My non-practicing Catholic mother wants to join the Lutheran church. What should I do?

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WildCatholic

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My mother is a Catholic convert from Lutheranism (she was a part of the ELCA branch) and was active in that faith. She basically converted so she could marry my dad, who’s parents didn’t want him to marry a non-catholic. She also didn’t think that the two religions were that different (they aren’t, but still its the relativistic belief that all religions are the same, which I dislike a lot) However, she did practice with us kids and went to mass and received the sacraments in spite of being pro-choice and pro gay marriage and generally supporting liberal causes (not actively, it’s not like she is a NARAL member or anything like that :eek:).
Anyway, she hasn’t attended church in about two or so years, but lately has felt called to return to a church. She likes Pope Francis (for the wrong reasons though) and also feels part of it is our current priest (he doesn’t really talk to us much, and this is a really small parish where he could easily try to make an effort, but thats for another post). However, she’s also considered returning to the Lutheran church (interestingly enough, an LCMS church, though i don’t think she cares, and in spite of their pro life stance i don’t think they are as active in the fight as the catholic church is).

My big question is what do i do. I’m the only strong Catholic in my family, and while i’m glad my mom wants to go back to church, what do I say when she says when she’s thinking of going to a non-catholic church? I would rather her go to a Catholic church (ii’ve often said if she can’t stand the priest at our parish, attended another one, since she doesn’t get the idea that a mass is about God and not the preacher/priest even though i’ve tried to explain it). However, i don’t know if she ever really became catholic in spite of going through RCIA since she really only did it to please my dad’s family. In all honesty I just want to know what to do about this situation, other than pray that is:thumbsup:. So what should I do? Sorry for the long post

God Bless!!!

WildCatholic!
 
What do you do? Encourage her to return to the practice of the Catholic faith.

She came into full communion with the Catholic Church and received the sacrament of confirmation. She is a Catholic, canonically and ontologically. No going back. Yes, she “really” became Catholic through her profession of faith and confirmation.

So, continue to pray for her and encourage her to go to reconciliation and return to the Catholic Church.
 
I’ve never had any luck convincing any of the women in my life anything! I tell them the opposite of what I think or say nothing at all. HA!

I don’t think it is possible to turn away from being Catholic at this point if she is confirmed, that would be a pretty serious matter. She cannot claim ignorance on that one if I am not mistaken.

I don’t have a catechism in front of me but maybe someone else would know.
 
As long as she knows God loves and Jesus saves, who cares. Everything else doesn’t matter as Proverbs 3:5 tells us not to go by your own understanding. Apparently we were created without the ability to understand, so all the other dogma doesn’t matter. She will be justified and saved at death and is that not all that matters? If this gets her closer to God, then so be it. I’m not a believer and that’s how I see it.
 
WildCatholic said:
So what should I do? Sorry for the long post

God Bless!!!

WildCatholic!
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Really it is very simple…

You just have to tell her why she wants to do anything with a Church founded by someone like Luther who was instrumental in the massive killing of Jews in Germany. Just tell her to go and read a little tractate that wrote Luther called: **“On the Jews and their Lies”, **in this little tractate Luther instructs the authorities in Germany against the Jews and describes in such a detail the “Crystal Nacht” that we can be sure that his idea was put into practice by Hitler.

Hope this helps.
And keep praying to God for her I also will say a prayer.
In the love of Christ and our Catholic Church,
Gloria
 
Gloria_de_G said:
Really it is very simple…

You just have to tell her why she wants to do anything with a Church founded by someone like Luther who was instrumental in the massive killing of Jews in Germany. Just tell her to go and read a little tractate that wrote Luther called: **“On the Jews and their Lies”, **in this little tractate Luther instructs the authorities in Germany against the Jews and describes in such a detail the “Crystal Nacht” that we can be sure that his idea was put into practice by Hitler.

Hope this helps.
And keep praying to God for her I also will say a prayer.
In the love of Christ and our Catholic Church,
Gloria
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unfortunately, our own church has not been immune to antisemitism either.
 
angell1 said:
unfortunately, our own church has not been immune to antisemitism either.
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True. When I think of historically antisemitic religious groups Lutherans are not the first to come to mind.
 
angell1 said:
unfortunately, our own church has not been immune to antisemitism either.
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I would not say the Church was antisemitic, some Catholics were yes. Some Catholic Kings, yes. Even some clergy, sure… but not the Church herself.
 
