Why such hate? (observations from those I know)

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streetcar

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Now, before I start here, I should let you all know right now I still officially consider myself a Protestant, even though I am looking into Catholicism.

Well, I’ve been talking to a lot of my friends about the Catholic church, about how I’ve been researching it a lot lately how I’ve considered conversion. I’ve come to mixed results. Keep in mind, majority of my friends are protestants - 90% of them at least.

One half of people I talked to thought I was crazy…as Catholics you’ve heard it all before - strange traditions, supporting heretical doctrines, etc. Most of these people simply don’t understand it - I’m sure if they knew a few basic facts, they’d change their minds.

Another half was even worse - they acted as if I was going to join a cult! Some of these people tried witnessing to me as if I’ve never even heard about Jesus before. They acted as if it wasn’t even a Christian religion. To imply catholicism isn’t christianity means there weren’t any true christians until 1517!

Some of my better friends, those more comfortable in their faiths, have supported me. They like that I’m looking to do something better with my faith and they like that I’m “checking out my options.” This is a very small number, sadly. My catholic friends (all two of them) have supported me, obviously.

Now, my entire life I’ve never held such animosity for Catholics. I’ve always figured them as just Christian as I, just with different doctrines that even if I didn’t accept - it’s for God to decide if it’s right or wrong, not me. I still see the exact same passion for God/Jesus as I do in many protestants.

I honestly don’t know how you Catholics put up with it daily.

Why hasn’t there been much effort for reconciliation? Even if I never become Catholic, I don’t fully understand - and I definitely don’t appreciate all of this hate.

(to the mods - if this is the wrong forum, feel free to move it)
 
Don’t forget. Part of the reason the British came to America was to make sure the Catholics didn’t take over all of the New World and leave Protestantism behind.😃
Old prejudices die hard.
 
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streetcar:
Now, before I start here, I should let you all know right now I still officially consider myself a Protestant, even though I am looking into Catholicism.

Well, I’ve been talking to a lot of my friends about the Catholic church, about how I’ve been researching it a lot lately how I’ve considered conversion. I’ve come to mixed results. Keep in mind, majority of my friends are protestants - 90% of them at least.

One half of people I talked to thought I was crazy…as Catholics you’ve heard it all before - strange traditions, supporting heretical doctrines, etc. Most of these people simply don’t understand it - I’m sure if they knew a few basic facts, they’d change their minds.

Another half was even worse - they acted as if I was going to join a cult! Some of these people tried witnessing to me as if I’ve never even heard about Jesus before. They acted as if it wasn’t even a Christian religion. To imply catholicism isn’t christianity means there weren’t any true christians until 1517!

Some of my better friends, those more comfortable in their faiths, have supported me. They like that I’m looking to do something better with my faith and they like that I’m “checking out my options.” This is a very small number, sadly. My catholic friends (all two of them) have supported me, obviously.

Now, my entire life I’ve never held such animosity for Catholics. I’ve always figured them as just Christian as I, just with different doctrines that even if I didn’t accept - it’s for God to decide if it’s right or wrong, not me. I still see the exact same passion for God/Jesus as I do in many protestants.

I honestly don’t know how you Catholics put up with it daily.

Why hasn’t there been much effort for reconciliation? Even if I never become Catholic, I don’t fully understand - and I definitely don’t appreciate all of this hate.

(to the mods - if this is the wrong forum, feel free to move it)
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Good luck to you on your journey, wherever it may take you.

I think most of the negative comments given by protestants toward Catholics are from a lack of true understanding of the Catholic faith, and then this is passed on and on and on. It is also related to fear of that which people do not know about. The wife of a friend of mine has been reduced to tears by a couple of her co-workers who happen to be Southern Baptist because they say that as long as she is a Catholic, there is no hope for her salvation. I think this shows a lack of understanding of the mission of Christ, not just a misunderstanding of the Catholic Church.

How do we handle it? Grace, pure and simple.

