Have you ever had to defend your faith?

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i have to defend my faith almost every day. most of my friends are protestants - i am a convert. talking to my friends every day, they ask questions, sometimes kindly, sometimes not, about the church and its teachings.

my parents are not catholic. they often have questions - usually not very happy ones - about the faith.

i find the constant apologetic work very interesting and enjoyable. the only unpleasant feelings i get in the whole affair are when someone asks a question and are unable to accept the answer. when they don’t realize that ‘what they believe’ is just what their church has taught them, and won’t go beyond that to seek out the truth.

i especially see this when my protestant friends argue sola scriptura with me. when i point out that the Bible itself does NOT teach sola scriptura, and, in fact, teaches the opposite - that we should obey the teachings of the church itself - they are unable to reply (since their position is self-defeating) but they refuse to push past this dilemma and see the truth. that’s frustrating. especially when it’s someone who i know would benefit so greatly from conversion. you might say that everyone would benefit greatly from conversion.

i would agree that everyone would benefit, but i think some more than others. for some people that i know, the journey from their protestant faith into catholicism would be so difficult, so painful and cause such an upheaval in their lives, that it wouldn’t benefit them as much to convert as those who are seeking very strongly to plunge into the depths of God, to seek Him in His mysteries and His beauty - wherever He may be found. these people would give up less, and gain more, i think, from conversion.

so i tell everyone about how great the church is, about how much i love being catholic. but it frustrates me more, and i try much harder, with some for conversion than with others.

anyway, that’s my experience.
 
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jeffreedy789:
anyway, that’s my experience.
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Thanks Jeff. I 'll bet there are others out there. This is to support & encourage them.
 
I wasn’t sure how to answer this question, because for recent memory, I can’t recall ever having to defend my faith.

However, I do believe that our everyday actions are examples of our faith.
 
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Edwin1961:
I wasn’t sure how to answer this question, because for recent memory, I can’t recall ever having to defend my faith.

However, I do believe that our everyday actions are examples of our faith.
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Agreed 110% !
 
:yup: Yeah, everyday. My fellow classmates (Catholic School) don’t believe all the teachings, so I try to defend our great faith. I’ve posted a few times how they’ve retaliated with swears when that can’t think of an answer.
 
I have had to defend my faith. The first time was when I had to defend my new “born again” Christian faith to my non-practicing Catholic mother. Now as a practicing Catholic, I still have to defend the faith with my lukewarm mother. But now I also have to defend it to my friends in the protestant churches I left behind.

Most conversations, both mother and Protestants, have to do with Mary in some way shape or form. Not ever virgin. Immaculate conception. Assumption. Prayer to Saints. Not very original, but you do get pretty good at it.

God Bless,
Maria
 
I experienced a spiritual conversion in 1999, and have been studying my Catholic faith intensely since then. I wanted to KNOW everything about my faith. After reading the bible (in it’s entirity), Church History (I loved watching the Church grow and develop–but hated what the "reformation did to mislead many–truly Satan’s work) “The Reformation and how it happened”(Belloc), books on the saints and the early Church Fathers.

Part of my zeal for the truth and knowlege was the reactions from family members who had fallen away from the Church and their lousy reasons for parting with the Church: "The Catholic Church is just a Church of doctrines. The Church is full of man-made rules. (but he did not give me any examples when I asked for some, repeatedly) and two women who divorced and couldn’t get annunulments or didn’t try. So they joined non-denominational “bible” churches. If I’m not mistaken the BIBLE says to divorce and remarry is ADULTERY Matt 5:32-33,Matt 19:4-6,9, mk 10:11-12 and Lk 16:18. But they seem to skip over the passages that don’t agree with what they WANT to believe.

Then there are the non-Catholics I work with, but they have an excuse since they don’t KNOW the Catholic Church.

The worst was an archdiocese Ministry Formation course I took where I was taught outright HERESY and was kicked out of the class when I published an article in Catholics in Action exposing what they were teaching. Now I am organizing a program in my church to teach adults about our faith using Fr. Corapi’s 24 tape series on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

I love my Church and I would defend it to the death.:yup:

Lindalou
 
Hello everyone Pax Christi.

I find myself defending almost everyday. Either with a few people at my work who are atheists or people on forums all around the internet. I think the worst place so far to defend and teach is the ‘FormerCatholicsForChrist’ (FCFC) site…also known as Hell on the Internet. Not because they are hard headed or just dont accept your answer, but because they are filled with hate towards Catholics and are constantly being rude and derogatory towards us. Not very Christ like, let me tell ya.

However, on the more fun and lighter side, my family is protestant and I like to debate with a few of them…they dont like it, but all the more fun for me 😃

On the main phorum I am apart of, PhatMass.com, I can name a few people that have converted because of us defending and speaking only Truth to them.

I take that back…they converted not because of us, but because God called them to His Church, we just planted the seed. Praise Be Jesus Christ!
 
I have to defend my faith all the time on campus. It’s more from secular liberals then non-Catholic Christians. However there have been a few times where I had to clarify what the Catholic Church really believes for Protestants.
 