Gloria_de_G said:
Really it is very simple…

You just have to tell her why she wants to do anything with a Church founded by someone like Luther who was instrumental in the massive killing of Jews in Germany. Just tell her to go and read a little tractate that wrote Luther called: **“On the Jews and their Lies”, **in this little tractate Luther instructs the authorities in Germany against the Jews and describes in such a detail the “Crystal Nacht” that we can be sure that his idea was put into practice by Hitler.

Hope this helps.
And keep praying to God for her I also will say a prayer.
In the love of Christ and our Catholic Church,
Gloria
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No offense, shaming other religions is not a great way to win converts. Even if this worked, would it make her a better catholic. To me this is no better than when evangelical groups and atheists bash catholics because of disrespect towards women or jews, so to me doing the same to Lutherans isn’t fair.
 
First off, you might want to ask yourself the question: Am I God or is God, God?

God gave your mother free will, you didn’t.

What is wrong with your mother using her God-given free will?

Seems as if quite a few Catholics are not very catholic.

I am really glad that Jesus, on the cross, said, “Father forgive them” as opposed to saying, ‘Father forgive them only if they are Catholic’.

“When the Son of Man comes will He find faith?”, or will He find only “religion”.

I have met Who is referred to as God the Father and Who is referred to as the Holy Spirit and neither are human nor Catholic and Jesus, God-Incarnate, was born a Jew, lived as a Jew and died a Jew, Jesus, God-Incarnate, was not a Catholic either.

Seems to me that some of the people that believe in God are going to be more surprised when they meet God than some of those that do not believe in God.
 
The catholic church has everything that is in the Lutheran church, why not ask her what she is looking for that isn’t right there in her own church.
 
WildCatholic said:
No offense, shaming other religions is not a great way to win converts. Even if this worked, would it make her a better catholic. To me this is no better than when evangelical groups and atheists bash Catholics because of disrespect towards women or Jews, so to me doing the same to Lutherans isn’t fair.
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Sorry but I am just quoting** historical facts.** Luther wrote a book that still is around and never has been band. Their is people still calling themselves by this name, even though he was instrumental for Hitler’s massacred of Jews. And you tell me that I am shaming other religions, if I was inventing this and just accusing Luther with not basis I will agree with you, but these are historical facts I repeat and if are uncomfortable, that is their problem, they could become Catholics again, because that is what they were before Luther did break with the Catholic Church.

The truth is first,
Gloria

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Gloria_de_G said:
Sorry but I am just quoting** historical facts.** Luther wrote a book that still is around and never has been band. Their is people still calling themselves by this name, even though he was instrumental for Hitler’s massacred of Jews. And you tell me that I am shaming other religions, if I was inventing this and just accusing Luther with not basis I will agree with you, but these are historical facts I repeat and if are uncomfortable, that is their problem, they could become Catholics again, because that is what they were before Luther did break with the Catholic Church.

The truth is first,
Gloria

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I encourage you to do some reading and research into the antisemitic history of your own faith first, and shortly after learn more about the Holocaust.

I really don’t like discussions that revolve around “So and so was a ______, and so and so was a _______.” It’s stupid and has no relevance today. My best friend is a Lutheran, and she just married a very nice Jewish man. Throwing out charges of antisemitism, especially when her church does not teach that, wouldn’t get you very far with her. I feel like you’re implying that Lutherans have the blood of the Holocaust on their hands, and that’s irresponsible, bigoted, and incorrect. That’s kind of like atheists who scream that Pope Benedict was in Hitler’s Youth. Well, he was, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

Hitler was more crazy than anything. There are numerous statements that could link him to Catholicism, Deism, and atheism. He professed whatever would work to his advantage at any given moment. That’s kind of how deranged dictators work.
 
BlueEyedLady said:
I encourage you to do some reading and research into the antisemitic history of your own faith first, and shortly after learn more about the Holocaust.

