I just wanted some lunch meat

[notsmart]

After mass this morning I went to the small local grocery. I was waiting with my ticket in my hand, and realized there was a very long wait because there was only one person behind the counter.
Well, I had grabbed some cards on the way out of Church, one was about St. Anthony of Padua and one was about Mary.
So, I dropped my ticket and the cards and the lady next to me bends down really quick to pick up my mess. She takes a peek at the cards and her eyes get really big and she nearly tossed the cards and ticket into my hand, as if she could not believe she touched them. So I thanked her for picking them up and her reply was: Are you catholic? face is very serious, tone of voice is very concerned, and she is speaking rather slow in speed for impact I told her no. So, I see I only have 4 ahead of me so I try to go grab some eggs and come back to wait for my order of lunch meat. As I turn to leave the line she grabs me!
She tells me her name and that she is a pastor at the church (methodist) a block away from the store and that I should try them out. She then tries to get my email and my phone number and address! I said I was simply not interested at the moment. So its finally my turn to order and she is still talking about her church. I acted like I was really considering some salad choices so she would give me a few minutes of silence. Thankfully it was her turn after me so I was able to scoot out to the checkout line asap. I got as far as my car and there she was again! She was telling me what a relief that we “can really talk now” ? (because we were not in the store?)
And that I need to know that there IS NOTHING MORE WRONG (yes thats how loud she said it) then saints that need to be cannonized. Of all things for her to dislike, I was really surprised her beef was with the cannonization process and not something else.
Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone else has been agressively targeted like this, and if so did it turn you off of their denomination?
I have to say this lady meant well, but she over did it for my tastes.

 

[1ke]

I have never been accosted in a super aggressive manner, but I did end up sitting in the middle seat of an airplane in a group of Baptist missionaries headed for Mexico to “evangelize.”

By the time I was through with them, I felt sorta sorry for them.



Nothing more dangerous than a Catholic bible study leader turned loose on a plane load of Baptist missionaries.

Actually, the young man sitting next to me was very resectful. But, he certainly came away with a serious concern that his pastor had SKIPPED over 1 Peter 3 (esp verse 21 which refers to baptism as SAVING you).

 

[dixieagle]

I have never been accosted in a super aggressive manner, but I did end up sitting in the middle seat of an airplane in a group of Baptist missionaries headed for Mexico to “evangelize.”

By the time I was through with them, I felt sorta sorry for them.



Nothing more dangerous than a Catholic bible study leader turned loose on a plane load of Baptist missionaries.

Actually, the young man sitting next to me was very resectful. But, he certainly came away with a serious concern that his pastor had SKIPPED over 1 Peter 3 (esp verse 21 which refers to baptism as SAVING you).

Way to go!!!

 

[reen12]

A few years ago, I spent 18 months of my free time, making
shrines of the Blessed Mother, for those in nursing homes,
and I made 10 inch crucifixes, too - teaching myself how to
make and pour molds of the Blessed Mother and the corpus
for the crucifix. I even made a clay statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
made a mold and then was able to cast the figure for the shrines.

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

I made tons of shrines, and gave them away,
and some of the crucifixes were sent far away,
to another country, for seminarians there.
This made me happy.
[Hope I haven’t lost my apostate credentials.]

In any case - I’m in this store, one day, buying things that I
needed to make the shrines, and I get in a conversation
with this lady about her church work. When I told her about
making the little shrines, she got this hard voice and said
“Why don’t you make crosses?” I was taken aback. http://bestsmileys.com/nono/9.gif
I assured her that I did make crucifixes, and this seemed to fill her
with further horror, because it was a crucifix, with the figure of Jesus on it,
and not a simple cross.

---

But the next encounter, that I had, was with a young man who had
just joined an evangelical church - and he hopped out of his
pickup truck - in a shopping mall parking lot - when he saw that
I was having difficulty loading a heavy item from the cart to
my car trunk. He rushes over, and negotiates this item into the
trunk, and then we stood there and talked - he telling me about
Jesus. I told him that, in the Christian life, there are sometimes
valleys, but not to get all rattled by this. I didn’t want him to
become discouraged, when the valleys appeared, as I knew they
would.
I’ll never forget that young man. He had a beautiful heart.
God, keep him in Your love and steadfast kindness.

reen

.

