S/O Catholic/Orthodox/Protestant - Families?

[Giraffe]

For those who have converted to/from RCC/EO/Protestant - how did you deal with your families and how did they deal with you?

 

I have been felt pulled towards RCC for a long time but have resisted for a number of reasons, one of which is my family. My family, my mom in particular, are convinced Catholics are not Christians, worship statues, worship Mary, and don't worship Christ as the Son of God.

 

It's incredibly difficult for me to think of how I'm going to address my possible conversion with them. They just might ostracize me, something I really don't want. They will blame DH for leading me astray (not true).

 

My MIL will go off the deep end - she's Muslim and has a very strong distrust of Christians, Catholics in particular. The priest scandals have not helped at all.

 

So any advice?

[Parrothead]

It helps that we are so very far away from family. Dh converted from Methodist to Catholic just over a year ago. His mom was not pleased. This is the woman that barely moved while inside the Catholic church where her granddaughter's baptism took place. But what is she going to do, he is a grown man. She loves him so she is getting over it. And as I said, we live far away and don't see them more than once a year.

 

Dh's grandmother was way cool about it. She said there have been other Catholics in the family (paternal) so it was no big deal to have one more.

 

If you decide to join the Church you can eventually educate your family about what being Catholic really means. Trust in God to give you what you need to what you feel is right for you and your immediate family. :grouphug:

[angela in ohio]

I had left my Catholic faith by the time I married dh. I became Protestant (really conservative Protestant, but still protestant. :D)

 

I attended a family funeral, and we were literally the only ones who didn't go up to take communion. It was awful. (Of course, later a friend told me about going up for the blessing, but it was too late then. :glare:) Other than that one horrid moment, it's been fine. The next funeral, my cousin who moved to the South and became Baptist attended, so we weren't alone. :D My parents were lapsed when I was in high school, and they don't care except for being a bit suspicious of some of our beliefs (family structure, gambling, etc.)

 

Most of my friends are Catholic, and we live in a largely Catholic community. I don't have the same beliefs, but I respect the faith. Some of the most beautifully gracious and Godly women I know are Catholic. :001_smile:

 

As far as your family, I'd say you just have to give it time. Seeing how faith works out in your life over the long haul is the cure for many erroneous ideas. If an opportunity arises, I'd offer to get a brief book on the basic Catholic doctrines (there must be a Q&A type book someone could recommend on some of the most commonly misunderstood things about Catholic beliefs.) I think you have to walk a line between being defensive and pushing it too far on one side or not saying anything and them never learning anything about your faith on the other side.

[Trish]

I don't suppose telling her you wanted something a little more Christ-centered will help. I mean really, we don't worshp statues any more than we worship our kids -- I have plenty of pictures of them too. How about a gentle, "I feel closer to Jesus than EVER since I joined the R.C.'s...."

 

Yeah, the priest thing is ridiculous. But they're just sinful humans, same as molesting rabbis and straying preachers. Every denomination has them.

 

Good luck, there's no easy way.

[LG Gone Wild]

You can't help what you can't help. Pray a lot and face whatever their vitriol with love, grace, and compassion.

[OregonNative]

I don't have any wise words, but just want to offer :grouphug:.

[OregonNative]

My MIL will go off the deep end - she's Muslim and has a very strong distrust of Christians, Catholics in particular.

This makes me really sad:(

[Sophia]

You can't help what you can't help. Pray a lot and face whatever their vitriol with love, grace, and compassion.

 

:iagree:

[jenn1129]

my hubby and i were cradle catholics. We left the church and started attending a non- denominational church where we both soon accepted Christ as our Savior. Every single one of our "friends" in the catholic church abandoned us. As have they with other people who have left. BIL was po'ed we didn't ask him first. haha MIL was concerned, but it actually pushed her to start reading up on what catholicism is really about and she is closer to God now and accepting of us, as she has seen all the wonderful changes in our life. My poor Grandma cried and knew we'd go to hell. well, our family priest explained to her that we wouldn't g to hell. and that it doesn't matter where we worship, as long as we worshipped Christ. So, she is better with it.

 

all this to say, after the initial shock wheres off, i imagine your family will be ok. pray about it. don't throw it in their face. eventually, your actions will speak about your choice. Good luck and :grouphug:s.

