I'm Catholic, she's 7th Day Adventist. Can it work out?

[water]

Well I don’t think that being Catholic is the only way to salvation…because if it were true, then all the non-Catholics such as Jewish, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, etc would not be salvated, which somehow doesn’t sound right to me??

Good start if you want to clear up your confussion … a little bit at a time.

Topics on salvation: catholic.com/library/salvation.asp

 

[snhs]

This issue is really confusing me, it’s such a grey matter…yes as a Catholic then ideally my wife should be Catholic too, but she’s also a human being with a free will, I’m afraid it’d be wrong too…
may be “steer” is a better word??

Well I don’t think that being Catholic is the only way to salvation…because if it were true, then all the non-Catholics such as Jewish, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, etc would not be salvated, which somehow doesn’t sound right to me??

It does get a bit confusing at times. She does have free will and obviously you wouldn’t want her converting because she’d been browbeaten into it or without a sincere belief in what the Church believes.

I think for non Catholics there are certain pre conditions for it, someone else can probably explain it better. They could be invincibly ignorant for example. There’s a bit on it here. I suppose the case with your girlfriend is even more difficult as she did decide not to become a Catholic and made that decision with at least some knowledge of the faith, which probably makes ‘invincible ignorance’ a bit of a stretch.

The problem is no one knows and there are no certainties (unless someone is made a Saint). Being a Catholic isn’t guaranteed to get anyone into Heaven but it removes some of the hurdles. (And I didn’t intend to imply it was the only way, apologies for any confusion)

 

[recife]

I also believe that being Catholic is not the ONLY way to salvation. As my late aunt once said… “The Catholic faith is not the only way to salvation, its the best way.” I believe that is one of the reasons for purgatory. To prepare the lost souls for heaven. One is only responsible for the knowledge given to them.

The above is very interesting and very profound indeed…
So, the Catholics (such as your late aunt) think that the Catholic faith is not the only way, but yet the best way to salvation. But is that a biased statement that’s said just because we’re Catholics? Don’t you think that all Jewish people must also think that becoming Jewish is the best way to salvation, Muslims think that being Muslim is the best way to salvation, Hindus think that being Hindu is the best way to salvation, etc?

Furthermore, does the notion of “being Catholic is the best way to salvation” apply to all humans on earth (no matter their faith), or only to Catholics? If the answer is the first (applies to all humans on earth), then how did we prove that Catholicism is the best way, without being biased?
(Note: I’m not trying to go against Catholicism at all, since I’m Catholic myself. Religion can be confusing and I just would like some enlightenment…)

 

[Cristiano]

Well I don’t think that being Catholic is the only way to salvation…because if it were true, then all the non-Catholics such as Jewish, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, etc would not be salvated, which somehow doesn’t sound right to me??

The Catholic Church is the only way to salvation. That it is given to us by Scripture and Tradition. However, the Catholic Church probably encompasses more than what you think. I can understand that might not sound right at a first pass, but it is up to you to accept it and study it in order to understand what it really means. If you are not willing to accept it (even if it does not sound right) then you are moving away from the Church.

 

[recife]

The Catholic Church is the only way to salvation. That it is given to us by Scripture and Tradition. However, the Catholic Church probably encompasses more than what you think. I can understand that might not sound right at a first pass, but it is up to you to accept it and study it in order to understand what it really means. If you are not willing to accept it (even if it does not sound right) then you are moving away from the Church.

I’m willing to accept it (and am glad that I’m Catholic).
But as someone who’s always curious, I wonder how we can prove that in a neutral way…? Because if we talk to people from other religions, they will tell that their religion is the best way to go…
Or is it like this: for a person who’s born Catholic, the best way for salvation is for him/her to stay Catholic, if born Jewish, then the best way is to stay Jewish, etc…?

 

[rwoehmke]

I can tell you young unmarried guys that after almost 50 years of being married to a Catholic woman, that marriage is hard enough without adding in different religions. As a non-Catholic a spouse may very well be pro-choice (Remember as a husband you have no rights to interfere if she decides on an abortion.), she may want to use methods of birth control unacceptable to the Catholic Faith, she/he may have no problem getting a divorce and leaving you high and dry, and the list goes on.

