I appreciate your words. Actually, I had already asked the forum master to delete my account. I was here seeing if the account had been deleted when I saw hn160 being attacked. I must confess, I couldn’t help my sinful nature by sending off one before I left. I expected to be called a “troll” or whatever a non-conformist is called on this forum. Then I can across your words.
Just in case someone still thinks I am a troll, here is (was) my reading list:
A Well Built Faith Joe Paprocki
Practicing Catholic James Carroll
Catholic and Christian Alan Schreck
Why I Am Catholic Garry Wills
Reformation Patrick Collinson
And I have recently gone to 8:30 Mass several times. My curiosity was genuine.
My story began here because, when I wanted to learn more about my way of worship (Lutheranism) I began reading the Book of Concordia. The more I read, the more I saw the Catholic Church staring back at me. I read history and found out how Luther adored Mary and said the Rosary. I then read how Luther, in the Small Catechism, instructed us to make the sign of the cross before prayer. So I did and it felt awesome! An outwardly sign of my love for God. Being physical beings, this is something I could feel. The word of God is GREAT but combined with something I can touch in worship besides the Word is even better. So then it got me thinking, if the Catholics were right by holding on to this, what else are they right about. Which lead me to my “Why religion is like a car going to the party,” analogy. But that is for another time.
That lead me on to this forum. Then I ran into the Catholics themselves. I will never forget that you cannot judge the masses by the few. I completely understand that.
But the attacks hurt regardless if they are ended with some sort of loving statement of “peace” or “God bless” on the end. To me, that is like someone calling you an idiot but adding no offense, as if somehow the no offense part erases the insult.
On this forum, Protestants have been called heretics, sinners, unsaved and sheep in wolf’s clothing etc… All this on the non-Catholic area of the forum. Has anyone wondered why someone asks a question of Protestantism and only one or two answer and the rest are Catholic.
Well, I for one was done with this forum. The books were going onto the shelf and I was going back to my comfort zone. Then I read your words. It leaves me with hope and encouragement to keep looking.
Someone a post back or two on the “troll” posting said something about presuming someones goals will not drive someone away; I say you are DEAD wrong. If these posts can keep me from the Catholic Church, they can certainly reinforce stereotypes that Christians are judgmental.
Now I know full well that after this post I will be called some derogative name. No prob. But to you Fone Bone 2001, I say thank you. May the Lord bless you and keep you. Keep you powder dry and keep up the good fight.
God bless you as well. I’m grateful my words encouraged you a little. May the Lord be with you as you continue your journey as a Christian, and thank you for your kind words, Stepson.
Catholics call non-Catholic Christians Protestants, but usually non-Catholic Christians never use the word “Protestant”.
That’s true only of some Protestants. Sure, the non-denominational types are sometimes known to eschew any label other than “Christian,” but the more intellectual Reformed types who know their history and theology a bit better than most actually
do acknowledge that they are Protestants without being asked.
Personal attacks are not allowed on Catholic Answers. But you should expect that Catholics will not agree with you about Protestantism in any of its many forms and that we will defend our Faith. But it isn’t personal.
I agree, but I don’t think Stepson is wrong to feel the way he does. I have seen some posts in my time here that
do make it personal, that include name-calling just as Stepson said.
Usually it’s Catholics who mean well. They think they’re being heroically bold with the unmitigated truth, but really… they’re just being mean. There
is a difference.
“Protestantism is wrong about X, Y, and Z” = bold with the truth
“Protestantism is irrational/sinful/disobedient/shameful/etc.” = personal attacks that are not appropriate or conducive to spreading truth. And yes, I have seen comments like that on these forums from time to time.
Okay, I’m changing gears. It’s nitpicking time.
That’s not identifying nomenclature, since Christian and Catholic are synonomous.
Well, not exactly. Yes, all Catholics are Christians, but
not all Christians are Catholics, so the terms are not strictly interchangeable.
I said that certain books had been added to the Bible, they said there was no such thing as the Apocrypha.
Just a quick point: they weren’t exactly right. There
is such a thing as the Apocrypha, it just doesn’t include Tobit, Judith, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees, Wisdom, Sirach, and Baruch, which are of course fully part of Sacred Scripture.
But there are Apocryphal books - 3 and 4 Maccabees, the Book of Enoch, Paralipomena of Jeremiah, etc. (Protestants call these books pseudepigraphal)
Protestant church: Non-Catholic Christian church.
Nah, that definition doesn’t work, because it fails to cover the existence of the Orthodox, the Oriental Orthodox, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Ancient Church of the East.
Perhaps you could say “non-Catholic
western Christian church”
But what is your reason for not staying in the CC? The Novus Ordo Mass isn’t hard to take, it requires what an Hour a week?
be CHARITABLE in your responses