[Ellie]

 

Here's a link to a whole bunch of conversion stories.:)

[anabelneri]

Good luck... I spent years trying to not be Catholic, and finally "gave in" to God because it was so clearly where I was supposed to be. My father has been rude about it to say the least...asking typical questions that I've gotten from any number of people, like "but what about the Inquisition?" My Mom doesn't mind, but and her extended family have been clear that they wish I'd gone Episcopalian. All I can say after the journey is that it's been a lot easier to go ahead and run the familial gauntlet than to try and avoid God's plan for me.

 

One thing I keep in mind is that Jesus was pretty clear that families would be separated by him. It makes me sad, but it's been very true for me.

 

In looking for responses to family about Catholicism, this speech has been quite helpful for me. It's definitely worth a read.

 

Good luck, and best wishes.

[littlebug42]

Well, my Mom and sister questioned it at first but after many discussions, they ended up converting the year after I did. My sister has a friend that converted and her Dad keeps sending her literature letting her know that she is going to hell. She counters with books of her own that favor Catholicism. I know though that is a very tense situation for her.

 

I hope you find peace in your decisions and that your family can support your decisions. :grouphug:

[Renee in NC]

The most difficult thing for me was that I became Catholic and dh did not. He wasn't really happy about it, but he isn't one to tell someone else what they should or should not do. It has been extremely hard to not go to church as a family - I offered to go to Sat. mass and go to a Protestant church with him on Sunday, but he has never taken me up on that offer.

[Parrothead]

Books by Scott Hahn and his wife are helpful to people converting or considering converting. He was a Protestant minister who was very anti-Catholic. Now he and his wife are very pro-Catholic and big apologists for the Church.

 

This might make interesting reading for anyone interested: Scott Hahn Conversion Story

[milovany]

The most difficult thing for me was that I became Catholic and dh did not...

 

That would be hard and I've heard that from time to time from other converts to Orthodoxy. I will admit that I'm very thankful dh and I were on the same page -- both ready to discover the historic roots to our Christian faith. I will pray for you and your dh, Renee.

[mom2a&z]

For those who have converted to/from RCC/EO/Protestant - how did you deal with your families and how did they deal with you?

 

I have been felt pulled towards RCC for a long time but have resisted for a number of reasons, one of which is my family. My family, my mom in particular, are convinced Catholics are not Christians, worship statues, worship Mary, and don't worship Christ as the Son of God.

 

It's incredibly difficult for me to think of how I'm going to address my possible conversion with them. They just might ostracize me, something I really don't want. They will blame DH for leading me astray (not true).

 

My MIL will go off the deep end - she's Muslim and has a very strong distrust of Christians, Catholics in particular. The priest scandals have not helped at all.

 

So any advice?

 

The first person I had to tell about my wish to convert was my dh. He wasn't excited at all because "didn't everyone know that Catholics weren't Christian", but he wouldn't stop me. So I would go to church and Sunday School with dh and the kids, and then go to Mass by myself.

 

The priest I met with when I decided to convert actually told me not to tell my family and friends just yet but to wait until I felt comfortable answering their questions and defending my choice.

 

After several months, my dh decided to convert also. He had been studying on his own to try to talk his crazy wife out of converting, but he became convinced himself. It was at this point we decided to leave our church. It wasn't a huge surprise to find that we were on the church's prayer list the following week. No one really knew what to say to us. I've lost most of my friends from my old church because they don't know what to do with me and vice versa. Our relationships revolved so much around church life, that we didn't have much to talk about once I left the church. These were the same people who had said many negative things about the RCC in the past. Heck, several years ago, I was one of those people.

 

None of our family have been happy about our choice, but luckily after letting us know how they feel, it has been a subject that has not been brought up again.

 

It will be interesting to see if any family members come to our dc's First Communion this spring.

 

My advice would be to follow where God is leading you. If your family is critical of your choice, let them voice their concerns once, answer their questions the best you can, and then let it be known that this topic is off limits if they are only going to critize your choice. Maybe suggest a book they can read. Catholicism for Dummies is a great resource. It also means that you can't bring it up either. It has been really hard not to share my excitement about the RCC with my family because I don't want to hear the criticism.

