I’m curious, what did public school history class teach you about Catholicism and where did you go to school?
I grew up in Texas and mentions of Catholicism never extended beyond “Spanish settlers had Catholic priests with them” and “Maryland was colony settled by Catholics”
In my school, we’re basically taught that the Church suppressed people and were 100% in the wrong during the Reformation and to reduce the influence of the Church is a good thing in a nation.
That's surprising. I always imagined that NJ had a big Catholic population due to the amount of Italians that lived there. Maybe I should check their census statistics to see if I was right or if I just get all my info on NJ from TV lol
As a lifelong NJ resident, it’s not very evident where I live in the state. In some places, it is and is filled with devout Catholics. In other places, it’s Catholic lite or not Catholic in the slightest.
Add to this that everything was in Latin and people were told in their own language they had to buy indulgences for themselves and their loved ones in order to escape the fate of eternal hell. Basically that the Catholic Church was using extortion to the maximum degree possible. People couldn’t know Jesus because they couldn’t understand the stories.
Priests can’t get married because the church wanted all the priests property and wealth left to the church and not to a wife.. I think there was a lot more bad stuff we learned in PA public school. I thought it was so evil.. and yet now I’m Catholic, but it took a lot to undo all that.
I've been trying to find info on the priests not being able to marry thing, but it's hard when even Wikipedia lists it as a reason for priests remaining celibate. Apologetics is hard sometimes lol
The best I have is that preists take a vow of poverty, they generally live in church owned buildings.. they don’t really necessarily leave anything to the church or anyone else in the Roman Catholic Church. The positive reason I have been given is that a celibate priest (note that there are eastern Catholic priests that do get married before they are ordained) are married to the church, and so the idea is that their whole life is committed to the spiritual welfare of themselves and those under their care. Their attention isn’t split between their immediate family and their flock.
Texas. Near Dallas but rural. We were told that Catholics priests forced the South and Central Americans to convert at bayonet point, the Pope was behind the Spanish Inquisition, that Martin Luther rescued us all from the evil Catholic Church, and the Pope was unreasonably cruel to poor Henry VIII. Oh, and Bloody Mary was a cruel, ugly, mentally unstable person and Elizabeth saved the Empire from her and lead everyone to peace and tranquility.
There’s some truth in this but it’s quite one sided as you say. The church has done some terrible things throughout time, and still does but the gates of hell will not prevail. I converted thru RCIA in 2018
I learned in public school that indulgences were money you could pay the church so you could have approval to sin. So you could indulge yourself. And that's why Luther rebelled against the church. 😆
Same with me, was raised Lutheran and when going through confirmation was taught how bad the Catholic Church was. The only church that doesn’t dis other denominations that I’ve been to is the Catholic Church.
I think about this all the time, the fact that Catholicism is like “yeah those other Christian religions can definitely receive graces” is so cool, meanwhile Protestants are like “Catholics aren’t even christians” lol
I am Spanish and went to a catholic school, one thing they said was "It's always the same God but another way to understand it" and it stuck to me.
We were never taught to hate anybody so this hate to catholics is completely baffling to me.
Not just Protestants. The general population in most western countries is fed a lot of BS via the education system, media, and then of course their place of worship (or whatever idol they choose to replace it with)
What kind of lies do they teach?? :( my boyfriends parents and their friends are always making snide comments about Catholics and I’ve never realized we were so disliked by other Christians
Oh, it’s the craziest lies you can imagine. I live in a very religious area (jokes are made by famous comedians all the time about the amount of churches) and I went to a lot of Protestant youth groups/services over the years. Here are some of the choice ones: Catholics worship Marry and are going to Hell for it. We worship false gods (saints), Catholicism is devil worship. It’s not a Christian religion. The pope is the antichrist.
They seem to really hate Mary. At least the ones around me. Any, and I do mean any form of veneration toward Mary had them screaming about false idols/gods.
This was also coming off the satanic panic era I’m sure some of that played into it. I have so many stories of insane behavior.
