Non Catholic friendships

[Avocadomom]

When you truly follow Christ, He becomes all consuming. As our Lord said, He wants us either hot or cold, not lukewarm.
There are other issues I am not commenting on in this public forum, but suffice it to say that our two families are worlds apart and it would not have been a compatible match.

People who are passionate about anything need to know when to change the subject and move on. Jesus does not wish for us to be so intolerant of others that we seek out only an extremely narrow segment of the population for potential friendships. Just because people do not wish to discuss the faith or Jesus non-stop does not mean they are not deeply holy people. They just might be more private or mature in their relationship with God.

You have received good advice on this thread, but have argued with almost every point. I think you should ponder that.

Best of luck making friends.

 

[BlueEyedLady]

When you truly follow Christ, He becomes all consuming. As our Lord said, He wants us either hot or cold, not lukewarm.
There are other issues I am not commenting on in this public forum, but suffice it to say that our two families are worlds apart and it would not have been a compatible match.

Right. Then why start this thread? If you don’t like this girl, and you don’t like her for reasons you refuse to reveal, then what did you hope to gain from this?

Sorry, but she’s married to a Catholic man and participates in his parish. I have a hard time believing that she’s a rabid, anti-Catholic nut. On the other hand, you have argued every point and blown off a friendship with a couple because the wife doesn’t pray to the virgin mary.

 

[AKatelijneA]

I am a married working mother. Although I have tried, I do not have an easy time making friends with other Catholic women in my age group. I have two older Catholic women friends, but the rest are Protestant or Catholics accepting of other denominations. I enjoy supplementing with Baptist services and fellowship. (Catholics don’t have fellowship, sadly, and the little they do have does not work… in my area.)

This said, this non-Catholic young lady obviously doesn’t have a problem with Catholics because she married one and goes to his church. (As others have said.) And, as at least one other person has said, there are Catholics who have problems with the BVM, Rosary, etc- some of them are my friends.

I’ve often gotten A LOT of inspiration from non-Catholics who were Baptists, fundamentalists, or evangelical. Their guidance repaired my Christianity. I owe them so much, that I could never write off someone for not being Catholic. We focus on CHRIST.

 

[CatholicWhovian]

lol, filipino’s are about it. We do discuss “regular” things, but Catholicism is such an important part of our lives, its hard not to.

As a Filipino, I agree. I’m not afraid to talk about religion; I am fascinated by how people live out their beliefs, whatever those beliefs are. But paradoxically I am sensitive about other peoples’ thoughts about religion in general because of having an experience of confronting many anti-religious people on the Internet. I made it a point to warn them how sensitive I am on the subject before asking them what religion or belief system they are following.

I have Lutheran friends. One of them is a son of a priest, and sometimes we talk about each other’s faith. He respects my Catholic faith and I respect his Lutheran faith. All of my questions about Lutheranism are out of curiosity because it’s rare to find pre-Methodist Protestant groups here in the Philippines. We don’t usually debate about Catholicism; but when we do… I feel like he’s channeling his ahem “inner Luther” lol

I also have born-again Christian friends, however I started not talking to them when I realized how sometimes they can be wrong and unfair in some aspects. No offense to anyone who is a born-again Christian out there; there’s just something about their particular church that annoys me somewhat. My best friend was once a born-again Christian before he became Catholic - again. We had a rocky relationship before he came back Home.

I also have irreligious friends. I’m actually planning to have some in the future, but I’m more cautious about them obviously when it comes to matters of religion.

Sidenote:
@jabjab42483: Are you Filipino? Doesn’t look like it in your profile pic. hahahaha

 

[underacloud]

My closest friends have generally been protestant, or even agnostic/athiest. Outside of my family, and my parish, I actually don’t know very many Catholics.

I have shared my faith when relevant, and hearing a Catholic talking about their faith is often very eye-opening for protestants, many of whom have some serious misconceptions regarding Catholic theology and practices.