 

I hope that my family will be more positive about my choice when they see me trying to live a life that would bring glory to God. Also never underestimate the power of prayer. I never thought my dh would be interested in joining the church because he used to be a huge critic. Now he is as excited as I am about becoming Catholic.

 

Good luck on your journey wherever it may lead.

[OregonNative]

my hubby and i were cradle catholics. We left the church and started attending a non- denominational church where we both soon accepted Christ as our Savior. Every single one of our "friends" in the catholic church abandoned us. As have they with other people who have left. BIL was po'ed we didn't ask him first. haha MIL was concerned, but it actually pushed her to start reading up on what catholicism is really about and she is closer to God now and accepting of us, as she has seen all the wonderful changes in our life. My poor Grandma cried and knew we'd go to hell. well, our family priest explained to her that we wouldn't g to hell. and that it doesn't matter where we worship, as long as we worshipped Christ. So, she is better with it.

 

all this to say, after the initial shock wheres off, i imagine your family will be ok. pray about it. don't throw it in their face. eventually, your actions will speak about your choice. Good luck and :grouphug:s.

:001_huh:WOW! Those friends def. did not back up their beliefs with their actions. And your BIL-I don't know what to think there:tongue_smilie:

 

I would love to here your conversion story if you are open to sharing it with me:) You can PM me and I will send you my email addy if that works for you.

[OregonNative]

Good luck... I spent years trying to not be Catholic, and finally "gave in" to God because it was so clearly where I was supposed to be. My father has been rude about it to say the least...asking typical questions that I've gotten from any number of people, like "but what about the Inquisition?" My Mom doesn't mind, but and her extended family have been clear that they wish I'd gone Episcopalian. All I can say after the journey is that it's been a lot easier to go ahead and run the familial gauntlet than to try and avoid God's plan for me.

 

One thing I keep in mind is that Jesus was pretty clear that families would be separated by him. It makes me sad, but it's been very true for me.

 

In looking for responses to family about Catholicism, this speech has been quite helpful for me. It's definitely worth a read.

 

Good luck, and best wishes.

 

WOW! This is fabulous!

[OregonNative]

Oops!

[cathmom]

my hubby and i were cradle catholics. We left the church and started attending a non- denominational church where we both soon accepted Christ as our Savior. Every single one of our "friends" in the catholic church abandoned us. As have they with other people who have left.

 

I am sorry that you experienced this. I just wanted to say that many of us going the other direction have experienced the same thing from non-denominational churches. I am a cradle Catholic, but I left the Church for a few years and attended non-denominational churches. When I returned to the Catholic Church, the same thing happened to me for the most part. I was to follow Christ's leading in every area of my life, except if He were calling me back to the Catholic Church, apparently.

 

I think that this is a for the most part a natural human reaction. The same thing happened again when we took our oldest out of public school. He had some boys he wanted to remain friends with, and I would call and call and never get a return call. People seem to consider it rejection, or that you consider yourself (or your child) "too good" for the church or school or group or whatever.

[unsinkable]

my hubby and i were cradle catholics. We left the church and started attending a non- denominational church where we both soon accepted Christ as our Savior. Every single one of our "friends" in the catholic church abandoned us. As have they with other people who have left. BIL was po'ed we didn't ask him first. haha MIL was concerned, but it actually pushed her to start reading up on what catholicism is really about and she is closer to God now and accepting of us, as she has seen all the wonderful changes in our life. My poor Grandma cried and knew we'd go to hell. well, our family priest explained to her that we wouldn't g to hell. and that it doesn't matter where we worship, as long as we worshipped Christ. So, she is better with it.

 

all this to say, after the initial shock wheres off, i imagine your family will be ok. pray about it. don't throw it in their face. eventually, your actions will speak about your choice. Good luck and :grouphug:s.

 

Why didn't you accept that Christ was your Savior when you were Catholic?

 

Why you don't capitalize Catholic Church and Catholic?

 

ETA: I don't care if people don't capitalize properly but it looks like you deliberately chose to NOT capitalize those words. Maybe I am wrong...

