While in church today, I was reflecting on the time that I had spent learning about Christ as a child for 8 years during weekly Catechism classes. During my younger years, I remember thinking/believing that no other religion in the world even existed except for Catholicism - not because I was taught that specifically there weren't any other religions, but because no other religions were ever mentioned in my Catechism classes. As a matter of fact, it wasn't until I was finally in junior high school that I even learned that other religions existed. At that point, I started to quickly realize that although I grew up unaware of any other religion, it seemed that my peers not only practiced other religions, but also knew of the Catholic faith AND the differences between my religion and their own.
Why is it that most Catholics have grown up unaware of other religions, but yet our peers not only practiced other religions, but could tell us the differences between them as well?
2007-09-23 18:47:51 · 6 answers · asked by Perplexed? 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
I was raised as a Baptist and we never talked about other religions and the differences between them and Baptism either. I ended up learning a lot about Catholocism from some of my Catholic friends and relatives and figured out the differences between Catholocism and Protestantism for myself. It just seems like most people don't like to discuss religion or examine the foundations of their own beliefs too critically. So I don't think its just a Catholic thing.
2007-09-23 19:07:41 · answer #1 · answered by Link 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
One should have a thorough knowledge of one's own faith, as a foundation; that's the purpose of catechism classes, of course, and there was quite enough watered-down catechesis in the 70s and 80s at that (things have been improving a bit on that score).
I doubt that many of the junior high or high school peers you mention, even if they were conversant in faiths other than their own, were actually taught much more about Catholicism than superficial differences -- if not outright untruths if the prevalence of them among non-Catholic Christians is any indication.
As an adult, I was Baptist for quite some time before my conversion to Catholicism and saw no information about other beliefs being taught to the Sunday School kids, except when the high schoolers were learning evangelism techniques; they were given a printed page on how to challenge Catholic beliefs in "witnessing" to them.
On the other hand, though my parents were not churchgoers at all, my neighborhood was richly diverse as far as religious practice goes; mostly Catholic, Jewish, and Greek Orthodox, with a few Protestant denominations here and there. I learned a great deal from my peers ... about their own faiths.
Perhaps this is how many of your friends absorbed the information, too, rather than actually being taught about other faiths as a part of learning their own. What you describe is exceptional and certainly not the case across the board.
2007-09-24 09:54:36 · answer #2 · answered by Clare † 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When I was younger I used to go to a Catholic Church with my father. I never learned anything. The Bible was rarely opened or discussed and most of what was done was a mere repetitious ceremony with no spiritual value. Over the centuries, the Catholic Church has adopted several teachings and customs that are condemned in the Bible. The Bible does teach that there is only one true religion. God hates a lie and since religions all disagree, they cannot all be telling the truth.
For a person who is taking an honest look at their faith, it is important to search for truth. The truth can be found if you keep searching for it. Get to know your Bible. Pray to God repeatedly for understanding. You may be surprised. God may answer your prayers by sending someone to your house who will study the Bible with you. -Acts 5:42
2007-09-24 02:19:04 · answer #3 · answered by johnusmaximus1 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most Catholics, including myself, are unaware of the beliefs of other religiopns because we do not focus on the difference between faiths. The Catholic mind does not thing "I am right, you are wrong". Catholics spend most of their time discovering, learning, and living their faith rather than looking at and criticizing other faiths.
Besides, look at what some of the other faiths are saying about Catholicism. Most times, they are wrong about what Catholicism teaches. Is that the level of understanding of their own faith?
2007-09-24 07:03:06 · answer #4 · answered by Sldgman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When the U.S. Secret Service trains their agents to recognize counterfeit money, they actually train them to recognize the unique characteristics of authentic U.S. currency, rather than wasting time on the 50,000 or so different variations that are possible with counterfeit bills.
So it is for the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic faith.
2007-09-24 05:19:28 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
All religions hate the others. This is natural because they are after the same income base.
2007-09-24 02:16:03 · answer #6 · answered by brainstorm 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