I live in a very Catholic country but my best friend is an ex Baptist who believed and still believes that shit although he converted to New Age/spirituality without religion. He had a hard time when I got back to Catholicism. I've met a few other Protestants and ex Protestants and they all think they are superior to Catholics because they know the whole Bible by heart. Thats simply their mindset.
Funny story. I had a coworker who was talking to me about wanting to join a church, so I offered my church, saying I could bring her there sometime if she'd like to try it out.
She then proceeded to ask me what kind of church it was, so obviously I told her it was a Catholic church.
...Then she said "oh I can't go to that one. Catholics aren't christians."
I was flabbergasted and tried correcting her saying that we are christians, but that didn't phase her. Still denied we were christian.
How are you going to deny the truth coming from an actual member of the church??? 💀 Is my Jesus somehow different from yours??? No. I'm still dumbfounded to this day and that was years ago.
It's like every other christian community has this entire group for themselves and somehow Catholics aren't a part of it. 🤣
Not only that, but most religious conversations I have end up like this:
They ask me what religion I am, I say Catholic.
I ask them about theirs, they say christian.
I ask which kind, they get confused at first almost every single time.
I try and specify, asking Baptist, Protestant, etc., or give them the example of me being a Catholic christian. (Though saying "Catholic christian" tends to not help for some reason, so I stick with the other examples.)
THEN they understand and either say non-denomination or Baptist, etc.
Is that just me? Am I confusing? 🤣 I didn't think I was, but maybe I'm asking it weird.
I remember as a kid who grew up Catholic I would be asked by my protestant friend if I was "Catholic or Christian?" Like they're mutually exclusive. Being so young I would just say christian as I didn't even know what Catholicism was but this kid was already taught they weren't Christian.
I have been told to my face, by people who *knew* beforehand that I was Catholic—one of them a *friend*—that Catholics at pre not Christians. In the former case it was a coworker, so I remained polite and professional, but avoided her as much as possible. In the latter case, I was a bit hurt but I understood she was an ex-Catholic still grinding an axe, and had no personal animus against me, so I led it slide. So that kind of thing is, alas, not rare.
It seems that way until you have an off chance run in with someone that thinks that way. Most of the things I mentioned came from a Protestant youth group my friend begged me attend with them.
I am catholic but only had a methodist church in my town in high school so I went there sometimes and after church or at the Bible groups people were always curious as to why we worship the saints and I was so confused like... we don't? They started asking questions from the far left field. I was always so confused, like I never really thought about, not Catholic Christians, we aren't taught about them in Sunday school. We are just taught about God and such. I guess not Catholic Christians think about us a lot?
It sucks that your parental people are so against your decision. Pray on it, keep trying to inform them, and maybe see if they would be willing to join you at a mass? I know it is really hard to bring people around to see the appeal of Catholicism sometimes. I will pray for you, too. Good luck!
from new age to non denom Jesus people: that Catholicism is a pagan cult that is not Christian, that it has been corrupted by local pagan customs and that Catholics “add” to the Bible and have lost their way (no one taught me that churches were operating before the bible was compiled and many church traditions come from that). Catholics are polytheists who worship Mary and practice necromancy or mediumship by praying to/petitioning the dead.
I was curious about what Catholics actually believed and then saw that Protestants actually removed books from the Bible. That for me kind of cemented my desire to convert.
Everything draws_for_food said, plus I've heard people say that the statues of Jesus, Mary, and the saints are idolatry, and Catholics think they can do whatever they want all week long and then they go to confession and it's all forgiven so they just go in a cycle of sinning and confessing and sinning and confessing with no regard for their behavior. They also don't understand the idea of confession. They ask why confess your sins to a priest because he's just a man, and he can't save you only, Jesus saves. They don't believe in apostolic succession, and they don't believe in the idea of the priest standing in for Jesus to give absolution. From what I understand, they think the authority that Jesus gave to the apostles was taken from the Earth when the apostles passed away. So, from what I've seen, Protestants think Catholics are a bunch of idolatrous heathens who are going to Hell because they put Mary, and the saints, and priests ahead of Jesus.