May God bless and keep you!
 
There are Catholics who also disparage people. In fact, on this venerable forum, Catholics have been known to hurt and offend one another. We are all so very imperfect.
 
It is strange isn’t it that Protestants somehow believe that the Church which held safe the bible for 1500 years is somehow so awful.

We handle it by knowing that they speak out of a mistaken understanding of Christ and that by speaking so harshly they are merely trying to save us. Hence, while it’s seriously misguided, it is actually a form of Love on their part that has them speak to save our souls.

Pray for them when they make these errors. Allow them to see the love you have for Christ and remember that there are many who hate the Catholic Church they think they know, yet few who hate the Church as it really is.

Witness to your friends through the love of Christ that you have come to know. Continue to pray that Christ bring you to the fullest understanding of His love, where ever that may lead you. When your friends challenge you, you may ask them if you can first set some ground rules and start any discussion with a prayer. The primary ground rule is that you will discuss not to determine and winner and loser between you but rather that you will seek to understand God’s truth, where ever that leads. Then say a prayer together asking for the Guidance of the Holy Spirit that your discussion be lead towards that end, an understanding between you of the truth as Christ has meant it to be understood.

That at least makes it perfectly clear that you seek to do God’s will and establish common ground for your discussions.

I wish you the best in your search for the Truth. I fully expect that if you continue on your journey with an Open heart and a seeking mind, you will come to know the fullness of the Truth, which Christ left for us in his bride the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

God Bless,

CARose
 
Yeah, it’s really sad. It seems like there’s hate on both sides of the fence. We each seem poised to pounce on the other to defend our beliefs. And altough I disagree strongly with the catholic church, i know that good Catholics still exist.

I guess it’s that spirit of “no compromise” that we as christians are required to take on, be it catholic or protestant. All around us, we feel as if we are in a strange culture, and everything about our God screams that this is not the way things are supposed to be, in this secular world. And then we turn to Christian brothers and sisters whose thinking is, unfortunately, so alien to our own that we throw up the old shield once more, and work against our brothers as if they are the enemy.
 
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Egg4christ:
And altough I disagree strongly with the catholic church, i know that good Catholics still exist.
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You make it sound like we are on par with the Ivory Billed Woodpecker!
 
Ha ha, you made a funny
sorry, i meant in spite of the things i see as the catholic church’s shortcomings.
 
well steercar I wish you the best, dont be suprised by any hate you might experience, and it can come from both sides. I think I would rather experience the hatred then being irrelevant, where people you have worked with, slaved with, loved in Christ just look right through you. I think I would rather have the railings at least people still know you exist.

Personally I have given up on the whole thing, I am just so totally exhausted by the whole thing. God bless you in your search, dont let people rip you apart, stay with God.
 
I am certain if a Catholic informed their Catholic friends they were converting to "born again"Christianity they would be met with guffaws and disdain and the use of the word Protestant as a slur.
 
Welcome Streetcar.

Your not alone in your observations. When I mentioned to my parents a year ago that I was taking RCIA, you’d have thought I was joining a satanic cult! (They’re Southern Baptist). Sadly, there are lots of Protestants who seem to think that Catholics are not Christian. It can get very frustrating. The only thing we can do is to act in a Christian fashion.
I have to laugh a bit though. If Catholics aren’t Chrisitian, then for the first 1500 years, except for the Apostiles, there were no Christians? then of course someone will say the real Christians were hidden. Yeah, right. :rolleyes:

Good luck on your journey. 🙂
 
Dear Lily,
Without a doubt…

Really, I sometimes wonder the efficacy of the Sacraments when I listen to my fellow Catholics, or read their comments on this venerable site. 😦
 
