Tough(er) Love?

[steveb1]

I am no longer Catholic, but I spent 28 years in the Church, had twelve years of parochial school education, was an altar boy, etc., etc. I was catechised by nuns, priests, and the Baltimore Cathechism. But in none of my education was anything said about evangelization of Protestants or, more to the point, of fundamentalists. The only “missions” mentioned were to the Batusis or other “Third World” peoples.

Judging by fundamentalism’s huge incursion into American religion and the losses the Latin American Catholic Church has suffered to fundamentalism, it seems to me that the Church still just doesn’t “get it” in terms of the strength and viciousness of its literalist opposition; doesn’t understand the urgent need for strong, uncompromising dissemination of its perspective to those who need to hear it most. To hear it from the source instead of hearing it from fundamentalist bombasts and Catholic-phobes.

Some of this can be blamed on clergy and bishops who seem to be asleep at the wheel, and laity who are woefully uninformed about what “Bible Christianity” says about the Church, and how insidiously it seeks converts.

There’s a dire situation going on vis a vis fundamentalism’s attacks on the Church, and most Catholics don’t seem to care very much. Those that do are unprepared to fight “Bible Christianity” with biblically-supported Catholic argumentation.

Yes, this site and others like it do attempt to alleviate this problem … this problem which calls for Christian love for fundamentalists, but, more specifically, for tough love. The situation amounts to a battle for hearts and minds, and it needs to be taken to the streets, campuses, and whenever applicable, to the media … just as the fundamentalists take their cause to public venues - even, shockingly and sadly, even to Catholic churches where they plant their nasty propogandistic materials.

There ought to be a wake-up call issued from the bishops to the pulpits so congregations of the laity can see the scope of the problem and be given the tools to “take up arms” against what is really an anti-Christian form of “Christian” fundamentalism. Otherwise, Catholic numbers will dwindle and fundamentalism will spread unabated - an avoidable situation, if only the Church would wake up and boldly, broadly, and publicly defend itself.

 

[beth40n2]

I agree. As a convert of 6 years, it amazes me that I have more knowledge of the Catholic fatith than most cradle Catholics. Half of the CCD teachers we have in my church that are really teaching the faith are converts.

We do have a couple lost generations who do not know their faith. I know some older people who grew up with the Baltimore Catechism and they really know their faith, but most still do not know apologetics.

Now I am a Director of Religious Education in my parish, and one of the things that my high school students are learning is apologetics. They the get the New Catholic Answer Bible at the beginning of confirmation and when they are done with confirmation they can defend their faith. We do have to be diligent in teaching our faith and how it differs from different protestant churches so they are not tempted to leave.

 

[3DOCTORS]

I’m just going to come right out and say it - Steve, have you considered coming back to the Catholic Church? Your post sounds spot on and it seems you have a concern about the members the Church has inadvertently let slip by . . . but what about YOU? You know a lot about the Faith in which you were raised and you seem to have a love for it. What has caused it to go dormant?

Consider this an invitation to check out the group in my signature . . . or Catholics Come Home, which can be linked through that group.

 

[ohioszo]

It is not good to blame others. God gave you a free will. Watch journey home with Marcus Grodi, on ewtn. Truly, there are a lot of different paths to the truth, and, for some people, going to a Protestant church for awhile is their path! For some reason, I understood the Eucharist, and, I just believe that God gave us His body and blood in our reception of the Eucharist. I don’t think we have to explain it to everyone, unless they ask us! I think that God uses everyone and everything to bring us back to Him. So, it might be Protestant friends who help … Maybe they understand some temptations. I’m not saying that there are not sinners amongst our friends, who tempt us. It goes both ways, and, it could be friends who are nominally catholic, maybe, or, maybe it is just the devil at work! One must watch out for oneself. The days when, for instance, women were protected are not these times, I think! And, every man may not have a guardian who can help them through their youthful days. It was true that when we didn’t eat meat on Fridays, it was a reminder to ourselves and to our friends that we were catholic! I just don’t think that it got much further than that, and, in that way, I agree with you. A little evangelization, would chase away the devils!

 

[joandarc2008]

It has started to get better - I have seen this in some parishes up North - however there are some parishes where people won’t do things unless they are spoon fed to them in ready made programs. Maybe when those programs come out in another 30 years…

 

[jimcav]

It’s not quite fair to say the Church just doesn’t get it.

