How private is your faith?

[lefty22]

I have a few kind of random questions:

How much do you share your faith or talk about it with friends?
Do you have a few good friends you discuss personal faith ideas/questions/issues with, or do you keep them between you and God? Do you ever just feel the need to talk to someone about your faith or challenges with it?
Do you only talk about really personal faith things with Catholics? Or would you let a good Protestant friend know if you are struggling or having questions, too?

Thanks!

~lefty22

 

[Justicia_et_Pax]

I have a few kind of random questions:

How much do you share your faith or talk about it with friends?
Do you have a few good friends you discuss personal faith ideas/questions/issues with, or do you keep them between you and God? Do you ever just feel the need to talk to someone about your faith or challenges with it?
Do you only talk about really personal faith things with Catholics? Or would you let a good Protestant friend know if you are struggling or having questions, too?

Thanks!

~lefty22

I share my religious experiences with Christian friends. Other than that, I’m generally quite a private person when it comes to my faith. I tend to keep things between myself, God and a priest.

I have to say, I learnt the most about my faith from a Presbyterian

 

[Gordon_Sims]

How much do you share your faith or talk about it with friends?
I usually don’t initiate religious discussions, but I don’t hide it, either. If someone wants to discuss it, or starts the conversation, I have no problem telling them that I’m Catholic, or how I feel about various issues.

Do you have a few good friends you discuss personal faith ideas/questions/issues with, or do you keep them between you and God?
My close friends don’t tend to discuss really personal issues anymore. I usually discuss these things with my wife, kids (depending on the topic), parents and on here. A lot of people I know, even ones who are rather devout Catholics, don’t like to talk about serious faith issues.
*
Do you ever just feel the need to talk to someone about your faith or challenges with it?*
All the time. It’s difficult to find too many who are willing to enter into those discussions, though.

Do you only talk about really personal faith things with Catholics? Or would you let a good Protestant friend know if you are struggling or having questions, too?
I don’t mind discussing personal faith issues with non-Catholics. I’ve had some good, productive conversations over the years with Baptists, Lutherans, atheists, etc. They’ve generally helped ground me in my faith even further.

 

[Castello]

I’m out and proud

I’d hope everyone I come in contact with knows my faith.

 

[Rascalking]

I have a few kind of random questions:

How much do you share your faith or talk about it with friends?
Do you have a few good friends you discuss personal faith ideas/questions/issues with, or do you keep them between you and God? Do you ever just feel the need to talk to someone about your faith or challenges with it?
Do you only talk about really personal faith things with Catholics? Or would you let a good Protestant friend know if you are struggling or having questions, too?

Thanks!

~lefty22

1. I rarely talk about it with my friends. If they want to bring it up, great, but there is nothing worse than someone who can’t shut up about religion.
2. Yes, but only a select few.
3. The two people I talk with the most are both Catholic, but that’s by chance, really.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

How much do you share your faith or talk about it with friends?

Hardly, if not never.

Do you have a few good friends you discuss personal faith ideas/questions/issues with, or do you keep them between you and God?

Between me and God.

Do you ever just feel the need to talk to someone about your faith or challenges with it?

Sometimes but I’ve always found that doing it alone was the only way to go.

Do you only talk about really personal faith things with Catholics?

Yep. And guess where I can only find 'em?

Or would you let a good Protestant friend know if you are struggling or having questions, too?

Not really. If anything, I’ve often had to clarify something they believed about the Church.

 

[meltzerboy]

I have a few kind of random questions:

How much do you share your faith or talk about it with friends?
Do you have a few good friends you discuss personal faith ideas/questions/issues with, or do you keep them between you and God? Do you ever just feel the need to talk to someone about your faith or challenges with it?
Do you only talk about really personal faith things with Catholics? Or would you let a good Protestant friend know if you are struggling or having questions, too?

Thanks!

~lefty22

I discuss faith issues from time to time with one of my best friends, who is Roman Catholic. We talk about both the similarities and the differences between Judaism and Catholicism, and we are openly critical of our own faiths as well as each other’s. However, neither of us makes any attempt to evangelize or convert the other. Evidently, being an active member of a Catholic Forum, I don’t exactly hide my faith from people whom I don’t know. On the other hand, I don’t advertise it in my everyday life off-line.

 

[A_Catholic]

I share different parts of my faith with different people. Certainly I open up completely with my Catholic friends, and with Protestant friends, I speak on more general terms, usually not invoking any kind of doctrine unless they specifically bring it up. With those who are not religious at all, I talk in very general terms, mostly about the state of the world. But I never hesitate to let anyone know that I am Catholic and I am speaking from a Catholic perspective. There is nothing more important than my faith to me. It’s all about where we are going to spend eternity and that is what the Catholic faith is all about.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I share my faith and don’t try to hide it.

