Why be Catholic?

  • Thread starter Thread starter FightingFat
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
F

FightingFat

Guest
How would you sell you faith to someone who is not Catholic and does not believe in the Church, it’s authority or that of the Bible?

What are the things that have convinced you of the truth of the Catholic Church?
 
The Catholic Church claims it is the true Christian religion and her teachings are infallible. She has the Bible, Tradition, and history on her side to support this claim.

G.K. Chesterton said,

“The difficulty of explaining “why I am a Catholic” is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true. I could fill all my space with separate sentences each beginning with the words, “It is the only thing that . . .” As, for instance, (1) It is the only thing that really prevents a sin from being a secret. (2) It is the only thing in which the superior cannot be superior; in the sense of supercilious. (3) It is the only thing that frees a man from the degrading slavery of being a child of his age. (4) It is the only thing that talks as if it were the truth; as if it were a real messenger refusing to tamper with a real message. (5) It is the only type of Christianity that really contains every type of man; even the respectable man. (6) It is the only large attempt to change the world from the inside; working through wills and not laws; and so on.”
 
Why Be Catholic?

Because outside the Catholic Church there is “absolutely no salvation” (IV Lateran Council)
 
History shows that all breaks have been from the Catholic Church. Any Almanac or a secular encyclopedia will confirm it. The Church Fathers, when read in context point to the Church. Although not required by the Church to believe, the miracles attributed to the apparitions of Jesus and Mary and the Eucharistic Miracles that have been confirmed by scientists and have baffled them. The incorruptible saints who have died. All these confirm the Catholic Church and no other. Nowhere else can the power and presence of God be so clearly seen. While each of these separately may be discounted, all together cannot.
 
What book of Chesterton’s is that quote from? I started reading “Orthodoxy,” but haven’t made it back to it yet. He’s pretty funny from what little I’ve read. Do you know if he’s the one that coined the term: Common sense is not so common anymore. ?
 
40.png
CatholicCrusade:
Why Be Catholic?

Because outside the Catholic Church there is “absolutely no salvation” (IV Lateran Council)
Click to expand...
LOL! I bet that’s netted you a load of atheist souls for conversion!

What about more basic stuff though people…Like Jesus and life and stuff?
 
Why be Catholic?
Click to expand...
Because it’s the One True Church established by Jesus Christ. (and I’m not aware of ANY other Christian faith that even attempts this claim).

Better question: Why be anything else? Why be a part of a religious faith that doesn’t even claim to be absolutely true?
 
40.png
FightingFat:
What convinced you about Jesus though David?
Click to expand...
Are you asking me a question here (I’m the only “David” in this thread). If so, I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what you mean by “about Jesus through David.” Otherwise, I assume you mean King David, and, likewise (sorry), I still don’t understand your question. The word “through” in your question confuses me, and I hesitate to answer a question I don’t understand.
 
Sorry to confuse you David, the word I used was ‘though’. What I meant to say was that there must be a more fundemental comprehension of faith for you…A more basic perspective, something had to bring you to the truth of Jesus’ life. What convinced you to be Christian? Pure demography? Birth? Or did something else convince you that being a Christian was the way the truth and the life?
 
40.png
FightingFat:
What about more basic stuff though people…Like Jesus and life and stuff?
Click to expand...
That’s a fair question. I’m Catholic because I was raised Catholic, but I stayed Catholic, because I heard the fundamental truth of Gospel there: I need redemption, and Jesus loves me enough to sacrifice himself to give it to me. In hearing that truth in the Catholic Church, I also realized that it is through her I would be able to find this redemption (because Christ established her, she preserves his truth, he remains with her, etc.). I am still growing in my understanding of the things in the parentheses.

As far as selling others on the Church, if they get the redemption part (and not mere salvation as escape from hell), then I think you need to concentrate on the things in the parentheses.
 
40.png
FightingFat:
How would you sell you faith to someone who is not Catholic and does not believe in the Church, it’s authority or that of the Bible?