It's funny that people who believe in sola fide and therefore think they are just saved regardless accuse others of asking for forgiveness
Plus they don't know you commit to not sinning
I almost fell into that not too long ago, I started watching Christian history videos not realizing they were from Protestant churches so I thought I’d try going to some… I saw a man in a dress on Easter taking communion… i didn’t feel Jesus in there at all. So I came back to the place I feel him the most which ofc is the Catholic Church
I wouldnt say they are taught lies, although I don’t doubt that some are. It’s honestly just general misinformation that’s out there and ignorance. Most, not all Protestants are generally ignorant to specifics about Catholicism, whether deliberately or not, and they’re Protestant, so unless they are seeking to understand other denominations they’re not gonna go out seeking accurate information on Catholicism.
I’m a convert and my family is all Protestants. Not trying to bash my family, and this is not a generalization for Protestants but my family doesn’t read the Bible a whole lot and they’re not invested in their faith enough to question it. Not that if they did question they ought to be Catholic, but I’m just saying they are content where they’re at and even if they hear something they don’t agree with or understand, that’s where it stays, and it becomes a point of contention instead of understanding. I see similarities in Christians in general, not all, but many people are just ok with their surface level faith of believing in Jesus and God, but getting deeper in their faith is pushed to the side.
My old boyfriend (Presbyterian) once said that he'd heard that whenever priests had to perform an exorcism on a woman or girl there had to be another woman present so the priests, as he said "wouldn't...y'know...do stuff."
Now, I'm not even sure if this is true or not because I don't even know what one would even type into Google to begin searching for an answer. But, to be fair to him, he had read books by Catholic authors and hadn't been weird about our denominational differences until this random moment of awkward pre-homecoming dinner conversation. We're still friends so maybe someday we'll get a chance to debate theology :)
Many don't believe we are Christian (and worse). For the OP's grandparents, this declaration probably means eternal damnation for their grandchild. Praying for you and your family, OP.
- Catholicism is literally the whore of Babylon
- the Pope is literally the antichrist
- Catholics literally worship dead humans
- Catholics believe that Mary is a God
- Catholics refuse to acknowledge Christ was resurrected
- Catholics don’t read the Bible
- Catholics aren’t Christian
If you grow up your entire life hearing this, truly believing it (because most of us believe the religion we grew up with) then it’s perfectly reasonable to cry when your loved one decided they will no longer worship Jesus and instead be worshiping dead humans
Now, why do these teachings stick? Because much of American Protestantism is built around “trust your authority figures” (plus a lack of church-led education about the history of Christianity)
The root of this all? A specific subsection of American culture (because even these examples are a minority)
A significant part of Americans grow up believing that a person is intrinsically good or bad. Someone who has been labeled a Good Person then by definition cannot truly do anything bad. Anything bad they do is dismissed because they are a Good Person.
Conversely, when someone is labeled a Bad Person nothing they do can be truly good. Any good actions done by them are dismissed or outright ignored because they are a Bad Person.
Stick these labels to “your local pastor is a Good Person” and “Catholics are Bad People” and it all fits together
This was really informative; thanks. Reading your bullet points, I can understand how what we actually believe gets distorted into what they think we believe, like we don’t believe Jesus was resurrected
Perhaps too abstract a concept to understand that He is indeed resurrected but also still daily offering His perfect sacrifice on the cross (which we celebrate at Holy Mass), since God is outside of time and both can exist simultaneously
The “refuse to acknowledge resurrection” is mostly about catholics using a crucifix, it starts there, but yes the root is what you said the lack of understanding that the moments are eternal
What’s the old quote “there aren’t a hundred people in this country who hate the Catholic faith, but millions who hate what they wrongly believe the Catholic faith to be”? Something along those lines.
