princessgianna Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 (edited) I am in a Literature group! Really nice Christ like people! Problem comes in that they are Protestant and I am committed Catholic! We have many theological discussions though today was the biggest in depth one we have ever had. (In about two weeks we'll be having another one)! I am totally ready to stand for my Faith and Church however I don't want to cause trouble. Any suggestions that I should maybe be aware of! In order to help keep relations under controlled and going well! Edited April 8, 2009 by princessgianna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Discuss literatuare, not religion. NOt that there's anything wrong with that, but anyone who wants to discuss religion should join a religious discussion group. Literature... religion... different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Therese Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I'm the only Catholic in my family and among my friends. My advice: Be willing to hear their points of view, and share yours respectfully. Dont worry about proving yourself right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatherineM Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 When I was in the fellowship of Christian athletes, I was the only Catholic. It was hard. I mostly kept kind of quiet. Eventually I realized that I was slowly being indoctrinated to a different way of looking at the bible. They weren't doing it on purpose to try to convert me, but I felt like I was in quick sand. I had to leave the group. The difference is that we were talking about the bible rather than just literature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ce58 Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 [quote name='CatherineM' post='1828543' date='Apr 7 2009, 11:22 PM']When I was in the fellowship of Christian athletes, I was the only Catholic. It was hard. I mostly kept kind of quiet. Eventually I realized that I was slowly being indoctrinated to a different way of looking at the bible. They weren't doing it on purpose to try to convert me, but I felt like I was in quick sand. I had to leave the group. The difference is that we were talking about the bible rather than just literature.[/quote] I know what you mean. I was co-leader for fellowship of Christian Teens last year at my school and it was a wonderful opportunity to meet new people and know they were willing to support me in my faith at school, but i struggled as a leader especially to still present what I believed as a Catholic but respect what the others believed (most of them all went to a large non-denominational church down the street...) I found myself wanting to know more about my faith and go deeper, but with that group I couldn't because there wasn't much more depth to their faith than what we had covered while I could dive into the Eucharist and the other sacraments and all sorts of things on my own and with a few other Catholic friends. I ended up explaining to the group I couldn't lead, even come, to FCT anymore due to numerous reasons (this is one I couldn't explain to them...) As far as the initial question... I would say present your faith the way it is, but don't push it on them. Explain this is what I believe. Be ready for people to look at you weird, have questions, or even be offended. Do not be surprised. hope it all goes well in two weeks! ce58 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatsup Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 I went to a catholic college but most of my friends weren't catholic. They were Athiest, Baptist, lutheran, muslem, well, you get the point The ones that I hung out with mostly were two catholics who'd never recieved sacraments beyond baptizm and maybe communion and were non-denom, a baptist, a lutheran, and an athiest/raised with no religion. I think the hardest part was the "being saved" on their part and transubstantiation on mine other than that their religions were radically similar. I chose to move the comversation often from conflict, to an indepth part of religion that we all understood. For instance, even the athiest believed life started at conception and therefore it was wrong to kill. Natural law, when a person is open to it, is a powerful thing. She was eleoquent and could turn the most stone-hearted people into believers that life began at that point. She knew facts and she also knew in her heart She was a true pagan, never being welcomed into a church, never being show a church, growing up in a tough city not known for any particular religion. On the other hand you have my christian friend. She was very irratiol in her statements. Killing was wrong becuase she read it in the Bible. The Bible knew everything and it was her job to interepret it. No book could ever be used to aid the bible, no teaching could possible reach other humans as much as the bible. And while there's a grain of truth to that, its also a dangerous way to go about things in this world. So yeah, focus on the similar beliefs, not the difference in how you get there. That causes the most heartbreak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groo the Wanderer Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 [quote name='princessgianna' post='1828490' date='Apr 7 2009, 11:37 PM']I am in a Literature group! Really nice Christ like people! Problem comes in that they are Protestant and I am committed Catholic! We have many theological discussions though today was the biggest in depth one we have ever had. (In about two weeks we'll be having another one)! I am totally ready to stand for my Faith and Church however I don't want to cause trouble. Any suggestions that I should maybe be aware of! In order to help keep relations under controlled and going well![/quote] convert 'em! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unloud Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 (edited) While it can be difficult being part of a larger Christian group like you have been, you might consider the fact that maybe you are meant to be there for a reason. I have seen several people come back home to The Faith through just being around Catholics and realizing that we are Christians too. You asked for suggestions and mine is this: based on my experience, rather than trying to stay hung up on theology try to focus on how Christ has been very present in your life in Church, in the sacraments, in your family. If there is anything that protestants recognize it's the joy of Christ in a person's life. It's also important that you recognize there are protestants out there that think of our Church in a very dark light.... I used to be one of them. If any of the people in your group are very adverse to your beliefs, it is important that you recognize that focusing on the finer details of theology won't satisfy their lack of understanding Christ's gifts of His Church. The only way for them to find it is by experiencing it. I was brought back home to the Catholic faith by my best friend who randomly invited me to come to mass one week. I originally hated Catholics and thought "their" religion was evil (worshiped idols, etc.) but I didn't know what it meant to be Catholic until I went to a mass and decided to ask myself questions. Ultimately, you most likely won't get through to most protestants until they see God's Church with their own eyes. Even with that said though, it's not necessarily crucial to win them over to The Church; the great news is that you all believe in the power for people to find love in Christ inside and outside of His Church. So, if the subject of religion ever starts getting temperamental, take a step back and realize that it's not your burden to pull them to The Church... Christ calls us all in the way He sees best. Even if you are the most compelling and knowledgeable person regarding your faith, they won't ever become Catholic because of you. They can only find that path through a personal relationship with Christ who calls us all Home, you are merely a guide along the way. I know this because I was there and He found me through the worst times because my best friend knew to step back and let Him do His will. No matter what, I wish you the best. I know you'll do great! Like someone said before me... It's a literature group; focus on literature! :-D God Bless, Jake [b]P.S.[/b] For your discussion in two weeks, I definitely suggest (if you haven't done so already) familiarizing yourself with [i]The Catechism of the Catholic Church[/i] and then taking it with you to the group. If you choose to do so, make sure you explain what [i]The Catechism[/i] is, and show how it uses quotes from The Bible to back up its statements and use it to explain your views on your faith to the others. I think this could add a lot to your group too because of the way that [i]The Catechism[/i] was created and the immense literary richness it contains. If you have any specific questions or ever want suggestions, please never hesitate to email me. My email is unloud at gmail dot com. Edited April 8, 2009 by unloud Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Ifs its a literature group why are you discussing theology unless you are reading a theology book a the point of the discussion? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dauntingknight Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Take a Catholic Bible and beat it over their heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piano_freak184 Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 [quote name='dauntingknight' post='1829056' date='Apr 8 2009, 04:04 PM']Take a Catholic Bible and beat it over their heads.[/quote] Theres such thing as a Catholic Bible? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dauntingknight Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 [quote name='piano_freak184' post='1829413' date='Apr 8 2009, 10:09 PM']Theres such thing as a Catholic Bible?[/quote] Yah and it isn't missing 7 books. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piano_freak184 Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 [quote name='dauntingknight' post='1829415' date='Apr 8 2009, 10:11 PM']Yah and it isn't missing 7 books.[/quote] Wat 7 books is the other one missing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintwannabe 777 Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 [quote name='Luigi' post='1828519' date='Apr 8 2009, 12:04 AM']Discuss literatuare, not religion. NOt that there's anything wrong with that, but anyone who wants to discuss religion should join a religious discussion group. Literature... religion... different.[/quote] That maybe true. But chances are our Princess will not be able to run or change the subject all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unloud Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 [quote name='piano_freak184' post='1829430' date='Apr 8 2009, 09:21 PM']Wat 7 books is the other one missing?[/quote] There have always been many books outside of The Bible that claim to be divine in origin. When The Bible was assembled into a final cannon (list of texts) it was made with all of the books that protestant Bibles have but also seven books which they don't recognize called The Deuterocanonical Books. These books are namely: * Tobit * Judith * Wisdom * Sirach, also called Ben Sira or Ecclesiasticus * Baruch, including the Letter of Jeremiah (Additions to Jeremiah in the Septuagint[5]) * 1 Maccabees * 2 Maccabees There are also several other addendums to other parts of The Bible which are included in the Deutercanonical texts, but that is not the focus right now. After the protestant reformation and separation from the Catholic Church, these books which were already being debated were removed by [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinism"]Calvinists[/url] and [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutheran"]Lutherans[/url] out of their belief that the books are not equivalent in value to Holy Scriptures.... In the mean time, Catholics kept these books through knowing that their value was established by [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Trent"]The Council of Trent[/url] More reading if you are interested: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_canon"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_canon[/url] :-) God Bless, Jake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now