Is It Wrong To Call Out Protestants?

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For example: My girlfriend attends college and she has Non-Catholic friends and sometimes when she introduces them to me and she clarifies that they are Non-Catholic they tell me
“Well, we both worship Jesus.” and I always get the urge to say “Not really, or if you only knew the truth.” or something in that way to let them know that they don’t worship Jesus the same as we do.

Am I bad for thinking or wanting to do that? I mean I’m learning about my faith and I feel sad that a lot of my friends or my girlfriend’s friends are Protestants and I want them to learn the truth about Catholicism . :confused:

:blessyou:
 
Well actually, Protestants do worship Jesus. We have the great gift of the Eucharist, but Protestants and Catholics both praise God in prayer and hymns of praise.
We should ray for them and give them good example of Catholic faith and love, but we must be respectful in how we do help them to find the fullness of the truth. If we are less than respectful, then rather than draw them to the Catholic faith, we drive them away.

God bless you for your wonderful enthusiasm for the Faith.🙂
Warm wishes,
Trishie
 
Thank you Trishie :]

I know they do worship Him but I meant in the matter of not the same way as in belief wise. 🙂 Like Sunday’s reading of 1 John. How if we say we believe but do not follow His ways we are liars.

:blessyou:
 
We need to thank God for this gift of grace he has given us. Our faith in the real presence is a GIFT. I know the feeling you wish to share this GREAT GIFT and sometimes people just “don’t want to hear it” or they are not ready for it. Remember Jesus said no one comes to me unless the Father calls them. We need to set an example of the love of Christ “shine our light” as it were. Always remember provoke conversation but not arguement the words need to be The words of Christ in you of love and truth but only when they are ready to accept them.
I have found studying Christ teaching examples in the Gospel “how he provoked thought by using his knowledge of scripture” to be the best method. But that requires work on our part learning scripture so I continue to learn as to better do his work.
1 Peter 3:15-16
Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,
but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who defame your good conduct in Christ may themselves be put to shame.

Bless you be patient and fight the good fight.
My prayers are with you.😉
 
Instead of an outright challenge, you could say, “Yes, and I pray for the day when we’re all one faith.” Or, “Yes, and I pray for the day when we are all in the fulness of the Truth.” That ought to pique their interest to ask more.
 
Th0t said:
Thank you Trishie :]

I know they do worship Him but I meant in the matter of not the same way as in belief wise. 🙂 Like Sunday’s reading of 1 John. How if we say we believe but do not follow His ways we are liars.

:blessyou:
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I think what you mean is that while Protestants can be enormously holy if they live the gospel of love truly, just as Catholics can, they don’t have the fullness of the truth. Some Protestant denominations also miss out on wonderful sources of grace. If they don’t have and live the Sacraments (or is Catholics don’t) they are missing out on marvellous reservoirs of grace that are offered by the Eucharist and Confession, for instance, these wonderful gifts of Jesus to us.

I don’t think we can use the scripture quoted scripture for this particular purpose.
We can use it if any of us claim to love God while not loving our fellow humans. Catholics and Protestants doubtless have people who do truly live these commandments of love and those who don’t.

Sunday’s second reading scripture specified “Commandments”
“We can be sure that we know God
only by keeping His commandments.
Anyone who says, “I know him”,
and does not keep his commandments,
is a liar”
John makes his meaning clearer in the first letter of John 4:20-21. “Anyone who says ‘I love God’, and hates his brother is a liar, since a person who does not love the brother that he can see, cannot love God whom he has never seen.”

Jesus defined the commandments in this way,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Matthew 22 :37-41

It’s wonderful how you continue to seek knowledge and truth.
God bless you for that.
👍
Your girlfriend is very blessed to have you around!
 
Trishie said:
I think what you mean is that while Protestants can be enormously holy if they live the gospel of love truly, just as Catholics can, they don’t have the fullness of the truth. Some Protestant denominations also miss out on wonderful sources of grace. If they don’t have and live the Sacraments (or is Catholics don’t) they are missing out on marvellous reservoirs of grace that are offered by the Eucharist and Confession, for instance, these wonderful gifts of Jesus to us.