 

[ralphinal]

reen,
God bless you. No, you do not lose your apostate credentials, you just lose the ability to be a jerk apostate.

This type of thing seldom, if ever happens to me. Part of it is that I can be somewhat imposing when I chose. I tend to intimidate them away.

 

[FickleFreckled]

Pretty shrine, Reen!

 

[BlestOne]

I was a waitress through college. I worked hard to get on the Sunday morning shift because it was the best for tips and we got some very nice people just coming from Church… but alas, one week they needed me to work the swing shift… Sunday night at Denny’s! At about 9:30 in the evening we were suddenly full of people from a Bible Church… I think the whole congregation came in. Every single table filled!!! I was thrilled that I would be making some money… and then I went to each table to take their orders… I kid you not… every table… “Child, have you been saved???” And none of them would let me go do my job until I either said yes or they saved me. At the end of my counter was a man that was a regular in the place… he pulled out a piece of paper and started writing… then he hands it to me with the instructions… see which of these works. I looked on the paper and there was a list of responses to the question “Have you been saved?” I laughed so hard!!! In the end, none of his suggestions worked. If I said yes, they wanted to hear about it (testimony) and if I said no, they gave me theirs… if I said, yes twice and neither time took (one of his suggestions)… they doubled their efforts. Still I tried to just think about the tips… yeah about those tips… a bunch of Chick tracks and a dime or quarter here or there… that sure helped pay the rent!

edit: did I mention that that was the day I got so frustrated I walked to the cigarette machine and I bought a pack and walked to the back room and lit a cigarette with tears streaming down my face… there went 5 yrs of no smoking down the drain!!!

 

[reen12]

Pretty shrine, Reen!

Thank you, FickleFreckled.
I bought a minature circular saw, and a minature
scroll saw - and they worked just dandy, in making
the shrines. Some had two closing doors, and
they looked really good. My husband loved the
Guadalupe shrine the best. It was far more simple.

Best,

reen

 

[reen12]

I was a waitress through college. I worked hard to get on the Sunday morning shift because it was the best for tips and we got some very nice people just coming from Church… but alas, one week they needed me to work the swing shift… Sunday night at Denny’s! At about 9:30 in the evening we were suddenly full of people from a Bible Church… I think the whole congregation came in. Every single table filled!!! I was thrilled that I would be making some money… and then I went to each table to take their orders… I kid you not… every table… “Child, have you been saved???” And none of them would let me go do my job until I either said yes or they saved me. At the end of my counter was a man that was a regular in the place… he pulled out a piece of paper and started writing… then he hands it to me with the instructions… see which of these works. I looked on the paper and there was a list of responses to the question “Have you been saved?” I laughed so hard!!! In the end, none of his suggestions worked. If I said yes, they wanted to hear about it (testimony) and if I said no, they gave me theirs… if I said, yes twice and neither time took (one of his suggestions)… they doubled their efforts. Still I tried to just think about the tips… yeah about those tips… a bunch of Chick tracks and a dime or quarter here or there… that sure helped pay the rent!

edit: did I mention that that was the day I got so frustrated I walked to the cigarette machine and I bought a pack and walked to the back room and lit a cigarette with tears streaming down my face… there went 5 yrs of no smoking down the drain!!!

Oh goodness, BlestOne. I am so sorry that you experienced this. http://bestsmileys.com/nono/9.gif

I’m a smoker, and when I read about the cigarettes,
I nearly wept. How utterly unkind of those individuals,
to have treated you like that. It made me think of what Jesus said.

Many will say to me "When did I not show love to You, Jesus?

