Nuttiest Things Non-Catholics Have Said or Done Around You Because You're Catholic

[Wannano]

Do you really think that’s what Catholic do? And yes I do pray to the figures in the nativity scene but not to the statues but to whom they represent like Jesus for instance do you have a problem with me praying to Jesus? Please get back on topic. By the way I can’t recall ever buying 2 a statue sometimes I will go toward the Tabernacle which has the real presence of Jesus Christ or the altar which by the way is a Jewish practice, but I don’t recall ever been to a statue I might need before a statue but I am kneeling before almighty God am I not? I know the difference between a statue and what it represents I live in the south we have statues everywhere. There is a statue in the city of Aiken next to the Old Courthouse I think they might still use it as a municipal courthouse it is of someone a judge who was very important in the city’s history. Do you really think the people who go and take pictures of that statue are worshipping it? Do you think the people who sit down next to it are worshipping it? Do you think the people who put it up actually thought this guy was a god? As to the OP I think this is a good example

Adam, you got me wrong. No, I understand what you are saying here and that is why I commented at all on the joke. The joke inferred "look how stupid those protestants are, they think we worship statues when we really don’t but now look, those same narrow minded protestants are worshipping the nativity statues just like they think we do.

Lenten Ashes has written many good posts and thoughts that I have appreciated. I find his aattempts at humor on CAF troublesome as in my opinion it seems to come from an inner need of his own to castigate protestants in a manner not consistent with the Golden Rule. Seems to be a problem with former protestants.

 

[Kay_Cee]

I’m not sure if this is nutty or just plan mean (you be the judge), but a co-worker of my father once told him that he would eat fish on any day of the week except Friday because that’s when the Catholics ate it and he didn’t want to be mistaken for one.

Even I as a non-Catholic thought that was kind of nutty.

I heard something similar. While in high school a fellow student told me he would never be Catholic because Catholics have to eat fist on Fridays, and he didn’t like fish.

 

[Padres1969]

I’m not sure if this is nutty or just plan mean (you be the judge), but a co-worker of my father once told him that he would eat fish on any day of the week except Friday because that’s when the Catholics ate it and he didn’t want to be mistaken for one.

Even I as a non-Catholic thought that was kind of nutty.

Does he limit it to Lent or does he do that all year? Because if he’s not eating Fish on Fridays during seasons other than Lent I might mistake him for Catholic.

 

[phil19034]

Adam, you got me wrong. No, I understand what you are saying here and that is why I commented at all on the joke. The joke inferred "look how stupid those protestants are, they think we worship statues when we really don’t but now look, those same narrow minded protestants are worshipping the nativity statues just like they think we do.

Lenten Ashes has written many good posts and thoughts that I have appreciated. I find his aattempts at humor on CAF troublesome as in my opinion it seems to come from an inner need of his own to castigate protestants in a manner not consistent with the Golden Rule. Seems to be a problem with former protestants.

Regardless if the joke was tasteless or not (many times jokes to offend people, even though they are not meant to) there is some truth in it.

Many (not all) of the same people who blast Catholics for having statues or praying to statues are placing those same statues up during Advent, and doing the exact same thing that many Catholics do with them – reminding us of our Lord’s birth.

The only thing that a Catholic might do in front of a nativity scene that a protestant might not do is kneel in front of it while praying to God or the Holy Family.

The main difference between Catholics and Protestants (who put out nativity scenes) is that Catholics make use of statues all year.

Let’s remember, this thread is/was supposed to be fun. Let’s keep in mind that everyone posting is most likely not trying to offend anyone.

BTW - the “jokes” I’ve often heard over the years about Catholics & Jews tend to be MUCH worse and way more offensive than jokes I’ve ever heard/read about Protestants.

God Bless

 

[Lenten_ashes]

Adam, you got me wrong. No, I understand what you are saying here and that is why I commented at all on the joke. The joke inferred "look how stupid those protestants are, they think we worship statues when we really don’t but now look, those same narrow minded protestants are worshipping the nativity statues just like they think we do.

