My first anti-catholic website!

[army_girl]

I know I really shouldn’t, but curiousity took over and I went searching for anti-catholic websites. I just wanted to know what everyone else is thinking. I have never known anything else and I have, up until now never had anyone challenge what I believe. But after reading this website I couldn’t believe it. Is this truely what others think of us? I would get into more details but I do not find it right to recite these horrible accusations
Lately, I have had more and more people challenging me on my beliefs, I don’t know where they are even coming from, or why the say these things to me, I have done nothing to them? This website has made me very upset, I don’t know how to act as I’m very confused by this whole thing.
I’m sure this has been brought up before, but I couldn’t hold back my anger, anyone have thoughts on how I can deal with these people. I don’t want to be rude or sound arrogant to them

God Bless
Amanda

 

[PhilotheaZ]

I advise you to stay away from these websites. Unless your Catholic faith is very strong and you are very well-versed in Catholic apologetics, you’re not going to have much success changing their minds, and you risk having your own faith weakened. That kind of material can be a real source of temptation. And the anger it has aroused in you is doing nobody any good.

Just stick to good Catholic websites and Catholic spiritual reading. And pray for those who are misguided.

 

[The_Catholic]

I know I really shouldn’t, but curiousity took over and I went searching for anti-catholic websites. I just wanted to know what everyone else is thinking. I have never known anything else and I have, up until now never had anyone challenge what I believe. But after reading this website I couldn’t believe it. Is this truely what others think of us? I would get into more details but I do not find it right to recite these horrible accusations
Lately, I have had more and more people challenging me on my beliefs, I don’t know where they are even coming from, or why the say these things to me, I have done nothing to them? This website has made me very upset, I don’t know how to act as I’m very confused by this whole thing.
I’m sure this has been brought up before, but I couldn’t hold back my anger, anyone have thoughts on how I can deal with these people. I don’t want to be rude or sound arrogant to them

God Bless
Amanda

I understand how you feel. I myself, actually, used to be one of those anti-Catholics I used all the silly, hateful arguments typical anti-Catholics use and had them all blown to smitherines upon reading up on Catholic Apologetics. So, now I’m Catholic and would never, can never return to Protestantism, as it remains void and empty, some of it even a bit childish.

By the way, your anger is not entirely a bad thing, it does hurt when we get our Faith bashed. Jesus grew angry when the Jews turned His temple into a “den of robbers.” Just don’t let your anger get the best of you. Turn it around through prayer, and a good read up on Catholic theology.

Visit Dave Armstrong’s socrates58.blogspot.com/ It’s a good site. He’s also a former Protestant.

Peace dear child

 

[Chiltepin]

anyone have thoughts on how I can deal with these people.

Yes, don’t go into their den. It’s dark, scary and dangerous in there!

I advise you to stay away from these websites. Unless your Catholic faith is very strong and you are very well-versed in Catholic apologetics, you’re not going to have much success changing their minds, and you risk having your own faith weakened. That kind of material can be a real source of temptation. And the anger it has aroused in you is doing nobody any good.

Just stick to good Catholic websites and Catholic spiritual reading. And pray for those who are misguided.

Or, this. This is more eloquently put.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

I know I really shouldn’t, but curiousity took over and I went searching for anti-catholic websites. I just wanted to know what everyone else is thinking. I have never known anything else and I have, up until now never had anyone challenge what I believe. But after reading this website I couldn’t believe it. Is this truely what others think of us? I would get into more details but I do not find it right to recite these horrible accusations
Lately, I have had more and more people challenging me on my beliefs, I don’t know where they are even coming from, or why the say these things to me, I have done nothing to them? This website has made me very upset, I don’t know how to act as I’m very confused by this whole thing.
I’m sure this has been brought up before, but I couldn’t hold back my anger, anyone have thoughts on how I can deal with these people. I don’t want to be rude or sound arrogant to them

God Bless
Amanda

Meh, anti-Catholics are on every other kind of forum, too. All it takes is one ‘Catholic’ news item for them to come out of the woodwork, even people who supposedly know you and respect your views.

Some will never change.