I don’t think we can use the scripture quoted scripture for this particular purpose.
We can use it if any of us claim to love God while not loving our fellow humans. Catholics and Protestants doubtless have people who do truly live these commandments of love and those who don’t.

Sunday’s second reading scripture specified “Commandments”
“We can be sure that we know God
only by keeping His commandments.
Anyone who says, “I know him”,
and does not keep his commandments,
is a liar”
John makes his meaning clearer in the first letter of John 4:20-21. “Anyone who says ‘I love God’, and hates his brother is a liar, since a person who does not love the brother that he can see, cannot love God whom he has never seen.”

Jesus defined the commandments in this way,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Matthew 22 :37-41

It’s wonderful how you continue to seek knowledge and truth.
God bless you for that.
👍
Your girlfriend is very blessed to have you around!
Click to expand...
Amen:thumbsup:
 
I believe it was Peter Kreeft who jokingly said during one of his talks that “Protestants need Catholics to become better Protestants just the same as Catholics need Protestants to become better Catholics.”

Don’t be the Catholic who makes it easier for a Protestant to remain so. Read, study, pray.
 
Th0t said:
For example: My girlfriend attends college and she has Non-Catholic friends and sometimes when she introduces them to me and she clarifies that they are Non-Catholic they tell me
“Well, we both worship Jesus.” and I always get the urge to say “Not really, or if you only knew the truth.” or something in that way to let them know that they don’t worship Jesus the same as we do.

Am I bad for thinking or wanting to do that? I mean I’m learning about my faith and I feel sad that a lot of my friends or my girlfriend’s friends are Protestants and I want them to learn the truth about Catholicism . :confused:

:blessyou:
Click to expand...
hehe, no you’re not bad for thinking that, it’s true! All the same, a one-liner like that right off the bat is probably not the best way to evangelize. Maybe work it in later. But keep on witnessing!
 
You are just as wrong as my 11 year old son was yesterday for telling our Dutch guests who are lapsed Protestants that the fullness of truth is to be found in the Catholic Church! They went to play at a playground beside our Catholic Church and they asked him what the building was. He told them exactly what it was!!

Now I feel like I am raising fundamentalist kids 😛
 
Th0t said:
For example: My girlfriend attends college and she has Non-Catholic friends and sometimes when she introduces them to me and she clarifies that they are Non-Catholic they tell me
“Well, we both worship Jesus.” and I always get the urge to say “Not really, or if you only knew the truth.” or something in that way to let them know that they don’t worship Jesus the same as we do.

Am I bad for thinking or wanting to do that? I mean I’m learning about my faith and I feel sad that a lot of my friends or my girlfriend’s friends are Protestants and I want them to learn the truth about Catholicism . :confused:

:blessyou:
Click to expand...
Bad? I am not if I would say bad. It is true they dont worship Jesus in all the ways that we do. However, as I was reading your initial post, i worried that your attitude might lead you into prideful thinking.

Let me give you an example. When I first cameto know Christ I felt “on fire” and wanted to talk to all my friends about the joy God brought about my life. In fact, I talked about it so frequently that many of my friends started to get annoyed which upset me since I thought, “I Care about my friends and I just want to tell them about the truth. Why do they not want to listen. They are all pathetic because they would rather talk about Seinfeld than to talk about God.”

So while my intention was good, their reactions filled me with a lot of pride and arrogance. In fact, many days I spent my time thinking such terrible things about my friends for rejecting the gospel. I believe this was the devil’s way of trying to use my passion for Christ against me.

So my point is simply to be careful. Do not let the devil use your zeal to lead you astray. By your own admittance, you are learning about your own faith so concentrate on that. “What does it matter if a man gains the whole world but loose himself.”

If the moment arises, discuss these issues with your protestant friends. But put your heart at peace and try your best to rejoice in the high degree of similarity between you and your protestant brethren. I am not sure what kind of school you go to, but in my school, there are very few Christians (protestant or Catholic), there are very few theist in general. So when I meet a protestant, I am happy to just be able to talk about our savior and common goals. I rejoice and I am thankful that God allowed me to have companions in faith. Therefore, I would say Yes, they dont worship Jesus in the same way we do, but when you meet a protestant friend, fill your heart with gratitude that this person has come to know Christ. For we are entering a highly secular relativistic world, so it should bring great cause for ojy to meet another individual who looks towards Jesus Christ as their savior and God.

