Proselytizing of Hispanics

  • Thread starter Thread starter cjkelly0508
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

cjkelly0508

Guest
Hi,

I would like to get information about non-catholic groups who are seeking to convert Hispanic folks (both in the US and elsewhere) to Protestantism.

CK
 
What kind of information are you looking for? My dear SIL’s church (non-Catholic) sends missions down to Mexico every year to convert these poor misguided Catholic Mexicans. Some are well meaning folks that are interested in helping the Mexicans, but others are doing it because in their misguided opinion, they have to re-educate the Catholics… all Catholics.

It irritates me when I see Protestants go into a Catholic country and try to convert them. Why not go after the atheists? Why go after a Christian group? They do this in Africa, South and Central America, and other predominate Catholic Countries… Why not go to Moslem countries? :mad:
 
A Mexican Orthodox Priest-monk I know once said that the Mexicans have been sacramentalized, but not evangelized.
 
What Protestant religion feels that Catholics need to be converted. Since they believe in the bible only where would they get their information that Catholics need to be converted.

My nephew is Protestant and the youth group he is in go every year to Mexico and South America to build houses and schools. He has told me many times that they are not there to change people who are happy in their beliefs but if there are people who do not have a belief system or not happy in their religion then they will talk and pray with them.

But I agree with BlestOne, there are many others who need help. Even here in our own country.
 
On my trip to Mexico, two of the tour guides told me that the fastest growing religion in their states is Jehovah’s Witness:bigyikes: In my view, JW is on the fringe of protestantism but an offshoot of it nonetheless. The Church had better not bury her head in the sand with this. I am not calling for crusades or anything, but the Catholic clergy and laity in Mexico need to step up to the plate and evangelize.
 
I believe the problem in Latiamerica is that outside the white, spanish/italian/portugese/french/german upper classes catholicism is mostly skin deep. The church in the colonial times was a held tight by the spaniards who did not wanted too many local clergy making it dependant on old word priests, and even after the independece the goverments kept a tight reing on the clergy. I belive they were well aware of the role the dominicans and jesuits played defending indian rights and priest like Father Hidalgo played in the independece so they kept the church in a tight rein. And the clergy spread thin. And people were sacramentized but not evangelized.
That gave US evangelicals, first the baptists and them the pentecostals who are by far the most sucessfull group ( to the point that Hispanic protestantism is mostly pentecostal) a free rein.
The church have largely failed to react as is more worried with social justice issues that with things like proper catequesis, catholic bible studies, apologetics, chuch classic culture (the traditional latin mass and classical music have been an non issue here). So they have largely given the pentecostals a free playground. In the upper classes the Jesuits, the Opus Dei and the neocatecumenals have countered the wave. And many upper class people tend to look at the evangelicals as ignorant nuts with their insistence in things like creationism for example.
Among the lower classes the Charistmatic Renovation is coutering too. But the church as a whole not.
 
Thanks for your replies. I would like to know the names of specific catholic groups whose precise mission is to combat this type of proselytizing. I needs names and addresses so I can get in touch with them, perhaps with a view of helping in some way.

Thanks
 
Prayer_Warrior said:
On my trip to Mexico, two of the tour guides told me that the fastest growing religion in their states is Jehovah’s Witness:bigyikes: In my view, JW is on the fringe of protestantism but an offshoot of it nonetheless. The Church had better not bury her head in the sand with this. I am not calling for crusades or anything, but the Catholic clergy and laity in Mexico need to step up to the plate and evangelize.
Click to expand...
It’s true, the JWs are stealing good Catholics in Mexico. And by good, I mean good people. Many in Mexico are poorly catechized, and other religious groups know this so that makes Mexicans, among many Hispanics, easy targets.

The lack of education, the lack of monetary resouces, the lack of catechized people is what makes Mexico an easy target. I know this because I’m Mexican, I grew up over there and it’s a very sad situation. Many don’t have the money to pay for basic education, even public schools have tuitions, and if they don’t have tuition, kids are required to have 2 uniforms, which they pay out of pocket, and they have to buy ALL their books. For many, this is an impediment for their education. Also, when you cannot go to school , you will not know how to read or write. And if you cannot read or write, you cannot go to CCD classes or even teach the catechism. Many put their children to work to get food on their tables and don’t have time to take their kids to catechism… it’s a hard life most Mexicans live. W/o the resources, how can people be catechized?

The Church needs to send missionaries to Mexico, and other Hispanic countries to re-catechize ALL people. The Church is in danger of losing her followers and nothing is done about it. If things were done, my MIL would’ve never fallen for the JWs and my DH would still be Catholic.
 
Witnesses and Baptists are the main ones.

Witnesses pass out flyers to the older Hispanic crowds in Spanish. My grandpa for example is 94 years old and doesnt always know whats going on. He thought some issue of the Watch Tower in Spanish had come from his church. I saw him reading it and I was stunned. He didnt know better.

