I don't want protestant influences or friends in my life, is this ok?

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Ericj5592

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I am having trouble with thoughts of having protestant friends and influences in my life. The Catholic Church and the Catechism says that there is no salvation outside of the church. So I see and have recently viewed this truth more honestly whenever I hear or meet someone who is protestant. I’ve run into protestants and i view them differently. Has anyone had this problem as a Catholic of having or wanting to avoid Protestants at all costs? I wonder what a saint of long ago would say, say Padre Pio would he WANT to have Protestant friends? Is this personal preference or is it ok just to socialize with Protestants on the surface level but keep them at bay because there is no salvation outside of the church? Thanks I just want to know what you think
 
When I was growing up I wasn’t allowed to play with neighbrohood kids that weren’t Catholic.
 
Ericj5592 said:
Has anyone had this problem as a Catholic of having or wanting to avoid Protestants at all costs?
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I wasn’t bothered by protestants before my current job but five years of working with non-denominational protestants has made me want to avoid them for life. I don’t judge a religion by one or two people but when they all act so capriciously towards those who are not the same as they are; I must stay away from groups like that as they have caused me nothing but misery.
 
Haha. Do you see that as a good thing that your parents were that devout in hindsight?
 
A new member of staff joined our team a couple of weeks ago who is an atheist. The staff I work with are dong their best to proselytise her. They seem worse than JW’s at the door.
 
Read that definition once again. All who are validly baptized are members of
Christ’s Church - except that they are in an imperfect communion. Your mission is to lead them to the full expression of truth, expecting failure, which is a test of your faith, hope and love.

We are to do what God asks of us, or commands us. Those with whom we speak exercise their free will - either well, or poorly. You, however, will be judged on whether or not you were faithful in working to edify - to build - Christ’s Church.

We do not build it up by focusing on those already inside.
 
It put me in a lot of puzzling and uncomfortable situations when I was young. When I was really young, like under the age of 9 I had no understanding at all of why they had this rule. I thought that there was something bad about the kids and their families, like inherently wrong that I might catch, so I felt a mixture of guilt and fear.

It was weird to have to decide whether to run away when they came up to play with me and the friends I was allowed, or to try to be nice to the but risk getting in trouble at home, especially when I had no idea why I wasn’t allowed to play with them.

When I got older and hung around with Catholic school friends outside the neighborhood who had Protestant friends then my mom couldn’t stop me from interacting with them.

My parents did what they thought was best and ultimately I don’t think it did me any damage. Of course the idea that Catholic kids and their families are automatically a better influence than Protestant kids and their families is erroneous. I was horribly abused, including sexually, at home and my Catholic friend’s dad had a HUGE porno stash that we were well aware of.

As kids we never discussed religion or anything so they weren’t much of an influence until I got into high school. At that point many things in my Protestant friend’s churches were attractive. They had more active and dynamic youth groups. Square dances, field trips, vacation Bible school. So ironically, when I was allowed to interact with them was the point when their faith had a bigger influence on me, but that’s just life.

The idea that because we were Catholic we were ‘better’ than others sort of messed with my mind, because I didn’t believe it and I wondered why my mother felt that way.
 
I had a very good Protestant man for a husband and before that, boyfriend/ best friend. We were together for 33 years, married for 23. My dad was a Protestant who converted in middle age. My grandma (his mom) was a Protestant and so were my aunts (Dad’s sisters). They were all nice to me. I’ve also had good Protestant bosses and nice Protestant friends.

There are also Catholics I would not want to be around because while they may be Catholic, we had nothing in common or they were messed up as people.

You can certainly limit yourself to friends of your kind, but remember Jesus loves Protestants too and they are not all out to convert you or undermine your faith. You might even be able to convert some of them.
 
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I have never told a protestant that they are a heretic, a pagan, a devil worshipper, that they are going to hell, that they aren’t Christian etc. but have had all of these from protestants, never had this from atheists before.
 
We are supposed to be light for the world. We are outnumbered in the United States, so lots of luck avoiding non-Catholics. I was thinking last week of getting a special t-shirt that said Catholic for a reason or Catholic for the truth.

Christ sent us out into the world to find those who are to be saved and offer them the fellowship of the Catholic Church. God is the judge of who is saved, inside the Church and outside of it.

The idea that there is no salvation outside the Church has been misinterpreted. People outside the Church may be saved as much as they adhere to the truths of the Catholic faith.
 
CHAZER2222 said:
Careful Eric, i told someone on here a few hours ago that there is no salvation outside the church, but a mod sent me a message and told me that that wasn’t a catholic teaching, however im 99% is is otherwise whats the point
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It’s not that it’s not a Catholic teaching. It’s just that it’s a little more complicated than “anyone who isn’t Catholic automatically goes to hell.”

Simply focusing on that one phrase without any of the context or analysis the way the OP is doing usually isn’t helpful.

OP: it’s not that you’re anything wrong, per se, by avoiding non-Catholics. That said, I do think it’s a little weird. Bunker mentalities are usually not the signs of a healthy, intellectually robust faith.
 
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Ericj5592 said:
Thanks I just want to know what you think
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I think you may want to reflect and learn a deeper meaning of this phrase.

I have true friends that are of various religions. We can honestly share and discuss our differences. I think isolating ourselves does a disservice to our faith and others.
 
I can only assure you that there are Protestants who have heard as much from certain Catholics. That says nothing inherent about Catholicism, just as your unfortunate experience says nothing inherent about Protestantism. The world’s full of uncharitable people, I’m afraid.
 
Not all protestants are anti catholic. I feel a bit ashamed to have defriended one on fb (a local elder of a church where part of my fallen away family go) after Several years politely defending the faith which was always ignored, I dust off my sandles as it becomes destrscting from the joys of my own catholic faith.i have a few other local Protestant pastors on fb all of which I asked to join, but they are not (at least openly) anti catholic.
 
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It’s true, no question, but that is all they have. No judgments about it, it’s just the truth. We have the CCC, the Saints, oral tradition the sacraments and more. Could we stand to engage the Bible more? You bet, but I’ll take the Catholic way any day. No disrespect to our cousins in any way.
 
1ke said:
You have some warped ideas on relations with non-Catholics that are seriously messed up.
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1ke, though I really don’t keep up, in my estimation, you generally seem to fall on the right side of the discussion, but I gently would like to say your responses are framed so harshly. With all due respect, you could better win people to your points and ideas with a bit less vitriol.
 
You can be friends with anyone, but if religion is an issue then don’t discuss it.
 
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Me too, but being a member of CA has helped me a lot and I have learned a lot.
 
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