What are the things that have convinced you of the truth of the Catholic Church?
Click to expand...
  1. I would NEVER “sell” the Catholic faith to anyone. Conversion isn’t my job, its the job of the Holy Spirit. Your job is the be a farmer, sow seeds. You do the sowing, let God do the growing.
  2. What prompted my reversion from Evangelical Protestantism was the writing of the Church Fathers and other early Christian writers. Protestant denominations cannot square with the early church writings. St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Polycarp of Smyrna, and Tertullian are some of my favorites. I particularly enjoy Tertullians early stuff, and borrow heavily from it in my apologetic style. Too bad he ended his pilgramage on the road of heresy. To know the history of Christianity is to cease being Protestant (John Cardinal Newman).
  3. Know your faith, particularly the finer points. Read Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating. It is priceless in arming you with the points made against Catholicism, not only by fundamentalist, but anyone who is not Catholic.
  4. Understand fundamentally why YOU are Catholic. Hard to be convincing if you aren’t sure why you yourself believe. I am a salesman by trade. It is hard for me to convince a client of the value of my product if I’m not convinced. Sometimes just the strength of my conviction sells. I am not advocating door-to-door evangelizing. If you want to try that, join the local Legion of Mary. That is what they do. In fact, that may not be a bad idea. It will get you comfortable exposing the Gospel, and used to rejection. Not everyone that you share the Gospel with will be open to it, people even rejected Christ HImself! No slave is above his master, if they rejected Him who saves, hoiw much more will they reject you.
  5. Develop a thick skin. Nothing worse than an evangelist and apologist who takes offense at every snide comment that comes his way, and believe me, they will come your way. Learn to put on the whole armor of God.
  6. Pray. Alot.
 
Scott_Lafrance said:
3. Know your faith, particularly the finer points. Read Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating. It is priceless in arming you with the points made against Catholicism, not only by fundamentalist, but anyone who is not Catholic.
Click to expand...

I have read Catholicism and Fundementalism and this, to be honest, is what has prompted my question Scott. The majority of people who come to talk to me about my faith are not Protestant. They are not anything. Debating with people who believe in Jesus is one thing, and more a matter of Doctrine, but how do you explain your faith to someone who is familiar with Jesus and Church, but probably has some pre-conceived ideas about corruption, money, abuse etc and yet they are drawn to you because they admire you and the way you live your life…How do you begin to explain?
 
I believe the Chesterton quote is from Everlasting Man, not Chesterton’s best work but a great work none-the-less.
 
Well FF, you are evangelizing exactly the way that St. Francis of Assisi recommended. Spread the Gospel everywhere you go. If necessary, use words. Or best witness is our life, and you are dong that. Congradulations.
smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_11.gif

With regards to the apparent ethically bancrupt behavior of some of the members of the Church, I wouldn’t spend a whole lot of time defending them. People are people and they make mistakes. Ask the person asking the question if their life is an example of perfection. Look at the Congress of the US. The individual members are crooked, bribe-takers, pushy, law-breakers, adulterers, and bad examples of America. Because some of our law-makers and also law-breakers doesn’t invalidate America as a country does it? Same applies to the Church.
40.png
FightingFat:
I have read Catholicism and Fundementalism and this, to be honest, is what has prompted my question Scott. The majority of people who come to talk to me about my faith are not Protestant. They are not anything. Debating with people who believe in Jesus is one thing, and more a matter of Doctrine, but how do you explain your faith to someone who is familiar with Jesus and Church, but probably has some pre-conceived ideas about corruption, money, abuse etc and yet they are drawn to you because they admire you and the way you live your life…How do you begin to explain?
Click to expand...
 
40.png
FightingFat:
How would you sell you faith to someone who is not Catholic and does not believe in the Church, it’s authority or that of the Bible?

What are the things that have convinced you of the truth of the Catholic Church?
Click to expand...
You can not sell your faith! It’s a gift from God to YOU!
 
I am Catholic because I know Jesus hears me when I call His name and when I pray, the Holy Spirit hears me also, and the Father. Even in some of my darkest days with faith, when I was unsure or in doubt about specifics, I knew that I was not alone and that all of my prayers were heard and were answered. Sometimes I didn’t know as surely, but I have always felt the eyes of Heaven on me, all of my life, of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and of the holy saints who also hear me. I have always felt the nearness of a thin veil between me and all of them, and the inseparable presence of God in every molecule of this world. I long to see Him and to step into that kingdom He has made for us, and I know in my soul that Jesus came bringing the sword of salvation to free me from the corruption of sin, and that to protect my immortal soul he established His Church – the Catholic Church – against which all manner of attacks from Satan and Hell would come, but not prevail. The Church is the only one who has survived these millennia through so much strife and corruption Herself. I believe She is who She claims to be – the True Church of Christ.
 
40.png
FightingFat:
The majority of people who come to talk to me about my faith are not Protestant. They are not anything.
Click to expand...
This has been my experience as well.

The majority of adults I meet in public or at work these days had nominal Christians for parents and their own exposure to Christianity ranged from very superficial to non-existant.

People like that know precious little more about Christ than they know of Buddha, and both subjects only through secular literature and highly misinformed friends!
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top