I think the Baptist church is false help me convert my parents

[Brendea]

catholicherald.co.uk/news/2013/08/02/raise-the-young-to-respect-other-religions-pope-says-in-message-to-muslims/

 

[Dovekin]

Why can’t chritistians just have one church and agree on everything instead of having divisions.

This is a good question to ask yourself. Why can’t you agree with your mother? Your disagreements are the closest example to you of this question.

Where do you agree? Your mother obviously does not care about the history of denminations and theology. Most people do not. What does she care about? How does she know Christ? Why does she follow him? Exploring her faith may open your eyes to how Christ comes to his people. The closer she is to Christ, the closer she will come to the Catholic Church. She may never leave the Baptist Church, but she will be closer to Christ.

And perhaps you will be as well.

 

[Fauken]

I hardly think trying to save your parents’ souls is against the fourth commandment.

No, but you can certainly go about it the wrong way and violate the fourth commandment.

 

[Brendea]

No but I think with the name dictatorczar he comes across like he is being a little disrespectful

 

[Cjbhoward]

It shouldn’t be an either or. We most definetely should be living our faith and knowing or Bible

True. My point was simply saying it’s better to do than to know. We should be more focused on living our faith than memorizing chapter & verse.

Nothing wrong with knowing chapter & verse, but it’s really about conversion isn’t it?

 

[guanophore]

get off this forum. You are not welcome.

Honestly David, it is you who are violating the forum rules. We are called to respect the faith of others, just as we would have them respect ours. This forum is a place for people to seek Catholic Answers. There is no requirement here that one be a Catholic to be a member of CAF.

We each have a responsibility first for our own souls. The OP needs to follow his/her conscience the way the Holy Spirit is calling. This needs to come before attempting to evangelize others.

It seems that you could use some study of the Church documents on ecumenism.

 

[guanophore]

have bogus theology and false interpretations of the Catechism fooled us all?

The OP (original poster) must first attend to his/her own heart.

It seems that study and prayer have led the OP to explore the Catholic faith, and CAF is a good place for this to happen (or should be).

It is not true that we cannot convert people.

We don’t want to convert people using human methods. Yes, we can persuade people to do a great many things, but true conversion of the heart is an action of the Holy Spirit.

I hardly think trying to save your parents’ souls is against the fourth commandment.

Assuming that their souls are not on the path to salvation may be an act of arrogance.

Of course, but I highly doubt the OP has crossed that line or will any time soon.

Well, if your standard is anything close to what your posts have reflected, then it has already been crossed!

No but I think with the name dictatorczar he comes across like he is being a little disrespectful

Have you ever met a teen who is not full of themselves?

 

[adamhovey1988]

This is something you have to do very gently, don’t go in on the attack, just kind of do it over time, ask, this very important question, when you get to this point, why was there no Baptist Church until about 1607? Build a conversation from there, because you don’t want to push people away

 

[ColorMomma]

So glad you responded to this thread. Bless you and your family.

 

[lilypadrees]

First, you need to realize that you can’t convert anyone. You can talk to your parents about your concerns about the Baptist church and why you are leaving it for the Catholic Church.

But in the end, only the Holy Spirit can speak to your parents hearts and move them to leave it. Pray for your parents but realize that if they aren’t willing to leave their church, you must respect their wishes.

 

[Wannano]

This is something you have to do very gently, don’t go in on the attack, just kind of do it over time, ask, this very important question, when you get to this point, why was there no Baptist Church until about 1607? Build a conversation from there, because you don’t want to push people away

Considering that this question is very important I would like to know what your answer is. From my perspective and understanding, anyone who lived in the centuries before the Reformation who had inclinations to form beliefs similar to the modern Baptist Church beliefs were mostly exterminated after the fourth century.

 

[recentrevert]

Assuming that Baptists are in need of conversion is not arrogance. It is an assumption we all ought to make.

To the OP - pray the Rosary. If you don’t have a rosary you can use your fingers or a piece of string. It is one of the most powerful prayers and is easy to remember. Ask Our Lady to help you to persevere with your conversion and to convert your family.

 

[guanophore]

Assuming that Baptists are in need of conversion is not arrogance. It is an assumption we all ought to make.

I think we can also assume that there are very many “Catholics” in the pews, and far more that don’t even occupy the pews anymore, that are in need of conversion. We have our own house that needs cleaning, such that we don’t need to turn into fruit inspectors for denominations.

 

[vsedriver]

So please help me convert her with something persuasive

put your arms around her and kiss her and then never mention religion again unless she brings it up. Then study all you can so that you will have a full understanding of Catholicism and be ready when she decides to ask you about the Catholic Church.

Live a holy and joyful life. Nothing attracts converts more than a good example.

 

[Cathoholic]

DictatorCzar . . . .

I love history . . . .

From an old post of mine. . . .

God bless.

Cathoholic

The Baptist tradition was invented in the early 1600’s.

John Smyth (sometimes spelled “Smith”) invented it.

Below is an except from the Protestant Magazine, Christianity Today . . . .

. . . . Smyth’s Amsterdam was also home to many Anabaptist Mennonites, who had for two generations practiced adult baptism based on a personal confession of faith. On this issue, Smyth finally broke with the Separatists. If the Church of England was, as he believed, “the Church of Antichrist,” its baptism must be false. In fact, he wrote in The Character of the Beast (1609), the baptisms of all established churches were false. And the New Testament never even mentioned infant baptism—only the baptism of believing adults.

“Baptism is not washing with water,” he wrote, “but it is the baptism of the Spirit, the confession of the mouth, and the washing with water: how then can any man without great folly wash with water which is the least and last of baptism?”

So, believing that there was no true church from which a valid baptism could be obtained,
Smyth baptized himself . . . .

. . . . Eventually, Smyth applied for membership with the Mennonites. Helwys, who agreed with Smyth on nearly every point but could not accept Mennonite teachings on Christ and ministerial succession, recommended to the church that Smyth, then in bad health, be excommunicated. In 1611 they agreed. Smyth continued to defend his membership with the Mennonites up to his death in 1616. But to this day, it is not as a Mennonite that he is remembered, but as the first Baptist .

John Smyth | Christian History | Christianity Today

 

[DictatorCzar]

That was one reason why I didn’t agree with the Baptist church because it wasn’t made my Jesus Christ. But made by a random human which is John smyth. So I wanted to convert because I wanted christs original church and be closer to him. And including my family.

 

[thequeen]

Please do not leave you are more than welcome only the moderators can tell someone to get off this forum and you have not posted anything that they would make them ban you.Besides I always enjoy reading your posts.

 

[thequeen]

I totally agree most of my favorite people who post on here are non Catholics in fact I think one of them is Jewish so if they are reading this I would like to wish them a very Happy Chanukah.

 

[Lou2U]

Please do not leave you are more than welcome only the moderators can tell someone to get off this forum and you have not posted anything that they would make them ban you.Besides I always enjoy reading your posts.

Thank you very much @thequeen! I appreciate it. I have no plans to go anywhere.

 

[guanophore]

It was quite a bit later than fourth century. The ancient Roman Empire fell in 476, and the Church did not have such secular influence until 800 AD, when Pope Leo III crowned the Frankish king Charlemagne as Emperor, reviving the title in Western Europe. This was when the Church became completely conflated with the State, resulting in heretics being considered treasonous. The death penalty was never given by the Church for heresy (just excommunication), but when this overlap occurred, up until the Reformation, Rulers considered unity of faith essential to peaceful society.