Were you taught negative information about another faith in church?

  • Thread starter Thread starter kell0618
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back in the day when my mother could force me to go to church I heard lots of anti-Catholic information. I remember one particular sermon where the pastor villified Catholicism for a good 15 minutes. In retrospect that particular sermon was the final straw in my journey away from pretending to believe. My first and only boyfriend who was dying of leukemia at the time was Catholic and I spent a lot time around him and his parents in the hospital and such. Never once did I see in them any of the things my pastor described. That destroyed what was left of my respect for him.

When my friend died my mother wouldn’t let me go to his funeral because it was a Catholic funeral. She wouldn’t let me go because the church she belonged to was extremely anti-Catholic and she saw my going as something akin to blasphemy. I’ll never forgive her for that. His last words to me were “I love you” and he was the only boy I’ve ever kissed…and she wouldn’t let me go to his funeral because of the hatred of Catholics the church instilled in her. :mad:
 
nichjake said:
Back in the day when my mother could force me to go to church I heard lots of anti-Catholic information. I remember one particular sermon where the pastor villified Catholicism for a good 15 minutes. In retrospect that particular sermon was the final straw in my journey away from pretending to believe. My first and only boyfriend who was dying of leukemia at the time was Catholic and I spent a lot time around him and his parents in the hospital and such. Never once did I see in them any of the things my pastor described. That destroyed what was left of my respect for him.

When my friend died my mother wouldn’t let me go to his funeral because it was a Catholic funeral. She wouldn’t let me go because the church she belonged to was extremely anti-Catholic and she saw my going as something akin to blasphemy. I’ll never forgive her for that. His last words to me were “I love you” and he was the only boy I’ve ever kissed…and she wouldn’t let me go to his funeral because of the hatred of Catholics the church instilled in her. :mad:
Click to expand...
Oh, dear. I am so sorry for your loss and the difficulty presented by your mother’s sentiments. Peace be with you.
 
nichjake said:
Back in the day when my mother could force me to go to church I heard lots of anti-Catholic information. I remember one particular sermon where the pastor villified Catholicism for a good 15 minutes. In retrospect that particular sermon was the final straw in my journey away from pretending to believe. My first and only boyfriend who was dying of leukemia at the time was Catholic and I spent a lot time around him and his parents in the hospital and such. Never once did I see in them any of the things my pastor described. That destroyed what was left of my respect for him.

When my friend died my mother wouldn’t let me go to his funeral because it was a Catholic funeral. She wouldn’t let me go because the church she belonged to was extremely anti-Catholic and she saw my going as something akin to blasphemy. I’ll never forgive her for that. His last words to me were “I love you” and he was the only boy I’ve ever kissed…and she wouldn’t let me go to his funeral because of the hatred of Catholics the church instilled in her. :mad:
Click to expand...
At a favored shrine I used to stop at between college and my home (it was the EXACT half-way point down to the tenth of a mile between my dorm and my parent’s driveway) there a Marian side altar with a quote that has made me weep.

Above an altar of Mary holding the body of Christ it is inscribed “All ye that pass by attend and see if there be any sorrow like unto my own.”

There is none. The execution of her Divine Son in the most gruesome tortoreous death is to be imagined - with tears. To watch your son reviled and die in this viscious way.

But that makes here Our Lady of Consolation. Standing next to her in our sorrows and sadness, she knows, she has been there. There is no sadness like unto her own. In my moments of deepest loss and sorrow, I remember this. She can heal and help me because she knows infinate sadness.

Where am I going with this? It is not a platitude, but rejoice in your sorrows and have joy in your heart - in these sorrows you stand in solidarity at the foot of the cross with OL.

There simply can be no other company.
 
