Help me stop talking like a Protestant!

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Naphali

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I’m doing a week of Vacation Bible School at our church – I’m a “crew leader” (didn’t everyone buy the Lava Lava Island package??) and I have 5 little 3rd graders … All sweet bright children, I’m really enjoying them –

Now yesterday we had a talk about Jesus being the “Hope of the World” and I asked them the questions we’re given to ask, “Why is Jesus the Hope of the World?” and they didn’t know (or weren’t talking, whichever 😉 )
So I said, “Well Did Jesus Just come, hang out, do a few miracles and them go back?”
“Yeah!” says one …
I said, “If Jesus hadn’t come we wouldn’t be able to get to Heaven, right?”
and another said, “Really??”
Here I become at a loss for how to talk in a “Catholic” way, I’ve only been Catholic for a little over a year and I find I still have TONS of Protestant terminology and thinking that I need to work on! … so I said, “Jesus died for our sins so that we could go to Heaven, that’s how Jesus is the hope of the World, he gives us hope to one day be able to join him in Heaven.”

I fell like I need to do better! I know how as Protestant you’d approach salvation with children or anyone really – but I don’t know how you do this as a Catholic! Honestly until a few months ago I was happy converting and raising my children Catholic but I’d planned all along to one day have that “prayer of salvation” with them because I though that was the only way – it was only after having a long conversation online with some “fundie” Evangelicals about what it really means to be Catholic did I realize there’s no scripturial basis for this “sinner’s prayer” and it was just a Protestant tradition …

This was a HUGE dawning moment for me but alas I haven’t had much time to really sit and dwell on what that means in this sort of situation …

help???
 
Speaking Catholic is a culture thing…you have just been immersed into the culture and you are teaching little ones about their own culture! This is difficult. I, too, am a convert, and I find that every once in awhile I have to ‘check’ myself. I have been R.C. for sixteen years now but I would not feel comfortable teaching a class! I admire you for doing so.

Please tell me you are joking about the Lava Lava thing…I just saw that up on the Assembly of God highway sign, they are having their VBS this week. I was wondering how in the world they tie Christ and the Sacraments…whoops, forgot, they do not have the sacraments, into that.

Blessings -
 
There’s a Catholic version – it’s made the rounds from Our Lady of Lourdes last week and from some other area Catholic church the week before that – we share 😉
 
Hey Donna,
The greated honor I get is when some one says, “You don’t sound Catholic.”

I’m a convert too (6+years) and a Born Again Catholic. I was supprised how many children do not know the basic message of Jesus Christ. So I started teaching CCD (2nd grade).

I invite the parents to sit in the classes as their children learn about the Eucharist and prepare for 1st Communion. One parent sat in the back of the class for every session. One day she said, “I’ve never heard it taught like this.” She smiles and continued to attend.

Of course, the Director of Religious Ed is fully aware of my background. We have even had long talks about how I deliever the message…she is in agreement with the way that I teach and that Jesus needs to be the Center Piece of our faith.

SO KEEP IT UP. Don’t try to be something you are not. GOD gave us the protestant background and the protestand lingo. We should use them to strengthen the Catholic Faith.
 
I’m waiting for RCIA classes to begin. I live in Manassas VA. So I know a good analogy.

When the US Civil War was going on, our nation was divided (did I hear somebody say “Duh!”). Yes, really divided. So much that it was not easy to cross over from one side to the other in many places around here.

The northern newspapers reported on “The Battle of Bull Run” and then “The Second Battle of Bull Run”. While the southern newspapers reported on “The Battle of Manassas” and “The Second Battle of Manassas”. The terminology is different. The realities were the same. However, the analogy works only where Protestants and Catholics are agreed on Christian matters held in common.

There is a “Sinner’s Prayer” repentance in the Roman Catholic Church. But it isn’t called the same thing. People are “saved” when they get Baptised. And since the Roman Catholics accept Baptism from many other denominations, that makes me at least a little bit confused. I hope I’m not too much trouble in the classes.

Catholic beliefs are different. And the authority of Protestant Churches is not the same. However, it seems that there is some authority if the Catholic Churches recognize Protestant Baptisms.
 
I am Catholic, and I can understand you problem in broad terms, but I didn’t see anything wrong with what you said. It sounded to me like you did fine.
If what you are saying is doctrinally sound, and you say it in a different way, you have an advantage. I’ll bet that a Catholic from Tennessee might sound like a Protestant to a Catholic from Brooklyn.
My suggestions, read, listen to tapes by people like Father Corapi, and Father Groeschel, and watch EWTN if you can. Two of my favorates are Scott Hahn, and Marcus Grodi, but maybe you better stay away from them they might sound like Calvinists. 😉

Read, Read, Read, and remember it is the doctrine that separates us, not the way we sound.
You seem a little self concious. Relax, pray to the Spirit, and don’t worry about it.

Charliemac
 
My advice is don’t try to stop. If you understand what you say and believe it, then what’s your problem? Perceptions?
 
I feel your pain. I still get a stern verbal reprimand from my wife when I say “Church” instead of “Mass”. I don’t think i’ll ever get that one right.

But words are important, so we must keep trudging along and try to improve our accuracy. I do think it gets a little eastier every year.
 
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pnewton:
I feel your pain. I still get a stern verbal reprimand from my wife when I say “Church” instead of “Mass”. I don’t think i’ll ever get that one right.

