Non-Catholics: Why are you here?

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mathematoons said:
I’ve noticed that there are a lot of non-Catholics here, and many of them seem to just want to argue with Church teachings. I can’t help but think they’re here to convert us.

However, I know that not all the non-Catholics are like that–I just can’t figure out why else they spend their time on a Catholic message board. So I thought I’d ask.

What brings you, as a non-Catholic, to Catholic Answers Forums?
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Before coming here, I was a member of the now defunct BBC “Christian topic” forum. it was infasted by Protestant evangelical fundamentalists and some sneering and jeering “anti-theists”, one of whom compared himself to an oncologist: he felt he had a mission to save us. Thank God he failed.

In those uncomfortable surroundings Anglicans, RCs and the one Methodist held the fort without resorting to abuse, as the others did.

When the forum closed I looked elsewhere. I like to discuss Chritianity and I specifically ruled out any anti-catholic forum. Also having lived in Ireland for four years, I enjoy being with RCs and value their views. I remain an Anglican but I have no “mission” to convert or to be converted.
 
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Swiss_Guy:
What brings so many Catholics to Protestant forums?🤷

IDK if I’ve ever seen a Catholic in a Protestant forum,.

The more RCs in Protestant forums the better.

There were various RCs in the former BBC Christian topic forum and they made a most valuable contribution. As did the handful of RCs in the (Anglican) Church of Ireland forum I belonged to.
 
I am certainly not here to try to convert anyone. Frankly, I think trying to do so would be a bit rude. If this was the “Discuss All Faiths Forum” it might be a different story, but coming to a Catholic forum to try to preach a different faith is not, er, kosher 😃

I’m here for a few reasons…

I truly believe that God is bigger than religion. Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others will see paradise. Worship God and be good to your fellow man and God will be pleased with you. I know orthodox Catholicism still teaches there is no salvation outside the Church, but I would say that of the thousands of Catholics I’ve known in my life (including many religious, Catholic school educators, etc.), virtually all would agree that there are many paths to the mountaintop. Regardless of numbers, Islam and Christianity are both part of the great tree of Abrahamic faiths.

I believe that the greatest threat in the world is secular atheism and the disabuse of religion. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have much in common and I think what unites us is greater than what divides us - especially when balanced with the worldly experience of substance abuse, war, porn, human exploitation, etc.

I also participate here to offer an Islamic perspective. I certainly don’t mind people who say “I disagree with Islamic beliefs about X and Y”. But I prefer people don’t say “I could never be a Muslim because they worship a moon god” or “Muslims hate Jesus” or other untruths. I hope people criticize/compare from a vantage point of full information. To the extent that I can explain, I do, though I am not a scholar.

And finally, I’m a comparative religions geek 🙂
 
hn160 said:
How can you have one foot in each camp and still be a true Christian?
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Aye, there’s the rub. Who is a “true Christian”? Christians have been debating that for 2000 years, including on this very forum!:rolleyes:
 
There are no coincidences with God. Our Father brings us here.

peace
 
samiam1611 said:
Short version: too strict.

Extended version: I don’t like how the Church tells people how to act and that if they don’t follow the rules, they are offending God and might even go to Hell. Even when one’s conscience says it’s okay to do something, the Church basically says nope you’re wrong. I don’t understand why the Church is so bossy, and I even more can’t understand why people let Her boss them around.
:hmmm:
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Short answer: Why do we let our parents boss us around when we’re children?

Long answer: If you believe Christianity holds the key to truth, then you accept the teachings of it, whether they’re hard or easy. Jesus never said following him would be easy, and said that many would fall away. Part of being a Christian is knowing that there are hard and difficult things you must accept as part of your sacrifice for following Christ. It’s not all ‘God loves you and wants you to be happy’ and pie-in-the-sky stuff.
 