I remember the nuns telling us we were not to go to a protestant church.
But one day my Baptist neighbor invited my mother and I to go to her church. We came in and the inner room looked like a secular meeting hall with an American flag. There was nothing holy there, myself reflecting on that when I was in the third grade.
The minister got up and in a few words started using alot of emotion, which that in itself frightened me, started denouncing the Catholic Church. I thought he was a very bad man and did not look nice with all that emotion.
I left realizing why we were not supposed to go there.
I have since grown up and have had two Baptist friends. They were indoctrinated with false concepts about our faith. I posted elsewhere about the Mormons where they in the past have even ritualized their stance against Catholics.
We have to always to back to the founder of churches. Jesus Christ is the founder of the Catholic Church. He did not start the church by Himself, making claims. He chose 12 Apostles, not just one or two…you know how it is after an incident when several you start to reflect and each one sees a different part of the whole picture and in others you see the same. We had 4 evangelists, and both St. Peter and St. Paul hold the keys to the Church. It took many people and many years to put the Bible together. So there was alot of discussion and discernment with the help of the Holy Spirit to do so. Jesus not only appeared to the Apostles and Mary Magdalen after the Resurrection, He also appeared to others. When the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles, He also descended on Mary and others present in the Upper Room. And He also had followers from the multitudes who witnessed His Word in teaching and in miracles.
Then, St. Peter was led to start the Church in the very center of ancient Rome–the center if you want to call it, the evil empire in regards to the enslavement of so many and the plundering of North Africa. You would think Our Lord would want to start His church in a better environment.
After that, the converts had to hide. The beginning worship of early Christians, the new life of Christians had to commence in the catacombs of the dead underneath Rome, for several centuries, so they were off to a slow, underground, but thriving start.
From there, began the plundering of Rome by barbarians. So to begin Christ’s church took 3 centuries. Alot of trouble for Our Founder Jesus Christ. Our Church endures now for 2,000 years.
Our catechism is teaching the same truths it taught at its beginning. It is just that it is hard for some people to separate the failings of a locale or period in our history. The Church is constantly reforming itself.
How important it is for one to persevere and be faithful, not only to Our Catholic Church but also to each other in faith as well as our own families. It is our faith that truly saves us.

So after that, you have single men starting their own churches claiming to all be the truth church.
 
What do you consider negative? Is the truth negative in your eyes? Of course The Catholic Church has taught that other religions are false. Of course The Church has condemned the false beliefs of other religions. That is what people who love truth do, they speak it. This is not being “negative.”

And by the way, Protestant religions are not true Christian religions as they were not founded by Jesus Christ, follow different teachings than Catholicism, and were founded on heresy. The Holy Roman Catholic Chucrh is the only true Christian Church.
 
I attended Catholic Schools from Kindergarten through College and I never once had a teacher, parent or Family memeber give me any negative or false teaching about another religion.

The BVMs in grammar school only taught about Catholicism and the Christian Brothers offered fact based courses on other religions, these courses were devoid of criticism, though they did contrast the various religions.

I did not really encounter “negative” religous discourse until I joined the military and had some evangelical friends share their opinions with me :eek:
 
As a cradle Catholic I have heard priest made homily and remind us not to received the Body and Blood of the Lord unworthily. His name was Fr. John, and the neighbor he was in was gang infested with drugs. Apparently he know some parishers who live unsaintly lives, and have to speak in his homily. He also affirms other teachings of the Church by condemning pre-marital sins, contraceptions.

He was basically keep disobedient Catholics a bad rap. He never taught negatively about Jews, Protestants, but he was more concern with Catholics in his parish than those outside it.
 
I was raised in a conservative Baptist church. I started hearing negative comments about the Catholic church when i was in 5th grade(Pres. Kennedy was in office). Ironically, the more negative comments i heard over the years, the more curious I became about Catholicism. Now that I’ve been a Catholic for just over a year, i know without a doubt I will never hear anything negative about any other religion. Our church teaches us to respects all religions and that all Christians will be in heaven. Wish I could say the same for the former church I was raised in and raised my kids in.
 
deborahb said:
Now that I’ve been a Catholic for just over a year, i know without a doubt I will never hear anything negative about any other religion. Our church teaches us to respects all religions and that all Christians will be in heaven.
Click to expand...
No, the Roman Catholic Church does not teach to respect all other religions, it teaches to have respect for other people’s right to follow another religion. This is not the same thing.

