O
oldsouth
Guest
I’m new here, so please forgive me if this question is dealt with elsewhere or if this is not the right sub-forum - with so many threads, its a bit overwhelming!
I’m a convert and I live in a rural area of the south, populated mostly by the descendants of Scots-Irish settlers… where catholics are both few and foreign. I grew up southern baptist and converted in college, essentially after being exposed briefly and for the first time to the doctrines (and Biblical evidence for those doctrines) of the Church. Frankly, Catholicism made more sense, was more reasonable, intellectually “thought through”, historically sound and in keeping with the Bible. In my area, most folks are culturally anti-Catholic… most oppose the church without really knowing why. We also have a very large population of Seven Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pentecostals and “Primitive” or “Independent” Baptists. (These sub-sets of Baptists are essentially the result of schisms in mainline southern baptist churches who were influenced by the Pentecostal movement and Temperance movement of the 1920’s or so). Most of them are fairly good people, who make an honest and earnest effort to know and do God’s will as they understand it. The problem is that most of them only know what they have been taught by their ministers and parents - they are very loyal to what they have been taught… but what they believe is often not well reasoned or founded on sound history, doctrine, etc. The baptist probably doesn’t even know that the Jehovah’s Witness up the road doesn’t really believe in the divinity of Christ and probably has a stronger opposition to Catholicism because it is less familiar and they have heard so many anti-Catholic massages.
Anyway, on any given day someone might show up on my front porch, holding a Bible and trying to convince me to come to their church. I can defend Catholicism pretty well, having read many of the books recommended on this website. I had to become informed and get a pretty think skin fairly quickly when I converted, so it doesn’t bother me. My question is actually regarding these “missionary” activities. Would it be advisable, or even appropriate, to try to form a group in my church to go out door to door and inform people about the Catholic Church in a manner similar to the Jehovah’s Witnesses? I imagine that there is at least a small percentage of folks, who like I was, are entirely ignorant of the doctrines of the Church and may be interested in learning more… even converting. Even if not though, perhaps it would help combat the ant-Catholic culture of the area. Or, would this effort perhaps cause greater division and more negative feeling? Some people become quite defensive when their beliefs are challenged.
I would appreciate any and all (name removed by moderator)ut. I suppose we could put a training course together based on Frank Sheed’s work, updated with Catholic Answers material. I just don’t want to do more harm than good.
I’m a convert and I live in a rural area of the south, populated mostly by the descendants of Scots-Irish settlers… where catholics are both few and foreign. I grew up southern baptist and converted in college, essentially after being exposed briefly and for the first time to the doctrines (and Biblical evidence for those doctrines) of the Church. Frankly, Catholicism made more sense, was more reasonable, intellectually “thought through”, historically sound and in keeping with the Bible. In my area, most folks are culturally anti-Catholic… most oppose the church without really knowing why. We also have a very large population of Seven Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pentecostals and “Primitive” or “Independent” Baptists. (These sub-sets of Baptists are essentially the result of schisms in mainline southern baptist churches who were influenced by the Pentecostal movement and Temperance movement of the 1920’s or so). Most of them are fairly good people, who make an honest and earnest effort to know and do God’s will as they understand it. The problem is that most of them only know what they have been taught by their ministers and parents - they are very loyal to what they have been taught… but what they believe is often not well reasoned or founded on sound history, doctrine, etc. The baptist probably doesn’t even know that the Jehovah’s Witness up the road doesn’t really believe in the divinity of Christ and probably has a stronger opposition to Catholicism because it is less familiar and they have heard so many anti-Catholic massages.
Anyway, on any given day someone might show up on my front porch, holding a Bible and trying to convince me to come to their church. I can defend Catholicism pretty well, having read many of the books recommended on this website. I had to become informed and get a pretty think skin fairly quickly when I converted, so it doesn’t bother me. My question is actually regarding these “missionary” activities. Would it be advisable, or even appropriate, to try to form a group in my church to go out door to door and inform people about the Catholic Church in a manner similar to the Jehovah’s Witnesses? I imagine that there is at least a small percentage of folks, who like I was, are entirely ignorant of the doctrines of the Church and may be interested in learning more… even converting. Even if not though, perhaps it would help combat the ant-Catholic culture of the area. Or, would this effort perhaps cause greater division and more negative feeling? Some people become quite defensive when their beliefs are challenged.
I would appreciate any and all (name removed by moderator)ut. I suppose we could put a training course together based on Frank Sheed’s work, updated with Catholic Answers material. I just don’t want to do more harm than good.