Second point is raising children. There is nothing worse for a child than parents who have basic differences on how life is to be lived and learned. Not just confusing, but sometimes gut wrenching. Why would you want to risk doing this to your kids.

Looking back on my life, some of the best advice my mother ever gave me was to never date someone of a different faith as I would likely marry one of them. Some of those gals were beautiful, nice, etc. etc. but I am sure glad I didn’t get involved with one. My dad was a Lutheran, but a kind of indifferent one. My mom worried about his soul all of her life. Dad died five years after her and remained religiously indifferent to his death. He had always been a kind and loving husband and father, but it always seemed that there was a missing dimension in our family

You mentioned being married in four or five years. Why settle on one woman so early in the game? You both have time to meet and consider many other candidates for marriage with all that time available. I can also tell you that as a couple, as you continue to hang out with each other, it will become more and more difficult to keep your relationship a pure one. Perhaps that’s something a lot of young folks no longer worry about.

 

[recife]

I can tell you young unmarried guys that after almost 50 years of being married to a Catholic woman, that marriage is hard enough without adding in different religions. As a non-Catholic a spouse may very well be pro-choice (Remember as a husband you have no rights to interfere if she decides on an abortion.), she may want to use methods of birth control unacceptable to the Catholic Faith, she/he may have no problem getting a divorce and leaving you high and dry, and the list goes on.

Second point is raising children. There is nothing worse for a child than parents who have basic differences on how life is to be lived and learned. Not just confusing, but sometimes gut wrenching. Why would you want to risk doing this to your kids.

Looking back on my life, some of the best advice my mother ever gave me was to never date someone of a different faith as I would likely marry one of them. Some of those gals were beautiful, nice, etc. etc. but I am sure glad I didn’t get involved with one. My dad was a Lutheran, but a kind of indifferent one. My mom worried about his soul all of her life. Dad died five years after her and remained religiously indifferent to his death. He had always been a kind and loving husband and father, but it always seemed that there was a missing dimension in our family

You mentioned being married in four or five years. Why settle on one woman so early in the game? You both have time to meet and consider many other candidates for marriage with all that time available. I can also tell you that as a couple, as you continue to hang out with each other, it will become more and more difficult to keep your relationship a pure one. Perhaps that’s something a lot of young folks no longer worry about.

Thanks kindly for the advice rwoehmke. How was your dad indifferent? And what did you mean by “there was a missing dimension in our family”?

When you said “it will become more and more difficult to keep your relationship a pure one”, were you referring to sex? We’re both virgins, and have chosen to remain so until after marriage

 

[MarysRoses]

So do you guys think it can work out? Any other things we should do to increase the chance of our relationship/future marriage working? Any of you have/had a similar situation as we?

I am a former Seventh-day Adventist. My mother and many cousins and their families are still Seventh-day Adventist. I converted to the Catholic church in 1982 and have raised my family Catholic.

You have to be VERY realistic about the differences in the two faiths. Adventists, like Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, want to present themselves as mainstream Christians. You also have to realize that it is taught by the Adventist prophet Ellen G. White in her writings, that it is the DUTY of the Adventist in the marriage to convert the non-SDA spouse. There is peer pressure and loss of status within the SDA congregation if one is not making progress in converting their partner. An Adventist raising Catholic children would be a source of gossip and scandal in the Adventist congregation. Would you want to subject your potential future wife to this?

I have seen this first hand, in families where one spouse converts to Adventism, promising the Catholic spouse it will be ok, the children won’t be pressured to convert, etc. But when subjected to sermons and peer pressure to convert the rest of the family those promises are forgotten. My mother is subjected to being pointed out and mentioned from the pulpit that she has ‘failed’ as a mother, because her daughter (me) is still catholic and her grandchildren are still “subject to the whore” (the Catholic Church). This publically humiliates her and makes our relationship VERY VERY Difficult.

