Protestant - Catholic - Protestant?

[David]

Former Catholics are said to be the second largest religious group in America. I think they are typically not practicing Catholics. Many leave because they divorced and remarried. If they understood what they were actually leaving things would be different.
It is possible now days, to find a Protestant church where you can be “openly gay” or get as many divorces as you like.
From the other perspective, the typical Protestant convert is knowledgeable in the Scriptures and ready to follow Jesus no matter the consequences.

Peace
David

 

[pismopal]

Former Catholics are said to be the second largest religious group in America. I think they are typically not practicing Catholics. Many leave because they divorced and remarried. If they understood what they were actually leaving things would be different.
It is possible now days, to find a Protestant church where you can be “openly gay” or get as many divorces as you like.
From the other perspective, the typical Protestant convert is knowledgeable in the Scriptures and ready to follow Jesus no matter the consequences.

Peace
David

The typical protestant may, or just may not be, “knowledgable in the scriptures” but my experience outside the Church is that if the typical protestant is knowledgable in any verses they are verses that are cherry-picked to make their own doctrine.
It also may be of interest that Baptists make up a large portion of Catholic Church converts. I was one of them and I would not even dream of going back.

 

[Anna_Scott]

I’m just curious. Anyone here who was Protestant, converted to Catholicism then converted back to Protestant?

I hear about Catholics who leave the church but I have yet to hear of a convert Catholic who left. I’d be curious to know if there are any and I’d like to hear your reasons.

. . .I can’t see anyone converting out of Catholicism who converted into it without some massive pang of ignorance or personality/mental disorder - or unless their initial RICA classes were a complete failure and lacked any substance.

vera dicere,

That’s a rather slanderous statement.

In our Anglo Catholic Parish (in the Anglican Communion,) we have quite a few Catholics who converted to Anglicanism—some were cradle Catholics and some were converts to Catholicism who converted to Anglicanism. I see no evidence of a “massive pang of ignorance or personality/mental disorder,” as you suggest.

Peace,
Anna

 

[David]

The typical protestant may, or just may not be, “knowledgable in the scriptures” but my experience outside the Church is that if the typical protestant is knowledgable in any verses they are verses that are cherry-picked to make their own doctrine.
It also may be of interest that Baptists make up a large portion of Catholic Church converts. I was one of them and I would not even dream of going back.

I agree with what your are saying and am excited that you converted. I did not know that we had many converts from the Baptist denomination. That is good to know!
The point I was trying to make, is that the Protestants converting typically already love Jesus and the Scriptures. I don’t know if you could say the same for those leaving the Church.
Peace and welcome home
David

 

[nickybr38]

The point I was trying to make, is that the Protestants converting typically already love Jesus and the Scriptures. I don’t know if you could say the same for those leaving the Church.

And that’s why I have a hard time believing anyone would go full circle. Of course I understand there could be extenuating circumstances. But normally a Protestant who converts to Catholicism has already gone through MANY spiritual tests, much spiritual questioning and much learning. It is no easy thing to leave a strong Protestant faith for the Catholic Church. Especially not with all the anti-Catholicism that abounds.

I understand why someone would leave the faith of their childhood (whether Catholic or Protestant). Often parents don’t train their children well (I know SO many people whose parents took the approach: we’ll let you figure it out for yourself and we won’t force our personal beliefs on you - not surprisingly the children of parents like this end up agnostic or atheist), or something terrible happens that pushes them away (a bad minister or priest).

What I don’t understand is someone who goes through the rigorous journey of overcoming anti-Catholic thinking to become Catholic just to later leave that same Church. That boggles my mind.

But I suppose, as a Protestant to Catholic convert, I know how hard it is to embrace Catholicism and I don’t understand how anyone could turn their back on the Church once understanding what it is and what it teaches.

 

[Luvtosew]

**verses that are cherry-picked to make their own doctrine. **

I’m Catholic but I understand both sides, but aren’t some verses “cherry picked” by the CC to make their doctrine cases?

Just seems saying that is hypocritical.

 

[nickybr38]

**verses that are cherry-picked to make their own doctrine. **

I’m Catholic but I understand both sides, but aren’t some verses “cherry picked” by the CC to make their doctrine cases?

Just seems saying that is hypocritical.

No… the difference between a Protestant and the CC quoting Scripture is that a Protestant reads the one verse and ignores the rest of Scripture… whereas when the CC quotes one particular Scripture they are keeping the whole of Scripture in mind and interpreting that ‘cherry picked’ Scripture in the light of all of Scripture.

You might want to consider what ‘cherry picking’ is. To me, cherry picking is grabbing a verse and ignoring context.

 

[Luvtosew]

Sorry the CC “cherry picks” too. I know what cherry picks means.

 

[nickybr38]

Sorry the CC “cherry picks” too. I know what cherry picks means.

I disagree 100%.

Show some examples, hm?

 

[Luvtosew]

I disagree 100%.

Show some examples, hm?

Acutally I don’t want to get into this with anyone. its not all that important. I just don’t like it when people think all Protestants are ignorant. Some are ex Catholics by the way as you know. But I stand that both sides cherry pick,

 

[nickybr38]

Does it matter, you will just quote the CCC to back you up. But go ahead if you want.