Where do you get the idea that the Roman Catholic Church teaches that “all Christians will be in heaven?”
 
Thanks for your reply to my post butterflychaser. When I decided to convert to Catholicism, I had an interview with the head of religious education at the parish. Because I was raised a protestant and most of my family members are still protestant, the first thing I asked during my interview before starting RCIA classes was, for me, a very important question. I asked if the Church teaches that only Catholics go to heaven. After she quit chuckling, she explained that Vatican II clarified that the Church teaches in the catechism that all Christians will go to heaven. This was also confirmed not only during my classes, but also by my priest, and by many programs I watch on EWTN.

As far as my statement that the Catholic Church teaches us to respect other religions, I again refer you to the catechism of our faith. From one of the books I received before I started classes it says: “The attitude of the church today towards other religions is one of respect and reverence. Just as the bee gathers honey from thorny rosebushes,so too Catholics and other Christians can and should gain much nourishment from respecting and learning about other religious traditions.” This quote is from the book, THIS IS OUR FAITH. It is a catechism for adults taking RCIA.

I have to say, if the head of religious education had told me only Catholics went to heaven, I wouldn’t have converted. I was looking for a Faith that wasn’t guilty of prejudice and bigotry because others may not share the same beliefs. I wanted to worship the Lord in a church that didn’t validate their beliefs by tearing down others. And, I found it in the Catholic church!!!
 
deborahb said:
I have to say, if the head of religious education had told me only Catholics went to heaven, I wouldn’t have converted. I was looking for a Faith that wasn’t guilty of prejudice and bigotry because others may not share the same beliefs. I wanted to worship the Lord in a church that didn’t validate their beliefs by tearing down others. And, I found it in the Catholic church!!!
Click to expand...
I understand your concerns and you are both right. First, we know that God is merciful to all of His children. Second, though protestants don’t have the fullness of the Faith, if they are truly seeking the truth yet do not know and understand the teachings of Catholicism, they indeed can be saved.
From the Catechism:
Click to expand...
**“Outside the Church there is no salvation” **
[846](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/846.htm’)😉 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers?335 Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body:

Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.336
847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

Those who, through no fault of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart, and, moved by grace, try in their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience - those too may achieve eternal salvation.337
[848](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/848.htm’)😉 “Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men.”
Click to expand...
I fully expect to see my loved ones in heaven, who for one reason or another, have never opened their hearts to Catholicism yet have a great love for Christ.

By the way, I like your name. Deborah was a strong and brave warrior in the book of Judges in the OT.👍 She rocked when many others gave into sin and paganism.

Kelly
 
Thank you Kelly. As my priest explained it simply, we Catholics believe what my Baptist family members believe, but we have more! And i really chuckled when exploring the saints to choose my confirmation name to find out that my first and middle names my mom chose for me are both saints! lol

God bless.
 
In church? No.

In books sold at Protestant bookstores? ABSOLUTELY!

I have some of them on my shelf right now.
 
Randy, my husband and I went to a funeral in February that was held at the Baptist church we were married in and he grew up in. And the theme of the sermon was ‘saints’. The minister threw in anti-Catholic misinformation about saints and after the funeral I had to explain to my husband what my Faith teaches on saints. I think I was the only Catholic in the entire church and all i could think was “here we go again.” Ironically, in the minister’s zeal to explain how saints are made, using scripture, he was actually teaching Catholic beliefs! lol