Lenten Ashes has written many good posts and thoughts that I have appreciated. I find his aattempts at humor on CAF troublesome as in my opinion it seems to come from an inner need of his own to castigate protestants in a manner not consistent with the Golden Rule. Seems to be a problem with former protestants.

Hi Wanna

I do apologize if it sounds offensive. The internet has this inherit flaw that everything seems to be taken at face value. I’m just having a little fun with it from both sides trying to lighten to the mood a bit. Neither side worships statues and I hope the next time a zealot protestant wants to walk into a Catholic Church and smash up our lovely icons because he thinks we are worshiping “graven images”, maybe, just maybe he will read posts like this and reconsider.

As to your point about the attitude of former protestants, let me just say most of us converts are from protestant families who are extremely disappointed in us and are praying for our ‘unsaved souls’. We hear it all from them. A lot of ugliness, so if it seems as if we are reaching a bit or being too defensive maybe that has something to do with it. I try not to judge people unless I have walked in their shoes, and even then tread carefully.

Pax

 

[Lenten_ashes]

Regardless if the joke was tasteless or not (many times jokes to offend people, even though they are not meant to) there is some truth in it.

Many (not all) of the same people who blast Catholics for having statues or praying to statues are placing those same statues up during Advent, and doing the exact same thing that many Catholics do with them – reminding us of our Lord’s birth.

The only thing that a Catholic might do in front of a nativity scene that a protestant might not do is kneel in front of it while praying to God or the Holy Family.

The main difference between Catholics and Protestants (who put out nativity scenes) is that Catholics make use of statues all year.

Let’s remember, this thread is/was supposed to be fun. Let’s keep in mind that everyone posting is most likely not trying to offend anyone.

BTW - the “jokes” I’ve often heard over the years about Catholics & Jews tend to be MUCH worse and way more offensive than jokes I’ve ever heard/read about Protestants.

God Bless

Thanks and God bless you.

 

[Hawkmaid]

Adam, you got me wrong. No, I understand what you are saying here and that is why I commented at all on the joke. The joke inferred "look how stupid those protestants are, they think we worship statues when we really don’t but now look, those same narrow minded protestants are worshipping the nativity statues just like they think we do.

Lenten Ashes has written many good posts and thoughts that I have appreciated. I find his aattempts at humor on CAF troublesome as in my opinion it seems to come from an inner need of his own to castigate protestants in a manner not consistent with the Golden Rule. Seems to be a problem with former protestants.

If I may hop in here…
First, I want to thank all three of you for being very civil this whole time. Being a teenager, I’m used to drama blowing up and out of control before you can blink!

Second, I don’t think it’s picking on protestants; I think it’s just an observation. Granted, it could have been phrased better, but L.A. is right. The core of the matter is, Catholics aren’t the only ones with nativity scenes, so it’s interesting that there is still the misunderstanding about statue “worshiping”.

Lastly, I’ve noticed that too. I think it stems from the feeling that, since the people used to be part of whatever it was, they have a kind of “right” to make certain nudges that, say, cradle Catholics might not. But really, that’s a whole 'nother ball game.

 

[Jose045]

My wife’s mother said “Only lately has the Catholic Church started to preach the Gospel”.

I commented that we have the bible and gospels because it came FROM the Catholic Church-or better said from God/The Holy Spirit THROUGH the Catholic Church. I got a confused look.
She’s older so I didn’t press the issue.

 

[phil19034]

My wife’s mother said “Only lately has the Catholic Church started to preach the Gospel”.

I commented that we have the bible and gospels because it came FROM the Catholic Church-or better said from God/The Holy Spirit THROUGH the Catholic Church. I got a confused look.
She’s older so I didn’t press the issue.

You should say to her, “Mom didn’t you know the whole New Testament was written by Catholics?”

 

[CatholicSheila]

My mother instilled the habit of crossing ourselves whenever we would pass a Catholic Church at a very young age. Once I crossed myself when driving past an old rural Church of Christ (or was it a Methodist?) church. Mother was furious and severely admonished me for doing that.

“Jesus doesn’t live there!” she told me.

