What to say to this Baptist

[seansmom]

Who believes her Grandmother’s soul was sent to hell since she always prayed the Rosary and to this Baptist it means her Grandmother never said something called “The Sinner’s Prayer” where she asked Jesus to forgive her for her sins and invite him into her heart.

I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing.

 

[LatinCat]

sean(name removed by moderator):

Who believes her Grandmother’s soul was sent to hell since she always prayed the Rosary and to this Baptist it means her Grandmother never said something called “The Sinner’s Prayer” where she asked Jesus to forgive her for her sins and invite him into her heart.

I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing.

Ask where the sinner’s prayer is in the bible? Its not there.
But what is in the bible:
“All who believe and are BAPTIZED will be saved.”
“see how a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
With regard to the Rosary, Mary says, in the the Gospel of Luke:
“All generations will call me blessed.”

 

[puzzleannie]

ask your friend where in the Bible it says that one human can state with certainty whether another person is in hell. Even the Catholic Church does not claim to have that ability.

 

[Tonks40]

The Fatima Prayer in the Rosary *IS *the sinner’s prayer!!

Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins
Save us from the fires of hell
Lead all souls to heaven
Especially those who most need thy mercy.

 

[Ace86]

sean(name removed by moderator):

Who believes her Grandmother’s soul was sent to hell since she always prayed the Rosary and to this Baptist it means her Grandmother never said something called “The Sinner’s Prayer” where she asked Jesus to forgive her for her sins and invite him into her heart.

I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing.

Speaking of inviting Jesus into the heart, you may want to explain the Sacred Heart of Jesus to her. Show her your faith, and live it out so that she will eventually know that the Catholic Church is the Bride of Christ. Be charitable and kind. Don’t argue. Try to find common ground, and work from there.

 

[seansmom]

Thank you for the advice! I wouldn’t have wanted to say something that made her feel worse. I was hopeful she would feel comforted by what I could say.

Thank you again!

 

[MaryD7]

sean(name removed by moderator):

Who believes her Grandmother’s soul was sent to hell since she always prayed the Rosary and to this Baptist it means her Grandmother never said something called “The Sinner’s Prayer” where she asked Jesus to forgive her for her sins and invite him into her heart.

I’m afraid I’ll say the wrong thing.

This may be more of a misunderstanding of beliefs than anything else. I was raised Baptist and was taught that anyone that did not specifically asked for forgiveness and ask Christ to come into his/her heart was not ‘saved’ … saved meaning that the person was not going to hell. There is no “Sinner’s Prayer” per se but rather a prayer of repentence and invitation said in one’s own words.

As for the rosary I suspect that this is more of a reaction to the fact that someone is praying to Mary rather than to Jesus/God. Many people of the non-Catholic faith have a problem with this.

How I would approach this person is to accentuate what is similar in each respective religion, such as needing God’s grace for forgiveness and that Jesus Christ was sent by God for our redemption.

Hope this helps!

 

[shannin]

When I was in third grade in public school I was told by another third grader (a Baptist) that I believed in idols

I had a Baptist friend who constantly told me that Catholics would not make it to Heaven because, among other things, we pray to the Blessed Mother and baptize our babies

I presently work with a Baptist co-worker who tells others in the workplace that she worries about me because I’m “not saved”

**Give me a break **

 

[MaryD7]

shannin:

When I was in third grade in public school I was told by another third grader (a Baptist) that I believed in idols

I had a Baptist friend who constantly told me that Catholics would not make it to Heaven because, among other things, we pray to the Blessed Mother and baptize our babies

I presently work with a Baptist co-worker who tells others in the workplace that she worries about me because I’m “not saved”

**Give me a break **

LOL! Please don’t be mad! This attitude is due to the fact that some people don’t know enough about Catholicism to understand that Catholics are ‘saved’. Do Catholics repent their sins? Yes. Do they desire to have Christ live in their hearts? Yes.

Bingo! They are saved!

The problem lies in the fact that in the eyes of some the Bible is the end all of answers for the religion. Anything outside of the Bible is suspect. The Catholic church is filled with symbols, prayers, saints, etc., that were not specifically referred to in the Bible, therefore it is almost heresy to believe in it.

The one thing that help me to understand the Catholic church is by studying the history of Christianity. Many traditions were passed down orally and then finally somebody wrote them down. The Church and her understanding of Christ did not end when Christ ascended into heaven but rather it began to grow.

 

[SemperJase]

MaryD7:

This may be more of a misunderstanding of beliefs than anything else. I was raised Baptist and was taught that anyone that did not specifically asked for forgiveness and ask Christ to come into his/her heart was not ‘saved’ … saved meaning that the person was not going to hell. There is no “Sinner’s Prayer” per se but rather a prayer of repentence and invitation said in one’s own words.

I know they don’t think we are “born again”. I’m guessing that is because we don’t have a sinner’s prayer. Yet Catholics do make the same professions, we just do it publicly during confirmation. I wonder why they don’t think that counts.

 

[MaggieOH]

I hope you are all aware that at Baptism we do recite a sinners prayer, because we in fact renounce Satan. We do this periodically when we attend a Baptism and renew our Baptismal vow.

When talking to these people, always emphasize God’s grace. They do not truly understand the concept of receiving God’s grace at Baptism and as a result of the Sacraments.

I have my own story to tell about that situation but will keep it for another occasion.

