Have you ever been "witnessed to"?

[ElizaE]

Thank you CM. I didn’t know that they don’t think they need to be baptized in order to be saved. With a name like Baptist you would think that would be in their basic doctrine.

I just wanted to thank all of you. I am a Catholic, a Polish Catholic, none the less, where 92% of the population is Catholic so as a child I had no reason to defend my faith. When I moved here at the age of 11, I had a rude awakening because I sort of thought everyone was Catholic, well maybe there was a handful of Jews but if you were Christian that ment you were Catholic.

I recently found myself in ethics classes at my medical school where someone is always trying to bring up the CC and redicule it in some way. I found that I did not know enough to shut them up… so here I am trying my best to learn as much as possible.

 

[Malachi4U]

ElizaE:

…I recently found myself in ethics classes at my medical school where someone is always trying to bring up the CC and redicule it in some way…

You’re not alone, they rediculed Jesus too! Many that Jesus preached to did not believe Him either just as they do not believe His Catholic Church today.

You’re in good company with Jesus! Scripture tells us how we will be persecuted for Him. That reformed soul in your ethics class is proof that Scripure was correct on that point.

 

[jetskiters]

Church Militant:

We really are not supposed to and in the case of the SDA all you’re gonna get is hurt feelin’s from all the baloney they try to feed ya.
…which is pretty much the same thing I got from grandma…
Church Militant:

The truth is that the other churches have no Eucharist…and that’s like going to a place that advertizes being a restaurant and then not gettin’ fed, y’know? Or in the case of some churches…more like being poisoned…

very nice analogy, CM.
Church Militant:

One of the very best sources for great Catholic courses is the Catholic Home Study Service, and I recommend it to you highly. BTW: It’s FREE. amm.org/chss/chss.htm

Pax tecum,

thanks for the link CM. I’ll check it out.

 

[2Rollin_Stoned]

Does being here on the net count? Doesn’t some of what people from other churches do here at CAF count as “witnessing” to us in an effort to evangelize us away from the church?

 

[tamie]

On my wedding day I was going down the sidewalk to the gate to get in the car and go to the Church. These two JW’s had been pestering me and at the exact same time I reached the gate the stepped into the opening and tried to detain me for a minute to discuss setting up a “bible study!” I could not believe it! My mother-in-law was behind me and started cursing them in spanish. I had to get quite rude and pushed one of them out of the way. I guess even someone in a wedding dress doesn’t deter them from their mission!

 

[UBERROGO]

As a Protestant I truly wish a Catholic would approach me to try to witness to me out of sincere concern for my soul. I could get many of my Catholic questions anwsered that way. Apparently and unfortunatly RCs dont believe in evangelism - either in faith or in practice.

 

[Wolseley]

I always think of a friend of mine, who was approached by a Fundamentalist once; the Fundamentalist asked, “Sir, have you been saved?”, and my friend answered, “No, but I just saved a lot of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico!”

 

[Church_Militant]

UBERROGO:

As a Protestant I truly wish a Catholic would approach me to try to witness to me out of sincere concern for my soul. I could get many of my Catholic questions anwsered that way. Apparently and unfortunatly RCs dont believe in evangelism - either in faith or in practice.

Phooey! All you have to do is ask for the answers…or even just avail yourself of The CA Library where there is probably an answer for every question that you can dream up. That’s what we’re here for…especially the Ask An Apologist forum. You may not get answers that suit you, but you will get correct info.

“Apparently and unfortunatly RCs dont” do evangelism like you are used to among n-Cs, but we do indeed care for lost souls and believe and practice evangelism. If you don’t get it then PM me and I’ll happily and charitably attempt to evangelize your socks off, starting right now by saying that you need to become a Catholic. ( There! Feel better? ) Seriously…if you want Catholic evangelism, PM me and we’ll go from there.
Pax tecum,

 

[Lillith]

CanonAlberic:

I found that when these folks knock on the door, if you answer it wearing only your undershorts with a beer in hand, they tend to just hand you a leaflet then split in embarassment. Works great!

Peace.

I had to chuckle at this…One day my husband opened our front door on a sat. morning early, we sleep in on saturday, and so he was in his boxers, not thinking groggy with sleep. Now mind you my husband is quite the hairy guy(common Joke when his shirt is off in the summer is to say "honey take your sweater off…you’ll be so much cooler)…this poor little Jehovah’s witness girl was on the other side…said not a word, could not look up…left

Never to return

 

[Malachi4U]

Several Catholics from this forum, including myself, went to baptist.org/ We are being witnessed to by the Baptists there.

Go check it out. They claim Catholics ARE NOT CHRISTIAN and NOT saved! I guess somebody died and made them all gods with the power to judge and to save. They have the incarnate power to see into everyones heart, not just their own.