Also Baptists do sermons and have mass in Spanish to try andc convert catholics that have become disillusioned with the church.

At least thats the way it is here in Texas.
 
The mormon church claims many converts in Mexico, Central and South America. Outside of the US, the largest populations of mormons are in Hispanic areas of the world. Mormon non-scriptural publications are translated into Spanish and Portuguese, mainly because that is the most needed language outside of English.

But, it should be noted, the retention rate of these converts to mormonism, how much they actually participate in the religion once converted, is very, very low.

These religious groups (not just mormons) target poor, undereducated, Christianized populations. It is easier to convert someone from from Catholicism or other Christian beliefs than it is to convert non-Christians. With non-Christians, you have to convince them of the truth of Christ. Christians who already have this belief only have to be convinced that the missionary is telling them a “better” truth than the one they already know. With mormon missionaries, it is a trained and polished sales pitch.

Also with mormonism, they claim to be the one true Christian church, thus, they see their proseltyzing mission as one of converting everyone to “true” Christianity. Including Catholics and others of the Christian faith.

The same thing is happening in some African countries (Ghana comes to mind).
 
Don’t some of our separated brethren not even consider Catholics as Christians?

I had that happen to me. My Mom and I were in the emergency room at the hospital. There were some hispanics there who heard us speaking Spanish and one of them asked if we were Catholics. When I said, yes, she replied: Well I used to be a Catholic but now I am a Christian!

Vickie 😦
 
bpbasilphx said:
A Mexican Orthodox Priest-monk I know once said that the Mexicans have been sacramentalized, but not evangelized.
Click to expand...
That really does not make sense to me unless it is understood as an effort to dismiss the Catholic faith as ritual foisted upon the Mexicans without any faith at all. Is that the thinking of your Mexican hieromonk?
 
ASimpleSinner said:
That really does not make sense to me unless it is understood as an effort to dismiss the Catholic faith as ritual foisted upon the Mexicans without any faith at all. Is that the thinking of your Mexican hieromonk?
Click to expand...
That’s how it sounded to me, but that is why I ignored it. Mexican Catholics have faith Good and I’d say it’s 150% stronger than many in the US. I wish I believed as most Mexican Catholics do. They follow and don’t question the Church. They believe, they LOVE Jesus, the venerate Mary and the Saints. Yes, some are very superstitious and can fall along the fanatic side, but most are blessed w/a wonderful faith.
 
yessisan said:
That’s how it sounded to me, but that is why I ignored it. Mexican Catholics have faith Good and I’d say it’s 150% stronger than many in the US. I wish I believed as most Mexican Catholics do. They follow and don’t question the Church. They believe, they LOVE Jesus, the venerate Mary and the Saints. Yes, some are very superstitious and can fall along the fanatic side, but most are blessed w/a wonderful faith.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I’m not Mexican, but I grew up hearing Spanish… lots of Spanish. And I’ve seen Mexican Catholic faith up close most of my life. Our Lady of Guadalupe has been a major force on Mexican religious life. The fact that she came to an Indian peasant, not a member of the white upper class, has tremendous significance for los mestizos y indios, who constitute most of the population of Mexico. It led to the willing conversion of Mexico.
 
zerocrossing said:
Agreed. I’m not Mexican, but I grew up hearing Spanish… lots of Spanish. And I’ve seen Mexican Catholic faith up close most of my life. Our Lady of Guadalupe has been a major force on Mexican religious life. The fact that she came to an Indian peasant, not a member of the white upper class, has tremendous significance for los mestizos y indios, who constitute most of the population of Mexico. It led to the willing conversion of Mexico.
Click to expand...
Exactly! Our Lady of Guadalupe went there for a reason! But the sad thing is that protestants and other religious groups target these countries and use images such as Our Lady of Guadalupe to convince them they are committing idolatry. Many are so naive, they don’t know the difference between idolatry and veneration. So others use it against them. 😦
 
Now this is how Ukrainians and Rossians also feel about Protestants and also Catolics who come to convert in what is a predominant and historical Orthodox country. We feel same sense of angry frustration - we need help teaching Orthodoxy to our own people - not to be in competition with wealthy Western churches teaching us to be Mormons or other kind.

I believe present Bishop of Rome may try to respect canonical rights of Orthodox in Ukraina but Protestants - boy, they are now everywhere. good luck to Mexico, good luck here!!
 
Western Ukraine is mostly Catholic, right?

The Catholic Church does not want to “convert” the Orthodox - they need no converting. What we want is for the two churches to come back into full communion with one another. 👍

God bless you,
Paul
 
I only have one comment. Catholics don’t need to convert E. Orthodox countries because one day they will be united as One Church.

I do have issues with Protestants come to a Catholic countries, and proselytizing Hispanics, Filipinos, and others…

Many of these Protestant missionary will distort the Catholic belief, and take the Catholics from receiving Jesus Christ in the Mass.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top