AmericanMuslim said:
I am certainly not here to try to convert anyone. Frankly, I think trying to do so would be a bit rude. If this was the “Discuss All Faiths Forum” it might be a different story, but coming to a Catholic forum to try to preach a different faith is not, er, kosher 😃

I’m here for a few reasons…

I truly believe that God is bigger than religion. Christians, Jews, Muslims, and others will see paradise. Worship God and be good to your fellow man and God will be pleased with you. I know orthodox Catholicism still teaches there is no salvation outside the Church, but I would say that of the thousands of Catholics I’ve known in my life (including many religious, Catholic school educators, etc.), virtually all would agree that there are many paths to the mountaintop. Regardless of numbers, Islam and Christianity are both part of the great tree of Abrahamic faiths.

I believe that the greatest threat in the world is secular atheism and the disabuse of religion. Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have much in common and I think what unites us is greater than what divides us - especially when balanced with the worldly experience of substance abuse, war, porn, human exploitation, etc.

I also participate here to offer an Islamic perspective. I certainly don’t mind people who say “I disagree with Islamic beliefs about X and Y”. But I prefer people don’t say “I could never be a Muslim because they worship a moon god” or “Muslims hate Jesus” or other untruths. I hope people criticize/compare from a vantage point of full information. To the extent that I can explain, I do, though I am not a scholar.

And finally, I’m a comparative religions geek 🙂
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Great response! I agree with almost everything you say, except I feel the greatest threat in the world is not secular atheism but religious intolerance. In addition to learning about Catholicism, building bridges between faiths is another reason why I’m here. Like you, I’m also a comparative religions geek.
 
JonNC said:
For the Reformation to be resolved, this is an itch all of us Lutherans ought to have. 😉
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I am in complete agreement with Jon. I believe it is scandalous that Christians do not (or cannot) speak with one voice. My participation in this forum is, I hope, a witness to my support for the ecumenical efforts that seek to overcome nearly five hundred years of division.

It is a blessing to be able to discuss, with Catholics and non-Catholics, the common aspects of our faith and our differences, hoping that we will come to understand one another better and, as we are guided by the Holy Spirit, to move toward reconciliation.
 
Dunno for sure. Probably be some combination of
  • Bad habit
  • Like to have fellowship with Christians who are “not like me”
  • Like to argue (wife says I should have been a lawyer)
  • Would like to correct misunderstanding of my faith
  • Would like to understand other Christians better
  • Am sort-of-fascinated with Catholicism (do not mistake that with buying into it)
That is six possibilities off the bat…
 
samiam1611 said:
Short version: too strict.

Extended version: I don’t like how the Church tells people how to act and that if they don’t follow the rules, they are offending God and might even go to Hell. Even when one’s conscience says it’s okay to do something, the Church basically says nope you’re wrong. I don’t understand why the Church is so bossy, and I even more can’t understand why people let Her boss them around.
:hmmm:
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IMO, the Church just states the truth and some people have trouble with the truth when it conflicts with how they choose to live their lives. Have you ever read Paul’s letters to the various churches? The Church has an obligation to state the truth and not waiver based upon personal peferences. It always has and always will. But I have digressed from the topic.

God bless you.
 