It is fun over there and they can use more Catholic members if you need a change of pace once in a while. Whenever this forum gets a bit boring I just hop over to baptist.org/ and have some fun and get remotivated. They live in a chick tract world where truth is whatever the antiCatholics invent. Proof not needed as long as it is antiCatholic.

 

[Catholic4aReasn]

Church Militant:

Who was it?
What church or religion?
Did you feel that it was done in sincere concern for your soul?
Did they attack Catholicism?
What was your reaction?

When I was in college a guy in one of my classes prayed the “sinner’s prayer” with me once. He sat in a chair in front of me, took my hands and asked me to repeat after him, which I did, not really knowing what the heck he was doing. Afterwards, when we were leaving, he was yelling “praise God” as we walked down the hall. I assume now he was celebrating that I was “saved” but at the time I just thought he was nuts. After that I stopped going to that particular class in order to avoid him, and also stopped going to church because just the thought of God made me really, really uncomfortable.

I’m sure his heart was in the right place, but his approach was a real turn-off.

In Christ,
Nancy

 

[mark_a]

Who was it?

Aquaintances.

What church or religion?

Maranathan and JW are the ones I remember most.

Did you feel that it was done in sincere concern for your soul?

Seemed like a power trip.

Did they attack Catholicism?

They asked me very simple questions that I could not answer. The questions may have been anti-Catholic, but I was too oblivious to realize it.

What was your reaction?

Fear. Their use of apocoliptic images and the threat of having been told “the truth” and rejecting it.

Do you attempt to share your faith with others?

Seldom. I mostly fear any disagreement would quickly escalate into a loss of friendship. I do defend my faith.

How do you respond to attacks on our Catholic Faith?

I pray for help to keep my emotions and ego (just hoping to win) under control.

 

[Lillith]

Malachi4U:

Several Catholics from this forum, including myself, went to baptist.org/ We are being witnessed to by the Baptists there.

Go check it out. They claim Catholics ARE NOT CHRISTIAN and NOT saved! I guess somebody died and made them all gods with the power to judge and to save. They have the incarnate power to see into everyones heart, not just their own.

It is fun over there and they can use more Catholic members if you need a change of pace once in a while. Whenever this forum gets a bit boring I just hop over to baptist.org/ and have some fun and get remotivated. They live in a chick tract world where truth is whatever the antiCatholics invent. Proof not needed as long as it is antiCatholic.

Malachi

How can you stand it…I just read for 5 min. and was already hot under the collar…about Catholics adding books to the Bible (not Luther taking them out) Catholics working for Heaven and burning in Hell thinking it were purgatory…

I personally don’t have the stomach for it…I get too emotional…But you go!!! BTW …what is your name on that board?

 

[CalledtoServe]

I big resounding YES!

My brother-in-law & his wife felt my husband (then fiance) & I needed some indoctrination. They are born again nondenominational Christians. Yes, they were concerned for our souls; we needed to be born again, accept Jesus as our personal Lord & Savior, etc. They would not leave it alone for all of our engagement & at least the 1st 2 years of our marriage. It’s cooled down since then. Needless to say, our relationship with them was strained.

When The Passion of the Christ came out, which they watched, I was drawn to explain certain aspects of Catholicism to them. What a wonderful tool that was. I emailed a lengthy note to my sister-in-law, who had never been at a loss for words when it came to indoctrination & “saving” us. I was looking forward to some exchange of ideas/beliefs. She sent me a 1-2 line message in return basically saying that we had doctrinal differences & that they did not need to defend their faith. Oh well!

 

[Lazerlike42]

Actually, I think that that movie is a GREAT tool for anybody who wants to understand why Catholics treat Mary the way they do. Once a person sees it they would probably have some level of understanding (where they didn’t before) that could be built on.

 

[Church_Militant]

Malachi4U:

Several Catholics from this forum, including myself, went to baptist.org/

We are being witnessed to by the Baptists there.

Go check it out. They claim Catholics ARE NOT CHRISTIAN and NOT saved! I guess somebody died and made them all gods with the power to judge and to save. They have the incarnate power to see into everyones heart, not just their own.

It is fun over there and they can use more Catholic members if you need a change of pace once in a while. Whenever this forum gets a bit boring I just hop over to baptist.org/ and have some fun and get remotivated. They live in a chick tract world where truth is whatever the anti-Catholics invent. Proof not needed as long as it is antiCatholic.
They do indeed!
I don’t let 'em get me down because they are entitled to their errant opinions and we are here if anyone wants the truth.

Look my dear brothers and sisters, Baptists schmaptists, let’s realize something. Who has answered every heresy to come down the pike in the last 2,000 years and not fallen because Our Lord has kept his promises to His church?

