Is there a charitable way to do this?

[Loren_1of6]

Another forum I frequent is full of Protestants. As we have seen, many Protestant sects are scared of Halloween and have designed their own alternatives to the scary trick-or-treat thing. That is not a problem for me; we are even planning on attending the All Saints’ Day party at our own parish.

The problem starts when they change Halloween to “Reformation Day” and have a party to celebrate the life and times of Martin Luther. They want people to come in costumes from the time period and have games and history lessons to back up their postition as Protestants.

I really want to ask them WHY they want to celebrate being heretics, but can’t think of a nice way to phrase it. I would have to be very polite, even deferential, because of the tenor of the boards. We are all on there to help one another along on a path that for many of us relies strongly on our religious convictions. Questioning these convictions is not the purpose of that forum, but still my skin crawls whenever I see a thread about “Refomation Day.”

Any ideas?

 

[1ke]

You already *know *why they would want to celebrate “Reformation Day”-- because they believe the Reformers were right. And heroes.

There is no polite way to ask them “why”. And, that wouldn’t *really *be your purpose-- the only reason to ask would be so you can counter that you don’t think the Reformers were right and that they are heretics.

Best just to not say anything.

 

[DaughterOfLight]

I’ve got a large number of protestant friends, and only one has admitted to Martin Luther being, to quote her, “a little loopy.” He is a hero to them. You might try a round-about way to tell them. Something such as, “So, why is Martin Luther so important to you?” “What was it he did to be remembered so well?” I’m sure you know all of the answers, but your objective should be to make them think. Pointed, thought provoking questions are the best things to ask. Don’t try to get into an argument or a big debate, and don’t be aggressive about it. Just plant seeds. Give them the idea that maybe, just maybe, it could have been done a better way. Everyone makes mistakes. (Even Martin Luther himself.) That will then open the door for more interaction related to the Faith. Always remember, we must Love people into the Kingdom. Don’t be pushy. I’ll be praying for you!

God Bless!!!

 

[ralphinal]

I agree that there may not be a caritable way to do this. One point that I would like to make is that we do celebrate, in some form or fashon, many people who were “a little loopy” or even downright immoral (President’s Day). Perhaps one thing that you can do is to talk about what All Saint’s Day means. Surely, even the most ardent Protestant would not have a problem learning about and celebrating the lives of those who were a great example of the faith.

 

[pnewton]

As a fellow poster on a Protestant board, I would agree there is no way to object to this with any success. The board I am on allows Catholic (name removed by moderator)ut only in a narrow range, except for one forum. It really depends on your board and your purpose. Since I am on for the long haul, I stick to areas of commonality, correcting misconceptions and injecting humor.

 

[Steve40]

Another forum I frequent is full of Protestants. As we have seen, many Protestant sects are scared of Halloween and have designed their own alternatives to the scary trick-or-treat thing. That is not a problem for me; we are even planning on attending the All Saints’ Day party at our own parish.

The problem starts when they change Halloween to “Reformation Day” and have a party to celebrate the life and times of Martin Luther. They want people to come in costumes from the time period and have games and history lessons to back up their postition as Protestants.

I really want to ask them WHY they want to celebrate being heretics, but can’t think of a nice way to phrase it. I would have to be very polite, even deferential, because of the tenor of the boards. We are all on there to help one another along on a path that for many of us relies strongly on our religious convictions. Questioning these convictions is not the purpose of that forum, but still my skin crawls whenever I see a thread about “Refomation Day.”

Any ideas?

Cafeteria Protestantism is a good thing when it brings them closer to the Catholic faith. Encourage them in the honoring of the Saints. Try to get them to pray to them. As for modern day Holloween or what I call Weeny Day, I agree with them. It has become an honoring of Demons and a celebration of Witchcraft. I’m a witch bigot. Harry Potty Head stinks too.