Is it immoral to meet with missionaries just to proselytize the Catholic Faith?

[OraLabora]

I sometimes meet with missionaries in my area of say Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, but not because I even consider their beliefs, but more that I show an interest in trying to prove to them the Catholic Church is the true Church. Is this immoral or is this actually what we are meant to do to proclaim the truth? It’s something I’ve kind of felt like it may be immoral because im wasting their time but then again maybe I’m not…

Immoral? Probably not if done in good faith. A waste of time? Definitely.

What I try to do instead is plant seeds. Some years ago one beautiful summer afternoon I was standing outside the abbey in the sunshine waiting for Vespers. An evangelical Protestant had just visited,walked up to me and said that while the monastery was very nice, it was the work of man and not biblical. Rather than entering into a futile argument, I said that I could see he loved scripture as much as I and the monks do. I asked if he had ever heard of Lectio Divina. He hadn’t. I explained it was a way to read, digest, meditate and pray scripture that would allow him to experience scripture more deeply.

He lit up at that, and I suggested he google it to learn more about it, and he promised he would. Of course it would lead him to mostly Catholic sites

Find common ground, use it to plant a seed, and pray the seed has taken root in fertile ground. Much better than futile arguing past each other.

 

[Sideshow]

Yes!

Most non-Catholics are not aware of what the Church really teaches.

Yes instruction of the ignorance is what jw or Normans are doing.

Non catholics are a were . of catholic teaching

1. Real presence communion

2 Mary praying to co Redeemer

3 mortal sin

4 believe everything the Pope and minister’s say

Yes they teach that the gospel of Jesus is different.

Which it is . because non catholics have a Gospel based on romans chapter

10 8-9-10. Confess and believe. And you will receive the gift of the holy spirit.

Yes ignorant is easy to miss lead

 

[Hoosier_Daddy]

When a couple of 19 years olds knock on the door literally asking to talk about religion it’s almost a sin not to engage!
Jws don’t really engage in dialogue. But Mormons do.

 

[Brendan_64]

Yes instruction of the ignorance is what jw or Normans are doing.

Non catholics are a were . of catholic teaching

1. Real presence communion

2 Mary praying to co Redeemer

3 mortal sin

4 believe everything the Pope and minister’s say

Yes they teach that the gospel of Jesus is different.

Which it is . because non catholics have a Gospel based on romans chapter

10 8-9-10. Confess and believe. And you will receive the gift of the holy spirit.

Yes ignorant is easy to miss lead

1. Yes.
2. Yes

But on the other two points

1. Mary is not our redeemer, she cooperates in God’s plan for our redemption.
2. You are way off here. Catholics are not required to believe everything the Pope says, let alone everthing a Catholic cletgyman might tell us. Papal infallibility only applies in certain limited situations when the Pope makes a declaration, ‘ex cathedra’ on issues of faith and morals. This happens very rarely. Peter was afterall given the keys and the authority to bind and loose.

 

[PJM]

I sometimes meet with missionaries in my area of say Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, but not because I even consider their beliefs, but more that I show an interest in trying to prove to them the Catholic Church is the true Church. Is this immoral or is this actually what we are meant to do to proclaim the truth? It’s something I’ve kind of felt like it may be immoral because im wasting their time but then again maybe I’m not…

THE ADVISE OF POST #2 ABSOLUTELY MUST BE HEEDED
[can be singular per defined issue] MUST be shared factually and in charity.

The historical, biblical and even logical evidence is [or ought to be] over-whelming]

Mt 10: 1-3
Mt 6:15-19
John 17:17-20
Mt 28:18-20
Eph 2: 20-22
Eph. 4: 1-7

ALL prove this. THERE CAN ONLY BE

ONE TRUE GOD [THAT ALL THE WORLD NEEDS]

ONE TRUE FAITH [EVEN GOD CAN HAVE NO MORE THAN ONE SET OF FAITH BELIEFS]

ONE TRUE CHURCH AS YAHWEH DID IN THE ot EXO. 6:7 & & JESUS AFFIRMS IN THE NT IN MT 16:18 “MY CHURCH”

BE CAREFUL AND KEEP GOING

GBY

 

[Kielbasi]

Immoral? Probably not if done in good faith. A waste of time? Definitely.

What I try to do instead is plant seeds. .

That’s about the most you can do.

People going door to door on their own time and expense are prepared for any argument or rejection they are likely to see.

the aren’t out there with an “open mind”

 

[jas84173]

When a couple of 19 years olds knock on the door literally asking to talk about religion it’s almost a sin not to engage!
Jws don’t really engage in dialogue. But Mormons do.

Yah I’ve noticed that too about JW . They seem to not really want to hear your opinion but are more concerned just proving they are correct by citing scriptures from their NWT. Which is a terrible translation that is borderline heretical when it comes to say John 1:1 " In the beginning was the word and the word was A God." When they pointed this to me one time I almost dropped dead in disbelief. They changed scripture just to go with their beliefs. Mormons use the KJV which is also a flawed version, most likely because it uses the same language the BOM does. As for the apostasy I remember reading the martyrdom of Perpetua and Felicity around 302 A.D. and asking them if they died for nothing in their view since the “apostasy” had already taken effect. This is one area Mormons get nervous engaging in; JW will not even go there. They will say it happened and the Church was pagan etc but don’t want to hear any opposing views. For Mormons it’s an issue that really makes or breaks them. If an apostasy never occurred than there would have been no reason for a restoration. Ironically one time engaging with a Mormon, at the end of our conversation she admitted that if the Mormon Church wasn’t the truth than the Catholic Church is. They seem to identify more with Protestants because Joseph Smith was from that culture. I believe he was raised a Methodist. One thing our church has in common with them is Church hierarchy and belief in tradition as well. The best question to ask anyone who talks about an apostasy is why they accept the New Testament Canon which wasn’t formally settled until the mid fourth century. If the Church lost authority how do they trust the right writings were called inspired? Plenty of books barely made it into the Canon, and likewise quite a few barely didn’t make it into the Canon.