Who has answered every crazy allegation and errant doctrine from the “reformation” until today and (Glory Be To God!) thanks to sites like this, we are answering them with the truth and will continue to do so until Our Lord returns or they convert (or kill us every one…).

Have they come up with anything new in all that time? I think Ecclesiastes says it best 1:9 What is it that hath been? the same thing that shall be. What is it that hath been done? the same that shall be done. 10 Nothing under the sun is new, neither is any man able to say: Behold this is new: for it hath already gone before in the ages that were before us

For those of you that get emotional…I handle that with silent prayer in my heart as they talk asking the Holy Spirit to give the words and wisdom to answer in Christ-like charity and not disgrace the gospel. Generally they lose it before I do.

Most of what is needed is simply info…not knowing how to answer things makes anyone uncomfortable; especially when someone is talkin’ about our immortal souls. Look, I didn’t get all this apologetics stuff by osmosis… I read and studied about the faith because it’s important to me. I gotta have the truth. It’s just the way I am. I was one of the best in all the churches I was ever in at witnessing and soul winning, but I never pushed because Jesus didn’t…and the apostles didn’t…and Catholics don’t even today.

Now…I give as good as I get. (as most of you that have seen my threads and posts on here know.) I’m like a K-mart radio…I don’t play. And the tools are there people…if ya want killer books get the “Surprised By Truth” books (any of 'em) and read 'em and then give a copy to the hardest n-C that ya know (if he’ll agree to read it) and then pray that Divine Mercy Chaplet for them. (The Novena ROCKS!)

If ya want to be well prepared to give good answers, I recommend something that I keep close to hand while I’m on here and that CA sells in it’s online store as well as at the San Juan Catholic Seminars site . The booklets are inexpensive, packed with info and probably one of the best things to come out in years. It’s NOT rocket science guys…it’s truth, and expressed in a way that even a dork like me can get a grip. Start with Beginning Apologetics # 1…a $5.00 investment.

Don’t be shy or discouraged. We have an incredibly beautiful truth and like Bishop Sheen said, it doesn’t need much defending, it just needs to be let loose!
Pax vobiscum,

 

[Lazerlike42]

Here’s what I can never understand about Protestants:

If all it takes is faith, how are Catholics saved? We should be saved even if we really are worshipping Mary or this or that because we have FAITH, and that’s all it takes, right?

Have you asked them this? What do they say?

 

[Church_Militant]

CalledtoServe:

I big resounding YES

!

My brother-in-law & his wife felt my husband (then fiance) & I needed some indoctrination. They are born again nondenominational Christians. Yes, they were concerned for our souls; we needed to be born again, accept Jesus as our personal Lord & Savior, etc. They would not leave it alone for all of our engagement & at least the 1st 2 years of our marriage. It’s cooled down since then. Needless to say, our relationship with them was strained.

When The Passion of the Christ came out, which they watched, I was drawn to explain certain aspects of Catholicism to them. What a wonderful tool that was. I emailed a lengthy note to my sister-in-law, who had never been at a loss for words when it came to indoctrination & “saving” us. I was looking forward to some exchange of ideas/beliefs. She sent me a 1-2 line message in return basically saying that we had doctrinal differences & that they did not need to defend their faith. Oh well!
Wow! Called! That kinda stinks doesn’t it? If we gave answers like that they’d call us rude and blind etc. Pray that Divine Mercy Chaplet for them though. I’ve had some really tough cookies crumble and become Catholics and it had to be the Holy Spirit 'cos it sure wasn’t moi.

 

[CalledtoServe]

Church Militant:

Wow! Called! That kinda stinks doesn’t it? If we gave answers like that they’d call us rude and blind etc. Pray that Divine Mercy Chaplet for them though. I’ve had some really tough cookies crumble and become Catholics and it had to be the Holy Spirit 'cos it sure wasn’t moi.

I’ll try that Church Militant (Divine Mercy Chaplet). Thanks!

I’ve thought alot about what happened here with this particular couple, & I came up with this. They believe the main point is accepting Jesus as personal Lord & Savior everything after that is pure gravy. So, even though we are misguided by attending the Catholic church we are saved (some how they came to that conlusion) and so are they, so, beyond that, we shouldn’t try to convince them to come to our church and they’ll stop trying to convince us to go to theirs (except, of course, that our children would have much more fun at their church). Which church you attend is a matter of personal preference as long as you’re saved. I like cream gravy, you like brown gravy, she likes gravy & giblets. So what’s the big deal?

The other thing I thought is that I presented some points that they found difficult to argue, and, rather than present a poor argument they’d simply choose not to discuss.

 

[2Rollin_Stoned]

Yeah, I have. I hate it when people wanna give me the 3rd degree about my faith when I’m busy doing something.

Worse, as soon as I say, I’m Catholic, I get all this stuff about the Catholic Church that I know isn’t true, but don’t have time to deal with right then.