Posted on 01/08/2010 11:01:28 AM PST by Judith Anne
In the age of the internet, a lot of very good information is readily available for those who have sincere questions about the Catholic Church. The Catholic Encyclopedia, the Online Catechism, many good apologetic sites--all have excellent answers to nearly any question that anyone could devise.
There is really no need for FR Catholics to engage in endless religious argument, and I would like to urge us all to simply refrain. We could resign from the debating society and let those who sincerely want to learn seek it out for themselves from a local priest or look it up on the net. Others, who do not sincerely want to learn, could be ignored, and privately remembered in prayer.
Opinions from fellow Catholics?
THEN I thought, Hey, this is like virtue. I go along being all genial and funny warm and fuzzy and think I'm quite the dude. But when I encounter some gratuitously nasty person, I lose all that niceness in a heart beat. There's a lot I don't know as well as I thought I did, and maybe working here is a good training ground and diagnostic all in one.
We learn our faults in company with others...but sometimes we don’t see them until we step back.
I refrained from most of the more heated threads last year during Lent and felt much better.
Thanks. I absolutely agree.
Non-Catholics speaking of the Rosary SHOULD be ignored. So should non-Catholics speaking of the masgesterium.
Hypocrisy so thick it wouldn't fit on a sandwich.
Let's just say, you can't reach certain people. They don't want to be reached. Correct those who are honest in their mistakes but quickly recognize those that don't want to be corrected and drive on.
There, that should be bland enough.
Instead of worrying about what others believe and are saying, we turn toward God and our own spiritual growth. If we are completely misunderstood by a non-Catholic, so what?
But the key is charitably, with patience, but firmly.
Titus 3:
1 Admonish them to be subject to princes and powers, to obey at a word, to be ready to every good work.
2 To speak evil of no man, not to be litigious but gentle: showing all mildness towards all men.
3 For we ourselves also were some time unwise, incredulous, erring, slaves to divers desires and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another.
4 But when the goodness and kindness of God our Saviour appeared:
5 Not by the works of justice which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us, by the laver of regeneration and renovation of the Holy Ghost.
6 Whom he has poured forth upon us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour:
7 That, being justified by his grace, we may be heirs according to hope of life everlasting.
8 It is a faithful saying. And these things I will have you affirm constantly, that they who believe in God may be careful to excel in good works. These things are good and profitable unto men.
9 But avoid foolish questions and genealogies and contentions and strivings about the law. For they are unprofitable and vain.
10 A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, avoid:
11 Knowing that he that is such an one is subverted and sins, being condemned by his own judgment.
The point being that you should contend for the Faith, but descending into empty argument is just not worth it:
2 Tim 2
14 Of these things put them in mind, charging them before the Lord. Contend not in words: for it is to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers.
15 Carefully study* to present yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
16 But shun profane and vain babblings: for they grow much towards ungodliness.
17 And their speech spreads like a canker: of whom are Hymeneus and Philetus:
18 Who have erred from the truth, saying that the resurrection is past already, and have subverted the faith of some.
19 But the sure foundation of God stands firm, having this seal: the Lord knows who are his; and let every one depart from iniquity who names the name of the Lord.
* The Greek for Study is "spoudazō" -- meaning to be diligent
And if you get too frustrated, you can gain some comfort from reading Psalm 2. Tho' I'm not much of a fan of the KJV, in this case, the KJV is the most satisfying: Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?…
My real concern are the lurkers who will be lead to damnation by some here.
I would like to say, while I don't envy the ire directed toward the Catholics who participate in the Religion Forum, and I know I'm certainly not equipped to defend the faith myself, it was as a lurker here that I became convinced that either the Catholics or the Orthodox have it right. If someone here hadn't been answering what was being said, I might not have necessarily believed the things that were being presented, but would probably have continued operating on the assumption that the dogmas of most churches on the subjects we see debated here is mostly a reflection of each group's personal or preferred understanding of things that maybe can't actually be known. It was the demonstration here of the Church's historical continuity and internal consistency through the last 2000 years that has convinced me that it (along with the Orthodox) is the true Church.
(I will admit, it was the contentiousness that kept me reading long enough to learn this; some of the threads here can be gruesomely fascinating.)
Well, I decided to make this a Catholic Caucus thread, because I don’t want to criticize anyone else in particular, and I wanted to talk without interruption from non-Catholics. The RM is simply following and enforcing the rules—protecting our closed doors.
I do not know nor care what confession the RM is. I just want to have my Catholic FRiends consider the idea of a “fast” from arguing with anyone who may want to criticize or denigrate our Church. In my opinion, it does no one any good. Just my opinion.
You are welcome.
As long as both sides in the biggest disputes think I am a member of the opposition, then I am confident that I’m being even-handed. If any one side stopped complaining, I’d have cause for concern.
“Gruesomely fascinating” — ROFLLMTO!!!!
So well said...
Understood. For them I pray daily. God will surely bless them, and will call each one to Himself; evil is everywhere, sometimes most especially on the RF in my opinion.
You are awesome, and could never be accurately accused of being bland!
What a wonderful post! Thank you very much.
Oh, boy, not me. I'm ALWAYS nice. /sarc!
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