…“Depart from me. I never knew you.”

http://bestsmileys.com/sad/4.gif

It does no good, to be able to quote 1 Cor. 13, from memory, unless you live it.

reen12

 

[RHisComingHome]

After mass this morning I went to the small local grocery. I was waiting with my ticket in my hand, and realized there was a very long wait because there was only one person behind the counter.
Well, I had grabbed some cards on the way out of Church, one was about St. Anthony of Padua and one was about Mary.
So, I dropped my ticket and the cards and the lady next to me bends down really quick to pick up my mess. She takes a peek at the cards and her eyes get really big and she nearly tossed the cards and ticket into my hand, as if she could not believe she touched them. So I thanked her for picking them up and her reply was: Are you catholic? face is very serious, tone of voice is very concerned, and she is speaking rather slow in speed for impact I told her no. So, I see I only have 4 ahead of me so I try to go grab some eggs and come back to wait for my order of lunch meat. As I turn to leave the line she grabs me!
She tells me her name and that she is a pastor at the church (methodist) a block away from the store and that I should try them out. She then tries to get my email and my phone number and address! I said I was simply not interested at the moment. So its finally my turn to order and she is still talking about her church. I acted like I was really considering some salad choices so she would give me a few minutes of silence. Thankfully it was her turn after me so I was able to scoot out to the checkout line asap. I got as far as my car and there she was again! She was telling me what a relief that we “can really talk now” ? (because we were not in the store?)
And that I need to know that there IS NOTHING MORE WRONG (yes thats how loud she said it) then saints that need to be cannonized. Of all things for her to dislike, I was really surprised her beef was with the cannonization process and not something else.
Anyway, I was just wondering if anyone else has been agressively targeted like this, and if so did it turn you off of their denomination?
I have to say this lady meant well, but she over did it for my tastes.

Wow! As a former Methodist, I was a little shocked. The Methodists I knew were completely indifferent. In fact, the prayer leader was a former Catholic and introduced saying “Lord have mercy” after each prayer request… Most Methodists I know are pretty accepting… Very interesting…

 

[kristie_m]

By the time I was through with them, I felt sorta sorry for them.



Nothing more dangerous than a Catholic bible study leader turned loose on a plane load of Baptist missionaries.

Here’s an image that’ll keep a smile on my face all day!! Thanks!

 

[strngrnrth]

I’m so sorry about the people who wouldn’t let you be and then left tracts as tips, BlestOne. It’s strange to me. My old church was big on making ourselves look good. Though we aggressively evangelized (being convinced everyone’s eternal fate was our personal/collective responsibility), we got sermons about how we ought to tip well and be polite when we ate out, especially on Sunday. Even in training for street outreach we would never have seen one of us not let a worker work. That’s interfering with livelihood.
I hope you can forgive them. I have a feeling I know what they went through that night or day just before they saw you and why they were so aggressive, and maybe their mothers never taught them to tip. Maybe next time you can tell them a testimony that will astonish them. Ask the the Sinner’s Prayer they are most used to saying – then ask to pick up one of their Bibles, slam your hand on it and say, “Where is that in here?” And hand it back. I think they might either have serious questions or start eating at someone else’s table next time. It will show them you are familiar with the Bible and that not everyone who gets “saved” does it their way. It’s a start.

 

[MDK]

I have never been accosted in a super aggressive manner, but I did end up sitting in the middle seat of an airplane in a group of Baptist missionaries headed for Mexico to “evangelize.”

By the time I was through with them, I felt sorta sorry for them.



Nothing more dangerous than a Catholic bible study leader turned loose on a plane load of Baptist missionaries.

Actually, the young man sitting next to me was very resectful. But, he certainly came away with a serious concern that his pastor had SKIPPED over 1 Peter 3 (esp verse 21 which refers to baptism as SAVING you).

Nice work!

 

[yellowbird]

I’m with you notsmart - she thought she was “helping” you by sharing her opinion. I think I would’ve smiled and thanked her for her concern, but then I would’ve told her that I don’t care to debate, and I’m very happy with my religious choices. And I would’ve ended it with a God Bless you!

I save my anger for people who are knowingly hurting others - not misguided people who are only trying to help.

I love your thread title. It’s quite unique.

 

[Zooey]

She tells me her name and that she is a pastor at the church (methodist) a block away from the store and that I should try them out. She then tries to get my email and my phone number and address!