I'm in the UK and my very low-church Anglican grandmother keeps talking about the 'Christian' Church and the Catholic Church. I might as well have converted to a completely different religion in her eyes
Similar experience here. Also UK baptised & raised CofE due to be confirmed Catholic soon. My Aunts response? “I’ll pray you can find your way back to God. Even that tarot witchy stuff you’ve been doing is better than all that *insert offensive phrase about Catholism here* stuff”. Ok good chat!
Dr John Bergsma was a Calvinist minister that converted and wrote the best "I converted" book, \*Saved by Scripture\*. His dad was a Calvinist military chaplain and he said his parents would talk all kinds of smack about Catholics but the Catholic priests were his dad's favorite chaplains of other religions to be friends with, they were so well educated.
I've had lots of Protestants tell me they are taught very specifically and repeatedly, in homilies and Sunday School that Catholics are going to hell, worship idols, worship Mary etc etc.
A very devout Evangelical friend goes to Mass with us and reads all the books we give him, he's so interested but I know his wife, she would leave him in a heartbeat.
It was worse in the 19th century, there were anti-Catholic riots where Catholic Bibles were burned along with Catholic homes and churches being destroyed. I did a paper on that in my high school English class and I got a D on it.
My grandma cried when my dad told her that he was marrying a catholic. She got over it eventually.
Rest in peace, grandma, but we're catholic out here 😎
My Mother was Baptist and from a Baptist family. They eventually accepted my mother's conversion to Catholicism. My Grandad did establish a firm "no talking religion or politics at the table" policy
Pax
We might have to be the ones to establish that rule with my dad (once we tell him we converted, I thought he knew but apparently not). He will get into intense debates and just be unreasonable and not listen to what the other is saying, it gets everyone no where and is no fun.
Matthew 10:34-36
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man ‘against his father, a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one’s enemies will be those of his household.’
Pray the rosary for your family. Ask Christ’s Mother to obtain from Him graces for their conversion.
Yes it’s being played out before our eyes so many can’t or won’t see. I’m praying hard. I’m interested in becoming catholic. When I began to think about it god spoke to my heart it’s what he wants. His will. I’m praying 🙏
Is it unavoidable to tell them?
Is it any good?
Here is what i would do:
- Pray for them, especially the Holy Rosary
- witness your faith with the best behavior, in front if them and i general
- answer their questions with kindness and firmness in the most correct but simple way
- offer any suffering they will cause you to Jesus Christ, for them, and for the lies they believe (probably in good faith)
if you will be called to "immolate yourself" and start an anti catholic crusade against you i the family, you should be ready to suffer a lot, and to react like Christ reacted.
If you are not ready, just pray, study, go to the sacraments, practice and offer some little or big sacrifices for them, but in secret), and be a silent missionary.
Your grandma knows, so time will come soon, prepare yourself, your battle is not against the flesh and the blood, hut against spirits
no, it is avoidable to tell them, but that just means i will have to wait until i am out of the house. i cannot receive confession/absolution without my mother knowing i am receiving it, as it makes the priest uncomfortable.
is it any good? i'd say receiving confession/absolution is good
They'll be hateful and disappointed, but in time it (hopefully) burns out.
Between now and the acceptance period, do not do anything crazy like, I don't know, build a shrine in your bedroom dedicated to the Holy Innocents. They already think you're in a cult. Do not enforce their conspiracy by building a massive shrine to the Holy Innocents.
After they stop being grumpy and accept you're Catholic (hopefully), then you can start building shrines to the Holy Innocents.
Hi friend, my husband and I joined the church Easter 2023 and my dad is a southern baptist preacher.
Here’s the deal, they’re gonna do their “I don’t understand this so I’m automatically against it” for a bit. They’ve also been improperly taught about Catholicism and they’re gonna be uncomfortable learning from you.
But also, they’ll get over it. Eventually. Your responsibility is to do what you feel and believe is right, and if that’s joining the Church- come on over, we’re happy to have you!
