Why do catholics defend their religion?

[Church_Militant]

If people didn’t attack our faith then why would we need to defend it?

If people knew the ins and outs of Catholicism, then we wouldnt’ need forums like this, would we?

The other day in a discussion with a non-Catholic christian, they accused me of “attacking” them. Firstly, they had attacked the Catholic Church, and had misrepresented teaching, I simply “defended” the faith.

Seems a lot of those who attack the Catholic faith, don’t like it when we respond with logic and theological reasoning. They class that as us “attacking protestants” or whatever.

You’re welcome to your opinion, of course, OP.

As if n-Cs don’t, right?

 

[Newbie2]

I smell a troll.

This is an absurd question by the OP. Why indeed should anyone defend **anything **they believe in?

 

[CatholicFireman]

I smell a troll.

This is an absurd question by the OP. Why indeed should anyone defend **anything **they believe in?

Yeah, another “drive-by abusing”. One post and that’s it. Ok, OP, you posted the question and you got a lot of answers from good people who love our faith. Have you nothing to say?

 

[Ignatius]

There will be catholics in heaven and there will be people in heaven who are not catholic. There will be catholics in hell. There will be non catholics in hell.

The church the bible speaks of is not catholic and it is not any other religion. The church is made up of saved people. .

Actually, The Catholic Church is the Church founded by Jesus Christ. He founded it for our salvation. Everyone in heaven will be Catholic, although they may not have been so during their stay on this Earth.

 

[Annabelle_Marie]

I wonder how many people talk about the “distorted” teachings of the Catholic Church that don’t even know what the Catholic Church REALLY teaches??? I’m guessing the OP is one of them.

 

[jlhargus]

^ A wonderful answer jhargas! ^

For me, the answer to the OP’s question is to much to answer in one or two posts. There are far to many reasons to defend the one, true faith that Christ so generously gave us. So might I kindly suggest to the OP that he look over and read all of the wonderful forum’s here at Catholic Answers. If he does so without prejudice, I am quite sure he will find the answer he seeks.

JL: Tanks, I see you like military movies.

 

[JoeT777]

There will be catholics in heaven and there will be people in heaven who are not catholic. There will be catholics in hell. There will be non catholics in hell.

The church the bible speaks of is not catholic and it is not any other religion. The church is made up of saved people. Also, I saw a picture of a pope kissing the Quran. Jesus surely would not of kissed the Quran.

Who cares about religion? God gets you into heaven, not religion. I wonder what percentage of catholics go to hell, because of the distorted teachings of the catholic church? I wonder what percetage of protestant go to hell?

People are horrible. God is the way to heaven not the catholic or protestant religions.

Why would a Catholic discuss Protestantism as having the same validity in Truth as the One True Church of Jesus Christ? You must be under some delusion thinking that people can synthesize their own traditions, morals, and ethics for an autonomous pre-determined outcome of the revealed truths in scripture. Often this translates to the effect that ‘what-feels-good-to-me’ must be of the Holy Spirit. Catholicism on the other hand uses a harmonious understanding of both Tradition and Scripture to teach God’s revealed Truth; of course within the capability of human knowledge.

Don’t mistake my comments as arrogant. Let me try to explain, Catholics hold that what is called the Catholic Church is the Kingdom of Christ, the one and only true Church of Jesus Christ, instituted by Christ. They follow the same faith taught by Christ to the Apostles, a truth that is timeless, immutable, and is the will of God. Unlike Protestantism each of us cannot subjectively determine God’s will (I’m referring to the “five solas”). Fr. Felix Sarda y Salvany addressed this issue when he said, “Free-thought begets free morals, or immorality.” See Liberalism Is A Sin (link). In Fr. Salvany’s book you’ll find that the term “Liberal” was understood to mean Protestant or other similar forms of subjectivism in faith

We know that God and Truth are convertible; St. Thomas says, “Whence it follows not only that truth is in Him, but that He is truth itself, and the sovereign and first truth. “ Summa Prima Q, 15 a5” Consequently we can say that there is an absolute infallible truth. If we hold that Truth is absolute then there can be only ONE absolute TRUTH.

The converse, what ‘feels’ good, or what supports our life style can be held as truth cannot stand against an immutable Truth. There can be no commonality in the various Christian faiths – we can’t say “one faith in the Truth of God is as good as another”. Simply put, of any two competing faiths, one must be True and the other must be false, or they both must be wrong. The reason is obvious; truth resides in God, and what resides in God has one definitive meaning. Since the Holy Scriptures are inspired by God then there can be only One Truth resident therein, One Word regardless of who views that Truth. It’s an obscenity to believe Scripture can have ‘different meaning for different folks’. The Holy Spirit inspires men to One True faith.

O soul pressed down by the corruptible body, and weighed down by earthly thoughts, many disingenuous and various; behold and see, if thou canst, that God is truth. For it is written that “God is light;” not in such way as these eyes see, but in such way as the heart sees, when it is said, He is truth [that is He is reality]. St. Augustine, On the Trinity, 8,2

Therefore, to have a ‘Standard’ of competing faiths with which to measure the same revealed Truth is self-contradictory.

JoeT

 

[Michael_Francis]

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