Non-Catholics- Were you once prejudiced against Catholics?

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Just a thought. Were you non-catholics once anti-catholics? Did this website helped change your thinking?

Edit: What was I thinking? Fellow Catholics, you can’t vote on the poll.
 
I was NEVER - EVER anti Catholic

And yes, I did participate on your vote poll…
 
If you love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ, you are my brother/sister in Christ.
I was brought up believing that way…Christians are Christians. He sis say, after all, “By this may they know that ye are My disciples, if you love one another”.
 
Inquiringperson said:
Just a thought. Were you non-catholics once anti-catholics? Did this website helped change your thinking?

Edit: What was I thinking? Fellow Catholics, you can’t vote on the poll.
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You really need to define what you mean by “anti-Catholic”
 
I had all kinds of issues with the Catholic faith before my final conversion. I was definitely hostile, at times.
 
I guess since I haven’t been confirmed yet I can answer.

As an evangelical Baptist, Pentecostal and non-denominational person, absolutely. The churches I attended saw Catholics as idolaters who smoked, drank (all things we weren’t allowed to do).

Not to mention, growing up in NYC, all the mafioso were Catholic.

Furthermore, most went to mass out of tradition and didn’t know their bibles. They were all living in darkness and sin and needed to be saved.

Also the one cousin I have who is catholic goes to mass every morning but after mass she has her own business as a “spiritual counselor”. Ha ha. She reads tarot cards and does magical things for money.

So that’s what I knew about Catholics.

During the past 6 years, while attending a liberal reformed church that didn’t judge at all, my views changed somewhat especially since the church has an amazing nun bible scholar on staff.

But I still saw Carholics as not really being serious about their religion until I found this site and EWTN.

What a surprise it was to find practicing, serious Catholics. Thus began my journey to conversion.

As prejudiced as I was against Catholics, it never occurred to me that some Catholics are prejudiced against Protestants. That came as a surprise.
 
No I never have been. Then again I have never been prejudice against any religon. I wish everyone could be unified.
 
ESMDHokie77 said:
rejecting of any or all of the Catholic faith, or being aggressive towards Catholics and their faith.
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I think this has to be too broad…rejecting “any” of the Catholic faith would mean that any person who doesn’t accept all of the Catholic faith would be anti-Catholic. That would be essentially all Protestants and most(?) Catholics if we define Catholic faith as being letter for letter what the Vatican states…

…also, I really think that you would have to define what you mean by “aggressive” 😉
 
Radical said:
I think this has to be too broad…rejecting “any” of the Catholic faith would mean that any person who doesn’t accept all of the Catholic faith would be anti-Catholic. That would be essentially all Protestants and most(?) Catholics if we define Catholic faith as being letter for letter what the Vatican states…

…also, I really think that you would have to define what you mean by “aggressive” 😉
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How about people rejecting any aspect of the Catholic faith, repeatedly. I’m sure you know what I mean. It’s on these forums often. A discussion takes place and all arguments are presented, then another thread with the same subject starts and the rejections are repeated, with the same arguments and even ‘accusations’ Accusations being when Catholics are told what they believe, even if they take time to explain it’s a wrong understanding of what is reality. An example being, some accuse Catholics of worshiping Mary. Catholics explain that is wrong and in a new discussion the same accusation arises and very often by the same people.

Then there’s those who enter into discussions, reject all aspects of Catholicism without explanations or documentation. When questions or points are raised, those people seem to avoid answering questions or addressing points raised.
 
Another ‘subtle’ form of ‘anti’ is when someone announces converting, or possibly converting, and posts are worded in what appears to be an attempt to make the person rethink their position. If Catholics are truly viewed as Christians by Protestants it would seem there would be support, without opposition.
 
Being raised hard-core Southern Baptist by my grandmother, I find myself rejecting many practices by the Catholic faith. I’ve been attending mass for over a year now, about 3 times a month. I’ve been looking up views, like the topic as to if communion can be taken by “non-catholic” attendees. I’ve only had one person tell me that I may take part in communion. The other 6 or 7 people tell me that I must attend RCIA.

I also was raised that Catholicism was a “dead” religion. I had no friends at school that were Catholic. Of course, my last boy friend (I’m in college) was Catholic and I still attend mass with him.

Some of the teachings like the bread and “juice” actually turn to the body and blood are hard for me to comprehend as I am a scientist and everything has to be proven to me. I just don’t see how it’s possible for this to happen.

I also was raised that I only have to talk to God about my problems, and no action besides repenting from my sins and trying not to commit the sin again is needed.

The Baptism age is a little squirmy for me too… I was baptized after I “got saved” (or admitted that I was a sinner, believed that Jesus Christ was my savior and confessed my sins) as a testament to the “Christian Community” that I have decided to follow God’s path.

I know that many of my beliefs contradict the Catholic beliefs and that’s why I have to say that I reject some of the principles…

I’ve tried (and I’m trying) to understand what Catholics believe and why they believe what they do, but some of the concepts do not line up to me. It’s something I’m trying to overcome.