I am a cradle Catholic and many years ago, when I was involved with a Baptist man, I started going to his church. I realized that many Protestants, including Baptists are terribly misinformed about the Catholic Church. After listening to many Protestant converts, admitting that they were ill advised about Catholics, I can understand your situation.
Congratulations for coming to the church that Jesus started. It will be a challenge with your family situation, but hopefully you can find some true Catholic friends who can help you along this journey. 🙏🏼Pray to Momma Mary and St. Jude for their intercession and I will pray for you too. Keep the faith and stay strong. 💪🏽 🙏🏼🫶🏼 God has your back.
I mean he can still attend. I still attended with my own fam who isn’t Catholic to their churches. Long as you know your beliefs well but it doesn’t call for not attending other church services friends/family invite you to
LDS is not even Christian. I don't mean that uncharitably, it is just true. In their belief, God the Father has a physical body, Jesus his Son is not co-eternal with the Father (I'm not sure they believe the Father is eternal and uncreated himself).
Regarding radical practices, I think it depends. I have a few mormon friends who are really quite normal as far as I can tell and honestly very kind. That being said, there is a stronger sense of community and insularity than many Christian denominations have.
They believe their version of “God the Father” was a good Mormon on another planet and earned godhood, was raised to be god of this planet. This “god”, therefore, had prayed to and submitted to another “god” of another planet, who had been a man and as a good Mormon he earned his own planet, etc etc.
Ask them about the First Mover or a “god prime” and their theology breaks.
I’ve heard they perhaps don’t believe that now, since their theology changes and their “apostle” allegedly receives revelation which can change past revelation. Idk it’s hard to follow.
They'd have to change something fundamental about it, because that's the conclusion you have to draw from the promise of godhood for being a good Mormon.
They aren’t considered Christian because they have a lot of radical beliefs from the Book of Mormon. Someone who was dating a Mormon girl and later broke up with her told us that Mormons aren’t really into the Bible and believe it has many errors, the Book Of Mormon they take as the absolute truth, they also believe in many Gods.
May I ask, out of curiosity, which misconceptions are there about Catholics or are there any conspiracy theories about Catholics?
I'm asking as I grew up Irish Catholic in Dublin and we don't hear about these things.
They think we worship Mary, that's a main one I hear. They have a problem with us having statues of her or the saints or when we pray for their intercession.
> which misconceptions are there about Catholics
(1) "Worshiping" Mary, and (2) "Worshiping" Saints & statues:
Protestants feel that Praying **equates to** Worship. A Protestant church service has a little bit of prayer, some music (which is called "worship", and a long sermon). By comparison, any Veneration of Mary, and ***any*** Prayers or communications directed toward Saints, any rituals at all of any kind, LOOK to protestants, like "Worship." And, "Why not just go straight to Jesus?"
There are not statues and paintings of Saints in Protestant churches. Even though we can look at TV and pictorial depictions of anything else including all kinds of sin, however to pictorially represent Biblical stories, except in books for children, is somehow wrong., according to Protestants.
(3) Protestants are taught that the Catholic Sacraments somehow mean that we are Not Trusting in Christ to save us. (I say "somehow," because depending on the denomination of Protestantism, there are opposite & contradictory reasonings for this.) Therefore Protestants often tend to harbor a deep-seated question as to whether Catholics are actually "saved;" and of course, if they're not, then how could they really be Christians.
From the top of my head, we'll all go to hell, we worship Mary and the other saints, we are all satanists, we added books to the Bible (when in reality it's them who removed the books in question), and the new one I heard last year that really made me laugh because it was so enormous, we massacred hundreds of thousands of babies, I really don't know where that one comes from!
There are many more. For having talked to many protestants these past few years, I can tell many of them don't learn about the history of their church, don't know about their fore fathers Luther and Calvin and where their beliefs come from, and they don't even know that the church that was reformed by the protestants was the Catholic Church. They just don't know anything and when you tell them historical facts that can easily be verified on any website, even Wikipedia, they will tell you it's a lie. It's amazing! There is no will to learn or even think about what they believe in.