Remember, the protestants left us - we didn’t leave them, so recruiting has been a way of life for protestants from day one. That is a huge part of many of their denominations “faith”. It has never been a big part for us. The Truth of the Catholic Church is enough to “recruit” and keep it’s members. For most fallen away Catholics, it’s a lack of knowing that truth that leads them away…

 

[steveb1]

I’m just going to come right out and say it - Steve, have you considered coming back to the Catholic Church? Your post sounds spot on and it seems you have a concern about the members the Church has inadvertently let slip by . . . but what about YOU? You know a lot about the Faith in which you were raised and you seem to have a love for it. What has caused it to go dormant?

Consider this an invitation to check out the group in my signature . . . or Catholics Come Home, which can be linked through that group.

Hasn’t gone dormant, I just moved beyond it, based on some very valuable stepping stones provided by the Church itself. I don’t want to be too specific. I’ll only say that I value Jungian psychology and its theory of numinous archetypes. The Church - unlike any other Christian body that I am aware of - is the best Western vehicle for conveying archetypes and archetypal truths - which were the stepping-stones into the faith I now hold.

Yes, thanks, I know a lot about the RCC because I took it seriously enough to do extra-curricular studies, driven not by duty but by enthusiasm. I do have a love for Catholics as a social genre, because they loved me, raised me, entertained and educated me. So I see it as a crying shame that - even with all these good people supported by a detailed apologetic worked out over centuries - Catholics are regularly bashed by “Bible church” know-nothings. I was just reading in another post here where some fundamentalist nut case has set up a system of vans/trailers to haunt truckstops with anti-Catholic propoganda. So if a few fundamentalist cranks can get their word out, what’s preventing the RCC, with all its resources, from getting its word out? There’s a major dysfunction here, but I can’t pin it down.

 

[3DOCTORS]

Hasn’t gone dormant, I just moved beyond it, based on some very valuable stepping stones provided by the Church itself. I don’t want to be too specific. I’ll only say that I value Jungian psychology and its theory of numinous archetypes. The Church - unlike any other Christian body that I am aware of - is the best Western vehicle for conveying archetypes and archetypal truths - which were the stepping-stones into the faith I now hold.

Yes, thanks, I know a lot about the RCC because I took it seriously enough to do extra-curricular studies, driven not by duty but by enthusiasm. I do have a love for Catholics as a social genre, because they loved me, raised me, entertained and educated me. So I see it as a crying shame that - even with all these good people supported by a detailed apologetic worked out over centuries - Catholics are regularly bashed by “Bible church” know-nothings. I was just reading in another post here where some fundamentalist nut case has set up a system of vans/trailers to haunt truckstops with anti-Catholic propoganda. So if a few fundamentalist cranks can get their word out, what’s preventing the RCC, with all its resources, from getting its word out? There’s a major dysfunction here, but I can’t pin it down.

Just curious . . . and if you don’t wish to answer then just ignore me. The concept of moving beyond Catholicism into something else implies that there was something lacking in Catholicism, something incomplete. Or something that was a point of disagreement with its teachings. We believe differently, obviously, as I believe Catholicism doesn’t need to be subsumed into some greater paradigm. Be that as it may.

I’m curious though why the concern for a religion that you say you have moved beyond, about its needing to defend itself against those who would attack it. It is almost as if you do love the Catholic Church very much, is what I’m picking up on. Else why care if she is attacked?

Not trying to antagonize, just never have seen quite this unusual combination before.

 

[Big_Dummy]

Ok, I’ll ask what does “Bible Christianity” teaches that differs from Catholicism?

Please, start seperate threads in Non-Catholic area since I am likely going to forget where I asked this — just possessed by Tim Taylor.

 

[steveb1]

I’m curious though why the concern for a religion that you say you have moved beyond, about its needing to defend itself against those who would attack it. It is almost as if you do love the Catholic Church very much, is what I’m picking up on. Else why care if she is attacked?

Not trying to antagonize, just never have seen quite this unusual combination before.

As I think I may have mentioned, I was loved, raised and educated by Catholics and I hate to see them being bashed by fundamentalist know-nothings. As a tool of Christian anti-fundamentalist education, the Catholic Church has much to offer, especially to those who excoriate it most - namely, fundamentalists.

 

[puzzleannie]

I There ought to be a wake-up call issued from the bishops to the pulpits so congregations of the laity can see the scope of the problem and be given the tools to “take up arms” against what is really an anti-Christian form of “Christian” fundamentalism. Otherwise, Catholic numbers will dwindle and fundamentalism will spread unabated - an avoidable situation, if only the Church would wake up and boldly, broadly, and publicly defend itself.

we have had a wake up call
it was issued by Pope John Paul II when he called for a new evangelization