Who? Me? Non-Christian? But I'm a devout Catholic!

[Church_Militant]

I know that most of my Prot friends will target a Catholic for evangelism as if they are non-Christian. It has led to some pointed discussions but most understand now. Having also been one of those “witnessing” types for over 30 years, I reserve the right to turn around and offer them the chance to come into full communion w/the one true church.( ). All Prots seem to hold A/C opinions to some degree, but not all are nasty about it. (Deo gratias!)

Most Prots see us as non-evangelistic, which is just ignorance because they are unaware of all the apostolates that work to spread the faith. (Like the great booklets by the Knights of Columbus!). Most have no concept of catechesis, which is one reason they are so often confused about what they really believe as well as what we believe. They seem literally paranoid of any source other than the Bible (and their own personal favorite translation thereof to boot.) which leads most of them to ignore valid historical sources concerning Christianity. Most have virtually NO idea where their own particular denom came from or who defined what their doctrines are.

I used to hold to Sola Scriptura & Sola Fide, but upon closer examination concluded that they are a new invention that the early church didn’t hold and that (w/all due respect to you non-Catholics out there. Put that flamethrower down please…) is not supported by either scripture or historic Sacred Tradition. Hence…I returned to the Faith…and study to show myself approved and I’m always ready to give a reason for the hope that is in me. :banghead: :whacky: :bigyikes:

 

[SPOKENWORD]

Church Militant:

I know that most of my Prot friends will target a Catholic for evangelism as if they are non-Christian. It has led to some pointed discussions but most understand now. Having also been one of those “witnessing” types for over 30 years, I reserve the right to turn around and offer them the chance to come into full communion w/the one true church.( ). All Prots seem to hold A/C opinions to some degree, but not all are nasty about it. (Deo gratias!)

Most Prots see us as non-evangelistic, which is just ignorance because they are unaware of all the apostolates that work to spread the faith. (Like the great booklets by the Knights of Columbus!). Most have no concept of catechesis, which is one reason they are so often confused about what they really believe as well as what we believe. They seem literally paranoid of any source other than the Bible (and their own personal favorite translation thereof to boot.) which leads most of them to ignore valid historical sources concerning Christianity. Most have virtually NO idea where their own particular denom came from or who defined what their doctrines are.

I used to hold to Sola Scriptura & Sola Fide, but upon closer examination concluded that they are a new invention that the early church didn’t hold and that (w/all due respect to you non-Catholics out there. Put that flamethrower down please…) is not supported by either scripture or historic Sacred Tradition. Hence…I returned to the Faith…and study to show myself approved and I’m always ready to give a reason for the hope that is in me. :banghead: :whacky: :bigyikes:

Hi. C.M. So the great commission was for the apostles only? Stop passing the buck with all of your experience ,you should know better what the call of each christian is. God Bless.

 

[Church_Militant]

SPOKENWORD:

Hi. C.M. So the great commission was for the apostles only? Stop passing the buck with all of your experience ,you should know better what the call of each christian is. God Bless.

Hi Spokes,
I’m not passin’ the buck! I “witness” as well as you do or anyone else, so I don’t see where ya get this comment from.

If you think that my post is saying that we should leave evangelism to the K of C and other “pros” you misread or mistook my meaning. I meant that there is an ample supply of very fine literature to assist Catholics w/sharing their faith and that we should avail ourselves of it and pass it along at every opportunity. I also meant that we have access to a lot of great teaching books, tapes, and tracts that will help us to both know and share our Faith better.
Dominus vobiscum,

 

[SPOKENWORD]

Church Militant:

Hi Spokes,
I’m not passin’ the buck! I “witness” as well as you do or anyone else, so I don’t see where ya get this comment from.
Dominus vobiscum,

Hi C.M., I was referring to the comment that most protestants see catholics as non evangelistic. I would have to agree,not all but many catholics believe that they are not called in an evangelistic way. I speak only out of my own experiences. Yes ,preach the good news and use words if necessary works but not to the blind and the deaf. God Bless.

 

[Church_Militant]

SPOKENWORD:

Hi C.M., I was referring to the comment that most protestants see catholics as non evangelistic. I would have to agree,not all but many catholics believe that they are not called in an evangelistic way. I speak only out of my own experiences. Yes ,preach the good news and use words if necessary works but not to the blind and the deaf. God Bless.

Sheesh! Well you and I both know that non-Catholics have the very same problem. There’s always a shortage of "harvesters"as Jesus Himself said there would be and told us to pray to the lord of the harvest for more workers.

“Lord who has believed our message?”

 

[Panis_Angelicas]

If Evangelicals regard Catholics as Christians, then there is no need for them to witness to us.

In their minds, however, since we don’t hold to Sola Scriptura, we’re not fully Christian. (Kinda silly, I know! Because it’s just the reverse! ~ it is they who embrace sola scriptura who are missing out on the fullness of the Christian Faith, rejecting Sacred Tradition and the authority Christ established on the earth.) To them, Sola Scriptura is Christianity.

