How to stop others from evangelizing you without losing them as friends?

[PJM]

=Angela77;8640745]I have some very good Baptist friends. They’re very nice. The only problem is, I feel like they’re trying to convert me. They keep on trying to invite me to events with their church. (In fact, they invite my whole family to events with their church.) I have declined several times. Not that I have anything wrong with the Baptist religion, but I just don’t feel comfortable going because I’d feel out of place, and, after all, I’m already happily Catholic.

So, what can I say when they ask me to come to their events? I don’t want to lose them as friends, but I don’t want to convert either. When they ask me to come to things, there’s usually an awkward moment where I say I’ll think about it and hope they don’t ask me again. Then they ask me again, and I make up some transparent excuse such as, “Oh, it’s on a Friday? Oh, I don’t know that that will work; I’m always so tired by Friday!”

So how can I put it to them lightly when they invite me to their church?

Thanks in advance!

Be HONEST!

Just tell them you want tombe friends, BUT do NOT want to be evangulized.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND

IF you really know what we Catholics believe and Why and How we can and do believe it. Here is an opportunity for you to may be save a SOUL.

But if your nor truly qualified go with option One

God Bless,
Pat

 

[Pfaffenhoffen]

I’m sorry. I think maybe I wasn’t clear. It wasn’t that their friendship would become worse but she doesn’t want to go. I feel that if she accepts and attends once they will continue to ask more and more. She will be introduced to more people who will try to get her to attend more things and that will make the situation worse. It will become harder and harder to say no and thus could lead her away from the truth.

Happy 2nd week of Advent!

Thanks !
Saying “no” is an art. I teach children to say “no”. And teens to say “no” to sex and drugs. An adult should be able to say “no” 1000 times with a smile in his face.

Look at the bright side of it: at least you have something to talk about. You hear patiently for the 20567th time and after you just have to produce a monosilabe: “No”.

And never answer to the question: “why?”. You just answer: No because it is no. It is my decision. Period.

Instead of talking about football, the affair of the woman besides door or the weather, you just have this cat and mouse game which must always end with a “no”.

If you have got 20 people around, you nust need again one “no” which is an advatadge.

If someone will not speak to you for that, then you know he/she is not your friend…

 

[Mr_Smith]

Why not simply be honest with them, you should say what you have said here in this thread, lies only lead to more lies.
Surely any reasonable person would understand what you have said here to them.
Maybe they are only your friend because they think they can convert you to their religion, so if they know clearly where they stand with you, then there will be no basis for a friendship.

I have some very good Baptist friends. They’re very nice. The only problem is, I feel like they’re trying to convert me. They keep on trying to invite me to events with their church. (In fact, they invite my whole family to events with their church.) I have declined several times. Not that I have anything wrong with the Baptist religion, but I just don’t feel comfortable going because I’d feel out of place, and, after all, I’m already happily Catholic.

So, what can I say when they ask me to come to their events? I don’t want to lose them as friends, but I don’t want to convert either. When they ask me to come to things, there’s usually an awkward moment where I say I’ll think about it and hope they don’t ask me again. Then they ask me again, and I make up some transparent excuse such as, “Oh, it’s on a Friday? Oh, I don’t know that that will work; I’m always so tired by Friday!”

So how can I put it to them lightly when they invite me to their church?

Thanks in advance!

 

[InspiritCarol]

I would be very careful with that advice. Unless you are very strong and knowledgable in your Catholic faith, which everyone should be, I wouldn’t try to attend both a Catholic church and attend Baptist functions. You can be a very good witness of your faith by saying no to attending their functions.

A Catholic family with a teen age daughter did a very similar thing, only it was an evangelical church. The daughter went to something put on at someones home. The parents of the Catholic daughter found out later that one of the women, while the daughter was visiting, took her aside and sat her down and went on for a very long time what she believed was unbiblical in the Catholic church. The daughter came home extremely upset and the mother was livid because she thought she was going there to fellowship with other teens. This became an opportunity for the mother to sit down with her daughter and explain the truths of the Catholic church and to help her be aware of such falsehoods being spread about the Catholic faith but my point is you need to be ready to give an answer for the faith that is in you and it is so easy to get confused.

I would say no and find other ways, through luncheons, get togethers or other means of witnessing.

My father and mother used to witness to their best friends all the time about the Catholic faith. They would have long conversations and never once did they feel the need to attend the Baptist or Lutheran services their friends attended.

I, on the other hand, did attend the protestant services and didn’t come back for many, many years.

Now that I am back I still have my protestant friends and we get together once in a while but I get jabbed and at times I can take it lightly but other times the comments are harsh and I work hard to pick myself back up.

Thank you. I don’t disagree with you; however socials are not services. If they’re friends, they just want to share their faith resources. By that I mean: the community and love that they interact with. That does not have to mean anything insidious. Why is everyone assuming the worst?

Don’t join in communion with them; but breaking bread with them can be beneficial for all involved; even if it does expose you to doubt in your faith. It is through confronting and overcoming those doubts that we are able to move closer to God.

 

[LilHomemaker]

Thank you. I don’t disagree with you; however socials are not services. If they’re friends, they just want to share their faith resources. By that I mean: the community and love that they interact with. That does not have to mean anything insidious. Why is everyone assuming the worst?

Don’t join in communion with them; but breaking bread with them can be beneficial for all involved; even if it does expose you to doubt in your faith. It is through confronting and overcoming those doubts that we are able to move closer to God.

Right. I understand what you mean. I have protestant friends that I socialize with. One is a very good friend but I couldn’t attend their church services because I know it will cause me to hear doctrine that goes against my faith. I used to attend there after I left the Catholic church, many years ago and I constantly heard in the sermons how wrong everything in the Catholic church was. Of course they don’t come out and say “Catholic”, they just talk about doctrine while giving the sermon.

Here is an article that tells very plainly why protestants invite Catholics to their services.

catholiceducation.org/articles/apologetics/ap0057.html

This is so true. I used to be like that. I was taught to do the same things he talks about and our main focus, always, Catholics. Just let them come and sit and listen, don’t push, show them Bible verses, we were told. Just invite them in.

If we as Catholics learned our own faith, attended Catholic functions and witnessed the Catholic faith to our protestant friends and others and said “no” to protestantism, we could be great witnesses and bring people in to the Church where they would learn the truth.

I am so grateful to the people who were Catholic who unknowingly witnessed their steadfast faith in the Catholic church, and who didn’t even know l was watching, helped bring me home.

 

[smitchell]

Who unites us is far greater than what divides us. While we have serious differences that cannot be swept under the rug, I try to find every opportunity to celebrate our unity with other Christians. I wouldn’t attend a Baptist bible study for instance but I do attend many other non-Catholic events. It has been a great opportunity to bring a true understanding to others of what we believe and why we believe it. Once my protestant brothers and sisters have a confidence in the fact that I am in fact saved and being saved they get beyond the “evangelizing” and we can find common ground and mutual respect. Build bridges! Jesus prayed for unity Jn 17.