??? You are the one making the claim that the CC cherry picks Scripture to suit it’s own ends… you, therefore, are the one who is burdened with having to provide proof of your claim.

Cherry picking a bible verse is to TAKE IT OUT OF CONTEXT to prove a point that is contrary to Scripture.

When has the Catholic Church ever done this?

 

[Luvtosew]

??? You are the one making the claim that the CC cherry picks Scripture to suit it’s own ends… you, therefore, are the one who is burdened with having to provide proof of your claim.

Cherry picking a bible verse is to TAKE IT OUT OF CONTEXT to prove a point that is contrary to Scripture.

When has the Catholic Church ever done this?

First you accused Protestants of cherry picking , so I do believe the ball is in your court to back up your statement>

 

[Anna_Scott]

No… the difference between a Protestant and the CC quoting Scripture is that a Protestant reads the one verse and ignores the rest of Scripture… whereas when the CC quotes one particular Scripture they are keeping the whole of Scripture in mind and interpreting that ‘cherry picked’ Scripture in the light of all of Scripture.

You might want to consider what ‘cherry picking’ is. To me, cherry picking is grabbing a verse and ignoring context.

nickybr38,

You are making generalizations about Protestants, and unfairly attributing a behavior to all, without providing support for your claim.

Peace,
Anna

 

[nickybr38]

First you accused Protestants of cherry picking , so I do believe the ball is in your court to back up your statement>

I don’t actually recall making such a statement… and I did go back over my posts and didn’t see this statement (which says my eye sight is bad!!!) but I’d be happy to!!!

I came from the United Church tradition.

They decided baptism is not necessary, DESPITE many Bible verses that say it is because there is one Bible verse that says all we need is to believe in Jesus and we are saved.

There. I’ve shown mine, now show yours. Name a Catholic doctrine that uses cherry picked bible verses to back it up.

 

[nickybr38]

nickybr38,

You are making generalizations about Protestants, and unfairly attributing a behavior to all, without providing support for your claim.

Peace,
Anna

Please see Post #33 for support of my claim.

I admit that I am unfairly attributing this behavior to all Protestants. I should clarify that all the Protestants I have met have behaved in this way.

 

[Anna_Scott]

Please see Post #33 for support of my claim.

I admit that I am unfairly attributing this behavior to all Protestants. I should clarify that all the Protestants I have met have behaved in this way.

nickybr38,

So every Protestant you know “reads the one verse and ignores the rest of Scripture”? How many Protestants would that be, exactly?

Peace,
Anna

 

[nickybr38]

nickybr38,

So every Protestant you know “reads the one verse and ignores the rest of Scripture”? How many Protestants would that be, exactly?

Peace,
Anna

All the ones I’ve met have no understanding of the Old Testament, at all. They only read the New. That, to me, is ignoring a great deal of Scripture. In fact when I went to school I was given a ‘bible’ to read. My first Bible… not surprisingly it was only the New Testament. I, like many ex-Protestants, know the New Testament like the back of my hand.

I know very little about the Old Testament, even now and all of my old Protestant friends are in the same situation.

But this is something I cannot prove. I cannot introduce you to the Protestants in my life. I cannot show you their shaky understanding of Scripture because they choose what to take from it and what to ignore.

And please don’t think this is referring only to lay people… this is referring to ministers as well. In fact just a few months back I had a disheartening conversation with a Lutheran minister wherein he informed me he ignores any bit of Scripture that he can’t understand.

This has been my experience, and admittedly it has left me jaded.

Please note that I am a former Protestant (anti-Catholic Protestant I might add) and I cherry picked right along with the rest of them… and boy did that lead to interesting and volatile bible studies.

And I admit that it’s hard to p(name removed by moderator)oint Protestant beliefs because they have so many. Each man has his own idea about what Jesus commanded and that leads to a great deal of confusion and it’s very difficult to say; All Protestants believe this or that. I will definitely be more careful to qualify that this has been MY experience with the Protestants I’ve met in future.

 

[manualman]

I see no evidence of a “massive pang of ignorance or personality/mental disorder,” as you suggest.

But Anna, these friends of yours still consider themselves catholic, right? Just defined differently than the pope might define the term?

Perhaps the poster was refering to the sort of catholic, turned protestant who proclaims catholicism the 'Whore of Babylon?" Presumably neither you or your parishioners are that sort of folk…

 

[manualman]

First you accused Protestants of cherry picking , so I do believe the ball is in your court to back up your statement>

The sort of thing being referred to happens all the time. I’ve been confronted by several protestant friends in my life who honestly thought that catholicism was disproved by the fact that Jesus instructed his apostles to “call no man your father.” Catholics refer to priests as “Father Johnson (etc)” ergo catholicism is disproved. Said protestants never seemed to notice that Saint Paul distinctly refers to himself as the spiritual father of several of the people he trained.

In short, they cherry picked without using the REST of Scripture to recognize that Jesus was using a Jewish rhetorical method to emphasize a point, not giving a literal instruction to stop calling your dad “father.”

Btw, I don’t accuse all protestants of this, but it has happened to me more than once!

 

[Eric_Hilbert]

charity please.