I really don’t like discussions that revolve around “So and so was a ______, and so and so was a _______.” It’s stupid and has no relevance today. My best friend is a Lutheran, and she just married a very nice Jewish man. Throwing out charges of antisemitism, especially when her church does not teach that, wouldn’t get you very far with her. I feel like you’re implying that Lutherans have the blood of the Holocaust on their hands, and that’s irresponsible, bigoted, and incorrect. That’s kind of like atheists who scream that Pope Benedict was in Hitler’s Youth. Well, he was, but there’s a lot more to it than that.

Hitler was more crazy than anything. There are numerous statements that could link him to Catholicism, Deism, and atheism. He professed whatever would work to his advantage at any given moment. That’s kind of how deranged dictators work.
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I am not saying anything about the blood in their hands, I am saying that their founder was a potencial murderer, because if even though he did not murder any Jew, he really rally that. And the best thing that they could do is to band his book as insane. I also have friends that are Lutherans and not because of that Luther did not write his horrible work on the Jews. Go and read it first if you want to argue about what I am saying, or you are like those who like just to opposed what others say even though you never have read what I quote?

I am not answering you any more,
But many thanks for your advise to do so more reading, never is too much,
Gloria

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I can so field this one…

LCMS is MORE conservative than the Catholic church. Some churches are so strict about 1st Timothy that women are not even allowed to do readings during the service.

ELCA has some good and bad. But communion is not the same. It is symbolic only.
 
My friend who I mentioned earlier grew up LCMS and left it for the ELCA because of their beliefs regarding women, homosexuality, and abortion. She also views communion as purely symbolic.

Her brother, who is still LCMS, is actually so devout that at her wedding he refused to read anything out of the gospel, because he is not an ordained minister.
 
lutheran_farmer said:
I can so field this one…

LCMS is MORE conservative than the Catholic church. Some churches are so strict about 1st Timothy that women are not even allowed to do readings during the service.

ELCA has some good and bad. But communion is not the same. It is symbolic only.
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But please now that you are here, could you please tell us if you know the work by Luther On the Jews and their Lies

Does the Lutheran Church has taken any stand against this work?

Dis you know that Luther was instrumental for the Crystal Nacht, since all what happen was describe clearly in that work of Luther on the Jews?

I will appreciate very much your answers to my questions since you are a Lutheran.

Many thanks in advance,
Gloria

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Gloria_de_G said:
But please now that you are here, could you please tell us if you know the work by Luther On the Jews and their Lies

Does the Lutheran Church has taken any stand against this work?

Dis you know that Luther was instrumental for the Crystal Nacht, since all what happen was describe clearly in that work of Luther on the Jews?

I will appreciate very much your answers to my questions since you are a Lutheran.

Many thanks in advance,
Gloria

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Would you please stop saying that Luther was instrumental in the Holocaust? He was dead hundreds of years before it happened. Furthermore, like most “historical facts”, the influence of Luther on Kristallnacht is debated.

And if you really want to keep harping on this, why not consider that while Luther did not kill any Jews, many Nazi leaders were devout Catholics, and when Pope Pius was asked if he was going to oppose the extermination of the Jews, he responded with: “Dear friend, do not forget that millions of Catholics serve in the German armies. Shall I bring them into conflicts of conscience?” Even JPII said that the Catholic church needed to consider it’s responsibility in the Holocaust.
 
BlueEyedLady said:
Would you please stop saying that Luther was instrumental in the Holocaust? He was dead hundreds of years before it happened. Furthermore, like most “historical facts”, the influence of Luther on Kristallnacht is debated.

And if you really want to keep harping on this, why not consider that while Luther did not kill any Jews, many Nazi leaders were devout Catholics, and when Pope Pius was asked if he was going to oppose the extermination of the Jews, he responded with: “Dear friend, do not forget that millions of Catholics serve in the German armies. Shall I bring them into conflicts of conscience?” Even JPII said that the Catholic church needed to consider it’s responsibility in the Holocaust.
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Do you really think I am an idiot? I am saying that Luther was instrumental because he left a writing (On the Jews and their Lies) that inspired Hitler in they way he acted against the Jews.

But I can see that you just like to talk and argue and not even know what Luther wrote. Go and read that tractate and then we talk again.

Gloria

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