She tries to not make religion an issue between us, but her beliefs make it very difficult. Her adventist grandchildren get a lot more time and attention from her. When I confronted her about this one time, telling her my kids would love to see more of her, she broke down in tears and said she didn’t want to get close to anyone that wouldn’t be in heaven with her. (she firmly believes we are lost because we know adventist beliefs and reject them) This past holiday season, my kids got a few minutes with grandma thanksgiving morning and Christmas morning, then she was off to spend the entire day with the Adventist grandkids. New Years, she promised my daughter she would spend the morning with her. Her church had some function and she blew us off totally. My daughter was heartbroken and actually asked me if Grandma would love her more if she were Adventist. Its THAT obvious, even to the kids. How is your girlfriend’s family going to relate to Catholic grandchildren?

Adventists are taught to ‘befriend’ people into the church, so they will be very very friendly and uncritical of anyone they see as a potential convert. That would include you as you are dating one of them. Their typical method of getting new converts is to host bible studies and bible seminars. They will rarely put their name on publicity for these events. Adventist distinctives are saved until the very end. Many times, people don’t find out about some things, such as the fact they have a modern day prophet Ellen G. White, or that they don’t believe that people have immortal souls until they have commited themselves. There have been people baptized into the SDA church before they found out some of the teachings. They will not accept a Catholic baptism, they will want you to be baptized SDA.

I’m not saying your girlfriend is a bad person. She may not have really thought it all through. Its also common that she doesn’t’ consider some things that important now. As life goes on, and the children are real, and hers and there, she may feel more strongly about many things. I’d really make it very clear you have no intention of converting.

People have noted that she is only willing to compromise without violating her beliefs, but expects that you will violate yours. From your post you are going to be expected to not baptize your children. I can guess that she will expect to take them to sabbath school with her. She will also probably want them to participate in youth groups and bible schools at the Adventist church. You have to understand, that even at the youth level, your children will be told that the Catholic church is the whore of babylon and evil. Your children will hear that the papacy is the anti-christ, and that an alliance between the Catholic Church and the U.S. government will bring about mandatory Sunday laws, and persecute anyone that keeps the sabbath. Adventists believe that those who keep Sunday at that time accept the Mark of the Beast and will be lost. Adventists also usually want their children to attend only Adventist schools, another venue for indoctrinating their kids. Adventist schools teach creationism, sabbath keeping, Adventist history and doctrine, in addition to academics. If your kids are not raised catholic, but attend sabbath school and possibily Adventist schools, they will probably have a horror of catholicism and be indoctrinated in peculiar Adventist beliefs. It won’t be a ‘free choice’ after all that. Adventists are very sophisticated in how they present their beliefs. People tend to believe what they are told without independently verifying the facts. They use quotations from catholic documents out of context, and some inaccurate versions of history to support their assertions.

Look carefully before committing yourself.

I will be praying for you

MarysRoses

 

[MarysRoses]

Some potential areas of conflict to think about…

Adventists do not believe it is wrong to use artificial birth control, including methods that work by causing early abortions.

from paragraph 5 of adventist.org/beliefs/statements/main_stat44.html

"Because of uncertainty about how they will function in any given instance, they may be morally suspect for people who believe that protectable human life begins at fertilization. However, since the majority of fertilized ova naturally fail to implant or are lost after implantation, even when birth control methods are not being used, hormonal methods of birth control and IUDs, which represent a similar process, may be viewed as morally acceptable. "

Adventists are officially pro choice, believing that while abortion is usually wrong, its ultimately up to the mother.

from section 4 of adventist.org/beliefs/guidelines/main_guide1.html

1. “The Church does not serve as conscience for individuals; however, it should provide moral guidance.” and … “The final decision whether to terminate the pregnancy or not should be made by the pregnant woman after appropriate consultation.”

Adventists believe in a source of inspiration other than the bible, the writings of their prophet Ellen G. White:

Adventist fundamental belief #18:

“One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is prophecy. This gift is an identifying mark of the remnant church and was manifested in the ministry of Ellen. G. White . As the Lord’s messenger, her writings are a continuing and authoritative source of truth which provide for the church comfort, guidance, instruction, and correction. They also make clear that the Bible is the standard by which all teaching and experience must be tested”.

