to suit them. It does take a gentle approach with most people–correcting misconceptions as their questions or the opportunity allows.

 

[Nelka]

I get frustrated with Protestantism too, they want to speak but just won’t listen.

 

[Tablefor9]

Yes, i am frustrated. But more with myself for not coming home sooner/doing things differently/figuring it out faster.

To manage what you’ve spoken of, I use the EWTN App, streamed into my car and listen to Protestant programming sparingly and selectively. I so recommend this approach, as it helped me be much kinder in general.

Remember that there is such a thing as invincible ignorance, and we’ve no way of knowing who is among those pitiful ones. Also, recall that we are called to kindness, but not to permit the promotion of lies. Clarify what you feel you must, kindly, dispassionately, understanding that the person you are speaking with may not even have the capacity to grasp the truth In a way that will alter their life. This approach helps me be prayerful for them, rather than aggravated at them. We have a treasure they may never know.

In my experience, it is pride that blinds those I know and even that pride, they are blinded to. I pray that their hearts will be softened and open to the truth of Christ and His Church, and that they will have the humility and the courage to follow wherever He leads…“even” to Catholicism.

 

[marlap2]

Shut off the radio.

***I agree with Timothy.

***I actually have discovered the more I listen to “protestant” radio, the more Catholic I become. I just want to share my head. Turning off the radio works for me. I just simply fill my phone with Podcasts that are spiritually and morally beneficial (The Journey Home, Catholic Answers, some Al Kresta and a fleet of other great speakers) and I’m never tempted to listen to it. It unnerves me to hear so much anti-Catholic stuff.

I will listen once in a while however to find out what they are up to… I feel like a “papist spy” though.

 

[Jubilarian]

What a mind opening response. I like the “drop in once in a while” notion. But yeah, I have felt I had no alternative but to listen to Protestant radio. I think some of it had to do with being conditioned to do so . I have a Kindle, I could listen to Catholic podcasts and other things on Y tube. Sometimes they are too short though.

I do this when I go to sleep at night, it’s like a ritual. Sometimes if I’m disturbed during sleep I would turn my Protestant AM radio station on. Not any more. So simple, but sometimes you just need some brother’s and sisters to make it clear.

 

[TimothyH]

TimothyH;12553782:

Shut off the radio.

***I agree with Timothy.

---

I actually have discovered the more I listen to “protestant” radio, the more Catholic I become. I just want to share my head. Turning off the radio works for me. I just simply fill my phone with Podcasts that are spiritually and morally beneficial (The Journey Home, Catholic Answers, some Al Kresta and a fleet of other great speakers) and I’m never tempted to listen to it. It unnerves me to hear so much anti-Catholic stuff.

I will listen once in a while however to find out what they are up to… I feel like a “papist spy” though.

I did this with conservative talk radio. One day I decided that I was tired of hearing angry people yelling. It didn’t matter whether they were right or wrong or whether I agreed with them or not. All that mattered was that a bunch of angry people yelling upset my peace. God works in a spirit of peace and so off the radio went.

People come on here all the time saying how they are infuriated with something they read on facebook. Then don’t look at Facebook - problem solved. Go read the Bible or take an art class or something instead.

I started taking salsa lessons. It’s much more fun than facebook, arguing with protestants or listening to talk radio.

Our worst enemy is often in the mirror.

-Tim-

 

[Jubilarian]

Personally, I cancelled Facebook a while back. It has some fun elements to it but I found it to be a breeding ground for trouble . Trouble in marriages, trouble in friendships etc. The level at which some people are consumed with FB is staggering. Yes, go read a Catholic bible, and if your looking to make it more interesting, read an electronic one with commentaries.