I might suggest that anyone who encounters the same thing might like to read “Catholic for a Reason” pt 1, edited by Scott Hahn. In it Kimberley Hahn addresses how to deal with people who ask “Have you been saved”.

 

[MaryD7]

SemperJase:

I know they don’t think we are “born again”. I’m guessing that is because we don’t have a sinner’s prayer. Yet Catholics do make the same professions, we just do it publicly during confirmation. I wonder why they don’t think that counts.

Because they don’t know about it!

It is a hard thing to explain. There are so many similarities between the two but because it is either called something else, or not formalized into something that the religion recognizes, it is considered non-exisiting. Many times it comes down to semantics and tradition.

I had a Catholic tell me once that anyone not baptized by the Catholic Church was going to hell. I stared him straight in the eye and asked him if he thought my God-fearing, Bible believing, devout Baptist Mother was in hell because she happened to belong to the Baptist church since infancy. He didn’t have an answer for me.

 

[Della]

You also might tell her that at every Mass her grandmother attended she said a form of the sinner’s prayer as cited here:

Penitential Rite (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

In the Roman Catholic Church, the Penitential Rite is a part of the Introductory Rites of the Mass. The Penitential Rite is a time of reflection on ones sins and a prayer for God’s mercy…

The Rite

The Penitential Rite follows the entrance procession and the greeting. The priest’s opening comments generally transition directly into the Penitential Rite.

The available forms are:

Option A (Often called the Confiteor or Mea Culpa; the most popular form):

All: I confess to almighty God,
and to you, my brothers and sisters,
that I have sinned through my own fault,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done,
and in what I have failed to do;
and I ask blessed Mary, ever virgin,
all the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray for me to the Lord, our God.

Option B (Infrequently used):

Priest: Lord, we have sinned against you: Lord, have mercy.
Congregation: Lord, have mercy.
Priest: Lord, show us your mercy and love.
Congregation: And grant us your salvation.

Option C (May be said by the deacon or priest):

Minister: (The priest prays a short, spontaneous invocation): Lord, have mercy.
Congregation: Lord, have mercy.
Minister: (Second invocation): Christ, have mercy.
Congregation: Christ, have mercy.
Minister: (Third invocation): Lord, have mercy.
Congregation: Lord, have mercy.

The Penitential Rite always concludes:

Priest: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
Congregation: Amen.

The Kyrie eleison follows the Penitential rite, unless Form C is used, because Form C incorporates the Kyrie. The Gloria follows the Kyrie, and the Introductory Rites conclude with the Collect.

 

[JSmitty2005]

MaryD7:

This attitude is due to the fact that some people don’t know enough about Catholicism to understand that Catholics are ‘saved’. Do Catholics repent their sins? Yes. Do they desire to have Christ live in their hearts? Yes.

Bingo! They are saved!

Catholics don’t believe that you can know whether or not you are saved in this life.

 

[Della]

JSmitty2005:

Catholics don’t believe that you can know whether or not you are saved in this life.

Yes and no. We can have moral certainty of our salvation if we know we are following what the Church teaches. And there have been some who have been blessed with the forknowledge of their salvation, such as St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. But in general, we don’t go around claiming we are saved and cannot possibly lose our salvation, though, either.

 

[JSmitty2005]

Della:

Yes and no. We can have moral certainty of our salvation if we know we are following what the Church teaches. And there have been some who have been blessed with the forknowledge of their salvation, such as St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. But in general, we don’t go around claiming we are saved and cannot possibly lose our salvation, though, either.

Yup! I’m saved (Eph 2:5–8), being saved (1Cor 1:8), and hope I’ll be saved (1Cor 3:12–15). I’m working out my salvation in fear (Phil 2:12), with hopeful confidence in Christ (Rom 5:2).

 

[MaryD7]

JSmitty2005:

Catholics don’t believe that you can know whether or not you are saved in this life.

I don’t necessarily agree with that. Yes, we hope for redemption but we are also suppose to have confidence in Christ’s love and mercy.

 

[shannin]

MaryD7:

LOL!
The one thing that help me to understand the Catholic church is by studying the history of Christianity. Many traditions were passed down orally and then finally somebody wrote them down.

And that “somebody” that wrote them down was the Catholic Church. Who do the Baptists think the Bible came from? It came from the CC.

 

[MaryD7]

Della:

Yes and no. We can have moral certainty of our salvation if we know we are following what the Church teaches. And there have been some who have been blessed with the forknowledge of their salvation, such as St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. But in general, we don’t go around claiming we are saved and cannot possibly lose our salvation, though, either.

You said the words I couldn’t find. Thank you.

Yes, one can fall from grace but with God’s mercy we can be forgiven. It is a constant in our lives.

 

[Daniel_Marsh]

Have him read Eze 18 out loud. Ask are these people “saved”?
Did they say the “sinners prayer”?

Have him Read Romans 8:26

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.

Is it possible that when one is doing the rosary for prayer the Holy Spirit is interceding for us? Is your Baptist Friend the Holy Spirit? How does he know your grand mother’s heart?

In Fact, Here is the real sinner’s prayer in scripture

Luke 18:9-14 (King James Version)

13And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, **God be merciful to me a sinner. **

14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Does the Rosary use those words? God be merciful to me?

Do not Catholics say in worship, “God have Mercy”