Why do Protestants desire to marry Catholics?

[AlegreFe]

I disagree with you and I could give you scripture, but if I did that you would probably say that I am sola scripture which is a lie. So, instead I will say this, I know a Priest and an Eucharistic Minister who would disagree, as well as other very involved and greatly devoted Catholics. Also, when I took RCIA what I was told doesn’t agree with everything you said. Also some things you said towards the end contradict each other.

Well that priest does not know what he’s talking about then. There are some priests who are wrong on several issues. As far as RCIA, not all RCIA classes are “devout” to the faith and they teach wrong things. I suggest you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church before you go saying that Jesus built more than one Church.

If you believe there is only ONE Body of Christ and not “many bodies” of Christ then how could you believe that there is more than one church?

Please show us the scripture verses that say there is more than one Church that Jesus built.

 

[awantz]

Well that priest does not know what he’s talking about then. There are some priests who are wrong on several issues. As far as RCIA, not all RCIA classes are “devout” to the faith and they teach wrong things. I suggest you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church before you go saying that Jesus built more than one Church.

If you believe there is only ONE Body of Christ and not “many bodies” of Christ then how could you believe that there is more than one church?

Please show us the scripture verses that say there is more than one Church that Jesus built.

I never said that Jesus built more than one church. Don’t go putting words in my mouth. I don’t believe there is more than one church, so you have no reason to be confused. I never said there are scripture verses that say that there is more than one church.

 

[rbarcia]

Well that priest does not know what he’s talking about then. There are some priests who are wrong on several issues. As far as RCIA, not all RCIA classes are “devout” to the faith and they teach wrong things. I suggest you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church before you go saying that Jesus built more than one Church.

If you believe there is only ONE Body of Christ and not “many bodies” of Christ then how could you believe that there is more than one church?

Please show us the scripture verses that say there is more than one Church that Jesus built.

**

Acts 9:31

Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Romans 16:4

4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the **churches **of the Gentiles.

2 Corinthians 8:23
If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the** churches**, the glory of Christ.

Rev 22
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”
**

Please define how you are using church?

There is a singular universal version of Church:
The single church is the collective body of believers in Christ.

And churches in the Bible, shown above (Specific churches) on goes to to (Local Churches). When they speak of elders in the Bible, the context is to the elders of the local church.

I do not see any middle ground use of the term Church as Magesterium or Roman Catholic Religion, or Protestant Church?

 

[dessert]

I, Protestant do not disagree with my husband, Catholic on most areas of our faith.
I married him for many reasons. None of them having anything to do with religion.

In our marriage silence was a form of acceptance but also a form of disagreement. Faith does have to do with “religion” in a sense as there are many values taught in it.
I thought I was sharing the same faith and equally yoked but I was’nt.
The fact that you were in RCIA class says you were interested and maybe wanted to share more, good for you to want to understand.
I am not equally yoked because (not because we don’t read scripture we do) (not because we don’t believe in Jesus we do)
but because he would want me to denounce my Catholic doctrines, apostolic and the Pope, all of which he could not accept, big seperation here. I was in pretty much denial of this thinking, we were in la la land.
After all “if” we “are” in the SAME faith why WOULDN’T we want to go and pray together in the Same church.
I tried going to HIS churches for years and he found things wrong with all the churches we went to so I felt he was seeking for the one true church and woould not accept any. i went on my own for awhile and then back to my Catholic roots and am now feeling blessed to be on solid faith again. I am not pressuring him ither but trying to find some common ground as you sound like you have, the other day he conceded that Mary was maybe chosen by God by name and full of grace. I never would have persued this if I had stayed in my la la land.
I am not trying to demean any other “religion” or faith but I did also consider we had the same faith but we did not, as faith also speaks of action and works and this is what I am learning now because my just sitting and UUUUUmmmmmm meditating on my bible words wasn’t doing it for my growth and the Holy spirit had a pretty much inactive yoougort of a body to work with and brain dead too. Stagnant is what I would call our faith together was but now my faith is growing because of the Catholic Church aand giving him a little kick on the side, just a little. thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut Dessert

 

[lak611]

Mary is NOT the spouse of God. She is the spouse of the Holy Spirit.

Mary is not the spouse of God the Father, but she is the spouse of God the Holy Spirit (the Holy Spirit is God).

 

[JoeyWarren]

Viral is of course having to do with viruses. One might describe agressive anti-Catholics that way since they go around injecting Catholics with their theology in the hopes of replicating themselves.