Edited December 30, 2010 by unsinkable

[Parrothead]

Why didn't you accept that Christ was your Savior when you were Catholic?

 

Why you don't capitalize Catholic Church and Catholic?

Now that you've asked, I wonder too.

About the first part at any rate. It seemed so odd to me the first time I read it yesterday.

 

I don't care about her grammar.

[jenn1129]

Why didn't you accept that Christ was your Savior when you were Catholic?

 

Why you don't capitalize Catholic Church and Catholic?

 

i didn't capitilize a lot of my words. no offense. i'm feeding a baby usually when i get on here and often go back and forth between capitilizing and not.

 

i think your other question has nothing to do with the op's question. as much as i want to answer it, i'm not going to participate in arguing. :D

[unsinkable]

i didn't capitilize a lot of my words. no offense. i'm feeding a baby usually when i get on here and often go back and forth between capitilizing and not.

 

i think your other question has nothing to do with the op's question. as much as i want to answer it, i'm not going to participate in arguing. :D

 

But you did capitalize other words in that post. I checked before I asked. Like I wrote, I don't care about "proper" capitalization. It looked like you deliberately didn't capitalize those words.

 

 

Many threads have tangents and rabbit trails. If you think a question is an argument, so be it. It wasn't intended that way.

[cathmom]

Why didn't you accept that Christ was your Savior when you were Catholic?

 

Why you don't capitalize Catholic Church and Catholic?

 

ETA: I don't care if people don't capitalize properly but it looks like you deliberately chose to NOT capitalize those words. Maybe I am wrong...

 

Now that you've asked, I wonder too.

About the first part at any rate. It seemed so odd to me the first time I read it yesterday.

 

I don't care about her grammar.

 

Have you two never been to a non-denominational church? "Accepting Christ as your Savior" is another way of saying born again. It's a specific action, not a recognition or an ongoing process. This confused me greatly when I first starting attending a non-denominational church! People kept asking me if I had accepted Christ and if I had a personal relationship with Jesus. Eventually I realized that they did not consider me a Christian until I had done this (and I did eventually say the "Sinner's Prayer" even though I didn't feel the need), whereas I considered that I had been Christian all along and was now coming into a fuller understanding of what that meant.

[jenn1129]

But you did capitalize other words in that post. I checked before I asked. Like I wrote, I don't care about "proper" capitalization. It looked like you deliberately didn't capitalize those words.

 

 

Many threads have tangents and rabbit trails. If you think a question is an argument, so be it. It wasn't intended that way.

 

 

if you really truly want to know, feel free to pm me. as for capitilizing, seriously did not mean to offend. i did capitilize and i also didn't capitilize. please dont make this into something its not.

[mommaduck]

i didn't capitilize a lot of my words. no offense. i'm feeding a baby usually when i get on here and often go back and forth between capitilizing and not.

 

i think your other question has nothing to do with the op's question. as much as i want to answer it, i'm not going to participate in arguing. :D

Oh good grief, it's a legitimate question (about accepting Christ)...not an argument.

 

 

To the pp about that question and as a former Protestant, "accepting Jesus as Saviour" has a specific connotation. Basically, it's as was stated in either this thread or the other thread...you have to say a specific "sinner's prayer" asking "Jesus into your heart" (find THAT in Scripture...it's not there!). They theologically separate salvation into justification, sanctification, etc...as though certain parts are more important than others (In various churches the focus may be more on one and in others more on another, etc), instead of them being very cohesive.

 

I like the Orthodox view ;)

 

 

[unsinkable]

Have you two never been to a non-denominational church? "Accepting Christ as your Savior" is another way of saying born again. It's a specific action, not a recognition or an ongoing process. This confused me greatly when I first starting attending a non-denominational church! People kept asking me if I had accepted Christ and if I had a personal relationship with Jesus. Eventually I realized that they did not consider me a Christian until I had done this (and I did eventually say the "Sinner's Prayer" even though I didn't feel the need), whereas I considered that I had been Christian all along and was now coming into a fuller understanding of what that meant.

 

I thought that is what she might have meant but I wanted to be sure.

 

I also wanted to know why she felt He wasn't her Savior when she was a Catholic. I wanted to know the difference between the 2. Does that make sense?