God Bless You
 
Th0t said:
For example: My girlfriend attends college and she has Non-Catholic friends and sometimes when she introduces them to me and she clarifies that they are Non-Catholic they tell me
“Well, we both worship Jesus.” and I always get the urge to say “Not really, or if you only knew the truth.” or something in that way to let them know that they don’t worship Jesus the same as we do.

Am I bad for thinking or wanting to do that? I mean I’m learning about my faith and I feel sad that a lot of my friends or my girlfriend’s friends are Protestants and I want them to learn the truth about Catholicism . :confused:

:blessyou:
Click to expand...
Th0t,

I agree with CM. Be an example of our Catholic faith by the way you live your life. As St. Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”

God bless,
ZP
 
Remember, you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.

Your approach should be one of charity and humility. Mother Theresa of Calcutta said that pride destroys everything.

Study, study, study. The paradox of the Catholic faith is such that it is simple enough that a small child can understand it, but you can study all your life and still not know it all.

Here’s a great website where you can download FREE .mp3 files on Catholicism that you can play on your PC, your .mp3 player, and/or iPod device. Good if you exercise daily and need something to which to listen of substance. Or if you travel, etc., or just have some time to kill.

alabamacatholicresources.com

God bless! 🙂
 
Thank you all for your great responses 🙂
I learned something from each response given.
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CSUNGerrie:
So when I meet a protestant, I am happy to just be able to talk about our savior and common goals. I rejoice and I am thankful that God allowed me to have companions in faith. Therefore, I would say Yes, they don’t worship Jesus in the same way we do, but when you meet a protestant friend, fill your heart with gratitude that this person has come to know Christ. For we are entering a highly secular relativistic world, so it should bring great cause for joy to meet another individual who looks towards Jesus Christ as their savior and God. God Bless You
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This caught so much of my attention. I never really saw it like that before and it is true how sometimes many of us Catholics don’t treat our separated brethren with that respect and love we should and rejoice that we have someone extra to talk about the love of God. Also, it helps me because I have friends who are athiests and its hard to talk about God with them and I have some Protestant friends who I talk to God about without getting into details of whose right and whose wrong on doctrine and faith and morals. You have opened my eyes (I believe it was God also through you, GLORY TO GOD!)

One clear note though, my intention is not to make myself feel prideful. There was a time like CSUNGerrie, where I felt exactly like that. Mad that people wouldn’t accept God. But as time went by I began to realize that I should respect their decisions. People who spend time with you throughout the day are actually dedicating their life to you as i learned. Because that time they are spending with you, you cannot get it back. I have a new respect for my friends and family since then.
40.png
ChurchMilitant:
Start by living your life in an exemplary way and wait patiently upon the Holy Spirit to open the door for you to share your faith.
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And it is true also that the time will come to speak and evangelize my faith and explain it. I realized sometimes I’m the one that comes up before the sun lol
Miserissima]
Instead of an outright challenge, you could say, “Yes, and I pray for the day when we’re all one faith.” Or, “Yes, and I pray for the day when we are all in the fullness of the Truth.” That ought to pique their interest to ask more.
Click to expand...
That is something I’ll ask next time 👍

Thank you all again for your advice

:blessyou:
 
Th0t said:
For example: My girlfriend attends college and she has Non-Catholic friends and sometimes when she introduces them to me and she clarifies that they are Non-Catholic they tell me
“Well, we both worship Jesus.” and I always get the urge to say “Not really, or if you only knew the truth.” or something in that way to let them know that they don’t worship Jesus the same as we do.

Am I bad for thinking or wanting to do that? I mean I’m learning about my faith and I feel sad that a lot of my friends or my girlfriend’s friends are Protestants and I want them to learn the truth about Catholicism . :confused:

:blessyou:
Click to expand...
I suspect they are as anxious to talk to you as you are to them. It’s just that people who want to share their religious views with you almost never want you to share yours with them and vise versa…so you wait for the opportunity to share… It will happen 😉
 
Th0t said:
Thank you all for your great responses 🙂
I learned something from each response given.