Hey streetcar,

Welcome Home! Yes, it can definitely be tough being a Catholic (and discouraging). Luckily, I’m in a relatively Catholic area, and most of my friends are Catholic, Lutheran or Presbyterian which makes things easier (I have one Seventh-day Adventist friend, but it looks more and more like he’s going to convert to Catholicism everyday). I’ve got one great aunt that goes to a “non-denom” church, but as for protestants in our family, that’s about it. Whenever these people attack you, remember what Jesus said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do”. Not that we should compare ourselves to Christ, but we must know, that our Lord had it tough and it should NOT be easy for us. “Whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger”. Let me recommend some good books for you:
  1. WE BELIEVE… A SURVEY OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH by Fr Oscar Lukefahr. You can get it FREE from Catholic Home Study Service amm.org/chss.htm
  2. All of the books by Scott Hahn and Mark P Shea. You can get those from getfed.com
  3. Definitely check out scripturecatholic.com & ic.net/~erasmus/RAZHOME.HTM (the last one is usually biblicalcatholic.com, but for some reason the redirect isn’t working, and also remember to bookmark those sites)
  4. Also for some good Catholic media check ewtn.com, avemariaradio.net & relevantradio.com
God bless, and just remember, Catholicism is a way of life, it isn’t just “a religion”. IT IS TRUTH. 😉
 
Mystery I don’t think the Sacraments have any efficacy if the person’s heart isn’t it in. Do they?
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Lilyofthevalley:
I am certain if a Catholic informed their Catholic friends they were converting to "born again"Christianity they would be met with guffaws and disdain and the use of the word Protestant as a slur.
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Lily I doubt any Catholics I know would guffaw at anybody who was converting to another religion. Nor would there be much (if any) disdain. Personally if a close Catholic friend of mine (well… actually I don’t have any that aren’t family 😦 ) decided to convert to Protestantism then I wouldn’t react like this at all. Instead, I would endeavour to discover their stumbling block, and teach them the real teaching of the Catholic Church on the matter, as well as where it comes from (if I were able). I would never use the word Protestant as a slur, nor would any Catholic that I know well at all.

But yes there are always people who get it wrong and do these things. However, I don’t think that they really understand the Catholic teaching very well, either. Catholics call Protestants (among others) our “separated brethren”. We are all brothers, but unfortunately there is something keeping us apart. I wonder what that something is?

Egg4Christ I am interested in your opinion of this website. Is there a lot of Protestant bashing? Can a Protestant come here and have a genuine discussion about doctrine without being bashed or banned? Or do you feel that Protestants are suppressed? Is this forum on a par with some of the anti-Catholic websites that we have seen spoken about on this forum lately?
 
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Egg4christ:
Ha ha, you made a funny
sorry, i meant in spite of the things i see as the catholic church’s shortcomings.
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Not to do a thread hijack, but what doctrinal shortcomings do you believe the Catholic Church has?
 
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streetcar:
I honestly don’t know how you Catholics put up with it daily.
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Forgive them for they know not what they do…

and they really don’t, right now. The Grace of the Holy Spirit will reveal it in good time, though. So, we’re a patient people.

We have the Truth.
For them to acknowledge that about us they’d have to accept they’ve not had the Truth all along.
People don’t like to be wrong about something so fundamental.
 
streetcar, hang in there! When I began to investigate Catholicism, my protestant family, including the in-laws were appalled. Funny thing though, NONE of them has been in a church for years. They only “knew” that The Catholic Church is wrong - about everything!
I have been ostrasized by about half of them since I was confirmed. They refuse to even discuss religion with me and all I get are nasty asides and sarcastic looks.
But that’s their problem, not mine. Did not Jesus tell us in Luke14:26 that these divisions would occur if we make the decision to follow him?
I would change nothing. Though I do feel sad at the loss of affection from some of my closest family members, my joy in Christ far exceeds the sadness.
Look at it this way; they will eventually come to know the Truth. if not in this life, then in the hereafter.
 
Part of the conversion experience is often the intense loneliness of being misunderstood, of being abandoned by friends. When I was in that tunnel, I took consolation in the verse: “My grace is sufficient for thee.”

Godspeed.
 
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