Adventists do not believe in an eternal soul. They believe the dead are unconscious. They do not believe in an eternal hell.

Adventist fundamental belief #26:

“The wages of sin is death. But God, who alone is immortal, will grant eternal life to His redeemed. Until that day death is an unconscious state for all people.”

They believe that Mary and the saints are dead in their grave. Will you be permitted to share the Catholic belief in the Communion of Saints? This has been so special to my kids. Stories about the saints are so wonderful for building faith and identity. Will you be permitted to teach the Rosary to your kids? Can you imagine not teaching them the Hail Mary and helping them learn to know and love our Lord’s mother?

**It is the duty of the Adventist spouse to ensure that the children are Adventist. **

"The curse of God will surely rest upon unfaithful parents. Not only are they planting thorns which shall wound them here, but they must meet their own unfaithfulness when the judgment shall sit. Many children will rise up in judgment and condemn their parents for not restraining them, and charge upon them their destruction. The false sympathy and blind love of parents, causes them to excuse the faults of their children, and to pass them by without correction, and their children are lost in consequence, and the blood of their souls will rest upon unfaithful parents. {4bSG 50.2} Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church

**Adventists “keep the sabbath” This involves much more than going to church on saturday. **

From friday night until sundown on saturday, secular activities are restricted. Typically this means no school, social, or sports activities on Friday night or Saturday. It often means no movies, no T.V. Nature walks are permitted, visiting adventist friends, passing out adventist literature, this is what usually fills up saturday afternoons. It also means no working on sabbath. No yardwork, no housework, no cooking. No job that involves saturday hours unless it is ‘necessary’ work, like nursing. Will your wife permit your children to participate in sports on saturday? Is that important to you? When I was an adventist I went to public highschool. I was never permitted to attend a football game as they were on friday nights. I was not permitted to attend my highschool prom. Not only was it on friday night, it was dancing, another thing not permitted.

**Adventists refer to communion as “The Lord’s Supper” and they consider it to be a symbol. **

They will invite you to participate as they practice open communion. How will your girlfriend feel about your refusal to participate? Will your children be allowed to make their First Holy Communion (assuming they are allowed to be baptized in the first place) in the Catholic Church?

This is a very partial list of things to think about. I cannot imagine having been prevented from sharing the sacramental milestones with my children.

Good luck!

MarysRoses

 

[Unitas]

A little background about us…
Me: 24 years old. I was born and raised Catholic, and was baptised when I was 1 year old. My family and relatives are Catholic too. We’re not super fanatic or crazy devout anything, but we try to be good people, be good and decent to others, go to church every Sundays, believe in God, Jesus, Mary, etc. You know…the usual Catholic stuff.

She: 20 years old. Her dad’s 7th Day Adventist, her mum’s Catholic. It wasn’t until she was 15 that she became Seventh Day Adventist. She said that it was from many years of reading the Bible that she concluded that SDA is the path to follow. She observes the sabbath, doesn’t believe in baptising babies, doesn’t believe in saints, doesn’t believe in Mary.

We’ve been together for about a year. We really love each other and plan to marry about 4 or 5 years from now. Personalities-wise, we’re very compatible. It’s our differences in religion that worries me quite a bit…
She said that when we get married, she wants to teach our children what we both believe in common (God and Jesus) and let them decide what to believe when they are more grown up. She also doesn’t want to baptise them when they’re babies since she prefers them to decide which religion to follow on their own (when they’re grown up). I told her that I’d be willing to accompany her to her church whenever she goes on Saturdays (so that she won’t be lonely), but she says she’s not sure if she’s willing to go to my church since the Catholic teaching kind of bothers her, especially our belief in the saints. Amongst my family and relatives, we just do the usual Catholic custom, which is to baptise babies, go to Catholic school, go to church on Sundays, etc.

