How to evangelize people who have been treated badly?

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angell1

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how do we go about evangelizing groups of individuals who have historically been treated badly by the church, or at least certain members?

for example, jews, first nations people, African americans.

it always boils down to the same thing. their ancestors were abused or oppressed by catholics, at least that’s how modern history claims, so why should they believe in a religion that terats people that way? obviously, history is usually more complex than that but it’s so ingrained in people, especially here in Canada with the residential school system and that whole issue

it’s a valid point that’s not easy to overcome

what do you guys think?
 
If I were talking to a customer at AT&T - as a new, inexperienced rep - who had been treated badly several times in the past, what would I do…

First, desire to follow the Church unconditionally. Rejection of the Church’s teaching is the source of every error, and therefore of every sin.

Second, make sure you know absolutely what the Church teaches and where. It was the ignorance - willful or otherwise - of prior generations, fed by the willful rejection of others, that caused the racial and social injustice we see. Make a note of encyclicals, councils, or at very least repositories of this sort of information. Know the hierarchy of authority of the documents so you don’t confuse a papal bull with a papal encyclical, etc.

Third, sympathise with them. You agree that that’s wrong. You vehemently agree. Such people have brazenly and stupidly wronged the person you’re speaking to.

Fourth, reassert what the Church actually teaches. If they wonder why no one else seems to believe that, tell them the simple truth: they don’t read what’s really there. Offer to provide sources, and give them if they ask.

Fifth, share where you feel you have been wronged or where something makes no sense to you. Joining the Church does not mean joining a group where everyone agrees with you. A lot of people who claim to be and are Catholic say things that are not so - such as that evolution is from the devil. That’s nonsense, entirely unsupported by Catholic teaching. It’s ridiculous that my brother Catholics believe the Church teaches this, and that “good” Catholics have to believe that. You get the picture.

Sixth, show yourself to be their friend. You’re “one of them”. You’d be where they are if you were in their shoes. And you probably would be. Build rapport with them. Talk about the weather. Talk about sports or hobbies or games or their work, if you can. Break the ice. You will find it easier to talk with them about God, metaphysics, and theology if you know certainly that you can talk with them about the Knicks, knishes, and krazy clue first.

Lastly, listen to them. Pick up cues. Listen for words they repeat again and again. What really seems to strike a chord with them? Saint Paul was “all things to all men”. Try to hear what “thing” really interests a person. Listen, and you will probably find your questions answered.
 
angell1 said:
how do we go about evangelizing groups of individuals who have historically been treated badly by the church, or at least certain members?

for example, jews, first nations people, African americans.

it always boils down to the same thing. their ancestors were abused or oppressed by catholics, at least that’s how modern history claims, so why should they believe in a religion that terats people that way? obviously, history is usually more complex than that but it’s so ingrained in people, especially here in Canada with the residential school system and that whole issue

it’s a valid point that’s not easy to overcome

what do you guys think?
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Catholics are not perfect; the Church is.
 
I was badly treated by AT&T and I will never go back to that company as a customer. Never. I don’t care how much one sympathizes, I don’t care what sales tactic is used, I don’t care what the deal is. I.Will.Never.Go.Back.
 
3_Dog_Night said:
I was badly treated by AT&T and I will never go back to that company as a customer. Never. I don’t care how much one sympathizes, I don’t care what sales tactic is used, I don’t care what the deal is. I.Will.Never.Go.Back.
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Which is no problem when it comes to AT&T. I also was burned by AT&T but I pray you were not burned by “the Church”. If so I want to express my deepest sincere grief. It is not what our Father Creator asked of His children but rather to “Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus proved His love in a way that no one, who knows His story, could honestly deny is real. Start with a personal relationship with Him by getting to know Him through the Bible then seek the TRUTH with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and you will find it. Edith Stein was a popular atheist speaker before becoming a Christian. She said her search for the truth, during those years she was an atheist, was her prayer to God. Our Church agrees with her. She is now honored by us as a Saint. Honestly be willing to do the work of thinking, studying, searching, reasoning and seeking the TRUTH and Jesus promises “you will find” it. I would also add that none of us, including those who are in what we know is The One,True,Holy,Catholic Church, can ever become complacent. I know Our Father expects us to continue seeking Him because He is eternal and there is no end to discovering Him and allowing Him to reveal Himself to us.
 
I live in the Bible Belt. Virtually all the converts I know came into the Church because they believed it was the One True Church founded by Jesus Christ on Peter; and did so in spite of its institutional sins.
 
most of the time, the people used Christianity to justify what they were doing. they didn’t think they were committing any sin

they didn’t think that enslaving African americans was wrong, the popes pput the jews in ghettos, the Spaniards were quite cruel to the first naitons people, nuns and priests abused children in the residential schools and stripped all of their cultural identity. they weren’t allowed to speak their language, they had to wear European clothing and be completely assimilated.

how did they they think that was not wrong?
 
