Is this asking for trouble?

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Small_Town_Girl

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Hey everyone- This is my first thread on here, although I’ve been a “stalker” for a long time ;). I’m wondering if I could get your opinion on a situation I’m in.

So I’m a student at a local community college. I graduated from home school, and knew a lot of other home schoolers in the area and many of them go to this same community college. However, none of them are Catholic. This isn’t a big deal to me, none of my good friends are Catholic. We have many deep, polite discussions on our faiths, and it has never seemed to hurt me spiritually, in fact, it has often helped me grow in my faith.

I work/ go to school etc most of the time, and have very little time to spend with people socially. On top of that, I only have one or two friends who I actually do anything with. I’ve run into a couple of my Christian acquaintances at school lately, and they have all invited me to a Christian Bible study/ discussion group on campus, during activity/ lunch hour once a week (a time I usually either work on home work or read and wait for my next class).

I’m very tempted to go, but I feel uncomfortable with it. On one hand, it would be an opportunity to witness, on the other hand, I don’t want seem like I’m “crashing their party” or something, after all I am a guest. I’m also afraid that, being the only Catholic present (I assume anyways) I won’t have the courage to speak up when necessary. I’m also worried that they might “gang up” on me.I can do great in one on one discussions, but I’m very quiet and held back in groups. While I do know a lot about my faith, have studied it my whole life, etc, I’m not sure that I’m spiritually ready to take on that kind of attack.

What would you do in this situation? Sadly, it is probably a much more wholesome group than any Catholic young adult group in my area (hence the fact that most of my friends are none Catholics). I would really enjoy the fellowship/ friendship, but I am very worried I would not be up to the spiritual challenge (not sure if that is the word I’m looking for)?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
A lot will depend on the spirit in which these things are run. I am currently becoming a Catholic, having been a pretty fundamental Baptist, and in many ways it is the approach to scripture that you may find difficult or at least different. For example, most Protestants are quite keen on sola scriptura and sola fides (scripture alone, and by faith alone), so ignoring the teachings of the Church and the Magesterium. Even when relatively ‘friendly’ protestant Bible Studies (such as Alpha) try to include a Catholic emphasis it can seem to be an ‘add on’. When I was at college we did find that the evangelicals tended not to appreciate the Catholic perspective so there were two Christian groups - one evangelical, and one more ecumenical. We did do some stuff together (I was a memnber of one group and on the committee of the other!) but the differences in theological perspective tended to be the problem rather than the nature of the people themselves. HOWEVER, handled sensitively and as a means of everyone exploring each others’ spirituality and heritage, it can prove an extremely good time of blessing and support. A lot depends on the way in which the meetings happen. My thought (and it is only my thought) is to give it a go - if it works, it works, if it doesnt then you do something else. God bless.
 
I would feel uncomfortable going to a group such as the one you describe.

For starters, using it as an opportunity to witness would be very rude - how would you feel if someone came into a Catholic youth group and started preaching against us? Whilst of course it is good to witness, it is also important to be respectful and mindful of others.

Secondly, if you feel you would not be able to stand up to any spiritual attack then you should definitely not go. It’s like going into a lion’s den without a weapon to defend yourself with.

Friendship and fellowship can be found in other places, places that are not as risky or damaging to you.
 
I think you have one more question to ask:
Is this what God wants?

He might want you there to be a voice of reason to His children.
He might not want you there…

I guess spend some time in prayer and thought and see how you feel about it after a few days. Don’t make a hasty decision!
 
I would also feel very uncomfortable attending such a group. Their view is very different from ours, and their Bible studies spotlight that view.

I would like to keep the good friendships I have with other Christians on a personal and social level, but not within their Bible studies.

Hopefully there are good Bible studies in some local parishes that you can take advantage of. I have discovered some in my area, but not in my parish. The Great Adventure Bible Study by Jeff Cavins is wonderful and I learned a lot from it. They have other subjects as well, such as the Gospel of Mathew, and the Gospel of James and many others.
 
Small_Town_Girl said:
I work/ go to school etc most of the time, and have very little time to spend with people socially. On top of that, I only have one or two friends who I actually do anything with. I’ve run into a couple of my Christian acquaintances at school lately, and they have all invited me to a Christian Bible study/ discussion group on campus, during activity/ lunch hour once a week (a time I usually either work on home work or read and wait for my next class).
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If your friends are using the term “Christian” and contrasting it to “Catholic,” that is a VERY bad sign. If you were an apologetics expert and are prepared to defend the Faith with lightning-quick Scripture recall, then I’d say go for it; but if you aren’t there yet, don’t go.

If you want to develop that kind of ability to defend your Faith very quickly–you are in the right place. The Catholic Answers Forums are a great place not only to get questions answered, but to take the initiative and answer questions. That is how I gained experience in apologetics, and I strongly recommend it.

However, CAF by its nature is not going to be able to provide the kind of Catholic fellowship you will need for support in college. Have you tried looking at other parishes in your diocese to find youth groups? Have you called the diocesan chancery to see if such groups exist? It is worth your while to investigate.
 
Small_Town_Girl said:
Hey everyone- This is my first thread on here, although I’ve been a “stalker” for a long time ;). I’m wondering if I could get your opinion on a situation I’m in.

So I’m a student at a local community college. I graduated from home school, and knew a lot of other home schoolers in the area and many of them go to this same community college. However, none of them are Catholic. This isn’t a big deal to me, none of my good friends are Catholic. We have many deep, polite discussions on our faiths, and it has never seemed to hurt me spiritually, in fact, it has often helped me grow in my faith.