We agreed not to influence each other to convert into the other’s religion, so I guess it’s pretty clear that if we did get married someday, there would be two different beliefs in our family…I’m just wondering if it can work well? Also, our children will start hearing and learning about conflicting things (because their parents’ religions are different) and they may get confused, and who knows what’s gonna happen…

I think marriage is a very serious thing. I think that nothing in the world is absolute, and I believe marriage is a little bit like gambling. Even if my future wife were Catholic like me, it still doesn’t guarantee that everything will be perfect. I only want to get married once, and before doing it, I want to be absolutely sure that it’s the right thing to do.
So do you guys think it can work out? Any other things we should do to increase the chance of our relationship/future marriage working? Any of you have/had a similar situation as we?

Read this:

seventh-day.org/Read_NSL.htm

This is a pamphlet someone left on my door. They spend way more time trying to disprove Catholicism, as if that proves them right.

I’m not making a prediction, but if both of you are adamant in your beliefs, there are some definite difficult issues. You must also keep in mind the Church’s teaching that any children gifted to a couple must be raised Catholic. I’m not sure how she’d feel about her children being raised in the bosom of the whore of babylon.

I really hope you two can work out an accord though.

 

[CarolsDaughter]

I’m going to be leaving this forum, but happened to see this as I was scanning over other threads. I think I might be able to provide some (name removed by moderator)ut here.

I have to give some background so you know where I’m coming from. I’m a committed Jew by birth, moderately religious. My husband grew up Baptist, but became 7th Day Adventist as a teenager, and stayed with them for a number of years, after which he finally converted to Judaism (that’s how I met him!)

Anyway, I am very familiar with 7th Day Adventist theology, and I have to warn you, their beliefs are very anti-Catholic. In fact they believe that the Catholic church is the anti-christ church, and that worship on Sunday is the mark of the beast.

My husband has been gone from them for sometime now, but even now in 2008, I find I have to correct certain mistaken beliefs he evidently still has about the Catholic church/religion (I’m a student of religion and history, and fortunately I’m able to make such corrections for him!)

I really don’t think any relationship like this can work out, but of course, its up to you. You’d probably be better off with someone from a mainline liberal Protestant denomination, since they tolerate almost anything.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at chana4hashem@yahoo.com I don’t plan to return to Catholic Answers (I ended up here accidentally at first, from doing a Google search about a question I had), but you can email me if you like.

Best wishes!

 

[Cathryn]

I think marriage is a very serious thing. I think that nothing in the world is absolute, and I believe marriage is a little bit like gambling. Even if my future wife were Catholic like me, it still doesn’t guarantee that everything will be perfect. I only want to get married once, and before doing it, I want to be absolutely sure that it’s the right thing to do.
So do you guys think it can work out? Any other things we should do to increase the chance of our relationship/future marriage working?

Your initial post sends up many red flags for me. I hope you spend some time learning more about what a truly Christian marriage is. It’s never a gamble but a total act of commitment to each other with God as the third partner. Marriage is a joining together as one, helping each other towards eternal life with God. In a way, your little family unit is the Church. You represent Jesus Christ on earth and your wife represents the Church, the love of the Holy Spirit binds you together. Your love for each other brings forth children, (usually). You pro-create with God. This is major spiritual responsibilities. Make sure who ever you marry is on the same page. I’d recommend talking with your pastor even as early as right now about your situation and maybe he can explain what any Christian marriage is and why it is permanent, and shouldn’t be a gamble.

 

[palmas85]

A little background about us…
Me: 24 years old. I was born and raised Catholic, and was baptised when I was 1 year old. My family and relatives are Catholic too. We’re not super fanatic or crazy devout anything, but we try to be good people, be good and decent to others, go to church every Sundays, believe in God, Jesus, Mary, etc. You know…the usual Catholic stuff.

She: 20 years old. Her dad’s 7th Day Adventist, her mum’s Catholic. It wasn’t until she was 15 that she became Seventh Day Adventist. She said that it was from many years of reading the Bible that she concluded that SDA is the path to follow. She observes the sabbath, doesn’t believe in baptising babies, doesn’t believe in saints, doesn’t believe in Mary.