TBurgess, I have not had that “crispy critter burnt to ashes” experience with the Catholic Church. However, both of my brothers did have that type of experience growing up in Catholic school – that was downright abusive – as in “grab a child by the hair and bash his head into the blackboard” type of abusive. My parent’s response was to shave both of their heads so that there was no hair for the nuns to grasp for a repeat performance.

My one brother is now Methodist and my other brother has no faith or belief affiliation. I am mocked and insulted for being Catholic by my brother with no faith affiliation. I do not try to talk them out of their views or try to convert them back to the Catholic church. The damage is beyond repair as far as I can tell. I live my life and my faith in the best way I know how. If they are ever to return to the Catholic faith, it would have to be God who brings them back.
 
Well, first of all, I don’t think it is a valid point, I think a lot of people like to play the victim for selfish reasons, especially when it’s their ancestors who were (allegedly) abused or mistreated.

Secondly, I haven’t had any formal evanglical training, but given what I wrote in my first point, some people just don’t want to listen. They have their excuse to be selfish or to gain something worldly and that’s that.

I’m not really sure how it’s possible to evangelize someone who thinks like that without removing that kind of “I’m a victim” thinking.

All I can tell you is that it’s usually pretty selfish.
 
“grab a child by the hair and bash his head into the blackboard”

Hey that happened to me! I never have thought it was abusive.
 
I hope you were either joking or being sarcastic about not considering that type of behavior “abusive”. That was likely the problem back then; unacceptable behavior on the part of parents, teachers, etc. was considered normal. For the record, a hit to the head in just the wrong way can result in death or a lifetime of disability.

The pastor at my brother’s church (Methodist) was pitching for their softball team. She got hit very hard in the forehead by a line drive. She dropped to the ground dead. Were it not for a parishioner who was an MD, a life flight helicopter and a level one trauma center (and the prayers of many, many people) she would have been deceased right then and there.
 
angell1 said:
most of the time, the people used Christianity to justify what they were doing. they didn’t think they were committing any sin

they didn’t think that enslaving African americans was wrong, the popes pput the jews in ghettos, the Spaniards were quite cruel to the first naitons people, nuns and priests abused children in the residential schools and stripped all of their cultural identity. they weren’t allowed to speak their language, they had to wear European clothing and be completely assimilated.

how did they they think that was not wrong?
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No disrespect but anything can look wrong when seen from the armchair quarterback’s perspective. We have the luxury of looking back on historical decisions and actions and being able to scrutinize why it’s wrong. At the time, Americans thought putting Japanese into prison camps during WW2 was correct. Their lands, homes, businesses were confiscated and “sold” to US citizens but never returned. It must have seen the right thing to do at the time, being at war with Japan and all, and yet we look back on it and say “how awful!” Consider the US is one country, not even 250 years old; the Catholic Church is over 2,000 years old and covers the entire planet. There are Catholics on every continent of the planet and it the majority of cultures as well. Talk about an opportunity to mess up! 😦 Yet, somehow, we recognize our errors, take corrective actions and keep moving on with Christ’s mission.
 
Try that stunt today (bashing a child’s head against the blackboard), and as a parent, I would be at the police station filing an assault and battery charge. Then it would be the local investigative TV channel, the licensing board for education (a formal complaint) and Child Protective Services. The school could pay the ER bill. Simply unacceptable.
 
Yeah,Mary bashed Jesus head all the time when he wouldn’t listen,especially when he went missing for three days.You should of seen the bruises.I’m not joking nor being sarcastic.
 
Tarkan,point by point,really. Don’t start with #1 you’ll lose them right away.#2 should be #1,then #3 should be #2.Then forget about the rest,especially trying to commiserate with them when you have no idea of the degradation they went thru. I suggest you see Les Miserable the movie(1978 British film).The most poignant part is where the bishop gives Jean, his silver. Don’t tell them you understand with church legalism,show them by your actions. Make them feel welcome in your parish,come for a visit,a snack after mass,free.
That just a start.
 
:confused:
JC9 said:
Yeah,Mary bashed Jesus head all the time when he wouldn’t listen,especially when he went missing for three days.You should of seen the bruises.I’m not joking nor being sarcastic.
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Don’t worry 808,I’m just being sarcastic at Kollwitz foulishness.Jesus was the most beautiful human of all times,he had to have one very special mother.
 
As a kid, nothing less than physical punishment impressed me. If nuns weren’t willing to control me, I would have disrupted the entire learning environment for every other child. Thank goodness they did not give up on me.
 
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