They have a singlar basis for all their beliefs; whereas we have a “trinity” of supports: Scripture, Tradition, Magisterium. The Church reflects the God Who founded it ~ trinity.

It would be kinda like someone calling himself Christian who would only believe in Jesus, but not the Father or the Holy Spirit, and claiming that he has the fullness of Christian faith.

The establishment of an earthly authority is recorded in Scripture.
The instruction to hold fast to sacred traditions is found in Scripture.
What isn’t found in Scripture is reliance upon Scriptures alone.

So, those who call themselves Bible Christians, really aren’t following the Bible as obediently as those who use the Bible, the Magisterium, and Sacred Tradition.

Might I add that this three-fold support system never contradicts one or the other. That’s nothing short of miraculous, after 2000 years.

Whadda Church He gave us, ay?

 

[RBushlow]

Church Militant:

I know that most of my Prot friends will target a Catholic for evangelism as if they are non-Christian. It has led to some pointed discussions but most understand now. Having also been one of those “witnessing” types for over 30 years, I reserve the right to turn around and offer them the chance to come into full communion w/the one true church.( ). All Prots seem to hold A/C opinions to some degree, but not all are nasty about it. (Deo gratias!)

Most Prots see us as non-evangelistic, which is just ignorance because they are unaware of all the apostolates that work to spread the faith. (Like the great booklets by the Knights of Columbus!). Most have no concept of catechesis, which is one reason they are so often confused about what they really believe as well as what we believe. They seem literally paranoid of any source other than the Bible (and their own personal favorite translation thereof to boot.) which leads most of them to ignore valid historical sources concerning Christianity. Most have virtually NO idea where their own particular denom came from or who defined what their doctrines are.

I used to hold to Sola Scriptura & Sola Fide, but upon closer examination concluded that they are a new invention that the early church didn’t hold and that (w/all due respect to you non-Catholics out there. Put that flamethrower down please…) is not supported by either scripture or historic Sacred Tradition. Hence…I returned to the Faith…and study to show myself approved and I’m always ready to give a reason for the hope that is in me. :banghead: :whacky: :bigyikes:

Wow! skillfully stated.

 

[Church_Militant]

Doesn’t the NT clearly show that almost all the letters that were written to the Christian Churches deal with some sort of human failing within those churches and that not all of them would find their way into the Kingdom of God?

 

[dennisknapp]

I saw this reply on another thread and thought is was interesting and insightful.

“Most believe and profess exactly what they were taught in Church, be that Pentecostal, Lutheran, Baptist, etc., without much question. Many Catholic individuals do the same. So do they interpret scriptures for themselves? – no they leave that up to their Ministers, Pastors, Reverends, Priest, etc. Do those beliefs differ from Catholic beliefs? - most certainly but they are not really their own interpretations. So one must say that Protestants follow the interpretations that they are taught and Catholic follow the interpretations that they are taught.”

The interesting thing about this quote is that Catholics are the only one being consistent.

Catholics are taught to rely on the Church for proper teaching, where as the Pentecostal, Lutheran, Baptist, etc., are taught to only trust the Bible.

This is something I thought was inconsistant when I was a Protestant–everyone brings their bible to Church while nobody had the foggiest idea what it said, and not only that but accepting whatever their pastor taught as if it were the Truth. How Catholic of them.

Highly inconsistent and enlightening.

 

[tkdnick]

dennisknapp:

I saw this reply on another thread and thought is was interesting and insightful.

“Most believe and profess exactly what they were taught in Church, be that Pentecostal, Lutheran, Baptist, etc., without much question. Many Catholic individuals do the same. So do they interpret scriptures for themselves? – no they leave that up to their Ministers, Pastors, Reverends, Priest, etc. Do those beliefs differ from Catholic beliefs? - most certainly but they are not really their own interpretations. So one must say that Protestants follow the interpretations that they are taught and Catholic follow the interpretations that they are taught.”

That was good! How totally true! I know I was Catholic for 23 years for the simple reason that that’s what my mom is. Now it’s MY church because I decided to look for the truth. How many people ACTUALLY look into why they believe what they believe? Hmm, maybe that’s an interesting thread to start with a poll…

 

[Church_Militant]

tkdnick:

That was good! How totally true! I know I was Catholic for 23 years for the simple reason that that’s what my mom is. Now it’s MY church because I decided to look for the truth. How many people ACTUALLY look into why they believe what they believe? Hmm, maybe that’s an interesting thread to start with a poll…

Good point Nick!
I was the same way only it took over 34 years for me to find the truth and a boatload of hard knocks along the way…

 

[tkdnick]

Church Militant:

Good point Nick!
I was the same way only it took over 34 years for me to find the truth and a boatload of hard knocks along the way…

Nice to finally have a reason behind the belief huh? :dancing:

On a side note…I must say that I am TOTALLY stoked. They are opening the very first Catholic college here where I’m at, and they’re offering a Master’s program in education, but it’s really a Master’s in Catechetics. School starts at the end of this month. How GREAT to learn so much more!

 

[Mickey]

Spokenword wrote to churchmilitant:

"stop passing the buck with all of your experience"

Then a couple of posts later, spokenword writes:

"I speak only out of my own experiences".