We’ve been together for about a year. We really love each other and plan to marry about 4 or 5 years from now. Personalities-wise, we’re very compatible. It’s our differences in religion that worries me quite a bit…
She said that when we get married, she wants to teach our children what we both believe in common (God and Jesus) and let them decide what to believe when they are more grown up. She also doesn’t want to baptise them when they’re babies since she prefers them to decide which religion to follow on their own (when they’re grown up). I told her that I’d be willing to accompany her to her church whenever she goes on Saturdays (so that she won’t be lonely), but she says she’s not sure if she’s willing to go to my church since the Catholic teaching kind of bothers her, especially our belief in the saints. Amongst my family and relatives, we just do the usual Catholic custom, which is to baptise babies, go to Catholic school, go to church on Sundays, etc.

We agreed not to influence each other to convert into the other’s religion, so I guess it’s pretty clear that if we did get married someday, there would be two different beliefs in our family…I’m just wondering if it can work well? Also, our children will start hearing and learning about conflicting things (because their parents’ religions are different) and they may get confused, and who knows what’s gonna happen…

I think marriage is a very serious thing. I think that nothing in the world is absolute, and I believe marriage is a little bit like gambling. Even if my future wife were Catholic like me, it still doesn’t guarantee that everything will be perfect. I only want to get married once, and before doing it, I want to be absolutely sure that it’s the right thing to do.
So do you guys think it can work out? Any other things we should do to increase the chance of our relationship/future marriage working? Any of you have/had a similar situation as we?

From this post we can clearly see the wisdom that the Church had in forbidding interreligious marriage in the past.

There is no way to resolve this issue. No matter what happens the children will end up in a home where religion is seen as a secondary choice in which you can believe anything you want as long as you try to be a GOOD PERSON.

Whatever that is

The inevitable resuilt of liberalism and the insidious social gospel.

 

[Zealous_Zeth]

Sorry, but I think that loyalty to the church must be placed above everything

 

[7rosario]

Mixed marriage (marrying with non-Catholics) is condemned.

 

[srferdave]

Mixed marriage (marrying with non-Catholics) is condemned.

If it is condemned then why is it allowed? I’ve never heard that it’s condemned. Please explain.

 

[7rosario]

If it is condemned then why is it allowed? I’ve never heard that it’s condemned. Please explain.

I should have said “strongly disapproved.” Sorry about that.

For the issuing of a dispensation for a mixed marriage, the Church requires three conditions;
that the Catholic party be allowed free exercise of religion,
that all the offspring are to be brought up Catholics
and that the Catholic party promise to do all that is possible to convert the non-Catholic [party].
It is not to be supposed, however, that even when these precautions have been taken, this is all the suffices for the issuance of a dispensation…the Congregation of the Propaganda declared that the above conditions are exacted by the natural and divine law to remove the intrinsic dangers in mixed marriages, but that in addition there must be some grave necessity, which cannot otherwise be avoided, for allowing the faithful to expose themselves to the grave dangers inherent in these unions, even when the prescribed conditions have been fulfilled.

The bishops are therefore to warn Catholics against such marriages and not to grant dispensations for them except for weightly reasons and not at the mere will of the petitioner. The latest legislation affecting mixed marriages is that of the decree Ne temere which went into effect 18 April, 1908. By this decree all marriages everywhere in the Latin Church between Catholics and non-Catholics are invalid unless they take place in the presence of an accredited priest and two witnesses, and this even in countries where the Tridentine law was not binding.

From: newadvent.org/cathen/09698a.htm

 

[7rosario]

Or is it like this: for a person who’s born Catholic, the best way for salvation is for him/her to stay Catholic, if born Jewish, then the best way is to stay Jewish, etc…?

Miraculous conversion of Alphonse Ratisbonne and plenty of other miraculous conversion show that God leads the truly sincere non-Catholics into Catholicism.

Catholicism is not the best way for salvation. It’s the only way for salvation.