I always thought we crossed ourselves out of respect for Jesus been present in the Eucharist. If I am correct, then your mother was right. There is no Eucharist in either the Church of Christ or the Methodist Church.

 

[RedBasket]

Girl at work: “So, how’s that graven image worship?” Rolled my eyes at her…really.

 

[ComplineSanFran]

You should say to her, “Mom didn’t you know the whole New Testament was written by Catholics?”

Ahem. It was written by Jews (with the jury still out on Luke).

 

[ComplineSanFran]

The only thing that a Catholic might do in front of a nativity scene that a protestant might not do is kneel in front of it while praying to God or the Holy Family.

The main difference between Catholics and Protestants (who put out nativity scenes) is that Catholics make use of statues all year.

No, I think perhaps you have things a bit confused. I have heard the Nativity statue example cited before (a LOT actually) and it confuses me why anyone would think it is the same. Figures they are, yes. So the classification of having Biblically forbidden idols or images in a holy place is parallel (a good Puritan would NEVER bring in images). So today, a Protestant/Reformed Christian/non-Liturgical Christian would happily stand and admire a Nativity scene, but kneel and pray in front of it? I highly doubt it. Or pray to Mary and Joseph? I highly doubt that too. Just as they would never pray to the Santa they have in their front yard.

So I do wish that particular example would be quietly retired.

 

[Puppy_Jack]

Ahem. It was written by Jews (with the jury still out on Luke).

No. They were Jews who wrote New Testament after they became Catholics.

 

[ComplineSanFran]

No. They were Jews who wrote New Testament after they became Catholics.

I think you will find many disagree. They may have called themselves followers of ‘the Way’ or even a follower of Jesus or a ‘saint’, but the writers were still very much Jewish. Even Paul. None of the early disciples even used the term Christian. Why would you think they called themselves ‘Catholic’ as an identifier?

 

[Wannano]

No. They were Jews who wrote New Testament after they became Catholics.

If only you were right Puppy Jack life would be a lot simpler because if they wrote the New Testament after they became Catholics I am sure they would have known it was to be the one true Church and would have given explicit information about that in their writing.

 

[Darryl_B]

I think you will find many disagree. They may have called themselves followers of ‘the Way’ or even a follower of Jesus or a ‘saint’, but the writers were still very much Jewish. Even Paul. None of the early disciples even used the term Christian. Why would you think they called themselves ‘Catholic’ as an identifier?

Names, names, names don’t change things, they are just identifiers, they do not change the nature of that being identified.

In the case of Paul, Saul was his Jewish name. Is there any reason you don’t refer to him this way?

 

[Darryl_B]

If only you were right Puppy Jack life would be a lot simpler because if they wrote the New Testament after they became Catholics I am sure they would have known it was to be the one true Church and would have given explicit information about that in their writing.

Are you sure you are not just aiding this thread?

 

[Thorolfr]

Names, names, names don’t change things, they are just identifiers, they do not change the nature of that being identified.

In the case of Paul, Saul was his Jewish name. Is there any reason you don’t refer to him this way?

Although it has been popularly assumed that his name was changed when he converted from Judaism to Christianity, that is not the case.[20][21] His Jewish name was “Saul” (Hebrew: שָׁאוּל, Modern Sha’ul, Tiberian Šāʼûl ; “asked for, prayed for, borrowed”), perhaps after the biblical King Saul, a fellow Benjamite and the first king of Israel. According to the Book of Acts, he inherited Roman citizenship from his father. As a Roman citizen, he also bore the Latin name of “Paul” —in biblical Greek: Παῦλος (Paulos),[22] and in Latin: Paulus.[23][Acts 16:37][22:25-28] It was quite usual for the Jews of that time to have two names, one Hebrew, the other Latin or Greek.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle

 

[Darryl_B]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_the_Apostle

Thanks for the info but I never actually implied Paul was his Christian name. I said Saul was his Jewish name. Paul is his Gentile name to which he seems to be mostly identified.

If he was so adament to be identified as has been stated he would be better and more aptly be referred to as Saul.