AntiCatholic Best Friends
Hello,
Yet in the next breath them invite me to go to church with them, which I do, and go back to saying what a good christian I am seemingly "overlooking" my "flaws" in being a Catholic. I have found, and it's very sad, but we as Catholics are rather hated in the christian community and in the world ingeneral, but I don't know how I should handle this without being sinful to the one and only authentic Church of Christ.
They make no attempt to convert me away from Catholisicm ever, but if we talk about any difference, they are very quick to show their disgust for our version of the faith. The N.D. Christian is actually an Ex-Catholic who by leaving, in my opinion, betrayed the Bride of Christ. I find their refusal to except Papal authority unbiblical, arrogant, and sinful, and their's (and all anti-catholic's) refusal to acknowledge saints in any way as a sinful attempt to spirtually "emancipate" themselves from their heavenly brothers and sisters. I'm obviously not this direct with them and I have tried to explain our way as unoffensively, and as best as possible but I have recently found that no matter how hard I try, they are locked in this "invincable" denial, and there seems to be nothing I can do but make them even BIGGER anti-catholics which is not what I want to do. These are my two best friends and I deeply wish to stay friends with them. Can you please tell me what you recommend in situations like this? Should we just agree to not speak about Christ anymore? I refuse to edit myself for their benefit, and if I speak about Christ I will ALWAYS do it from a Catholic stand point. How do you recommend dealing with a sitaution like this?
Thank you VERY much!!!!
QUESTION from Joey on July 4, 2003
My problem is that my 2 best friends in the world are deeply christian, one a n.d. Christian, and the other a Pentecostal. My pentecostal friend was actually extremely instrumental in bringing me back to Christianity after I stopped practicing, and in almost every way, they both are valuable, God Loving, fanastic role model christians, with the one exception. They are both complete anti-catholics. If we are discussing anything that is not a difference between the Catholic church and their's, they tell me what a great chrisitan I am and how proud God must be of me, but as soon as I say anything that is a Catholic teaching, they bite my head off and call me things like a necromancer, idolatrist, heretic, sinful for asking Mary to pray for me, and the pentecostal even told me he thinks Catholisicm is a seperate religion.
I absolutely always defend the Catholic church and teachings, never agreeing on even the slightest complaint against her. But with these two guys, I have decided that we just cannot talk about Christ period, because when we do we fight and I don't want that. But by simply dropping the subject or refusing to continue arguement with them, am I sinning against the Church by continuing to be their friend and by no longer spreading to them the true word of the one true Church?
God bless,
Dante
ANSWER by Staff on July 8, 2003
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Dear Dante: These people are NOT your best friends. Best friends love and respect each other and do not practice bigotry toward one another. The behavior you describe of them is outright bigtory. And, as a former Baptist who use to invite people to come to my church, I can tell you DEFINITIVELY that they are NOT asking you to visit their Church out of some friendly courtesy, they are trying to take you out of the Catholic Church. They invite you to their Church in hopes that you will convert. Inviting people to attend their Church is one of the STANDARD textbook techniques to try to convert someone. THEY ARE TRYING TO CONVERT YOU. These people cannot be your friends. To think they can is like a black man saying that a "friendly" member of the KKK is a best friend. No matter how "friendly" they are you must remember that they are taught and believe that you are risking your soul to hell by being Catholic. I would recommend that you no longer consider them "best friends" but acquaintences whom you may testify to the True Church. But as you already pointed out, when you do that they get very hateful with their bigoted accusations against the True Church and against you. From your description these are not Protestants who are positively disposed toward the Church or at least see Catholics has brothers. They are bigots. I come from the same mindset as these people come from. I know that their friendship to you is source primarily is a desire to save you from what they consider is the Whore of Babylon. I use to be "friends" with people for the same reason. I don't mean to say that they do not like you. They may very well enjoy your companion and like you a lot. But that like of you fuels even more their desire to see you out of the Catholic Church. They are NOT your friends but in actuality dangerous enemies. Be very careful flirting with enemies of the Church. They can bge like snakes and you could get bitten.
God Bless, |