Catholics, what is your reaction when a Bible-fundy tells you that you are not Christians? (reposted)?

Question

personally, whenever I hear that from Bible-fundies, I don't know if I should laugh or pity them for being so badly misinformed.

Answer 1

Yeah me too, I am amazed at the level of ignorance involved and it always sounds to me like Parrot -talk,and the thing that really makes me groan is the venom that is evident in their comments.

Answer 2

You ask well and unambiguously, but you'll probably not get the truth. Example: our friend the set-apart, above, has not given an answer but replied -- not for the first time on this forum -- "A Christian is commanded to observe the Lord's Supper until Christ comes again. The Catholic Church says the only one to observe the Lord's Supper has to be a member of the Catholic Church. How Christian is that? " He is not stupid; the question is rhetorical. He knows why the Church insists that those who receive Holy Communion know and believe exactly what they are receiving, and receive worthily. (He also likely knows that many Catholics do not receive at every Mass, either, for very good reasons that are Biblically based.) It's a nice little jab at Catholicism if one doesn't know that the Church has observed this command from Day One, and furthermore taken Jesus at His word that "this is my body" -- daily, in fact, rather than having an occasional "Lord's supper". I can think of only one reason for anti-Catholic Christians to knowingly speak falsehoods and deliberate deception about the Church: They don't want the unchurched or undecided to become Catholic. Pretty sad behavior for brothers, which we are; even if they deny the relationship, that doesn't make it less true.

Answer 3

Honestly? My first thought when I see the words "Catholics are not Christians" (with or without "saved" as a part of the declaration) is ... Bet me.

But I do try to make a distinction between those who are attacking my Church, and those who assume they know my personal relationship with Christ based on the fact that I'm Catholic. I will respectfully defend my faith to the former. The latter? Reasoning is futile, so basically I just pray for them. In some cases, even that offends them, but I do it nevertheless.

Answer 4

I find that the people who do this most are Jehovah's Witnesses and Baptists. A Catholic can be a fundamentalist if they so choose. My father used to call TV Evangelists "The Church of the Air" and that about sums it up for me. Those who bash Catholics for their beliefs, to me are just deliberately mis-informed. Like that parable of the blind leading the blind. So if they are parrotting what they are taught, I cannot blame them for saying it. It is the fault of their preacher. It also reminds me of a gnat trying to attack a lion. So I don't really pay them any mind. They can say what they want. I know the Truth, and I hope that one day they find it and their hearts will one day be made of flesh, not stone. We all need that grace. Especially these days. I love them actually, but from a respectful distance.

Answer 5

It's frustrating more than anything. They never have anything to back up their statements. They just hide their heads in the sand and say the same stuff over and over. All of their anti-Catholic statements can be and have been refuted for years. And yet, they ignore sound answers backed by scripture for their own erroneous beliefs.

They continue to spew the same few Bible verses, taken out of context, as the basis for everything they believe. Not understanding that Bible is a multi-dimensional gift from God. It is thousands of years old and has so much in it...so much to understand...that just reading a few verses hardly makes you a theologian.

Pray for them. They have fallen prey to ignorance coupled with arrogance. A dangerous mix.

Answer 6

Most of the time they post a whole bunch of lies to go with it and you have to single them out specifically. My reaction is they're misinformed. (Badly misinformed probably through no fault of their own) So if they get enough correct information they'll get it right some day. Lead by example.

Answer 7

You know what? You're lucky enough you don't feel pissed off like me. This is why I don't like Fundies who preach around and condemn Catholics to hell. Personally, I find the numerous arguments they have against Catholicism to be outdated and overused.

Here's an example:

Catholics worship Mary - We don't worship Mary! We only venerate her because of all the hardships she had endured when she agreed to be the mother of Christ.

Answer 8

i'm not catholic, but as a conservative lutheran, i probably share more beliefs with catholics than i do with a lot of other protestants. i get a kick out of it when people try to bash confession and absolution or infant baptism or the real presence during the Eucharist, especially since i can post a dozen scriptures to support what they're bashing that they probably have never even read before.

Answer 9

I am a "Fundy" and I believe Catholics are Christians! My grandmother was Catholic. She loved Jesus more than anyone I ever knew. There are wonderful Catholic people who are fine Christians. My grandmother accepted Christ as her Savior. I think that is all that is needed to be a Christian. Please don't lump all of us in one category!

Anyone who condemns Mother Teresa to hell is a sick puppy! Who can condemn that wonderful woman? For what? It was because of her love for Christ that she helped humanity! I believe that no one can judge another and send them to hell except the Lord! We will ALL stand before Him one day! I would never judge another! Not my place! Do not want to incur the Lord's wrath. Jesus said to judge not. It is just not our place to judge another person. We can tell them what we believe but ONLY God is qualified to judge them!

Answer 10

My reaction is usually to remember Jesus spoke about "by their fruits shall you know them." As a Christian and a Catholic, that tells me my life is to be spent embracing people and doing good to them, not finding ways to leave them at the side of the road like the man in the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

I know many evangelicals who are people like this - good and charitable people working for the kingdom of God. I know them for their fruit, and I admire and look up to any evangelical who is saintly and Christ-like.

But people such as this? They can expect a resounding, "I never knew you" if they don't find Christianity themselves. For I wonder whether such people even really qualify themselves to count as Christians, though it is not for me to say. It certainly doesn't seem like good fruit to act in such a way.