Salvation was never intended to be individualistic, but for the world community of believers.

So, we do need to share our faith in the hope of bring others to Jesus.

However, in-your-face-religion does more to drive people away than draw them in.

The best witness is to live a good Christian life.

Jim

 

[NewsTheMan]

How much do you share your faith or talk about it with friends?

All the time. I have Catholic friends I see once in a while and we discuss faith. My main circle are Protestant/Non-denom/Atheist. I talk about it a lot. Usually more on the philosophical and theological side - since I have a degree in Philosophy and my personal interests are in that area, and most if not all peoples problems with religion and Catholicism come from their misunderstanding of philosophical ideas. I talk about news, about my vocation, about the reality of sin, the love of God, my own joy, books I read. With my closest friends we can sometimes talk for hours on it.

Do you have a few good friends you discuss personal faith ideas/questions/issues with, or do you keep them between you and God?

See above. However, one of my best friends is a Protestant who really wants to love Christ and when alone we talk about faith a lot. The Holy Spirit has really opened His eyes to the faith through my poor communication of the Truth of Catholicism. He even came to Mass with me today. We talk about my vocation and how to love God more.

Do you ever just feel the need to talk to someone about your faith or challenges with it?

Talking and challenges? I suppose in that sense I am private about it. By the grace of God I don’t have many challenges except my own sins. I don’t have many people - my priests are pretty nonchalant and other Catholics are liberal and not really living their faith fully. When I do need to vent or talk, I come here.

Do you only talk about really personal faith things with Catholics? Or would you let a good Protestant friend know if you are struggling or having questions, too?/QUOTE]

I would let a friend now if it was something like, “Dude, I am struggling with [insert sin], what are your thoughts, and please pray for me.” That’s about it.

 

[Rence]

I have a few kind of random questions:

How much do you share your faith or talk about it with friends?

Do you have a few good friends you discuss personal faith ideas/questions/issues with, or do you keep them between you and God? Do you ever just feel the need to talk to someone about your faith or challenges with it?
Do you only talk about really personal faith things with Catholics? Or would you let a good Protestant friend know if you are struggling or having questions, too?

Thanks!

~lefty22

I am very open about it with friends, and gladly regurgitate Church teachings, regardless of whether I agree with the teachings or not. I may give my opinion if it’s asked for, but I’m very very careful to acknowledge what is my opinion and what the Church teaches. I leave it up to the individual to discern given the information provided. But I’m real careful not to cast judgement because in my little part of the world, people do not like to feel they are being judged and will block you out if they do feel they are being judged. So I give them information to chew on without judgement and let them come to their own conclusions.

It also has to be welcomed. I do not like discussing how wrong my religion is with an overzealous non-Catholic, and so, I don’t impose it on them. If they’re not receptive, I won’t go there, because I won’t tolerate it from them either. I sincerely do not like people being intrusive in my private affairs and snuff out attempts directly.

I do have some conversations with a JW about what I don’t agree with in Catholic teachings, and she provides a good ear because she’s a good friend. And she does the same with me regarding what frustrates her about the Watchtower. But we are both strong in our faith in our religions and know we can’t say anything negative about the other’s religion She doesn’t try to convert me, and I don’t try to convert her, and that’s the way it has to be. We do talk about our similarities and differences, and again, it’s just a discussion, not a conversion-seeking.

I don’t hesitate to correct incorrect assumptions about Catholics by non-Catholics (or Catholics ) and don’t allow “but but but…” because as non-Catholics they can’t tell me what the Church teaches and what it doesn’t. If they’re wrong about Catholic teaching I will tell them and will not accept any contradictions. Plus, I can show them in writing that they’re wrong by using the Catechism.

With regards to Catholics doing things that are against Catholic teachings, again, I’ll tell them the rules of the Church, but again, it’s up to them to do what they will with the information and I do not judge. I treat others like I want to be treated: Give me your information to chew on and let it go because I will decide for myself regardless of what you think because I am the one who lives with my decisions and am accountable for them. I have to be comfortable with my decisions. And I’m unlikely to change my mind with fire and brimstone. But that’s just me

 

[Bezant]

I have a few kind of random questions:

How much do you share your faith or talk about it with friends?

I share my general opinions with my friends, and rarely do so with people I don’t know well.

Do you have a few good friends you discuss personal faith ideas/questions/issues with, or do you keep them between you and God? Do you ever just feel the need to talk to someone about your faith or challenges with it?

For the most part it’s my family I share these with, and two or three close, good friends.

Do you only talk about really personal faith things with Catholics? Or would you let a good Protestant friend know if you are struggling or having questions, too?

Thanks!

It’s more a matter of whom I feel closest, than whether he’s Catholic or Protestant.