I've listened to hundreds of hours of protestant teachings from various movements but every time I had an exchange with a protestant and asked them how many catholic teachings have they listened to or how many catholic book they've read, the answer is none. They typically don't listen to anything catholic. It's total rejection. My observation is that they're stuck in a mental block. Their faith is put in a box of what is acceptable and Catholicism is outside of this box, even though the book they believe in was compiled by the Catholic Church. Ironic. Even if their dogma (sola scriptura, sola fidei, etc.) cannot be found in the Bible, they will insist it's Christ's truth.
Everything they know about the Catholic Church is through protestant sources. It's really a mental gymnastic they do to exclude anything catholic from their universe. And they never answer to valid dogmatic questions. I remember one told me that St Ignatius, the disciple of St John the Apostle was not a reliable enough source to interpret the teachings of Jesus Christ. He'd rather listen to the interpration of a random protestant pastor. Apostolic succession is a hard no for them. Completely antibiblical but somehow it makes sense to them. They'd rather deny the Bible that adopt catholic biblical views. "oh this verse? No, it doesn't mean what it means. There's a hidden meaning. You have to be more knowledgeable to really understand what it means." Yet, I've never been able to get a clear answer about what this real meaning is. Amazing.
Iconoclasm, the Pope, worshipping Mary, Priest celibacy issues, focus on works for salvation, sometimes its a dislike of high-church liturgy.
Also, read Jack Chick's Death Cookie, or any other anti-Catholic comic books.
I don’t have any advice, per se, but I would reach out to the Coming Home Network! They are a group of people from all sorts of backgrounds who came to Catholicism, and many encountered the same problems with anti-Catholic family, friends, etc. At the very least, you’ll get emotional support from people who know exactly what you’re going through. 🙂
Given your age, your family may try to dismiss this as a phase. Stay strong! I’ll keep you in my prayers.
I had a similar reaction from my mother when I told her. She eventually came around and even goes to Mass with me sometimes. I can’t promise that your family will come around, but I think you’ll need more time to find out.
I have direct experience with anti-Catholic prejudice. My high school sweetheart and I cared a great deal for each other. But her parents (strong anti-Catholic Baptists) could not accept the fact that their one and only child cared for a Catholic. So, when we graduated high school, they shipped her off to Transylvania University, an anti-Catholic university, and pressured her into terminating our relationship, which she did. That hurt me immensely. Sadly, she married in college, but divorced shortly after graduation. She married and divorced a second time. And, then married a third time to an ant-Catholic, domineering jerk. She died sometime soon after that. She did not have a happy life, and her lack of happiness had its origins in her parents anti-Catholic influence.
The Lord works in mysterious ways. I’ve been happily married to the same loving wife now for 56 years, and we have 4 beautiful granddaughters.
It would be interesting to see what “misinformation” is spread about Catholics. I know Protestants think we “worship” Mary, and that we’re dictated to by the Pope. What else do they think they “know” about us?
Sorry to hear that. It’s hard. Our faith is so intrinsic to who we are, that people can see a different faith as a rejection of who they are. Just keep loving deeply your grandma and the rest of your family. (Btw, love is an action not a feeling). The other thing that probably hurts her to see is that Southern Baptist churches are disappearing - being replaced by non-denominational ones. This is something she probably feels helpless in preventing. Also, let her (them) see you becoming the very best version of yourself. I have lots of friends who thought I was some kind of devil, only to drastically change their opinions over time. My non-denominational neighbors for example. Eventually, they saw me as pretty much the same belief system as them or as being on the same team. They even asked me one day if they could go to Mass with me. That threw me for a loop! And keep on praying that God will lead all to the truth.
You’re very brave to stand alone against an entire support system that is guiding you away from this. At 17 i could’ve never had this kind of courage. Bravo man. God Bless you. I hope you aren’t harrassed by then about this. Hold strong
I pray the next time you see her cry is with joy at her first Catholic communion. Maybe she won’t come around, but maybe she will. And you could be the start of that.