Exactly.

 

[JoeyWarren]

Mary is not the spouse of God the Father, but she is the spouse of God the Holy Spirit (the Holy Spirit is God).

I read in one of the “Surprised By Truth” stories where the author said Mary was all three.

Mary is the Daughter of God the Father
Mary is the Mother of God the Son
Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit

 

[lak611]

Mary is the Daughter of God the Father

We have to be careful here because that statement “could” be misintrepreted to mean that Mary is God, which we know is not true. She is a human being, always sinless, but not divine.

 

[awantz]

In our marriage silence was a form of acceptance but also a form of disagreement. Faith does have to do with “religion” in a sense as there are many values taught in it.
I thought I was sharing the same faith and equally yoked but I was’nt.
The fact that you were in RCIA class says you were interested and maybe wanted to share more, good for you to want to understand.
I am not equally yoked because (not because we don’t read scripture we do) (not because we don’t believe in Jesus we do)
but because he would want me to denounce my Catholic doctrines, apostolic and the Pope, all of which he could not accept, big seperation here. I was in pretty much denial of this thinking, we were in la la land.
After all “if” we “are” in the SAME faith why WOULDN’T we want to go and pray together in the Same church.
I tried going to HIS churches for years and he found things wrong with all the churches we went to so I felt he was seeking for the one true church and woould not accept any. i went on my own for awhile and then back to my Catholic roots and am now feeling blessed to be on solid faith again. I am not pressuring him ither but trying to find some common ground as you sound like you have, the other day he conceded that Mary was maybe chosen by God by name and full of grace. I never would have persued this if I had stayed in my la la land.
I am not trying to demean any other “religion” or faith but I did also consider we had the same faith but we did not, as faith also speaks of action and works and this is what I am learning now because my just sitting and UUUUUmmmmmm meditating on my bible words wasn’t doing it for my growth and the Holy spirit had a pretty much inactive yoougort of a body to work with and brain dead too. Stagnant is what I would call our faith together was but now my faith is growing because of the Catholic Church aand giving him a little kick on the side, just a little. thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut Dessert

We do not keep silent. We talk about our beliefs with each other. We enjoy talking to each other and learning more about what the other believes. I am sorry to hear that. I would never want my husband to denounce his faith and he would never want me to denounce mine. I agree with most Catholic doctrines and the Pope. What I do not agree with I am willing to accept. For example, Confeesion, I do not agree that it should be a requirement, but I am willing to accept it. As amatter of fact I am planning on going with him to confession during this lent season. I’ve confessioned sins to my pastor before, but I’ve never done it this way before. I guess you could say that I’m a little nervous. We go to church together and we pray together. We do just about everything together. It’s to bad he would not accept any church. That sounds like my biological dad. It’s to bad we don’t live close to each other. I could talk to him. Maybe hearing things from another Protestant’s perspective would help him. Maybe if he could see how I accept my husband, he would be more willing to accept you and your beliefs. Well, that is a step in the right direction, that he admited that Mary was chosen by God and full of grace. A little kick is better than nothing. If you ever want to talk more you can e-mail or IM me. I am always happy to listen.

 

[dessert]

We do not keep silent. We talk about our beliefs with each other. We enjoy talking to each other and learning more about what the other believes. I am sorry to hear that. I would never want my husband to denounce his faith and he would never want me to denounce mine. I agree with most Catholic doctrines and the Pope. What I do not agree with I am willing to accept. For example, Confeesion, I do not agree that it should be a requirement, but I am willing to accept it. As amatter of fact I am planning on going with him to confession during this lent season. I’ve confessioned sins to my pastor before, but I’ve never done it this way before. I guess you could say that I’m a little nervous. We go to church together and we pray together. We do just about everything together. It’s to bad he would not accept any church. That sounds like my biological dad. It’s to bad we don’t live close to each other. I could talk to him. Maybe hearing things from another Protestant’s perspective would help him. Maybe if he could see how I accept my husband, he would be more willing to accept you and your beliefs. Well, that is a step in the right direction, that he admited that Mary was chosen by God and full of grace. A little kick is better than nothing. If you ever want to talk more you can e-mail or IM me. I am always happy to listen.

