aridite:
What do you say to someone who says they don’t care about truth? An acqaintance says he is not interested in trying to figure out which is the True Church, that he knows Jesus by reading his Bible and praying alone, and he is happy (and sure of his salvation). If he feels like he needs more than his Bible, he goes to a friend’s non-denominational church and gets emotionally recharged. But, the question of which denomination is right or truest, he says, is unimportant.
Ask him what his favorite parts about his faith are. Be ready to say, “that’s interesting, I never looked at it that way” as code for, “that’s wrong.” That is the stealth way to gather information for apologetics attack without telegraphing your move too much in advance. Remember He will come as a thief in the night. Use stealth reasoning. Paul blended in, to win those who let down their guard around them. Do not do this if you are weak in faith or easily offended. Use it as an exercise to love unconditionally.
He just blinks hollowly when I say that the Catholic Church is the one Jesus founded and it has the whole, complete Gospel as handed onto the Apostles.
That’s OK. You’ve planted the seeds, even though you might not have seen them sprout it’s up to the Holy Spirit from now on. You can try to water and feed him, if not spiritually then physically by taking him to his favorite restaurant or cooking his favorite dish. Worldly problems beget worldly solutions; the way to his heart is through his stomach.
I’m not sure if he thinks none have the complete truth (since if that were the case, it would have eclipsed the others, attracting the most sincere believers) or that we just can never know whether any of them are true. He seems to be saying both.
Some think truth is found in all things, and that unless one comprehends all mysteries in the Universe, one cannot claim to have the whole truth. The Church has the Truth insofar as she keeps the Literal, written Word of God alive through her vigilance. Also she gives the sacraments.
There are other aspects of God than the literal, written word. There is also the allegorical and mystical (unitive) properties of the Word of God, whether in Scriptural form or the Eucharist, that are beyond understanding. It’s OK for us not to understand, nor to pretend to agree with something we can never grasp. We can subject our wills to it, but it is only our faith that smoething is true if we can’t see it or calculate it out. That’[s what faith is about. Faith is not always good, befcause everybody puts their faith in something. The issue is whether it is something that will last, like the Truth held by the Church founded on the Rock.
Any help? Has anyone encountered this before?
Yes.
Don’t worry about it. Plant seeds, mostly nonverbal. Befriend him. Give him ways he can hurt you to prove you trust him, like a dog rolling on its back to be submissive to a stronger dog. Do not be afraid he will teach you wrong, because everything he says you will receive as “venting” if you don’t think it’s right. You can simply discard it without having to rub his nose in it.
Alan