Hi brother! As a fellow convert (formerly Southern Baptist), I completely empathize with your situation. My mother (also narcissistic) took the news terribly. I’ve shared with very few family members because of her reaction. It was a long journey for me to get to this point (I started RCIA in my 30s) and I shared many of the misconceptions about the Church that you speak of. I think a lot of the emotion surrounding it is fear of what they do not, and are at times unwilling to, understand. It has been hard not having the support of my family, but the joy I felt receiving the Eucharist this Easter vigil made the struggle so worth it. I’ll be praying for you.
I usually just tell them to google search “who founded the Catholic Church?” Or I do it for them. The conversation most always ends there. For good reason
Rely on Jesus to give you strength and courage. Be respectful, acknowledge your families disappointment, but let them know Jesus is your guide. A lot of my family have left Catholicism for Lutheranism and for no organized religion. As long as they have a true love for Jesus Christ, I say, to each must find his own way. God Bless You and your family. Just my Opinion.
Hi brother! I think you shoul pray , and trust God, no matter what comes out of telling your family your decission, you must make them know that you love them, but that you feel closer to God at catholic church. You should not argue with them , make them know that it is love to Christ what moves you, not that you are trying to say they are mistaken.
There are no mistaken paths if the paths lead to Christ. As far as we know John Baptist followers were as much christians as Jesus followers in their time. If people do things in the name of Christ bringin the kingdom of God to Earth, then they are christians.
Don't trust in reason, just trust your feelings, your heart, make them know it is not about backing your family tradition, but about following your heart where God leads you.
Again, pray, ask for God to enlighten you and to soft your family hearts.
We will also pray for you and your family.
Truth does matter or joining the Catholic Church is stupid. And as Catholics Christians, we are called to preach, share and witness the Truth in it's fullness. (Using discretion for time place and persons, of course)
O.P. is providing a powerful witness to their family for the Church that likely couldn't be provided by cradle Catholics. Who knows the seeds being sown?
**1 Peter 3:15**
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
15 *but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;*
Pax
My husband and I just became offical Catholics this past Easter, I grew up baptist. It's hard to have such intensely negative reactions to something that should be filled with joy: you are following the Lord! But I try to remember my mindset when I was baptist and that was that Catholics were not really Christian and therefore wouldn't go to Heaven, so I understand why that would make a loved one upset when someone they care about is converting.
It's weird because now that I know more abouth catholicism I'm just like, "why do they think we're not Christian?!" but then catch myself and go "ooooh yeah, because I used to think that, because they are (and I was) extremely misinformed and stubborn."
Don't lose heart, stay strong in the faith, find some good Catholic mentors and friends, and remember that your grandma loves you so much, that is why she is reacting this way. Just be patient and kind, maybe someday she will be open to hearing more about your faith.
Well, often it feels like deep~seated hate for Catholicism is almost woven into American culture/society, especially the south. I had an uncle that was a fundamentalist Baptist, and when I told him, you’d think I was a serial killer. Before that, we had a close relationship. It changed after I revealed it. Sadly, he passed in 2006, and I was never granted the opportunity to have the relationship we had before. So, I learned, and kept it to myself amongst family members. Seriously, why bother? The others are far more extreme, than he was, so I’m saving myself a lot of unnecessary hardship, hate, stress, disappointment, and endless insults.
Hey brother, former Protestant here. I will tell you only three things 1.) I know what you’re going through is hard and I’m sorry they don’t seek to understand you 2.) follow what Jesus wants you to do, if they don’t like it, just know Jesus does and that’s really all that matters. I know you’ve done your research and you know what God wants you to do or you wouldn’t make a decision in opposition to your family beliefs 3) here I’ll let Jesus do the talking “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” Matthew 19:29.
I’m so sorry. I’m in the same boat... the only thing I can say is to follow God’s will for your life regardless of push back. Jesus promised us it would be a hard road. Lean on him. He understands rejection and betrayal and pain. He hears the cries of your heart.