Thank you for your response as my DH was a great methodist in the beginning and I know there is still one in there somewhere just trying to dig it out and you all are helping me to recover some that was lost. I didn’t know how he thinks or myself so I am learning and he likes to talk scripture so I’m not trying to argue just discuss. Yes we are taking steps and this is good. In fact I think he is respecting me more when I stand up for what I believe and and it certainly will also help me to speak with other people of other faiths and I am surprised as I am meeting many and there are many Catholics out there that have been away for years not because of their spouse ither but because they are mad and pride full so getting over my own pride is what i am working on my father(priest) says. It is nice to have a confident in the box or my corner. Let me know also how your experience comes out. God Bless us All each and everyone Dessert

 

[saramichelle6]

My question to you non-Catholics is why if you disagree so much with the teachins of the RCC do you marry a Catholic?

I am currently dating a Catholic, and I believe we are on the road to marriage. I have been raised protestant, but now that I’ve done some reading and research, I’m finding many of the things I’ve been taught to be…off. Not to say I want to join the church BECAUSE of my boyfriend, but he has definitely been the catalyst. I don’t think I was attracted to him because he is Catholic, so to speak. I didn’t even know he was until a few weeks after I met him. He has never forced me into anything, just says that I have to figure it out on my own and that he will be here for me. I think that was attractive by itself, his supportive willingness to let me be myself.

 

[irishmac]

I am currently dating a Catholic, and I believe we are on the road to marriage. I have been raised protestant, but now that I’ve done some reading and research, I’m finding many of the things I’ve been taught to be…off. Not to say I want to join the church BECAUSE of my boyfriend, but he has definitely been the catalyst. I don’t think I was attracted to him because he is Catholic, so to speak. I didn’t even know he was until a few weeks after I met him. He has never forced me into anything, just says that I have to figure it out on my own and that he will be here for me. I think that was attractive by itself, his supportive willingness to let me be myself.

First off, saramichelle, welcome to the forums. I hope that the Holy Spirit opens your mind and heart while you are here.

I am less than 100 days away from my wedding. My fiancée is a Methodist and I…cradle Catholic. That difference, though immense, is not insurmountable. The main thing you both need to do is communicate. You need to talk with him about marriage, religion, and raising any children. And you both have to be honest with eachother, seriously.

It is good that he is supportive of your inquiries, but I think that he also needs to provoke conversation about religion between the two of you. Ask him questions. If he doesn’t know, then that will help him become stronger in his faith, as well as strengthening you in your knowledge. And don’t talk to the relative merits or discrepancies in either’s faith tradition. All that does is lead to decisive and disparaging remarks about each other’s faith. Instead, discuss each other’s idea or concept of Faith, Grace, Salvation, etc. These things I didn’t do with my fiancée, which I should have. I was like your boyfriend when it came to her inquiries into the Church. I basically told her that I’d be there if she had any questions, too. I tried to be supportive. That isn’t as effective as actually sharing in discussions and sharing. I regret not being this supportive of her inquiry to Catholicism.

You should make an appointment with his priest and discuss the Catholic Church. From your post, it sounds like you are genuinely interested in knowing about his faith. Sitting down with a priest to discuss some of the major hurdles isn’t going to kill you, and you might figure something out about how he celebrates his faith. You can even go as far as what my fiancée did. She signed herself up for a year of RCIA classes, every Monday night, for two hours, just to understand why I was so adamant about my faith. Did she convert? No, but she does have a better understanding of my faith tradition. Heck, just go to Mass with him sometimes and see the beauty of the liturgy for yourself.

You can PM (private message) me if you have any questions. Also, you can read post #28 from this thread to hear a little about my fiancée and I’s situation.

I truly hope that, if you and your boyfriend are ready for marriage, you can open yourself up to the Holy Spirit. Think about this: God works in mysterious ways, right? Consider, if you will, that, maybe, your boyfriend and his faith IS God working through him to get to you. Who knows. I like to believe that God uses people to help envigorate others to return to the Church.

Dominus vobsicum

 

[AlegreFe]

I never said that Jesus built more than one church. Don’t go putting words in my mouth. I don’t believe there is more than one church, so you have no reason to be confused. I never said there are scripture verses that say that there is more than one church.