But words are important, so we must keep trudging along and try to improve our accuracy. I do think it gets a little eastier every year.
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We “do” church, all the bells and whistles and worshipping, that is beautiful…but we attend Mass, the fullness of the Faith, the singing the bible readings, the homilies and the source and summit of our faith, receiving Christ in the Eucharist. That might help you out…it took me about 13 years to stop saying “going to Church”, so if you are a newbie, then don’t worry about it. The culture will get you eventually! 🙂

I heard a reporter on the news the other night, while commenting on Mary Kay Laturnaue (sp), a convicted child rapist, saying that Mary Kay attends Mass on a regular basis. Now, I did not know that Mary Kay was Catholic…which she well could be, but it might have been that the reporter was Catholic and thought of Church in the light of the Mass.

Its all this culture thing!

I am glad that there is a Catholic version of the Lava Lava thing…my :tiphat: off to you for teaching the little ones!
 
😃 Thanks for the help! The week is over and I think I did alright … of course today we had to discuss Jesus’ return and that’s hard to do too with a Protestant brain and a Catholic heart, so I kept it simple, seems to go over better that way anyhow!

The kids were sweet and I’m glad to have helped – now I can have a break until next year!
 
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Naphali:
I’m doing a week of Vacation Bible School at our church – I’m a “crew leader” (didn’t everyone buy the Lava Lava Island package??) and I have 5 little 3rd graders … All sweet bright children, I’m really enjoying them – Now yesterday we had a talk about Jesus being the “Hope of the World” and I asked them the questions we’re given to ask, “Why is Jesus the Hope of the World?” and they didn’t know (or weren’t talking, whichever 😉 ) So I said, “Well Did Jesus Just come, hang out, do a few miracles and them go back?” “Yeah!” says one …
I said, “If Jesus hadn’t come we wouldn’t be able to get to Heaven, right?” and another said, “Really??”
Here I become at a loss for how to talk in a “Catholic” way, I’ve only been Catholic for a little over a year and I find I still have TONS of Protestant terminology and thinking that I need to work on! … so I said, “Jesus died for our sins so that we could go to Heaven, that’s how Jesus is the hope of the World, he gives us hope to one day be able to join him in Heaven.”
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FOR THIS is the basis for all our faith–whether Christian or Catholic. There isn’t really that much difference in the long run!!!

YOU DID A GREAT JOB! at relaying the truth to the little ones! Praise The Lord!!!
 
I TALK LIKE A PROTESTANT SOMETIMES TO, MY SUGGESTION TO YOU IS TO STUDY YOUR FAITH, IT HAV HELPED ME START TALKING LIKE A CATHOLIC.
 
Referring to your concern on discussing salvation:
I’ve recently read a good catholic outlook on this.

Catholics believe BAPTISM saves us.
In other words - when someone asks a catholic - “when were you saved” the proper response would be …“when I was baptized”

This whole concept of being “born again” is actually a misinterpretation of an event depicted in the Book of John.

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Amen,amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.’
Nicodemus said to him, 'How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?
Jesus answered, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of of God without being born of water and Spirit”

John 3:3-5

When Jesus’s statements are taken in the whole context it is clear He is stressing the NECESSITY of baptism for salvation!

In the protestant culture “born again” seems to have developed into something entirely different.
 
I would agree with those who say that as long as your words convey the proper doctrine, it shouldn’t matter if they sound a little Protestant. Protestant language can be applied to Catholic Truth. However, using Protestant language can be misleading because it’s like double-speak: a well catechized Catholic can see how it is completely orthodox whereas a less-informed person may be misled because they are more familiar with the Protestant concepts from which the language came. So I’d say, work on more accurate language, but don’t feel guilty about speaking the truth in different words for now.

I just have to share my favorite little bit of Protestant language (lots of Protestant friends) that a lot of Catholics never come in to contact with. Somewhere along the way, Protestants started using nouns as verbs, churning out activities such as fellowshipping, discipling, etc. It’s fun to see the uninitiated on both sides when a word comes into play.
P: “Yeah, so we were fellowshipping with this other church -”
R: “Back up. What in the world is that supposed to mean?”
P: “You’ve never heard of fellowshipping? All Christians do it, unless you’re from the moon.”
 
Good Morning Church

I converted 50 years ago. I have taught religion to every age group in the Church as well as Bible Studies, Bible History, Church History and probably stuff I have long forgotten.

I think there is one thing that needs to be said in regards to your post. Not everything Protestant is bad!

I know it is hard to grasp onto that concept when you read some of the posts in Catholic Discussion boards. It is a fact, though. We get so hung up on getting rid of all our Protestant upbringing that we almost become scrupulous over it.

I learned more about being Christlike from my Protestant grandparents than any other experience in my life. They didn’t go to church but they lived it every day of their lives. They taught me so much of what love is all about, that it served me all through the years I taught.

I spent several years, working for my Diocese in Ecumenism. I found out that we agree on all sorts of things that many of us think we disagree on. Most of the problem is vernacular.

Just as you think we do not use a “sinners prayer” and we do. It called An Act of Contrition.

You are serving God and His Church because God has called you into this ministry. He knew if you were equipped for it or not. Why don’t you pray and ask the Holy Spirits guidance and then go on teaching just like you have been doing.

In the meantime, what could be so very wrong in “Lord, God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”? Sounds good to me.

smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/17/17_1_14.gif %between%
 
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dhgray:
Hey Donna,
SO KEEP IT UP. Don’t try to be something you are not. GOD gave us the protestant background and the protestand lingo. We should use them to strengthen the Catholic Faith.
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As a cradle Catholic I agree with this. A little mingling of the cultures will not stamp out Catholic traditions and devotions. I see them being enriched.
I would love to sit in on one of dhgray’s classes. Sometimes it’s good to get back to the basics.
 
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