Many of my closest friends also have different perspectives on politics, or follow a different football team, or work in a different field, or like different music (I even have a friend who’s into K-pop), etc… None of which I have found to be reasons to shun their friendship. OK, the football thing can be hard sometimes…

 

[AKatelijneA]

I have lunch in the building’s cafeteria with Protestants. They do not believe in Marian’s perpetual virginity. They mentioned it when a Jewish coworker as about Mary’s virginity. We stated the Catholic and Protestant sides. The Protestants disagreed with me, but I am not going to give up good lunch company over religion. They have been such kind, sweet people. I look forward to eating with them.

 

[KathleenGee]

Some how I cannot believe America’s material blessings, etc., have caused Catholics to lose the sense of the Lord in a personal relationship with them. Yes, they know Him through the Church, the liturgy…but so many of us are so so busy and really enslaved to the demands of the world.

It takes me hours to go through all the junk mail pouring in every week to remove my name, etc.

Etc., Etc., Etc.

We need to make time for God…and now again is the time of St. Francis of Assisi…the need for penance…consider his letter to Catholics written in 1221 or so. We learn from him how much Our Lord loved holy poverty.

The more we are detached from things and attached to Christ, the more we can have friendships with others who share the same sentiment but may go to other churches or beliefs…

 

[AKatelijneA]

Some how I cannot believe America’s material blessings, etc., have caused Catholics to lose the sense of the Lord in a personal relationship with them. Yes, they know Him through the Church, the liturgy…but so many of us are so so busy and really enslaved to the demands of the world.

It takes me hours to go through all the junk mail pouring in every week to remove my name, etc.

Etc., Etc., Etc.

We need to make time for God…and now again is the time of St. Francis of Assisi…the need for penance…consider his letter to Catholics written in 1221 or so. We learn from him how much Our Lord loved holy poverty.

The more we are detached from things and attached to Christ, the more we can have friendships with others who share the same sentiment but may go to other churches or beliefs…

Well said, KathleenGee!!!

 

[Joy2day]

i wish we lived near you, it is so difficult to find Catholics who want to talk about Jesus. usually after one get together, we’re not invited back, and i’m fine with that because i can’t take anymore banal small talk in my life.

you sound extremely interesting… guaranteed to get things going at the parish dinner night :extrahappy::clapping:

 

[twf]

There will always be people with whom we simply cannot get along and must, for various reasons, avoid…but in my own personal experience, the most effective means of evangelization is by building friendships with non-Catholics and simply show them Christ’s love. How can we expect to fulfill Our Lord’s command and the Pope / Bishops call for a New Evangelization if we avoid non-Catholics? This doesn’t mean preaching at our non-Catholic friends every chance we get either…we must, as St. Paul put it, be “all things to all men”. My own parents were quite anti-Catholic a decade ago (I am a convert), but after 10 years of simply being a good son and sharing my faith at opportune moments, I now have both of them praying the Divine Office on almost a daily basis…

 

[yellowbird]

I bet the Catholic husband is disappointed you won’t be friends with his wife. If my husband didn’t share my faith and he became friends with a Catholic man, I would be so hopeful that the relationship would lead to him becoming more interested in the Church. However that would never happen if it were obvious that’s what the new friend were trying to accomplish. Nobody likes to be converted.

At any rate, you said there were things you couldn’t say - so if it’s best to end the relationship so be it, you certainly aren’t obligated. I hope they find another couple in the Church who are a better match.

 

[otjm]

i wish we lived near you, it is so difficult to find Catholics who want to talk about Jesus. usually after one get together, we’re not invited back, and i’m fine with that because i can’t take anymore banal small talk in my life.

Banal small talk?

Banal?

Small talk?

Sorry, but that comes across as so thoroughly stuck up (aka self important) that I am not surprised that you are not invited back.

“Love one another as I have loved you” is the command Christ gave us.

Possibly, just possibly, that might include "banal small talk’? Or are you so superior to all those other unwashed fools that you are fine with their reaction to you?

You may be a very kind, generous and loving person, but sorry, that comment comes across as so full of yourself that it is totally understandable that you might not be invited back.

 

[ajaxbogs]

The Catechism (CCC) calls baptized Protestant Christians our brothers and sisters (i.e. family). I put up with “silliness” in my family because well…they’re family and I love them! Now if the “silliness” is hurting my faith, then there’s something called boundaries, which is a different topic.