Well today, I’m working with a guy. He invites me to his Church. Seems like one of those little independent reformed baptist uniterian free episscopalian affairs - or something like that. I tell him Im grateful for the invite but I attend a catholic church and Im going to be received hopefully at easter.
He rolls his eyes. I say, dont tell me, WOB and all that - I dont want to hear it. He’s nice and says no, I have no problem with catholics. I know some nice ones. My only issue is Mary and Idol worship and Rosaries.
Hi Ag_not!
In my experience, anyone who rolls their eyes at me when I tell them I am Catholic pretty well ceases to be classed as “nice”. I don’t do that to them and I expect that same courtesy regardless of their opinion. But then I’m :irish1:.
So I explain my experiences, and he doesnt dismiss them. Like I said. He’s nice.
I then try to explain I dont worship statues. I dont honor Mary above God. I dont repeat pagan babbling phrases in the Rosary.
Good for you my friend. That took guts because it’s very much like a small child taking on a well armed and armored opponent, so I’m not surprised at all, at all that you feel like you got your head handed to you. Let’s see if I can help out here.
And I felt terrible. Empty. Everything he countered with made far more sense than anything I said. He was simple and polite. Asked nice easy questions. Example - Whats the point of the statues at all. I accept you dont worship them. I accept they direct your mind to God. But whats the point of them at all.
The point? He’s bein’ “an eejit” as we Irish often say.
As someone pointed out already, one doesn’t need photos of our friends and families, but we all have them. Have him pull out his wallet and ask him what’s the point?
Does he also take issue with all the statues in Washington DC? The statue of liberty? The beautiful sculptures and works of art in museums, some of which show us what people looked like thousands of years ago, and many of them are worthy of commemoration for things they have done.
In the case of the saints, these are depictions of them that remind us of their holy example with the goal of our imitation of their love and commitment to Christ. Does he also take issue with staues and images of Our Lord Himself? How silly.
He’s an iconoclast. Does he realize that that actually has it’s roots in Islam?
Iconoclasm: Or: Catholics Worship Graven Images NOT
You believe in transsubstanciation - so isnt just worshipping God alone enough.
Ah… if he can even pronounce that word then he’s not the “nice guy” you think he is but is actually someone who has an a-C agenda and has trained himself or been trained to use these arguments to disconcert the ill prepared Catholic. The sad part is that you are better prepared than many of our sisters and brothers. Let’s see if we can help that, okay?
Because of our belief in the Eucharistic Real Presence, we DO worship God alone, as taught in the New Testament. It is those who oppose this very scriptural doctrine who have strayed from the truth. Plesae feel free to print out the following article which will bury him the both teh scriptural and early church teaching on this.
The Eucharist IS Scriptural
Why the candles in front of a statue of a saint. ???
A good question here is simply, “why not?” He can’t make a good case against it because there is nothing in the Bible that would even hint at a prohibition. If he then wants to attack (and that is precisely what this eejit is doing)
The Intercession & Communion of Saints
let him have at it, but here again, his Bible will not support him.
And he had more. Tons more. And every answer I gave just seemed laughable even to my own ears.
You forgot one very simple and crtitcally important point my dear friend. He’s made his whole case on Sola Scriptura which is itself a modern error and new wind of doctrine that is itself not found within the Word of God nor the teachings of the Early Church. This is the first response that I often make when such people come my way mainly because it cuts to the chase and causes virtually every attack they have lined up to crumble because until they can make a viable case for it, all the rest of their beliefs (which have cascaded down from that fundamental error) they cannot proceed. (Though I can assure you that they will want to sidestep it after popped off some “proof texts”, but you need simply challenge them to show you that
explicit teaching in scripture, and refuse to proceed further until they do so.
(Cont’d)
