So two guys walked up to me...

[AustralianGuy]

I doubt that you have a pocket book that has the entire catechism of the Catholic Church.

I just so happened to have the catechism of the church’s link here.

Now if you tell me you have ALL THAT within your pocket. PLEASE. Tell me where to get one. Because I have the Catechisms in my shelf, and it’s a total of 11 books about 500 pages each with 12 font, I think.

If you have ALL that in one pocket book. PLEASE. Tell me where to get one.

With love and grace,
_[Samuel]

Ha ha, the one I have is not the whole book, it’s the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. I think it’s the same as what is at this link: vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html

It’s basically a set of questions and answers from the Catechism.

My book is a World Youth Day branded version of this: catholicaustralia.com.au/page.php?pg=prayer-compendium1

 

[Mike_Dye]

Well, this is a long story.

Today at college, while eating in the dining hall, I was approached by these two guys, college-aged, who said wondered if I was interested in helping them with a project, by answering some questions. I’m at college, so I figured it was for some class. About what? My religious beliefs. I said sure. I’d been studying Catholicism a lot lately. Why not.

Well, it started out as I thought. One guy took notes, the other sat down. What religion are you? Catholic. What’s your central beliefs? What makes your religion different from others? Why did you choose to join it?

And then, very smoothly, it transitioned into mainly Christian questions. What do you believe about Jesus? Why was his sacrifice necessary? Etc.

Just as smoothly, he confessed he was also Christian, pulled out a Bible. I asked what version it was, and I’ve forgotten now, but it wasn’t one I was familiar with.

And then he started turning to Bible passages. Mainly the ones on which Catholics and Protestants majorly disagree on. I was able to counter several of them, on what they actually meant, but the guy talked quickly, and if I counted some point, he just moved on and didn’t discuss it. Then he got into discussing being “born again,” and other such things I can’t remember. It ended with him giving me a tiny booklet and a fake dollar with religious messages on it.

Well, I hope he’s happy now. The whole experience, while doing a poor job of shaking my beliefs, has left me hurt and angry.

Hurt, because he deceived me as to why he wanted to ask questions in the first place. Project? Ha! And how I didn’t really grasp everything that happened until afterward.

Angry because I felt manipulated. Like I said, he talked fast. If I questioned certain things, he moved on. And he was a good speaker. Questions which I felt should have stumped him he was able to weave around somehow.

Then I looked at some of the little propoganda I was left with. One had a website url. I checked it out, and was further furious to see the words “Evangelism Training Academy” in large letters at the top. So the guy was a professional.

It turned out that some of the other text in his handouts were some of the things he had said to me VERBATIM during the discussion. Not only is this more proof he was a professional, but seems to me that it was almost like brainwashing - he couldn’t even use his own words to convince me of what he believed in? Or was he following a proven formula?

So yes, hurt and angry, although I’m feeling better writing this. The next time this happens, I’ll be somewhat more ready to deal with it. Has anyone else been tricked into something like this?

Yes this has happened to me before. The best advice I can give is to completely embrace and understand your Catholic Faith. The Protestant arguments will simply not be able to stand against the truth.

 

[JLSamuel818]

Yes this has happened to me before. The best advice I can give is to completely embrace and understand your Catholic Faith. The Protestant arguments will simply not be able to stand against the truth.

Good advice. Very well said.

And for Ag_not, Amazon indeed is your friend.

I clicked the link that zaffiroborant.

That is not pocket sized. Fitting that in my pocket will look kind of bizzare.

Thanks for the link anyway.

Still not Pocket Sized.

With love and grace,
_[Samuel]

 

[joseph_virgen]

i used to have this problem. people, all manner of faith based people, coming up to me and wanting not so much as sharing their faith, but trying to show the “falseness” of my beloved catholic church. i never tired of it, but it did become somewhat annoying. what was it about me that “lead” these people to me?

the answer never came to me. then one day i found i found myself in the gift shop of st mary’s church. there, my eye caught a glimpse of an ordinary looking cross. it was made of brass and hung by a simple shoe string. it was perfect. it was also their last. having bought it, i waited around for a priest.

i didn’'t have to wait long. along strolled one, who’s name i can’t for the life of me remember right now, but once he noticed what was in my hand he came over and gave my simple cross one of the most beautifull blessings i have heard. the part that is most vivid in my mind is a part that dealt with protecting me from the forces of evil. \

since that day i have never, never, had anyone approach me, wanting to put a wedge between my Faith and me.
and yes, you guessed it, i go everywhere with that cross, boldly showing over my shirt. it is but one of my weapons against the forces of the fallen one.

 

[zaffiroborant]

Good advice. Very well said.

And for Ag_not, Amazon indeed is your friend.

I clicked the link that zaffiroborant.

That is not pocket sized. Fitting that in my pocket will look kind of bizzare.

Thanks for the link anyway.

Still not Pocket Sized.

With love and grace,
_[Samuel]

No need to roll your eyes I did say it wasn’t pocket sized I said I carry it around in my purse.

 

[JLSamuel818]

No need to roll your eyes I did say it wasn’t pocket sized I said I carry it around in my purse.

Lol. [Look I did it again] =]

I prefer my huge stack of books. So when the Evangelicals, Jehova’s Witnesses come thinking there all prepared… they’ll show up in my doorstep with there little KJV bible. And before they even speak. SLAM! I’ll have my 11 books there being like “Okay, what topic do you want to be pawned again this time?”



With love and grace,
_[Samuel]

 

[reteeks21]

Don’t feel bad. As a Protestant at a Protestant school I had the same thing done to me by people who knew I was a person of faith! Some of them just have nothing better to do.

 

[ironband]

I carry the Catechism and three translations of the Bible everywhere I go on my PDA.

Now that’s pocket sized Not only that, but easily searchable!

Andre

 

[sambos671]

Sorry, you have a right to feel that way about a false premise. I’m sure they are sincere in their attempt to convert however it is better to be up front. A lot of evangelicals feel pressured to evangelize to prevent people from going to hell. I find that if you want to share your faith you should do it by living a life worthy of Jesus and be peoples friends. Then they’ll ask you. No need to track them down and hog tie them.

 

[survive]

Imagine being told again and again that although your sins are all forgiven, you are now saddled with the obligation to save others – the more you were forgiven, the more people you must save. If you don’t, your trainers tell you, you will be showing disrespect and ingratitude for a gift you were far from deserving. You agree to go to the evangelism training and find you are too shy and unsure to do the routine. They pile on the guilt and suggest you “might not have enough faith to do it… of course, it’s only your faith that saves you, and if you don’t know you have it… of course, if you know anyone who loves the Lord who will do the evangelism for you,” and so on and so on with the suggestions and guilt. So you drill the routine until you can reel it all of in your sleep. If you go fast it scares you less, so you talk as fast as you can. You want tracts (the booklets and dollars) because they do the talking for you and you can go stand in a corner and hyperventilate. Your trainers act as if you should beg for tracts, when your job is to memorize them and do without them. But you use them until you’re braver and have the speech down better.
That’s what a lot of those people are going through. That’s why they act like that. Some were screamed at all Sunday and half of Wednesday by church leaders who said they had no right to go home and eat until they had won a soul.
Maybe they’d be releived to hear what you have to say, but you have to get through first. I’m working on ways to do that now.

 

[Ag_not]

Imagine being told again and again that although your sins are all forgiven, you are now saddled with the obligation to save others – the more you were forgiven, the more people you must save. If you don’t, your trainers tell you, you will be showing disrespect and ingratitude for a gift you were far from deserving. You agree to go to the evangelism training and find you are too shy and unsure to do the routine. They pile on the guilt and suggest you “might not have enough faith to do it… of course, it’s only your faith that saves you, and if you don’t know you have it… of course, if you know anyone who loves the Lord who will do the evangelism for you,” and so on and so on with the suggestions and guilt. So you drill the routine until you can reel it all of in your sleep. If you go fast it scares you less, so you talk as fast as you can. You want tracts (the booklets and dollars) because they do the talking for you and you can go stand in a corner and hyperventilate. Your trainers act as if you should beg for tracts, when your job is to memorize them and do without them. But you use them until you’re braver and have the speech down better.
That’s what a lot of those people are going through. That’s why they act like that. Some were screamed at all Sunday and half of Wednesday by church leaders who said they had no right to go home and eat until they had won a soul.
Maybe they’d be releived to hear what you have to say, but you have to get through first. I’m working on ways to do that now.

That is a very sad story

If that is you in that story, I’m praying for you, and I think the quicker you can break your ties with these people the better.

 

[survive]

That is a very sad story

If that is you in that story, I’m praying for you, and I think the quicker you can break your ties with these people the better.

Oh, I left them over a year ago.
I’m strngrnrth, under a new handle because I had to reregister. I forgot my password. But lots of Evangelical churches are like that, to differing degrees. It starts out with gentle encouragement and becomes more high-pressure all the time. Mine never got to the point of being told to stay out all night until we got a convert, but I have heard stories of lots of churches that do that.

 

[Ag_not]

Oh, I left them over a year ago.
I’m strngrnrth, under a new handle because I had to reregister.

Thought I recognised your hair from the back

Thank God you’re free of that ungodly and inhuman pressure. Imagine telling someone they are not fit to eat or be with their family till they get a convert. Makes you wonder about the heart of the missionary too that’s engaging with you.
‘‘please believe me so I can sleep well knowing your soul is saved and Im doing the work of the Lord’’

or

‘‘please believe me so I can just go home and eat and sleep and be with my family’’.

Very sad state of affairs.

Thank God you’re free.