Another reason I’m here (or more like, a reason I’ve stayed after my original question was answered) is that, similar to what some other people have said, I think it’s good for some diversity in a forum such as this. What I mean by that is, for example, one time I was reading an old thread and realized every single person was actually in agreement with one another…they were all just quoting the same sources and spouting the same rhetoric, for pages and pages…I just thought to myself, wow, these people sound almost brainwashed, they need someone to provoke them to examine their views and think instead of listen and obey. But that was an old thread so I brought my dissenting views to a more recent one :D.
Originally posted by meltzerboy
Great response! I agree with almost everything you say, except I feel the greatest threat in the world is not secular atheism but religious intolerance. In addition to learning about Catholicism, building bridges between faiths is another reason why I’m here. Like you, I’m also a comparative religions geek
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Agreed! Americanmuslim had a good post, other than the atheism part (IMO) and you and he have an important roles on this forum as knowledgable and well articulated in informing people and correcting them at times, on your own religions.
Originally posted by FabiusMaximus
Short answer: Why do we let our parents boss us around when we’re children?
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Bc that’s the role of parents. To develop our conscience, to teach us right from wrong…oh wait religion does that too doesn’t it? 😃 But sometimes I think religion oversteps its bounds. In principle, AND in practice.
Originally posted by FabiusMaximus
Long answer: If you believe Christianity holds the key to truth, then you accept the teachings of it, whether they’re hard or easy. Jesus never said following him would be easy, and said that many would fall away. Part of being a Christian is knowing that there are hard and difficult things you must accept as part of your sacrifice for following Christ. It’s not all ‘God loves you and wants you to be happy’ and pie-in-the-sky stuff.
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Yep that’s a good explanation. If I’m right though, you have made your life unnecessarily hard…of course if I’m wrong, I will spend an eternity in hell.
Originally posted by SteveVH
IMO, the Church just states the truth and some people have trouble with the truth when it conflicts with how they choose to live their lives.
Have you ever read Paul’s letters to the various churches? The Church has an obligation to state the truth and not waiver based upon personal peferences. It always has and always will. But I have digressed from the topic.
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I have not read his letters but if you give me a link I might check it out.

🙂
 
I got here because was preparing to marry a cradle Catholic. Since then of the religious themed message boards I visit the format of this one best fit my phone. However I changed phones to an android and that is no longer the case some I am not around as much.
 
I’m hear because my fiance is Catholic and I wanted to learn more about her faith since it’s important to her.
 
samiam1611 said:
A lot of what I knew/know about Catholicism is like the opposite of my opinions so for some reason it is interesting to me to hear other people explain themselves. While it would be kind of cool to “convert” someone (one guy said in a PM, “feel free to convert me!”) I have no expectations nor intentions of doing that.

I guess the main reason I joined this forum can be summed up like this: I would hate being Catholic, so I wanted to know why other people choose to be.

…and so far I still don’t get it.
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I love your pug!
 
I have always admired the Catholic Church and learned much from Catholic writers. I see most large protestant churches giving up any pretense of having a supernatural faith. Not being the type of person to change without considerable research and thought I am investigating the oldest churches. I find it helpful to see how Catholics defend their doctrine.

I also enjoy Catholic thinking. I learn a lot from Catholic arguments because even if I’m not, maybe only yet, in agreement they are always well reasoned.
 
I have not read his letters but if you give me a link I might check it out.

🙂

Try Romans, Hebrews, 1 and 2 Corinthians in the New Testament for starters. 😉
 
mathematoons said:
I’ve noticed that there are a lot of non-Catholics here, and many of them seem to just want to argue with Church teachings. I can’t help but think they’re here to convert us.

However, I know that not all the non-Catholics are like that–I just can’t figure out why else they spend their time on a Catholic message board. So I thought I’d ask.

What brings you, as a non-Catholic, to Catholic Answers Forums?
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I am a bit puzzled by your question
  • this is the only subforum that is dedicated to discussing the beliefs of non-catholics. This is where we belong on Catholic.com.
  • Mixing together all these faiths is bound to result in vigorous debates, some more civil than others.
  • I don’t see anyone being converted here. In fact that approach is expressly forbidden by the moderators.
No Catholics are forced to come to this sub-forum. They can spend their whole life discussing theology in the many excellent subforums focused on various aspects of the Catholic faith.

Personally, I post here to learn about other faiths, answer questions and educate people about my faith, and to be challenged.
 
When I was a member of the Churches of Christ in Christian Union denomination, an issue came up that I could not accept and I flirted with Secular Humanism and Agnosticism. So, I started researching what different churches teach since deep down I knew that ultimately I couldn’t turn my back on Jesus. When I typed in “catholic beliefs” into my search engine I discovered Catholic Answers. After a month or two of studying the info on Catholic Answers and cross referencing other websites, I enrolled in RCIA and joined the Church in 2004 much to the disappointment of my parents.
 
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