I'm Catholic. I am wondering why non-Catholic christians are so against my faith. Non-Catholics discuss us in

Question

very derogatory terms. So why do you have questions about us or why do your ministers preach against us? I am 60 yrs old & have never even once heard a priest or nun say anything about any other religion. So why do you?

Some of the answers I've read so far show many misconceptions about our faith e.g. we don't pray to statues. They represent saints & Mary to whom we pray asking them to intercede on our behalf with God. Mary is held in high regard bcuz she accepted the tremendous responsiblity of being Jesus' mother. We do not worship anyone but God. We feel that asking them to intercede for us is like our asking a friend to pray for us in time of need.

Re Cults - Catholism is not the only religion which considers the Jehovah Witness religion (along with Mormanism) to be a cult. Most Christian churches do (ask a minister not a congregant). If some people r rude when answering the door it is because they are rude people & maybe they're tired of Witnesses knocking on their doors. The Church does not teach people to be rude.

Re the weird mother-in-law. She's crazy & does not represent the teachings of the Church.

The Bible. Catholics read, study & meditate using the Bible & read passages at Mass

Answer 1

Well Catholics don't really insult anyone. It is the biggest, most diverse and exuberant division of Christianity around. The anglican communion still calls their church Catholic, the oxford movment in the 1830 showed the anglican protestants wanted a return to the old catholic values, the eastern orthodox churches still respect the pope as their head although they do not take orders directly from him. that leaves a tiny minority of churches who do not follow catholicism but still adhere to it's doctrines as standard christian dogma and still revere the pope.

the ethiopean church is an entity of its own and there are opther chruches that catholics must let thrive alone as they bring a different cultural aspect to the amazing idelogy of christianity. all christians believe in the same things, some, however, don'tthink too often, others never seem to have read the new testament and others call themselves christian for credit but act badly

Answer 2

Personally I love many Catholics. My father is a Deacon within the Catholic Church. I am peers with the neighborhood priest, Father Ed, he's realize as round right here. We have a tremendous household 12 kids from the identical dad and mom. Most of them are Catholic. At the Catholic, DeLa sal School the Catholic academics are so great and sacrificing. I feel the Catholics do love the Lord. BUT!!! They say the Rosary to Mary always they feel that the bread and wine truthfully develop into the frame and blood of Christ they usually use beads, statues, and different gadgets to worship with. All that is in opposition to God's phrase discovered in scripture. Then whilst I take a seat and consult with with my father or the priest or different Catholics I see the fruit in their lips and I see gossip, cursing, foul language, sexual orientated and demeaning language, hate for others and so a lot more. This isn't the end result I show in my existence. The Spirit of God teaches us that those matters are unsuitable. The gadgets and Rosary and statues and the depraved fruit it's all unsuitable and the Lord himself tells us that a Good tree brings forth Good fruit and can't carry forth evil fruit. I pray that Catholics will see the mistake and be given God's fact and now not the strain of being politically proper Catholic. God bless and desire you'll see.

Answer 3

It's not directed to individual Catholics, I know there are sincere, honest hearted individuals that are Catholic. It's directed to those in charge. The Popes, the Cardinals, Priests, Nuns....
We know throughout history the Catholic Church has done some awful things in the name of religion. Burning people on a stake for reading the bible. They have been involved in wars. They supported Hitler (there are pictures of Priests "hieling Hitler"). The pope's own cousin who was a Priest, tried to get the Pope to do something to help the Jews, he refused to get involved. So the priest said he was Jewish and was sent to a concentration camp. He felt the only thing left for him to do was to encourage the Jews. He did what all religious leaders should have done. Protestant and Catholic.

Many of the Catholic doctrine are not scriptural. Purgatory, Hellfire (which the prior Pope admitted there was no burning hell) Worship of Mary, idol worship. Why are they not teaching their followers the truth in the bible?

The hypocrisy in the higher ups. The molesting of children by the Priest, which was not handled, but hushed up and the Priest was just moved around, so more children were molested. Then you hear stories....which they may not be true...hopefully not....that the nuns have become pregnant by the priest and had babies and then killed them. They have found the remains of babies.

Being involved in politics. It seems to be more about power, than about the spiritual wellfare of the parishiners.

I know that even in modern day that Priests in certain countries have tried to stop other religions from preaching and have spread lies about them and even had them put in prison.

With that all being said, don't feel like Catholics are special, just about every religion has been talked about in derogatory terms and even lies spread. I don't believe anything I said is not true. It is history. I think it is good that you have stayed a spiritual person for so long and hope that you do a little research into the bible. John 17:3 "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you the only true God, and the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ."


