Why are Non Catholic Christians ignorant?

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Then you don’t know what “aggressive” means. Or “harassing” for that matter. There’s nothing in the OP that indicates that he was approached in a aggressive or harassing manner. Initiating a conversation with someone you see daily on a commuter bus is not, in and of itself, aggressive or harassing. There’s no other details in this post that indicate aggression or harassment. In any event, even if the person on the bus was aggressive or harassing in their demeanor, there isn’t a logical leap from that experience to the idea that all protestants don’t accept the teachings of the Catholic Church due to intellectual deficits. If a protestant has misconceived notions about Catholic teachings or traditions such as a rosary, it’s probably because they have been taught false information, or because they haven’t had the opportunity to learn about it and made assumptions based on what they don’t know. (Which is what everyone does when they encounter something they don’t now anything about.) The person on the bus asked the OP about the rosary and there’s no indication in the post that it was done with aggression or malice. The OP could have explained the rosary to that person and taken that moment to evangelize, or at the very least, correct a misconception.
 
Allegra said:
The person on the bus asked the OP about the rosary and there’s no indication in the post that it was done with aggression or malice. The OP could have explained the rosary to that person and taken that moment to evangelize, or at the very least, correct a misconception
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That’s what I was trying to suggest…
 
They are not all!

Many know little to nothing about what the Catholic Church actually teaches. However there are also Catholics who know little to nothing about their own church never mind Protestant churches. There are also Protestants and Catholic who have bothered to learn about other Christian Churches before settling in the one that they feel God has called them to.
 
Ignorant simply means that a person is not knowledgeable on a subject. Whether or not it’s offensive probably has to do with whether or not the person actually is ignorant. Assuming ignorance can definitely be offensive though. As had as it is to believe, that are actual people out there who have taken the time to learn about the practice of saying the rosary, it’s history, etc, and based on the information they have gathered, have still determined that it is an unhelpful devotion. It’s definitely not charitable to assume that anyone who disagrees with you lacks intelligence but it’s also neither polite nor accurate to assume they have no idea what they are talking about either. The only way to know whether “ignorance” applies is to have a civil conversation.
 
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I’d go so far as to say that there’s a fair few Catholics who don’t know this either.
 
I wouldn’t be offended if it was a subject I really was ignorant on. For example, if someone mentioned I was ignorant of Hindu funeral practices, I would happily concede that. However, I would be offended if it was assumed of me when it wasn’t the case.
 
I can tell you that growing up surrounded mostly by self-professed Catholics, and hearing the way they talked about the rosary, I could easily see someone being mislead about how the rosary is prayed based on the words of Catholic alone!
 
In essence, isn’t that what the other guy is saying to the OP, by telling him that his prayer life is ineffective? 😉
 
I agree and I think the concept applies in pretty much every way people disagree. Assuming ignorance is only slightly less unhelpful than assuming stupidity, mental illness, or malice. Not everyone who disagrees with your deeply help beliefs is ignorant, stupid, crazy, or evil. Taking that position, even subconsciously, pretty much shuts down any chance and meaningful dialogue.
 
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No. Saying a personal devotion is ineffective is not equal to declaring a person stupid. Like, it’s not even close.
 
It seems you have taken offense by the post but I would just consider the OP does live in India and many times different cultures use words differently. Sometimes they do not always choose the right English words or put them in the right spot. Sometimes they have a very little supply of English words and just choose the ones they know
 
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Not all Protestants, or Hindus, or Buddhists, or Jews, etc., are ignorant. Some are, just as some Catholics are. We are all imperfect and all on a path back to God. We are all at different places on that path. I was baptized Catholic, and the rosary never helped me advance, but I would never tell anyone to give it up. If it helps you advance in faith and love, by all means, pray it.

Protestants have asked me why Catholics think they are better than everyone else and know everything. We need to accept that none of us knows everything, and all of us are imperfect. Most people are trying their best.
 
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