I wouldn’t say that I’m hostile necessarily, but then, I’m more hostile towards anyone that tells me “God loves you” when I’m not in a church setting. It’s my choice whether I want to hear the Word or not. If I do want to hear It, I will attend a church. But when I’m walking down the aisle at Walmart, I believe I have the right to have a silence of religions.
 
Prodigal_Son1 said:
How about people rejecting any aspect of the Catholic faith, repeatedly.
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no…I (personally) think that is still too broad…if a fellow is presented with the argument for transubstantiation (for example) 7 times and still thinks that the Catholic teaching should be rejected…is that person necessarily an anti-Catholic? Think how many Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant and Catholic brothers would be tarred by that brush…but let’s see what the Oposter has to say
A discussion takes place and all arguments are presented, then another thread with the same subject starts and the rejections are repeated,…
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true …sometimes it seems that there is nothing new under the sun.
 
Radical said:
no…I (personally) think that is still too broad…if a fellow is presented with the argument for transubstantiation (for example) 7 times and still thinks that the Catholic teaching should be rejected…is that person necessarily an anti-Catholic? Think how many Orthodox, Anglican, Protestant and Catholic brothers would be tarred by that brush…but let’s see what the Oposter has to say

true …sometimes it seems that there is nothing new under the sun.
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I could accept it was too broad, if you hadn’t only responded to a part of what I defined. What about the repeated accusations of what Catholics believe, even after a Catholic explains the error?
 
Prodigal_Son1 said:
I could accept it was too broad, if you hadn’t only responded to a part of what I defined. What about the repeated accusations of what Catholics believe, even after a Catholic explains the error?
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yep, that part I think is fair…Catholics (and everyone else for that matter) should be allowed to define their own beliefs…though it sometimes (but rarely) gets a little trickier defining the official position of the CC on a subtle matter…one Catholic may say “X” and another may say “Y”.
 
I was raised Lutheran and my early attitude toward Catholicism was heavily influenced by the pastor who confirmed me. He was a virulent anti-Catholic and made sure that we believed that the Catholic Church was the right arm of the devil. That colored my impression of the Catholic Church for quite a few years.

In college I studied music and, in a music history class part of our study of early music was church music and, particularly the Mass as it developed. When I first read the translation of the Ordinary of the Latin Mass, I was amazed that it was identical to what we used in the Lutheran church.

Going ahead a number of years, when our oldest daughter was ready to enter kindergarten my wife was not impressed with the local public school and, one day, asked me what I would think about sending our daughter to the local parochial school. She explained that she thought it would be best to send our daughter to a school where there would be a serious Christian influence. I sort of took a deep breath and said something like “if you think it’s the best way to go I guess we can do it.”

Eventually, all three of our daughters went to the same school and thrived there. They are all still Lutherans but they benefited greatly from their Catholic education. I do remember, though, trying to discourage them from saying the “Hail Mary” when they said their bedtime prayers.

Further on, there came from our oldest daughter, then a student at Lenoir-Rhyne College (a Lutheran college in Hickory, NC) a brochure for what was called the Aquinas-Luther Conference held at the college. My wife and I attended and were impressed by the speakers and the commitment of the conference to increase understanding between Lutherans and Catholics. This led to my doing some fairly extensive reading about Catholicism and, as a result, coming to have a very positive view of Catholicism even if I don’t agree with every jot and tittle of Catholic doctrine.

That a brief history of my journey from being somewhat anti-Catholic (I never quite believed all the horrible things my pastor told us in confirmation class) to one who is happy to recognize Catholics as my brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
I was convinced Catholics weren’t real Christians and were deluded about Christianity until about 7 or 8 years ago when I met two of my mother’s Catholic friends. They were elderly women with health problems but they were kind, patient, and prayed a lot. God answered their prayers. That got me thinking that perhaps maybe I was wrong about Catholics.😉
 
I am a Protestant, in that I’m not Catholic or Orthodox, and that I like Luther and Calvin, but I’ve never had a problem with Catholics, and a few of my favorite Christian writers are Catholic.

I’m a member of Assemblies of God, but sometimes I go to an Episcopalian or Lutheran church when I get in a liturgical mood.
 
Well, I voted before I saw your request to not have Catholics vote, but since I am a convert, perhaps that doesn’t taint your sample too much.

Big things that changed my opinion of Catholicism:
  1. Pope John Paul II - If you didn’t admire him, then you were probably on the wrong side of things in general. For all of what I would have termed the “weird folklore” of Catholicism, I came to see that I held more in common with Catholics than not.
  2. My wife. (Oops. Did I just create a list of “big” things and include my wife? Honey, I meant “important” things! )
 
I have never been anti Catholic. I’ve never really been anti any legit established religon that was peaceful.

I’d love to see an anti protestant poll, as being married to a Catholic I have encountered that a lot.
 
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