 

I guess that qualifies as an argument. :lol:

[unsinkable]

if you really truly want to know, feel free to pm me. as for capitilizing, seriously did not mean to offend. i did capitilize and i also didn't capitilize. please dont make this into something its not.

 

I'd PM you but my box is full so I'd have to delete something first. And I can't decide. :D

[jenn1129]

I thought that is what she might have meant but I wanted to be sure.

 

I also wanted to know why she felt He wasn't her Savior when she was a Catholic. I wanted to know the difference between the 2. Does that make sense?

 

I guess that qualifies as an argument. :lol:

 

i believe my answer would be found offensive. that's all i meant. but here goes. He died for me. got that. but as a Catholic, that wasn't enough to live w/ Jesus in heaven when i die. oh no. you must also not die with unconfessed to a man sin. and oh ya, did you do enough? cause if you didn't, you have to go to a made up place called purgatory.

 

i love reading on here of those who "get it". i didn't. Jesus died for me so i could live. period. no sinners prayer. no baptism. no sacraments. nothing else gets me into heaven. not what i do or dont do. just believing Him. how awesome is that? i didn't get that before. i wasn't able to deal with the inconsistincies i was learning.

 

thats the jist of it, anyway. it goes deeper, but...i think its too hard to explain like this.

[Heather in Neverland]

Well my dh was raised catholic and I was not. He was married for a short time before we met then got divorced. When we decided to get married his dad wanted us to wait so dh could get an annulment of his first marriage (apparently he had "grounds"?). But the annulment process is long and messy and neither dh nor I were interested. His father said if we didn't go through the process then our marriage didn't "count".

 

Dh started going to a protestant church after that. I was not attending church at all and he talked me into going back. But his family still blames me for his switching "sides". They also blame me for him being in Malaysia too. :D

[unsinkable]

i believe my answer would be found offensive. that's all i meant. but here goes. He died for me. got that. but as a Catholic, that wasn't enough to live w/ Jesus in heaven when i die. oh no. you must also not die with unconfessed to a man sin. and oh ya, did you do enough? cause if you didn't, you have to go to a made up place called purgatory.

 

i love reading on here of those who "get it". i didn't. Jesus died for me so i could live. period. no sinners prayer. no baptism. no sacraments. nothing else gets me into heaven. not what i do or dont do. just believing Him. how awesome is that? i didn't get that before. i wasn't able to deal with the inconsistincies i was learning.

 

thats the jist of it, anyway. it goes deeper, but...i think its too hard to explain like this.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

I don't find others' faith offensive.

[Giraffe]

It's interesting to read everyone's stories, and comforting (though in a sad way) to know that I won't be alone in dealing with the familial backlash of conversion. Thanks to all who shared their stories. I am living a long way away from my family, so the backlash will be electronic and telephonic, but it will still hurt. MIL is close by, so that will be harder, but she will also be more gracious - just worried to pieces about us and DD. She's had to deal with a lot already with her son converting from Islam to Christianity - this will just be one more step (should he convert with me, which he might, hard to say right now).

 

As far as the capitalization and sinner's prayer stuff goes - I don't think Jennifer meant anything by her capitalization - I will do the same at times if DD is on my lap and I can capitalize some words and not others. Yes, it looks odd, but I really don't think she meant anything by it. And having grown up in churches where the formal act of accepting Christ into your heart was a regular occurrence, I know of what she speaks. To cradle Catholics who have never left the Church it must sound so strange and heartbreaking to hear, but it really is a necessary part of becoming a Christian in some Protestant churches. And what I will be dealing with on the flip side should I become Catholic. I will be, to some, renouncing Christ. Yes, really.

 

ETA: Jennifer posted her clarification whilst I was trying to post this. So no sinner's prayer, but an acceptance of Christ. I still get it. I still understand her. She still makes sense to me. Just wanted to say that. And this coming from someone who might be going the other way! :)

Edited December 30, 2010 by Hopscotch67

[jenn1129]

 

As far as the capitalization and sinner's prayer stuff goes - I don't think Jennifer meant anything by her capitalization - I will do the same at times if DD is on my lap and I can capitalize some words and not others. Yes, it looks odd, but I really don't think she meant anything by it. And having grown up in churches where the formal act of accepting Christ into your heart was a regular occurrence, I know of what she speaks. To cradle Catholics who have never left the Church it must sound so strange and heartbreaking to hear, but it really is a necessary part of becoming a Christian in some Protestant churches. And what I will be dealing with on the flip side should I become Catholic. I will be, to some, renouncing Christ. Yes, really.