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MariaG:
I have had to defend my faith. The first time was when I had to defend my new “born again” Christian faith to my non-practicing Catholic mother. Now as a practicing Catholic, I still have to defend the faith with my lukewarm mother. But now I also have to defend it to my friends in the protestant churches I left behind.

Most conversations, both mother and Protestants, have to do with Mary in some way shape or form. Not ever virgin. Immaculate conception. Assumption. Prayer to Saints. Not very original, but you do get pretty good at it.

God Bless,
Maria
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I ruin their day by showing them the evidence for Mary’s position as “Giberah”…the Queen Mother of the Messiah, whose function, even in Solomon’s time was one of intercession for the “anawim” (the poor in spirit) and John 2 & the wedding feast at Cana just points it out all the more. Because they know Jesus is the messiah & King of Kings they cannot refute Mary’s position as well. The reason I really began to dig into the Catholic Church again was all because some guy accused us of worshipping the Blessed Virgin (a patent falsehood)…my research did not please him, but I was on the way home & the Holy Spirit guided me all the way. Not only is the Church right about Mary, but they’re right about the Eucharist …and everything else as well.
Glory Be To God! :bowdown2:
 
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lindalou725:
But they seem to skip over the passages that don’t agree with what they WANT to believe.

Then there are the non-Catholics I work with, but they have an excuse since they don’t KNOW the Catholic Church.

The worst was an archdiocese Ministry Formation course I took where I was taught outright HERESY and was kicked out of the class when I published an article in Catholics in Action exposing what they were teaching. Now I am organizing a program in my church to teach adults about our faith using Fr. Corapi’s 24 tape series on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

I love my Church and I would defend it to the death.:yup:
Lindalou
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This is exactly my experience…even when I was a prot…ya have to pass over the passages that are clearly Catholic because there is NO OTHER REASONABLE EXPLAINATION. Forgiving & retaining sin…can’t even touch on that so ignore it; maybe it & all those Catholics will just go away. :rotfl:

All I can say is… You GO girl!
God bless you LL!
 
I ruin their day by showing them the evidence for Mary’s position as “Giberah”…the Queen Mother of the Messiah, whose function, even in Solomon’s time was one of intercession for the “anawim” (the poor in spirit) and John 2 & the wedding feast at Cana just points it out all the more. Because they know Jesus is the messiah & King of Kings they cannot refute Mary’s position as well.
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A person on these forums has refused to admit Mary the title of Queen. He Just won’t do it. But maybe you’re right. Maybe his day was ruined! Is that a sin to hope for that even a little bit? 😛

God Bless,
Maria
 
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MariaG:
A person on these forums has refused to admit Mary the title of Queen. He Just won’t do it. But maybe you’re right. Maybe his day was ruined! Is that a sin to hope for that even a little bit? 😛

God Bless,
Maria
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As we say in the south,“NAW!” It’s a blessing that he has had the honest truth handed to him in love. Hold fast Brothers & Sisters!
 
if your in a room of more than one person, and the other person is not catholic… you will be defending your faith if the subject comes up… trust me… :cool:

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I entered the Holy Catholic Church two years ago, and I find that I am consistently defending my faith . I enjoy showing my protestant friends and family just how Biblical the Catholic Church is!!! However, I have found that the best way for me to defend my Catholic faith to those who mean so much to me is to let them see the Joy that I have now that I am a Catholic Christian. My joy is something they can’t argue against!

Your brother,
Fiat
 
I once had a co worker who was a particularly vociferous Jehovah’s Witness. He was constantly tossing out sarcastic comments about the Trinity and other Christian beliefs. He made the mistake of trying to engage me in a debate about the cross vs. a “torture stake.” When I answered his objections he tried to change the subject to worshipping saints… after that he left me alone. He knew that I knew my faith and apparently decided to go after easier prey.
 
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drforjc:
I once had a co worker who was a particularly vociferous Jehovah’s Witness. He was constantly tossing out sarcastic comments about the Trinity and other Christian beliefs. He made the mistake of trying to engage me in a debate about the cross vs. a “torture stake.” When I answered his objections he tried to change the subject to worshipping saints… after that he left me alone. He knew that I knew my faith and apparently decided to go after easier prey.
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Yep…seen that too. JW’s have proved to be really elusive. They will often suddenly change subjects rather than deal w/ something that they can’t answer. That’s usually when I take my leave of them because it means they’re not being honest. I also have found that they will shut up & leave me alone (as will some others as well. 😛 ).
I don’t care for driving people off, but sometimes it’s a blessing. :confused:
 
I have a friend who is very passive-aggressive about it… She feels the need to put in little comments… for example when I took my daughter to her churches Halloween festival she had to bring me in her church to say “Look, that is the only picture we have of Jesus in our church.” another one was when we went to see “The Passion of the Chirst” together… Her comment, "hum, that was interesting, seemed very Catholic to me. There have been more…

My nine year old has already got it more than once too… I am teaching her about her faith and how to deffend it in a charitable way. It frustrate her though.
 
Have I ever defended the faith? Yep, defending the faith right now. Could use some help here.
 
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