This caught so much of my attention. I never really saw it like that before and it is true how sometimes many of us Catholics don’t treat our separated brethren with that respect and love we should and rejoice that we have someone extra to talk about the love of God. Also, it helps me because I have friends who are athiests and its hard to talk about God with them and I have some Protestant friends who I talk to God about without getting into details of whose right and whose wrong on doctrine and faith and morals. You have opened my eyes (I believe it was God also through you, GLORY TO GOD!)

One clear note though, my intention is not to make myself feel prideful. There was a time like CSUNGerrie, where I felt exactly like that. Mad that people wouldn’t accept God. But as time went by I began to realize that I should respect their decisions. People who spend time with you throughout the day are actually dedicating their life to you as i learned. Because that time they are spending with you, you cannot get it back. I have a new respect for my friends and family since then.
Click to expand...
Glory to God indeed! I guess as I was reading your post and you described all these protestant friends you gf introduced you to, I couldnt help but get caught up on that detail and think, “WoW! there are Christians in your school?!” 🙂
My entire lab is full of atheist so I feel like I have to separate my academic life from my Christian personal life. The few Christians I have met, I try to cherish their friendship. For we are comrades in many of the same battles against seculirism and this culture of death.
I hear what you are saying, I didnt think your intention was to make yourself feel prideful. That is precisely the danger, it is not an intention. It often occurs very implicitly. One night you pray to God, “forgive them for they do not know what they are doing” and then one day we might pray, “thank you for not making me a sinner and fool like so and so.”
satan is a roaring line that will use any tool to have us. I just wanted to warn you to check your intent and heart before you act on a decision like the topic of the thread. You seem like a kid with his head on his shoulders though. =)
 
(I am assuming that because you said you have a gi.rl friend that your a man)

First of my fellow knight and Brother. Never back down. Never give an inch to the enemy when it comes to your faith and your beliefs. We are titans among the Darkness. Remember as our Dear God said Through St. Paul “For we do not wrestle against Flesh and Blo.od , But against the Princes of this Dark Age.” Never Forget that Satan’s Greatest weapon, is to Convince us that he does not Exist.

Do not be Arrogant, but be Passionate. Do not Be Ignorant, but know the Scriptures just well as the Devil does(And he knows them better than any mortal). Do not be Violent, but suppress the enemy into Submission. When the roar of Evil calls be ready with the Sword, The word of God. When the Cry of the Inoce.nt comes be ready with the Rosary, The Mercy of God. And when the Devil Dares to use our brothers and sisters against us to attack the Church, Attack the devil and Rescue our Brethren, For that is what they think they are doing for us.

Do no be tolerant of what they Believe for it truly is false. They do not Follow the Commands of God and Therefore they are Liars. Are There Protestants who will be in heaven, Yes, I can not wait to shake Billy Graham’s hand. But most are just going through the motions and are lying through their Teeth. So I only would call out those who are not genuine in their Following and while we can not judge who is saved and who isn’t we have this, The 1st book of John and as he so powerfully says, Love. If you do not love you are damned. If you do not love, no amount of Faith or Sacrament will save. If you do not have love it is all meaningless, and as Solomon said “A chasing after the Wind”. First you must love them. If you start there, then the demons will tremble at your standing. IF all of us Catholics loved and truly loved, Satan would have an army stand against him that would destroy the very foundations of Hell. Our fist Offense against them should be we loved them to much. If they fall, jump after to catch them. If they stray from their first Love, Pursue them till dea.th and cross the Rivers of De.ath to bring them back. If they Speak against the word of God, Quickly and lovingly correct them, if all else fails Give them To God and Never Back down from the Devil. Always Love, if it means your de.ath, you must love. By that, by your love for them, they will see the true light of Jesus. For as Jesus so appropriately said, “By this they will know you, That you Love One another.”

So do I say Call them out, If the moment calls for it. But First Love them like Jesus.
 
“Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words when necessary.” - St. Francis of Assisi
 
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