 

thank you and :grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: for your journey. I hope your family supports you no matter what.

[unsinkable]

It's interesting to read everyone's stories, and comforting (though in a sad way) to know that I won't be alone in dealing with the familial backlash of conversion. Thanks to all who shared their stories. I am living a long way away from my family, so the backlash will be electronic and telephonic, but it will still hurt. MIL is close by, so that will be harder, but she will also be more gracious - just worried to pieces about us and DD. She's had to deal with a lot already with her son converting from Islam to Christianity - this will just be one more step (should he convert with me, which he might, hard to say right now).

 

As far as the capitalization and sinner's prayer stuff goes - I don't think Jennifer meant anything by her capitalization - I will do the same at times if DD is on my lap and I can capitalize some words and not others. Yes, it looks odd, but I really don't think she meant anything by it. And having grown up in churches where the formal act of accepting Christ into your heart was a regular occurrence, I know of what she speaks. To cradle Catholics who have never left the Church it must sound so strange and heartbreaking to hear, but it really is a necessary part of becoming a Christian in some Protestant churches. And what I will be dealing with on the flip side should I become Catholic. I will be, to some, renouncing Christ. Yes, really.

 

That is heartbreaking, knowing that a faith can be so misunderstood.

 

:grouphug:

[Giraffe]

That is heartbreaking, knowing that a faith can be so misunderstood.

 

:grouphug:

 

It is. :crying:

[Parrothead]

Well my dh was raised catholic and I was not. He was married for a short time before we met then got divorced. When we decided to get married his dad wanted us to wait so dh could get an annulment of his first marriage (apparently he had "grounds"?). But the annulment process is long and messy and neither dh nor I were interested. His father said if we didn't go through the process then our marriage didn't "count".

 

Dh started going to a protestant church after that. I was not attending church at all and he talked me into going back. But his family still blames me for his switching "sides". They also blame me for him being in Malaysia too. :D

If your dh ever wants to look into it, he could possible take a shorter route than annulment. That is if he happened to have married outside the church the first time. Since being married by a JP or in another church is "without form" those marriages only take 30-45 days to process. If you ever get back stateside, and he wants to follow through, just have him go to his parish priest for the forms to fill out.

[Parrothead]

Have you two never been to a non-denominational church? "Accepting Christ as your Savior" is another way of saying born again. It's a specific action, not a recognition or an ongoing process. This confused me greatly when I first starting attending a non-denominational church! People kept asking me if I had accepted Christ and if I had a personal relationship with Jesus. Eventually I realized that they did not consider me a Christian until I had done this (and I did eventually say the "Sinner's Prayer" even though I didn't feel the need), whereas I considered that I had been Christian all along and was now coming into a fuller understanding of what that meant.

Nope. I've been to a Lutheran church a few times in my teens and once or twice in a Methodist church.

 

Thanks for the explanation. I've heard of the "Sinners Prayer."

[Parrothead]

Oh good grief, it's a legitimate question (about accepting Christ)...not an argument.

 

 

To the pp about that question and as a former Protestant, "accepting Jesus as Saviour" has a specific connotation. Basically, it's as was stated in either this thread or the other thread...you have to say a specific "sinner's prayer" asking "Jesus into your heart" (find THAT in Scripture...it's not there!). They theologically separate salvation into justification, sanctification, etc...as though certain parts are more important than others (In various churches the focus may be more on one and in others more on another, etc), instead of them being very cohesive.

 

I like the Orthodox view ;)

 

 

Not going there... Not going there... Not going there... Oh, but the irony.

[Parrothead]

Thanks for sharing.

 

I don't find others' faith offensive.

Piggybacking unsinkable again to say :iagree:

[Parrothead]

That is heartbreaking, knowing that a faith can be so misunderstood.