Addition:
....I just read your additional comments. I have a question, why do you feel you need to pray to saints and to Mary to intercede with God? The bible tells us that Jesus is the only one we can pray through, for our prayers to be heard by God. This is because he died for our sins. Where in the bible are we told to pray through Mary or Saints? According to the bible, God would not hear those prayers.

"Most truly I say to you,, He that exercises faith in me, that one also will do the works that I do; and he will do works greater than these, because I am going my way to the Father. Also, whatever it is that you ask in my name, I will do this, in order that the Father may be glorified in connection with the son." John 14: 12 & 13

Jehovah's Witnesses and Morman's have not been consider cults for a long time. A cult is someone like Jim Jones, Waco. A extremist group. I have a book on the history of religion. Both Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormans are listed under modern day religions. Not under the Cult section.

Answer 4

Here's the bottom line: people in other religions (Christian or non) don't understand the Catholic faith. I'm sure if those who hate Catholics would take a closer look at it's teachings, their minds would change. Many people can't get past the fact that Catholics pray to the saints. Even though every Catholic I know insists they don't pray TO the saints, most people can't understand the difference. I want to convert so badly, my husband is Catholic, and I've decided the Catholic church is the best place for us. I can't, however, because my grandmother and my church, along with the rest of my family, are very anti-Catholic. I'm afraid of what they would say and do if I converted.

Answer 5

First let me start by saying that I am Catholic, although I am not very religious.

This question comes up every now and again. I feel that Catholic bashers mainly fall into two groups:

1) People who do not know what they are talking about. Many do not realize that Catholics are Christian, the oldest and largest denomination by the way. We also do not worship the Pope.

2) People who purposely twist Catholic beliefs and then put down those twisted beliefs. This is very common, many ethnic and political groups do the same thing to others.

The Catholic church has softened its stance in recent years regarding those of different faiths, which includes Protestants and Orthodox Christians. The medieval church excommunicated (and worse) Protestants as heretics. My father-in-law grew up in Ireland during the depression. The Church forbid Catholics from taking charity from Protestant groups such as the Salvation Army.

Answer 6

I am not Catholic - I do not speak out against your faith. I have attended Catholic masses and have found them to be far more holy, and religious than protestant worship services. I do not understand this either, why they criticize your faith. I am sorry for it. The only thing I can tell you is that perhaps they are confused by it ( for Catholicism is not a cult, as so many modern 'Christian' religions are), and the dedication of the congregation - something that they lack.

Answer 7

Judith I am not sure why this happens so much. I think it is mostly because they do not know enough about us or where their own churches and teachings originated. I prayed about that once because it has also bothered me. God told me to go to the Protestants and explain to them that I am their brother in Christ. I was very well received in their churches. I believe it is just a loud and ignorant minority of non-Catholics that are vehemently anti-Catholic. Most people of other faiths do not seem to have anything against us. Most people believe God Loves us all. God Bless you Judith

Answer 8

There are many of us protestants who look at the history of the church and don't like the way things got handled back then. I don't like it, but I know that the Catholic Church is different from what it was 1000 years ago. I have quite a few friends who are catholic ans we get along great. And just so you know, I'm a Seventh-day Adventist. We don't get much good press, and usually it's because of complete off the wall, off the margin strange people who feel called to denounce Catholicism for some strange reason, and for those people I apologize.

Answer 9

I think it is the prayers to the virgin mary and the saints that come off as idolitry or icons worship. confessing to priests onstead of taking it to the cross, believing that Mary was still a virgin after the virgin birth, that would be believeable, if Joseph died shortly after jesus was born, but there is scriptures to say that he had brothers, YOU KNOW THE BIG ONE, all the priest who have been sexually abusing the boys, but there are sexual abusers hiding in every religion and athiest that abuse to. Sin is everywhere. The one I think is silly is praying to one of the saints to find a lost object, everytime I hide something from myself, I just pray to God and he helps me find it, I don't need a saint, stigmata is another one, it seems demonic, and the appearing of virgin mary, I am sorry to say this, but demons can appear in any shape and any form, and that why people believe Mary is showing up and that haunted houses exist.

Answer 10

I'm Baptist and I'm not against your faith. I believe you do believe that God is God and that Jesus died for our sins to make a way for us to go to God. I just don't believe that we have to pray to anyone for us to pray to God, that we can directly pray to our Father God ourselves, and make our own requests known to him and ask him to forgive us ourselves for our own sins. Catholics are still going to heaven in they believe that God and Jesus are the same; just going to heaven by a different road. Other religions will take a different road also. All roads lead to heaven except not excepting God as your savior. God might spank your pants alittle when you get there because the Catholics place too much importantace on Mary, the Mother of Jesus. I feel that the Church Of Christ really believe in living as close to the Bible as just about any one religion. I just wished they had music and praise in their services. I may get my pants spanked by my answers*