 

[RainDown]

I advise you to stay away from these websites. Unless your Catholic faith is very strong and you are very well-versed in Catholic apologetics, you’re not going to have much success changing their minds, and you risk having your own faith weakened.

This happened to me. Those sites made me leery of Marian prayers, and I’m still a little uncomfortable praying the rosary.

 

[lumenorientale]

I agree with what most people here are saying. But, when you are challenged, you’d better be ready to present a good defense for your faith. Start out by reading some good, solid Catholic apologetics materials. The ones you select will depend on the people you encounter that are challenging you. Are they evangelical/fundamentalists who attack Catholicism on the basis of misinformation? “Pillar of Fire, Pillar of Truth” is a good short pamphlet that you can both study yourself, and hand out to the folks who are confronting you. If you are dealing with atheists, Chesterton is best. Though it was the witness of love that softened and converted my then-atheist heart, Chesterton confirmed my new faith.

It is good that you can see the weaknesses in all the arguments of the anti-Catholic websites. But don’t hang out there too long, if at all. It can be rather depressing, just mainly because of the dark spirit that hovers over these sites.

Above all, pray.

 

[Paul_Folbrecht]

I advise you to stay away from these websites. Unless your Catholic faith is very strong and you are very well-versed in Catholic apologetics, you’re not going to have much success changing their minds, and you risk having your own faith weakened. That kind of material can be a real source of temptation. And the anger it has aroused in you is doing nobody any good.

Just stick to good Catholic websites and Catholic spiritual reading. And pray for those who are misguided.

I disagree with that. Unless one is really clueless about the history of Christianity and/or has been poorly catechized (and… uh… that never happens in the U.S.), one’s Catholic faith is likely to be strengthened by such attacks because it’s so obvious how weak they are.

Just make sure you arm yourself with knowledge of the faith by reading good Catholic apologists such as Hahn, Currie, Keating, Armstrong, etc.

Whether or not you want to engage such people in debate is a question only you can answer - some people are strongly called to such things (and given the gifts to do it well) and others, less so.

 

[theotikos]

I know I really shouldn’t, but curiousity took over and I went searching for anti-catholic websites. I just wanted to know what everyone else is thinking. I have never known anything else and I have, up until now never had anyone challenge what I believe. But after reading this website I couldn’t believe it. Is this truely what others think of us? I would get into more details but I do not find it right to recite these horrible accusations
Lately, I have had more and more people challenging me on my beliefs, I don’t know where they are even coming from, or why the say these things to me, I have done nothing to them? This website has made me very upset, I don’t know how to act as I’m very confused by this whole thing.
I’m sure this has been brought up before, but I couldn’t hold back my anger, anyone have thoughts on how I can deal with these people. I don’t want to be rude or sound arrogant to them

God Bless
Amanda

drb.scripturetext.com/colossians/2.htm
“As therefore you have received Jesus Christ the Lord, walk ye in him; 7 Rooted and built up in him, and confirmed in the faith, as also you have learned, abounding in him in thanksgiving. Beware lest any man cheat you by philosophy, and vain deceit; according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ:”

In context of the passage above, the Judaizers, Jews that sought to retain the 613 commandments and all of Mosaic law including circumcision were deriding believers away from the truth that it is by grace that we are saved, and whether one is circumcised or not does not have an effect on our salvation. The point is, Paul was warning them against those who use philosophy, and traditions and elements of the world and not that which is of Christ, because that is deception. Basically I sense you are visiting a website hostile to Catholics, and they will not believe you, instead they will put every theology, arguments, philosophy imagined to uphold their worldview, and I also advise to detach yourself and instead build yourself up in the faith. That is the best we can do, otherwise we’re cheated! If we build ourselves up, who can bring us down? So stay on sites like this and build yourself up in the faith, and live it the way you can. To avoid the faith does harm to your faith. Even the devil can be in those places, and knowing your a Christian will all the more try to take away from you what God has given you which is our precious faith for salvation from this world and to the next… On a side note, a read a website that called the rosary evil, and the apparitions, I could not take it, I emailed him in agitation but I had to tone down the email, and I put a deleted email account address so he couldn’t write back and believe me I defended my faith. But see I did it once and that was it. I no longer feel the need to argue with others over my faith, let it go, in the same time you can learn about your own. A Buddhist will learn the way of Buddha, and Mohammed and so on, let us truly understand our own faith, which is precious. We should take care of our faith because this world so lacks of it. Satan is the prince of this world, we are not of this world, Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords, and though we do not see it, when we die we will, and when the time comes Jesus is going to reign on earth to bring us peace! Don’t forget it!
I hope this helps

 

[theotikos]

This happened to me. Those sites made me leery of Marian prayers, and I’m still a little uncomfortable praying the rosary.