 

:grouphug:

I often wonder where this type thing comes from. Is it to instill fear so people "don't go there?" Is that for money?

 

Not too long ago someone here posted about how she heard often in her Southern Baptist church how the Catholics are bad/wrong/evil/whatever. Why does this type of "brainwashing" happen? Does it happen regularly with other denominations being bashed from the pulpit or is it just the Catholics?

[littlebug42]

I often wonder where this type thing comes from. Is it to instill fear so people "don't go there?" Is that for money?

 

Not too long ago someone here posted about how she heard often in her Southern Baptist church how the Catholics are bad/wrong/evil/whatever. Why does this type of "brainwashing" happen? Does it happen regularly with other denominations being bashed from the pulpit or is it just the Catholics?

 

 

I was the one that posted about how Catholics were vilified in the Church I grew up in. Honestly, it was just the Catholics that were treated so. My sister and I have talked about it before and it was almost as if they did things in the Church just because it was opposite what the Catholic Church did. I only have limited experience with other Protestant churches because my adult life has been spent either not in Church at all or in the Catholic church. I don't know why they felt it necessary to be so open in their opposition to Catholics. It makes me sad though.

[angela in ohio]

I often wonder where this type thing comes from.

 

A long, long history of clashes between Protestants and Catholics the world over.

[LG Gone Wild]

I was the one that posted about how Catholics were vilified in the Church I grew up in. Honestly, it was just the Catholics that were treated so. My sister and I have talked about it before and it was almost as if they did things in the Church just because it was opposite what the Catholic Church did. I only have limited experience with other Protestant churches because my adult life has been spent either not in Church at all or in the Catholic church. I don't know why they felt it necessary to be so open in their opposition to Catholics. It makes me sad though.

 

I find that strange, to be bashing another religion during a religious service. I've never heard a homily during mass that derided, say, Mormons or Lutherans or Baptists or Hindus or anything of that sort. The most I ever heard was a pleasant disagreement with a certain point in theology.

[TravelingChris]

First of all, I have never been in a church where any denomination was labeled as evil. Mis-guided, wrong in theological matters, etc. -yes. But not evil or wicked.

 

When we converted to Protestantism, my parents were dead. My m-i-l was upset but at that point, we didn't care. Why not? Well M-i-i had already given dh the silent treatment for days because he was joining the military (AF as an officer). She was an uneducated Catholic and very prejudiced against Protestants without reason. He joined the military and we saw her maybe a total of a month or so more while she was alive. They didn't like to travel even when we offered to pay. F-I=L and BILs are all non practicing Catholics and probably atheists. We pray for them.

 

We hope that our children marry Protestant Christians but we wouldn't shun them if they didn't. It would be very hard for us if they married someone who we didn't consider Christian (this does not include Catholics and Orthodox who we do consider Christians). I don't think they would.

[asta]

Books by Scott Hahn and his wife are helpful to people converting or considering converting. He was a Protestant minister who was very anti-Catholic. Now he and his wife are very pro-Catholic and big apologists for the Church.

 

This might make interesting reading for anyone interested: Scott Hahn Conversion Story

 

Ok, this cracked me up:

 

Another friend, a theologian, called me and said, "Scott, what is this I'm hearing that you're considering the Catholic faith?" "Well, no, Art, I'm not really considering the Catholic faith." Then I decided to pose him a question. I said, "Art, what for you is the pillar and foundation of truth?" And he said, "Scott, for all of us Scripture is the pillar and foundation of truth." I said, "Then why, Art, does the Bible say in 1 Timothy 3:15 that the pillar and foundation of truth is the church, the household of faith?" There was a silence and he said, "Well, Scott, I think you're setting me up with that question then." And I said, "Art, I feel like I'm being set up with lots of problems." He said, "Well, which church, Scott? There are lots of them." I said, "Art, how many churches are even applying for the job of being the pillar and foundation of truth? I mean, if you talk about a church saying, 'We're the pillar and foundation of truth; look to us and you will hear Christ speak and teach'? How many applicants for the job are there? I only know of one. I only know that the Roman Catholic Church teaches that it was founded by Christ; it's been around for 2000 years and it's making some outlandish claims that seem awfully similar to 1 Timothy 3:15."