I work/ go to school etc most of the time, and have very little time to spend with people socially. On top of that, I only have one or two friends who I actually do anything with. I’ve run into a couple of my Christian acquaintances at school lately, and they have all invited me to a Christian Bible study/ discussion group on campus, during activity/ lunch hour once a week (a time I usually either work on home work or read and wait for my next class).

I’m very tempted to go, but I feel uncomfortable with it. On one hand, it would be an opportunity to witness, on the other hand, I don’t want seem like I’m “crashing their party” or something, after all I am a guest. I’m also afraid that, being the only Catholic present (I assume anyways) I won’t have the courage to speak up when necessary. I’m also worried that they might “gang up” on me.I can do great in one on one discussions, but I’m very quiet and held back in groups. While I do know a lot about my faith, have studied it my whole life, etc, I’m not sure that I’m spiritually ready to take on that kind of attack.

What would you do in this situation? Sadly, it is probably a much more wholesome group than any Catholic young adult group in my area (hence the fact that most of my friends are none Catholics). I would really enjoy the fellowship/ friendship, but I am very worried I would not be up to the spiritual challenge (not sure if that is the word I’m looking for)?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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I’m a bit reluctant to answer this as I’m well and truly out of your age bracket. However I’m Catholic, but when I married, both my wife and I were Protestant.

She’s Baptist, and she now goes to a “home group”, alias Bible Study on Tuesdays. But she’s retired, and I still work. However before she retired, she went to a Bible Study group one night a week, and I’d tag along from time to time.

However I’ve been around long enough to know that it’s not a good idea to start an apologetics session in one of their Bible studies. That didn’t mean I couldn’t join in the discussion, provided it was on the specific Bible verses they were discussing. But then I’m not likely to be persuaded to revert to Protestantism. Been there, done that.

I’d be wary if I were you. For one thing you’re a lot younger, which means you could face other challenges (romantic, peer pressure etc.). So if you do go, make sure you are well armed in your Catholic faith if you are challenged, but try to keep a low profile in that regard, and just stick to the topic being discussed.

Actually one of the things that annoys me is that there is not much in the way of a Catholic equivalent in my experience. I suppose people who have been brought up in the church all their life may not feel the need for such a discussion group, but for those of us who have come from a Protestant background, some things seem to be missing at times.

To our Deanery Coordinator’s credit, there is a new attempt to get a “Little Rock” study group going, which I believe is based on something out of Little Rock, Arkansas from the good old USA, but the locations and times are not suitable for me at the moment. We had hoped to get one going in our place, but there was insufficient interest at the first take. Maybe later? I have had a sense of something like that however, so maybe later?

It’s your call, but be careful.
 
Small_Town_Girl said:
I’m very tempted to go, but I feel uncomfortable with it. On one hand, it would be an opportunity to witness, on the other hand, I don’t want seem like I’m “crashing their party” or something, after all I am a guest. I’m also afraid that, being the only Catholic present (I assume anyways) I won’t have the courage to speak up when necessary. I’m also worried that they might “gang up” on me.I can do great in one on one discussions, but I’m very quiet and held back in groups. While I do know a lot about my faith, have studied it my whole life, etc, I’m not sure that I’m spiritually ready to take on that kind of attack.

What would you do in this situation? Sadly, it is probably a much more wholesome group than any Catholic young adult group in my area (hence the fact that most of my friends are none Catholics). I would really enjoy the fellowship/ friendship, but I am very worried I would not be up to the spiritual challenge (not sure if that is the word I’m looking for)?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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you are right to be concerned, any of these might happen, but worse, you may actually pick up interpretations and teachings that are not sound and be mislead.

is there a Catholic campus ministry at your own school? or perhaps at a larger university in the same city? or are you close enough to a Catholic parish that offers bible studies? these are the first places to look.
 
If I might offer my two cents, I tend to agree with the post immediately above. OP mentions that similar Catholic Bible study groups in your area are not wholesome, but I have to wonder if an exhaustive search has been done?

I think that, if the purpose of Bible study is to come to know the teachings of the Catholic Church better, a Protestant group is likely not the best place for this. As OP observed, it could be an opportunity to evangelize to the Protestants, but this would require a very firm and sound understanding of the Catholic Church’s teaching first. Hence, I think it would defeat the purpose of Bible Study, for one expand one’s own understanding of the Bible.

On the other hand, I suppose it could be beneficial if approached in a tolerant and ecumenical spirit. In that case, one would have to take great care to sort out the Protestant teaching from the Catholic ones. There is a lot of common ground, it’s worth researching how much common ground we, in fact share with the Protestants. But there are also crucial differences, and it’s crucial to take care not to be able to guard against those.
 
If the college has a Newman center for Catholic students, you might want to check with them if they have a Bible study/discussion group going on. Or call your diocese’s adult education division, or a monastery, a convent, or a religious order of priests. Chances are you’ll get much better teaching and discussion than you will get in a group that is essentially run by students.
 
Graciously thank your friends for their kind invitation, but politely refuse. You are almost certainly being set up for “conversion” to their way of thinking, and before you know it, you will be questioning your faith and led out of the Catholic Church. Your local parish or diocese should have some young adult groups you can join and meet other Catholic young people.
 
You might want to try a local parish (catholic) and check into their bible study program. There is no reason for your friends to be your age only! Think outside the box. It will help you in life in general to be able to make friends–real friends–with people of all different ages. Now, not everybody in any group will be “friends,” whether it is in your age group or not. And sometimes it takes time to develop a true friendship; this is normal. Be open and willing to learn. And talk to God (pray). “Oh, the places you’ll go!”
 
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