She said she was Methodist??? Sheesh1 Wish I had been there. i would have…Ok, I would have broken several forum rules http://bestsmileys.com/angry1/4.gif:blushing: ], and then reminded her that John Wesley rode around from place to place on horseback, praying the rosary.
But then, I would have called 911* for her, when she hit her head on the refrigerator case when she http://bestsmileys.com/fainting/2.gifhttp://bestsmileys.com/fainting/1.gif…

(*I admit I would have beenhttp://bestsmileys.com/lol/25.gif when I called… Back in the day, we used to call that kind of faint “a little old-fashioned karma coming down”…)

Really, though. She sounds more than a little…ummm…Shall we say, “peculiar”???
I am** very** sorry that this happened to you!!

 

[Ghoti]

Wow! As a former Methodist, I was a little shocked. The Methodists I knew were completely indifferent. In fact, the prayer leader was a former Catholic and introduced saying “Lord have mercy” after each prayer request… Most Methodists I know are pretty accepting… Very interesting…

I think there are “Methodists” and there are “Methodists”. Just like Baptists, Episcopalians, etc. You may find as much variance between churches with similar names as you would between, oh, the Roman Catholics and the Liberal Catholics. When there’s no central authority, and churches not necessarily in communion with each other, it’s easy enough just to slap a particular tag on your own independent church without actually having to be the same – or even similar – to the church with the same adjective two counties over.

The Methodist church here in Canada doesn’t really exist any more as a separate entity, AFAIK – it became one of the founding congregations of the United Church of Canada back in the Twenties (I believe), along with the Congregationalists and most of the Presbyterians (the Presbyterian Church in Canada still exists). The UCC has a reputation of being very progressive, so I really don’t see them accosting people in parking lots.

 

[Cat]

Back when I was evangelical Protestant, all of us worked on our “Two Minute Testimonies.”

The idea is to obey the instructions in I Peter 3: 15–"…always being ready to make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence."

All too often, someone takes us by surprise, and we stammer and stumble and can’t even remember the Name of Jesus!

And then the one who questions us assumes that we really don’t have a faith, and they start working on us to accept their faith.

I think this is especially true of Catholics. W make complete fools out of ourselves, give a very confusing description of our Church and our Faith, and forget all about mentioning Jesus.

So we come across looking like we really have no clue about what we believe, and that makes us prime prospects for proseltyzers!

I think it would be a good idea for Catholics, myself included, to work on that “Two Minute Testimony.”

Obviously, we all know that the Catholic Church and our faith can’t be boxed into two minutes. But sometimes, that’s ALL the time you have, e.g., in the grocery store.

And after all, our first Pope said that we should be ready to give an account of the hope that is in us! So shouldn’t we obey him?

 

[Glorfindel]

Wow! As a former Methodist, I was a little shocked. The Methodists I knew were completely indifferent. In fact, the prayer leader was a former Catholic and introduced saying “Lord have mercy” after each prayer request… Most Methodists I know are pretty accepting… Very interesting…

I am sorry that happened, I too grew up Methodist, and as Coming Home said above most are pretty accepting, here in the belt-buckle of the Bible belt, it is viewed as being important to belong to a Church, most Methodist I know, (if it came up) were they to ask do you attend a Church if you say "Indeed I do! Saint Mary Magdalene is my home Church), most would be satisfied with that.

 

[catholicgrl]

Notsmart,
That must have been really tough for you to be harrassed like that. I am a little confused on a part of your story. You stated that you were coming out of mass that day and when I read further you said that you weren’t catholic when asked by that women.
If I read it wrong then please disregard. I understand that you must have been really trying to avoid confrontation with that woman but I think it is important to be honest in those situations and stand up for your faith if you are indeed catholic. I think when we deny the one true faith it hurts Jesus’ Heart incredibly. I know it can be scary but in the end it is better for her to hear it and for you to be bold and speak it.
God Bless!!!

 

[Zooey]

Notsmart,
That must have been really tough for you to be harrassed like that.
I am a little confused on a part of your story. You stated that you were coming out of mass that day and when I read further you said that you weren’t catholic when asked by that women.
If I read it wrong then please disregard.
God Bless!!!

I believe that Notsmart (who is really quite smart indeed, IMO), is still seeking the guidance of God in regards to matters of faith. However, he is attending a Catholic church at present, as well as posting here at CAF, in search of answers to spiritual questions.