[Giraffe]

I often wonder where this type thing comes from. Is it to instill fear so people "don't go there?" Is that for money?

 

Not too long ago someone here posted about how she heard often in her Southern Baptist church how the Catholics are bad/wrong/evil/whatever. Why does this type of "brainwashing" happen? Does it happen regularly with other denominations being bashed from the pulpit or is it just the Catholics?

 

I will write only from personal experience, and not from any position of authority, just as a woman raised in a Baptist church and home. Please understand, I'm just relaying what I grew up with at home and at church. Other people's experience may and will vary, and I'm NOT saying everyone or every Protestant church is like this.

 

In my Baptist churches I did hear Catholic bashing from the pulpit - it's why the Reformation happened, they would say. The indulgences, the Inquisition, the falling off the true path. And Mary - Lord help us, Mary. They worship her, you know, and her more than Jesus, who isn't really acknowledged as our Savior (insert pause and shake of the head with wry, sorry smile). And Catholics don't read the Bible - they're not really allowed to without a priest to "interpret" for them. And you can't pray to God without a priest. You can't do anything without a priest. So they're not really Christians. And they actually believe the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ. How terrible! Our Lord NEVER intended us to become cannibals! It's just symbolism, people!

 

Why does it happen? To justify the Reformation, the "rightness" of the denomination. Because some people have to have a boogeyman. No one got bashed like the Catholics, except now the Muslims are getting more press. Don't get me started on that (all my in-laws are Muslim!). For money - I don't think so, not in my case. Money was never a factor (there wasn't any). It was an honest belief that the Catholics had and were continuing to stray from the true and narrow path and if possible, should be saved.

 

It's actually one (but only one, I'm praying and reading the Bible too) of the factors driving me towards RCC. Methinks they doth protest too much....

[Parrothead]

A long, long history of clashes between Protestants and Catholics the world over.

Well, I know that. Where does it come from? I can tell you that, as a life-long Catholic who traveled and moved the world over, I've never ever ever heard a Catholic priest bash any Protestant denomination. Yet, it seems, according to Littlebug, to have happened the other way 'round in at least one Baptist church.

 

Hence my question. Why would a minister/priest of any Christian denomination from the pulpit where he/she should be teaching and preaching Christ's Word be bashing another denomination. What is the motivation for that?

[Giraffe]

Chucki/Parrothead - read my post.

 

BTW - I LOVE your siggy! I'll have to use the parent/teacher conference the next time I get caught talking to myself! :)

[Parrothead]

I will write only from personal experience, and not from any position of authority, just as a woman raised in a Baptist church and home. Please understand, I'm just relaying what I grew up with at home and at church. Other people's experience may and will vary, and I'm NOT saying everyone or every Protestant church is like this.

 

In my Baptist churches I did hear Catholic bashing from the pulpit - it's why the Reformation happened, they would say. The indulgences, the Inquisition, the falling off the true path. And Mary - Lord help us, Mary. They worship her, you know, and her more than Jesus, who isn't really acknowledged as our Savior (insert pause and shake of the head with wry, sorry smile). And Catholics don't read the Bible - they're not really allowed to without a priest to "interpret" for them. And you can't pray to God without a priest. You can't do anything without a priest. So they're not really Christians. And they actually believe the bread and wine become the actual body and blood of Christ. How terrible! Our Lord NEVER intended us to become cannibals! It's just symbolism, people!

 

Why does it happen? To justify the Reformation, the "rightness" of the denomination. Because some people have to have a boogeyman. No one got bashed like the Catholics, except now the Muslims are getting more press. Don't get me started on that (all my in-laws are Muslim!). For money - I don't think so, not in my case. Money was never a factor (there wasn't any). It was an honest belief that the Catholics had and were continuing to stray from the true and narrow path and if possible, should be saved.

 

It's actually one (but only one, I'm praying and reading the Bible too) of the factors driving me towards RCC. Methinks they doth protest too much....

Thank you. (This makes at least 2.)

 

I mentioned money because well, if the congregation up and decided to convert as a group (I've heard of that happening, I don't know if it is true though) the minister is pretty much out of a job with no weekly offering to support his church.