Wow you shouldn’t have let some stranger from a hostile website against Catholicism take away from you what your sentiments were or are about Mary
Maybe you should pray for your innocence to return to you. I know that you can ask Jesus to return what innocence you have left and if it is His will, why wouldn’t he say no. Jesus said we must be childlike to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. That is a trusting child of God. How dare anyone speak evil of Mary. It should be common sense that she is special to God, because God chose her womb, her genes, her motherhood and surrogate Joseph to raise Jesus and have a special plan in our salvation. That is why I don’t even get into it with unbelievers. I start disbelieving too and the peace is gone.

 

[stteresasgirl]

Yes, painful…isn’t it. However, the underlying drive for these websites are human pride and hate. To me, what bore Protestantism was a protest out of anger. (I say this with all due respect to our Protestant brothers…I am married to a Protestant, have many Protestant friends, and went to a Lutheran Univeristy for my undergrad.) Hurt, suffering, anger, doubt…these are the probable human feelings that planted themeselves within Martin Luther as a consequence of his personal experience within the Church. Then, these negative emotions resulted in actions very characteristic of human nature…a PROTEST.

However, are we called to act in a human-driven way in this world or in a divine way? Ultimately, it is that of the divine. Our faith founded by Jesus Christ was not a result of angry protest, but FULFILLMENT of God’s love and mercy outlined within the Old Testament. It was a blossoming of God’s love for His creatures. Out of love, Christ suffered. He did not fight back, He did not protest. So, in regards to these websites…HOW ARE THESE “CHRISTIANS” BEING CHRIST-LIKE? I tell you…they make a mockery of Jesus Christ. Yet, another nail driven into the hands and feet of Jesus! And the devil is loving every moment of it!

It hurts God to see His Church broken up. That is why we should pray and act in ways that support unity and love between ourselves and our neighbors. (While standing up for the basic truths of our faith.) Also, we must NOT return hate with hate. We must watch that we don’t respond back to these websites in the same manner of evil (as well as those who challenge our faith face to face).

God bless you and I pray that you do not become too disheartened. This is all tied to the Fall of Man. Please, unite your deep suffering and sadness with that of Jesus Christ. He, too, was personally attacked.

Peace,
stteresasgirl

 

[Epistemes]

I disagree with that. Unless one is really clueless about the history of Christianity and/or has been poorly catechized (and… uh… that never happens in the U.S.), one’s Catholic faith is likely to be strengthened by such attacks because it’s so obvious how weak they are.

I’ve experienced both sides of this issue: in having to confront “alleged truths” about Christianity and Catholicism in particular, I got so involved in the heady, intellectual debates that my true, Spirit-endowed faith began to suffer. It’s a great temptation to argue concepts, dogmas, and ideaologies to the expense of one’s true faith in Christ as Savior and Redeemer of the world – or, as St. Paul said, “knowledge puffeth up.” If we fail to internalize these intellectual concepts into our will and our actions, the faith is dead in us.

While it’s true that apologetics and debate can strengthen our faith, the apologetics must draw from faith *and *reason.

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

I am shocked too what is out there on sites that I would have never thought religion would be a part of the discussion…

I find on top of Catholic bashing…

Athiests… geesh… they post thier HATE on every website they can find.

very disturbing.

 

[John_Russell_Jr]

My dear friend

Just do what Jesus said to do. Pray for them and bless them as they persecute you.

Think about this quote and what happened to our Blessed Lord at this time-

Luke.23

27] And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him.
28] But Jesus turning to them said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
29] For behold, the days are coming when they will say, Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!' **30**] Then they will begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us’; and to the hills, `Cover us.’
31] For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”

God bless and peace to you:thumbsup: