To Protestants: why do you do this?

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I’ve never come across Catholics trying to convert Protestants or Protestants trying to convert Catholics.
I don’t even get Mormoms or Jehovah’s Witness’s coming around. I live in a small town in England and as this country is largely secular(pagan) we all seem to stick together.
Al throught the year we have Churches Together meetings and services especially at Lent. One year I was the only Catholic with 8 different Protestants. I never had any problems. We disagree on theology but not usually on morals.
I am a returned to the faith Catholic (from the secular world)
 
VociMike said:
I just want to focus on this for a moment. How can the opposing teachings on e.g. the Eucharist be insignificant? Either the Eucharist is Christ or it isn’t. Believing and teaching the “wrong” thing on this matter is very serious. Same with many other fundamental teachings.
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Sure. Good example actually. There are a wide range of positions on the Eucharist within Christendom and a wide number of nuances within each position.

Since only one can be right, I must face the statistical reality that no matter which position I adopt, given all of the positions and nuances within positions that exist, I might be wrong.

Now I can’t speak for you. I can only speak why I would not consider your belief on the eucharist as heresy if indeed you disagree with me. You might consider my beliefs as heresy, but that is a separate issue.

Now for the record, I do believe in some type of Real Presence, but probably more within the Wesleyan variant. But to make this interesting, let me assume I believed in a purely symbolic Eucharist. A diametrically opposite belief from yours as I understand things.

So…why I would not consider your belief as heresy even if I held a diametrically opposite belief.

(1) Would your belief disqualify you from having eternal life

No. I would not believe that your beliefs concerning the Eucharist would disqualify you from having eternal life.

(2) Is your belief system a moral issue.

No. The only possible moral issues pertaining to the Eucharist are (a) Jesus did command us to do it, (b) There is a teaching not to partake of it unworthily (in a state of sin). And we agree on this.

(3) Will this belief mess you up

Nah…might go through some unnecessary gyrations but don’t we all.

(4) Could you at least make a credible scriptural case for your belief even if I disagree with it.

Yes. I would at least be able to open up my Bible and understand why you believe the way you do. I mean Jesus did say “This is my body…”
 
ALLFORHIM said:
Hi,
As a born again christian in a non-denom church–probably similar to what you grew up in, I would ask catholics the same exact thing. Catholics do the same exact thing to protestants.😦
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I do think there is a distinction between the two. The Catholic Church DOES NOT teach that Protestants are not Christians or that Protestants cannot go to heaven. But sadly, some Protestants do teach exactly that.
I’m glad you don’t though.
 
mozart-250 said:
Well that is only true if

“gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it” =
“church likely preaching some insignificant error”

At a minimum that interpretation is …um… shall I say not very intuitive to me. But what do I know…I’m just a heretic Protestant.
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I mean no offense here, please be clear on that. However, you have made an assumption that lessens both our dignities as children of God.

The truth is that the promise was made to Peter. Peter is the first Bishop of Rome. The promise guarantees that it is impossible for him or for his successors to teach any error in the realm of Faith and Morals. God is Truth. There is no ‘insignificant’ error in Truth.

Let us just say that of course this interpretation is…um…shall I say not very intuitive to you. You, as a non-Catholic, possess some of the Truth, maybe even much of it, but you do not possess the Fullness of the Truth.

And if I can quote my favorite Mel Brooks movie in reply to your “I’m just a heretic Protestant” comment: don’t get saucy with me Bernaise. I do not believe you are, nor have I ever called you, or our separated brothers and sisters, a heretic. It was unecessary for you to add that.
 
I believe it boils down to complete ignorance… What is taught ABOUT Catholics to other non-Catholic Christians is misunderstood… and in fact, IF what most anti-Catholic Christians THINK Catholics believe is ACTUALLY what they believed, then they’d likely be right that Catholics were wrong (generally speaking)… But due to anti-Catholic propaganda and the fact that people don’t seek to find out whether it’s “true” or not and just believe it, they are truly thinking they are helping by trying to convert Catholics out of the church. I believe their intentions are good… but they are ignorant to the truth of Catholicism.
 
mom2three said:
I believe it boils down to complete ignorance… What is taught ABOUT Catholics to other non-Catholic Christians is misunderstood… and in fact, IF what most anti-Catholic Christians THINK Catholics believe is ACTUALLY what they believed, then they’d likely be right that Catholics were wrong (generally speaking)… But due to anti-Catholic propaganda and the fact that people don’t seek to find out whether it’s “true” or not and just believe it, they are truly thinking they are helping by trying to convert Catholics out of the church. I believe their intentions are good… but they are ignorant to the truth of Catholicism.
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Hi mom2three,

thank you for that perspective. as a cradle-Catholic I do not have the experiences you have had, and your point about what Catholicism is, and what non-Catholics are taught that it is, is a good one. Thank you. And it is good to see you here!!!

How’s RCIA going?

maurin
 
From my own experiance I think ex-Catholics are the largest anti-Catholics out there. When I first left the Catholic church I promised I wouldn’t become that person. After much reading from other anti-Catholic sources, I myself became anti-Catholic. I spoke out about the errors of the Catholic church to friends and family.

This went on for several years. What I began to realize over the last several weeks was, I became anti-Catholic because of my own lack of knowledge about why Catholics do some of the things they do. Also, because of my own upbringing and being poorly catechised. I related my experiance and thought, this must be how it is in Parishes across the globe.

The Lord however, has been teaching me the error of MY ways, He has been pointing things out to me and developing my own understanding to the point where I am about to go to confession and come home to the Church.

Another point, most of the other anti-Catholics I have met have built their anti-Catholic mentalities off of the things they have heard from others, not off of their own disagreement with the Church.

Just my 2 cents!

JOL
 
JOL said:
From my own experiance I think ex-Catholics are the largest anti-Catholics out there. When I first left the Catholic church I promised I wouldn’t become that person. After much reading from other anti-Catholic sources, I myself became anti-Catholic. I spoke out about the errors of the Catholic church to friends and family.

This went on for several years. What I began to realize over the last several weeks was, I became anti-Catholic because of my own lack of knowledge about why Catholics do some of the things they do. Also, because of my own upbringing and being poorly catechised. I related my experiance and thought, this must be how it is in Parishes across the globe.

The Lord however, has been teaching me the error of MY ways, He has been pointing things out to me and developing my own understanding to the point where I am about to go to confession and come home to the Church.

Another point, most of the other anti-Catholics I have met have built their anti-Catholic mentalities off of the things they have heard from others, not off of their own disagreement with the Church.

Just my 2 cents!

JOL
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Dear JOL,

may the Lord Bless you and Keep you safe on your journey. If you do not mind, I will say a prayer for you (too late, I just did!!!, and I don’t think I can take it back.)

In advance, I would like to welcome you home!!! We’ve missed you.
 
JOL said:
From my own experiance I think ex-Catholics are the largest anti-Catholics out there. When I first left the Catholic church I promised I wouldn’t become that person. After much reading from other anti-Catholic sources, I myself became anti-Catholic. I spoke out about the errors of the Catholic church to friends and family.

This went on for several years. What I began to realize over the last several weeks was, I became anti-Catholic because of my own lack of knowledge about why Catholics do some of the things they do. Also, because of my own upbringing and being poorly catechised. I related my experiance and thought, this must be how it is in Parishes across the globe.

The Lord however, has been teaching me the error of MY ways, He has been pointing things out to me and developing my own understanding to the point where I am about to go to confession and come home to the Church.

Another point, most of the other anti-Catholics I have met have built their anti-Catholic mentalities off of the things they have heard from others, not off of their own disagreement with the Church.

Just my 2 cents!

JOL
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God bless you and welcome home!
 
Mickey,

what does “Slava Isusu Christu” mean? I think I got Isusu Christu, so what does “Slava” mean?
 
maurin said:
Mickey,

what does “Slava Isusu Christu” mean? I think I got Isusu Christu, so what does “Slava” mean?
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Glory To Jesus Christ!

The response is: Slava Na viki (Glory Forever!)

Byzantine Catholics (and Orthodox) are called to greet everyone they meet with this greeting (whether in English or Slavonik or whatever language is applicable).
 
Liberian said:
All For Him,

There is a fundamental difference between the Catholic Church and a Protestant church. The Catholic Church is original and stands on its own; a Protestant church is derivative–based on Catholicism being in error–and is defined in relation to Catholicism.

I invite Protestants to “come home to Rome” because Jesus prayed that His children all may be one and Paul exhorted the Corinthians to agree in their thinking. Protestants don’t do that, not even with each other.

One thing that I do NOT do is suggest that Protestants are not Christian. I spent my first three decades as a Protestant and have had an active relationship with Jesus through my entire adult life. Converting to Catholicism does not involve denying your previous walk with the Lord; it simply adds a deeper dimension to it.
  • Liberian
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Well said!
 
In my exp with n-C’s it does seem that it’s the ones that have left the Catholic Church,that have the biggest axe to grind with the Faith.Again,I said my exp.
 
So bascially, the answer to my question (OP), Protestants, is that you think Catholics are wrong, going to hell, and that we need you to tell us the “right” way to believe in Jesus.

Does that about sum it up?
 
Cat said:
First a brief background. I was evangelical Protestant from childhood until age 47. I grew up in a Conference Baptist church under some of the most famous evangelicals in the U.S. (Evelyn Christenson, Gary Smalley, Irwin Lutzer, Bill Bright, etc.–these people were either on staff at our church or frequent guest speakers at our church).

I was extremely active in my churches, usually involved in something involving my church at least 5-6 days/nights per week.

So I know evangelical Protestantism well. That means, of course, that I know my Bible well. I’ve not only read and studied through the entire Bible many times, but also been involved in Bible studies all of my life, usually at least two-three per week.

Yet in spite of all this, I and my husband converted to Catholicism on April 10, 2004.

We are extremely joyful in our Church and love being Catholic Christians.

What I want to know is why Protestants try to convince Catholics that our “religion” is false and that we need to “become Christians?”

When I was Protestant, I never did this. I accepted Catholics as true Christians.

I read Jack T. Chick’s tracts about Catholicism and realized that they were fiction. I still liked a lot of the other Jack T. Chick tracts (Somebody Loves You is excellent.) But I didn’t go along with everything JTC said or wrote.

I read other Protestant apologies against Catholicism, and I never believed them. I knew Catholics and I knew that the stuff in those apologies wasn’t true.

I didn’t go after Catholics. If someone told me they were a Catholic, I would ask, “So you’re a Christian?” and if they said “yes,” I was cool with that. I didn’t try to talk them out of Catholicism and explain the “truth” of Protestantism.

If a Catholic didn’t know Jesus, THEN I would try to talk to them about their faith. But I didn’t try to persuade them to give up Catholicism, I just tried to persuade them to embrace the Jesus their Church proclaims.

From what I understand, the Rev. Billy Graham never tried to talk Catholics out of their church. Neither did Dr. Bill Bright (I know this from personal experience–when the “I Found It!” campaign was done in our city, three Catholic churches were part of it! Isn’t that nifty?!)

So why do YOU feel it is necessary to try to persuade Catholics that their Church is in error? Are you getting some kind of reward in heaven for this? Can’t you just accept Catholics as fellow Christians who practice their faith differently than you do and rejoice with them?

I personally think the devil must be laughing his head off. He is convincing Christians to witness to Catholics, who are fellow Christians, instead of pagans who are lost in their sins and don’t know Jesus. Tragic.
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  1. Why did you become Catholic? What was your lightbulb moment?
  2. What was the response from your old church and fellow members?
  3. How did your family react?
 
I am Southern Baptist. I have found that most I know have a complete and unbelieveable ignorance of the history of Catholicism and early Christianity. They also fail to learn about how the Catholic Church came to its conclusions and why it does what it does.

What amuses me most is that Southern Baptists and Catholics have quite a bit in common and they seem to always see themselves as polar opposties. With all the Protestant denominations going liberal and ordaining women and homosexuals and approving premarital sex and abortion, etc., they need to recognize this common ground. It is getting to the point where Catholicism and Evangelicals/Fundamentalists are about the only ones who seem to see that God’s laws and commandments still matter.
 
Cat said:
So bascially, the answer to my question (OP), Protestants, is that you think Catholics are wrong, going to hell, and that we need you to tell us the “right” way to believe in Jesus.

Does that about sum it up?
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I don’t think thats really a fair summary of Protestant beliefs. Its not because Protestants think you’re wrong, stupid for believing what you do, and really just need to be saved from yourselves.

A more accurate summary would be that Protestants feel that Catholics are missing one crucial element to eternal salvation, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Its not condescendsion, but a sincere concern for your eternal salvation.

Evangelism is a scary thing to do, and its people who have a genuine concern for the salvation of others that are willing to put their fear aside and talk to people about it. I won’t defend people who are rude in their evangelism efforts, whether they’re talking to Catholics or anyone else- but I will defend those who have honest and true intentions.

Overall, please don’t take it as a criticism or insult, but see it for the true concern that it is.

Becka
 
I was baptized as a Catholic as an infant, went to CCD classes up to 8th grade, was confirmed, then went to Catholic high school and Catholic college. All the while, I never understood my faith. I fell away after college and was not going to any church. A Catholic friend of mine took me to a Christian music festival because he had a friend whose band was playing. There were representatives from many Christian churches at the festival (Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran). Somebody from the Baptist church gave me a Bible (KJV). At the time, I was searching but unaware of what I really wanted. For some reason, I decided to read the Bible, which I had never done before. I read it all the way through. I did not become Baptist; rather, I finally understood what the Catholic church had been teaching me my whole life. I went to a priest, confessed my sin and rejoined the Catholic church. I found that there was nothing in the Scripture that contradicted the teachings of the Catholic church. Actually, the Scripture clarified everything I had been taught (and this was from reading a Protestant Bible). Since then, I have joined a Bible study group (adult Sunday school class at my Catholic parish), volunteered at a mission meal for the poor which is ecumenical (at a Methodist parish, with Catholics, Lutherans, and Presbyterians helping out), and become an EMHC. I can say that I am a born again Catholic because I have understood the need for a personal relationship with Jesus through active participation in the Catholic church. I now own many translations of the Bible (NAB, NRSV-CE, KJV, Douay-Rheims, and NASB). I use all of them in my Bible studies. Currently, at my parish, we are studying Paul’s letters to the Romans and Galatians. In addition to the Bible study, I also read the Bible daily on my own. I like to read it through all the way at least once a year. I respect the Baptists because they are responsible for me returning to the Catholic faith. Actually, in terms of hostile people, I have had more problems with “cafeteria Catholics” than with Protestants. Yes, I agree that in terms of moral issues such as right to life, the proper roles of women in ministry, and the sinfulness of homosexual activity, Catholics and evangelicals do have much more in common than many of the so-called mainline denominations.
 
becka01101 said:
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A more accurate summary would be that Protestants feel that Catholics are missing one crucial element to eternal salvation, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Its not condescendsion, but a sincere concern for your eternal salvation.
Becka
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Thank you for your sincere concern. As far as I know, we Catholics do have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus is the center of our Catholic faith. Even when we ask for Mary’s intercession, to pray for us, Mary is always pointing to Jesus.

Our prayers such as Rosary, is all the way pointing to Jesus. The four mysteries of Rosary are the summary of Jesus’ entire life, and all the Rosary mystery verses are quotes from Bible. They are completely Christ centered.

Where did you get the misconception that we don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus?
 
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