When you said that you disagreed, you were disagreeing with this post;

One of the fundamental beliefs of the Catholic faith is that the Catholic Church is the ONE, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. Jesus Christ founded ONE Church, not many churches: “You are Peter (Cephas), and on this rock (cephas) I will build my Church (not churches), and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (not them)” (Matt. 16:18)

It is 100% contrary to the Catholic faith to say “Jesus doesn’t care what church we attend as long as we follow him and no one else.” We absolutely do believe that the Catholic Church is the ONE True Church of Christ…all Catholics must believe this to be in communion with the Church. Another dogma we must and do believe in is extra ecclesiam nulla salus – that there is no salvation outside of the Catholic Church. This does not mean that non-Catholic Christians can’t be saved, but it does mean “that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body” (Catechism of the Catholic Church)

So this is why I thought that you think there is more than one church. This poster, francesco920, says that there is just one church, and then you say you disagree. So if that is not the case, then could you please specify as to what exactly in that post are you in disagreement?

 

[AlegreFe]

Acts 9:31
Then the churches throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and were edified. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, they were multiplied.

Romans 16:4
4 who risked their own necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.

2 Corinthians 8:23
If anyone inquires about Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker concerning you. Or if our brethren are inquired about, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

Rev 22
“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.”

Please define how you are using church?

We have “parishes” in each diocese. Those are different Church Parishes that belong to One Catholic Church.

 

[AlegreFe]

Mary is not the spouse of God the Father, but she is the spouse of God the Holy Spirit (the Holy Spirit is God).

I realize this. I guess I should’ve made myself clear. When I made that statement I was responding to KarenNC in this post;

Interesting. I had never seen Mary referred to in this manner, as the spouse of God or the Holy Spirit or of anyone other than Joseph, but then I am not terribly familiar with Marian teachings. I have been to a couple of charismatic Catholic Masses that included lots about Mary and knew a couple of guys who were very into the whole Medjugorje, including making repeated pilgrimages there back in the late 80s/early 90s, but that’s about it.

(emphasis added)

So I was just giving the answer to her comment based on the “or” that she gave.

I meant that she is not the spouse of the Triune God. I guess I should’ve just written “Triune” God instead of just “God.”

 

[AlegreFe]

I read in one of the “Surprised By Truth” stories where the author said Mary was all three.

Mary is the Daughter of God the Father
Mary is the Mother of God the Son
Mary is the Spouse of the Holy Spirit

:yup:

 

[AlegreFe]

We have to be careful here because that statement “could” be misintrepreted to mean that Mary is God, which we know is not true. She is a human being, always sinless, but not divine.

We are all sons and daughters of God. So why do you seem to have a problem with this? Or why do you think that this could be misinterpreted?
Mary just happens to be the “favorite” daughter of God the Father.

 

[AlegreFe]

I am currently dating a Catholic, and I believe we are on the road to marriage. I have been raised protestant, but now that I’ve done some reading and research, I’m finding many of the things I’ve been taught to be…off. Not to say I want to join the church BECAUSE of my boyfriend, but he has definitely been the catalyst. I don’t think I was attracted to him because he is Catholic, so to speak. I didn’t even know he was until a few weeks after I met him. He has never forced me into anything, just says that I have to figure it out on my own and that he will be here for me. I think that was attractive by itself, his supportive willingness to let me be myself.

Aw, this made my eyes water. I think he is secretly praying for you though, to come Home to the Cathoilc Church. But of course he realizes that you have to decide for yourself. Of course we all know that it is the Holy Spirit that will do this for you.

I will pray for you. I pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten your heart and mind and eventually brings you Home to the Catholic Church.

 

[lak611]

We are all sons and daughters of God. So why do you seem to have a problem with this? Or why do you think that this could be misinterpreted?
Mary just happens to be the “favorite” daughter of God the Father.

The rest of us humans were not immaculately conceived, so we are not the same as Mary. Mary is not the daughter of God in the same sense as Jesus is the Son of God (the Second Person of the Trinity, begotten not made). The statement could be misinterpreted to either mean that we are sinless like Mary or that Mary is God; neither of which are true.

 

[AlegreFe]

The rest of us humans were not immaculately conceived, so we are not the same as Mary. Mary is not the daughter of God in the same sense as Jesus is the Son of God (the Second Person of the Trinity, begotten not made). The statement could be misinterpreted to either mean that we are sinless like Mary or that Mary is God; neither of which are true.

I don’t see how this could be misinterpreted. I never once thought that Mary is Divine or that we are sinless when I heard that Mary is the daughter of God the Father.

I think that if one mentions this, it just might put ideas into people’s heads. I never heard of this concept until you brought it up in your post right here.