Among the holy souls of past centuries who have been loaded with signal favors and privileges by Almighty God, we must place, in the first rank, Mary of Jesus, often styled of Agreda, from the name of the place in Spain where she passed her life. The celebrated J. Goerres, in his grand work, “Mysticism,” does not hesitate to cite as an example the life of Mary of Agreda, in a chapter entitled, “The Culminating Point of Christian Mysticism.” Indeed, there could not be found a more perfect model of the highest mystic ways.

This holy virgin burned with a most ardent love for God and for the salvation of souls. One day, she beheld in a vision all the nations of the world. She saw the greater part of men were deprived of God’s grace, and running headlong to everlasting perdition. She saw how the Indians of Mexico put fewer obstacles to the grace of conversion than any other nation who were out of the Catholic Church, and how God, on this account, was ready to show mercy to them. Hence she redoubled her prayers and penances to obtain for them the grace of conversion. God heard her prayers. He commanded her to teach the Catholic religion to those Mexican Indians. From that time, she appeared, by way of bilocation, to the savages, not less than five hundred times, instructing them in all the truths of our holy religion, and performing miracles in confirmation of these truths. When all were converted to the faith, she told them that religious priests would be sent by God to receive them into the Church by baptism. As she had told, so it happened. God, in his mercy, sent to these good Indians several Franciscan fathers, who were greatly aston ished when they found those savages fully instructed in the Catholic doctrine. When they asked the Indians who had instructed them, they were told that a holy virgin appeared among them many times, and taught them the Catholic religion and confirmed it by miracles. (Life of the Venerable Mary of Jesus of Agreda, § xii.) Thus those good Indians were brought miraculously to the knowledge of the true religion in the Catholic Church, because they followed their conscience in observing the natural law.

Something similar is related in the life of Father J. Anchieta, S. J. (chap. vi.). One day, this great man of God entered the woods of Itannia, in Brazil, without any assignable motive and, in fact, as if he were guided by another. At a little distance he perceived an old man seated on the ground and leaning against a tree. “Hasten your steps," cried the old man when he saw the father, for I have been expecting you for some time." The saintly missionary asked him who he was, and from what country he had come. “My country," said the old man, “is beyond the sea." He added other things, which led the father to infer that he had come from a distant province, near Rio de la Plata, and that he had either been conveyed by supernatural means from his own country to the place where he then was, or that, by the direction and guidance of heaven, he had been led thither with great labor and fatigue, and had placed himself where the father found him, in full expectation of the accomplishment of the divine promise. Father Anchieta then asked him why he had come to that place. “I have come hither," he answered, “in order that I might be taught the right path.” This is the expression which the Brazilians use when they speak of the laws of God and of the way to heaven.** Father Anchieta felt convinced, from the answers of the old man, that he had never had more than one wife, had never taken up arms except in his own just defence, and that he had never grievously transgressed the law of nature.** He perceived, moreover, from the arguments of the old man, that he knew many truths relative to the Author of nature, to the soul, and to virtue and vice. When Father Anchieta had explained to him several of the mysteries of our holy religion, he said: “It is thus that I have hitherto understood them, but I knew not how to define them.” After having sufficiently instructed the old man, Father Anchieta collected some rain-water, from the leaves of the wild thistles, baptized him, and named him Adam. The new disciple of Christ immediately experienced in his soul the holy effects of baptism. He raised his eyes and hands to heaven, and thanked Almighty God for the mercy which he had bestowed upon him. Soon after, he expired in the arms of Father Anchieta, who buried him according to the ceremonies of the Church.

traditionalcatholic.net/Tradition/Information/The_Catholic_Dogma/index.html

 

[palmas85]

If it is condemned then why is it allowed? I’ve never heard that it’s condemned. Please explain.

It is allowed. It used to be prohibited but it is now allowed. However, there are somewhat stringent requirements for it.

 

[stccp]

I will be brief and to the point.You are asking for trouble. Say good bye and find a nice Catholic woman who is strong in the. Marriage is a vocation and a vocation is the state of life you choose that will best get you to heaven. How can a person who will offer you no support in your religion, help get you to heaven? We have a friend who made the same mistake 20 years ago; she has regretted it ever since. God bless.