Whenever I, in the past, heard negative comments in a church setting, or having my minister give me an anti-Catholic book to read(which i never bothered to read) when i mentioned I was going to be in a Catholic wedding, it bothered me, even when at the time I had no reason to believe the info given wasn’t true. And while I do miss going to my local ‘Christian’ bookstore I always used, thankfully, we have two wonderful Catholic bookstores that fill my needs wonderfully.
 
deborahb said:
… she explained that Vatican II clarified that the Church teaches in the catechism that all Christians will go to heaven. This was also confirmed not only during my classes, but also by my priest, and by many programs I watch on EWTN.
Click to expand...
That’s interesting because Jesus never taught that “all Christians” will go to Heaven. Jesus The Christ was very clear. The road is narrow. Since Protestantism is based on heretical teachings that are contrary to Jesus and the words of the Apostles, then Protestantism is not a Christian religion.
deborahb said:
…I again refer you to the catechism of our faith. From one of the books I received before I started classes it says: “The attitude of the church today towards other religions is one of respect and reverence. Just as the bee gathers honey from thorny rosebushes,so too Catholics and other Christians can and should gain much nourishment from respecting and learning about other religious traditions.” This quote is from the book, THIS IS OUR FAITH. It is a catechism for adults taking RCIA.
Click to expand...
Vatican Two has created a man-made religion which centers on men. It has lowered itself to other religions instead of causing men to want to raise themselves up to the standards of Catholicism. If other religions are worth respect and have truth, then the Catholic Church does not have the truth. All religions cannot hold the truth, only one can. If one is as good as another then why even become Catholic?

Vatican Two is a false church that has destroyed the souls of many people. It has led Catholics away from Jesus and into a religion where everyone who calls themselves a Christian is going to Heaven and that religions which defile Jesus and His Holy Mother are to be respected! Amazing.

Better watch out because Vatican Two is leading people down the road to disaster.
 
Yes, I was taught negative things about Catholicism from my youth, and just in the last five years belonged to an evangelical non-denomination that ran a “series” entitled “Catholicism and Us”. :eek: I quit that “church” shortly thereafter–you can’t imagine how many people the pastor ticked off with his “series”–and the church has long since been dissolved.
 
i went to catholic school for 12 years an i never was taught any negative ideas about other faith. know that iam older the only negative i can feel come from some fundamentalist an some former catholics. :confused: ST. JUDE PRAYERSO most holy apostle, St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, people honor and invoke you universally, as the patron of hopeless cases, of things almost despaired of. Pray for me, for I am so helpless and alone. Please help to bring me visible and speedy assistance. Come to my assistance in this great need that I may receive the consolation and help of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations, and sufferings, particularly (state your request) and that I may praise God with you always." 🙂
 
Hi,
To be perfectly honest many moons ago, at least where I went to school, we were taught that the catholicism was the only church that had the fullness of truth. It was as far as I remember, taught in the hope that eventually all christians would one day be united into one body. We of course were taught about the reformation,and without a doubt from the catholic view point, of course that would be expected. From that piont on you use your own judgement from the related facts through your own study of history, and the brain God gave us to use.

Peace, OneNow1
 
I was never taught to hate any other religon and I never heard anything negitive from the pulpit. I did however hear of the need to pray for our brothers and sisters who have left the faith and to pray for unity between all Christians.

On a second note, I was once engaged to a Hardcore Baptist girl whose family was very invovled in the Baptist church. She ask me to go to church with her a couple of times and both times from the pulpit they were bashing Catholics. The first time I thought well this man just has a chip on his shoulder. The second time I was so upset I wanted to go down to that pulpit and tell the truth to the lies they were spreading. Needless to say I never went back and the engagment disolved. I might add that she was willing to leave her faith to join what she called a faith in the middle, like Methodist, but she would have nothing to do with the Catholic faith. I of course wouldn’t budge.
 
I received a Catholic education throughout my formative years.

I do not recall anything ever being said about our seperated breathren except that they are our ‘brethren’.🙂
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top