What’s up with that?

 

[Church_Militant]

Mickey:

Spokenword wrote to churchmilitant:

"stop passing the buck with all of your experience"

Then a couple of posts later, spokenword writes:

"I speak only out of my own experiences".

What’s up with that?

You see that inconsistency too eh? My friend up there is a pretty nice guy, but he tends to be a tad myopic. He does like a good glass of sweet tea though and maybe that is the first step he’ll take towards returning to full communion.

 

[dhgray]

tkdnick:

That was good! How totally true! I know I was Catholic for 23 years for the simple reason that that’s what my mom is. Now it’s MY church because I decided to look for the truth. How many people ACTUALLY look into why they believe what they believe? Hmm, maybe that’s an interesting thread to start with a poll…

As a Catholic Convert, I CHOOSE to be Catholic. This is not the faith of my parents, or any of my family for that fact. But as my father says, "We raised 5 children in the Episcopal Church and today, none of them are Episcopalians, but all of them are Christians. The other 4 Children followed the Evangelical Church. Thanksgiving dinners are very lively. They refer to me as the Evangelical Catholic.
Church Militant:

Sheesh! Well you and I both know that non-Catholics have the very same problem. There’s always a shortage of "harvesters"as Jesus Himself said there would be and told us to pray to the lord of the harvest for more workers.

We are called to plant and water, plant and water. God will harvest. PLANT, spread the good news; WATER, live the faith.

 

[tkdnick]

dhgray:

As a Catholic Convert, I CHOOSE to be Catholic. This is not the faith of my parents, or any of my family for that fact. But as my father says, "We raised 5 children in the Episcopal Church and today, none of them are Episcopalians, but all of them are Christians. The other 4 Children followed the Evangelical Church. Thanksgiving dinners are very lively. They refer to me as the Evangelical Catholic.

That would make you one of those people who actually looked into your faith and why you believe it. :clapping: Great job!

 

[InigoMontoya]

dennisknapp:

I saw this reply on another thread and thought is was interesting and insightful.
“Most believe and profess exactly what they were taught in Church, be that Pentecostal, Lutheran, Baptist, etc., without much question. Many Catholic individuals do the same. So do they interpret scriptures for themselves? Ð no they leave that up to their Ministers, Pastors, Reverends, Priest, etc. Do those beliefs differ from Catholic beliefs? - most certainly but they are not really their own interpretations. So one must say that Protestants follow the interpretations that they are taught and Catholic follow the interpretations that they are taught.”
The interesting thing about this quote is that Catholics are the only one being consistent.
Catholics are taught to rely on the Church for proper teaching, where as the Pentecostal, Lutheran, Baptist, etc., are taught to only trust the Bible.
This is something I thought was inconsistant when I was a Protestant–everyone brings their bible to Church while nobody had the foggiest idea what it said, and not only that but accepting whatever their pastor taught as if it were the Truth. How Catholic of them.
Highly inconsistent and enlightening.

My friend, theres something I find fundamentally flawed with your assertion. You’re generalizing the lowest denominator of all of our memberships, as a representative of each groups theology. While, sadly; I’m sure all of us will agree that a sizeable percentage of our membership (whether we be RCC, Baptist, or Pentecostal) would fit that character, they’re clearly not a representation of each’s theology.

 

[cyprian]

InigoMontoya:

My friend, theres something I find fundamentally flawed with your assertion. You’re generalizing the lowest denominator of all of our memberships, as a representative of each groups theology. While, sadly; I’m sure all of us will agree that a sizeable percentage of our membership (whether we be RCC, Baptist, or Pentecostal) would fit that character, they’re clearly not a representation of each’s theology.

All non-Cath denom’s claim guidance by the H.Spirit yet non of them believe the same things.

Peace and much Love

 

[cyprian]

SPOKENWORD:

Hi. C.M. So the great commission was for the apostles only? Stop passing the buck with all of your experience ,you should know better what the call of each christian is. God Bless.

First commission was given to the Apostles, for all of us now to become Disciples.

Peace
and
Love

 

[PhilipCal]

In my years away from our Holy Church, I experienced the Protestant approach to Catholicism, and it’s much as you describe it. On a similiar thread yesterday some very interesting points were made concerning Protestantism vs. Catholicism. In my view, it comes around to the Magisterium, which as we know is simply the teaching authority of the Church. We are not a “sola biblica” Church. We rely on tradition and the teaching(s) of the Holy Father. Many Protestants find considerable fault with this, and many refuse to accept the Doctrine of Papal Infallibility in matters of faith and morals. In the historical context, ask a Protestant what he is protesting against, and he’ll tell you it was the Catholic Church. It certainly wasn’t General Motors. In matters of faith and morals,in guidance with issues spiritual, I am far better off listerning to Pope John Paul II than I am to Jimmy Swaggert,or Oral Roberts etc. In fact, the very state of my immortal soul depends upon who I listen to. Devout Catholic? Believe in the teachings of the Church? You’re hardly a non-Christian. God Bless