Is it ok to limit your friendships to just fellow Catholics?

  • Thread starter Thread starter br4ndon21
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
agreed, that’s why the definition of friend and association is so important.
 
meltzerboy said:
I thought Jesus’ close friends were Jews.
Click to expand...
👍

His 12 best friends were Jews as he was.

His interaction with gentiles, Samaritans and all classes and races is what we are trying to convince the OP of. To broaden her/his horizons.
 
Yes…you can be kind and charitable to everyone but you don’t have to be buddies with them!
First thing I did when I started to live a Catholic life is boot my old ways and non Catholic friends out of my life…or wait maybe they booted me …?
 
If non catholics threaten to scandalize you then you shouldn’t be friends with them, not everyone is spiritually strong enough to put themselves around non Catholics and not be influenced by their thinking.
 
br4ndon21 said:
I feel like i’m better served if I only associate myself w fellow believing Catholics. Is this a bad thing?🤷
Click to expand...
It’s ultimately your choice. I don’t think it’s necessarily bad, but just keep in mind that limiting your friendships to or associating with persons of your religion, while it has its benefits, also has its disadvantages. So while it’s not necessarily bad, I don’t think it’s necessarily ‘better’ either.

Speaking of which, I wonder what you will do if, say (just a hypothetical scenario here), you find yourself living in a country where there are little to no Catholics - Christians even.
 
A long time ago I sued to limit my friendship to only faithful christians (not just Catholics).

It made my world very small. It was my own insecurities and difficulties I had living in the world that led me to this. Now I see God’s presence in a much broader and deeper way in my life. I see God’s presence in the lives of those who doubt even consider themselves Catholic or christian. I am really humbled by it at times.
 
br4ndon21 said:
I feel like i’m better served if I only associate myself w fellow believing Catholics. Is this a bad thing?🤷
Click to expand...
It could be a very good think if you use it to build up each other in the Faith and to increase your knowledge and basis for what Christ and His Church teach.
 
Contra_Mundum said:
CAF! 👍
Click to expand...
Believe me: been there, done that. Didn’t really work. 😃 As some people have observed, CAF is hardly reflective of the general state Catholics are in IRL. In general, many of the Catholic posters on CAF I’ve encountered are educated and serious about their faith (I could hardly say the same thing for myself though) - that’s a good thing of course, but this is of ultimately of course just half of the picture. Not all people IRL are or will be as folks in CAF are. CAF is a little world in itself. It’s good that you meet fellow Catholics and folks of other religions and denominations here, but you cannot stay here forever - I mean, most of us have better things to do than just stare at the computer all day.

And as Country Gal mentioned, online relationships are not the same as real-life ones. I mean, on the Internet you don’t exactly know who you’re speaking to. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you; so in effect, we’re really total strangers who just happen to talk to each other. This might sound a bit cynical, but you really cannot trust anyone on the Internet.
 
patrick457 said:
Believe me: been there, done that. Didn’t really work. 😃 As some people have observed, CAF is hardly reflective of the general state Catholics are in IRL. In general, many of the Catholic posters on CAF I’ve encountered are educated and serious about their faith (I could hardly say the same thing for myself though) - that’s a good thing of course, but this is of ultimately of course just half of the picture. Not all people IRL are or will be as folks in CAF are. CAF is a little world in itself. It’s good that you meet fellow Catholics and folks of other religions and denominations here, but you cannot stay here forever - I mean, most of us have better things to do than just stare at the computer all day.

And as Country Gal mentioned, online relationships are not the same as real-life ones. I mean, on the Internet you don’t exactly know who you’re speaking to. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you; so in effect, we’re really total strangers who just happen to talk to each other. This might sound a bit cynical, but you really cannot trust anyone on the Internet.
Click to expand...
Agreed. People on the Internet tend to put either their best foot or worst foot forward. Still, for some, virtual reality has replaced reality (as we know it).
 
meltzerboy said:
Agreed. People on the Internet tend to put either their best foot or worst foot forward. Still, for some, virtual reality has replaced reality (as we know it).
Click to expand...
Yes. Some people substitute real relationships for the illusion of online friendships. Many message boards have a good-sized percentage of lonely, maladjusted people. Not all, or the majority, but a significant percentage.

And there are always the total fruitcakes who are just messing with people.

I think in real life you can have meaningful relationships beyond just typing out your opinions and reading the opinions of others. And when your car breaks down or you are sick, a real friend will be there for you, and visa versa.👍
 
that’s why it would be a good thing for the o/p (and all catholics) to have an inner circle of devout catholic friends. (flesh and blood)😛
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top