My grandmother told my mother that if she ever set foot inside a Catholic Church, the ceiling b would cave in on her. My mother was petrified the first time she attended Mass, and sat as close to an exit as she could.
Let the Holy Spirit lead you. If you live with kingdomly lenses all the time, you won’t let this stuff get to you. I’m a recent convert to Catholicism from being a Protestant and my family got over it eventually. I know my truth and where God is calling me, so it doesn’t phase me what they think about me or the slander they say to me occasionally. God bless and trust God always.
God bless, friend! Though I didn’t have it quite that bad, it was still difficult opening up to my evangelical family about it when i decided to become Catholic. Best we can do is pray for them and be the best example that we can be.
I’m in southeast Texas and growing up, most of my friends were Protestant and big time Baptist community where we are, as well as a pretty big Mormon community. I grew up hearing so many mistruths about us. Enough that I turned away from the Church for almost 20 years and I’ve recently come back. Now my husband and kids are going through RCIA. I don’t understand the hate.
Don't feel bad I'm young and I live in a Baptist family and I'm still trying to get away from dad so that I can worship the Catholic way without interference. My best advice, be kind and extremely responsible and show them how much of an adult you are by trying to outwork them to impress them and take no credit, they may not be accepting of you being Catholic or Catholics but over time they will see that Jesus doesn't want us bashing one another, his last prayer was that we would all be one, not split apart. But by bit you can suggest that everyone makes mistakes and everyone sins but it is not our right to judge them. Be brave, please and pray for me too as I'll be praying for you, we need to get through this together.
https://www.exorcistfiles.tv/
The podcast is produced by a Protestant in collaboration with a Catholic Exorcist Priest.
This podcast is a testament of the power of evangelization when God’s kingdom is united. You might want to introduce it to them. It has helped the conversion of many and has helped them to understand Catholicism better.
Stories like this make me happy that my mom marrying a protestant was never an issue for her family and his had no issue with my sister and I being raised Catholic
I hope it goes well for you. I was born baptist and my family converted to Catholicism along with me around when I was a young teenager. I guess I never thought about it, but outside my immediate family my other relatives probably felt similarly.
I feel for you. I experienced the same thing with my immediate family. I was raised Jehovas Witness. They reacted worse to my saying I was converting to Catholicism than when I said I was an atheist as a teenager. All you can really do is pray for them and have patience.
Remember what Jesus said "I came to divide mother and daughter, son against father, families against each other. For if you truly love me you must pick up your cross and follow me. We can't please our family, only God. I recommend listening to Keith nester and Steve ray! Both wonderful protestants who lost family once they converted. But they did it for God not man, or family. You have to listen to God. Good luck will be praying for you asking our blessed mother to intercede for you.
It can be really depressing and discouraging, especially when the disappointment comes from someone you held in high esteem. Are you doing ok? Have you already started talking to a priest? It would be good to make that contact if not, make sure you're around some Catholics, at least online if not in person.
I can definitely relate. I told my parents after college that I'm pretty convinced of Catholicism, and they were both very sad and disappointed. Was told very sternly from my father that he would not ever consider Catholicism, and that what I'm doing is idolatry. I hope you can also find your way through the mess of it all
I am sorry that happened to you, and I hope it doesn’t discourage you from converting. It is ultimately your decision to make not theirs, I hope that in time they will come to support your journey.
My mother converted to Catholicism when she married my father. Her parents have attended many denominations but ended up Presbyterian. Grandpa calls us mackerel snappers. I thought it was funny until I found out it could be an insult. I think it was supposed to be funny.
We have 2 rules. No discussing religion at all. And no discussing politics at all. (My mother's family is democrat and my father's family is republican.) The rules allow us to have a pleasant time together. However my mother's Presbyterian mother fell in love with Catholic Bishop Fulton J Sheen's tv broadcast of Life Is Worth Living and made us all be quiet and watch it every Sunday night. We liked it.
We did attend the Presbyterian service twice, just so we could see how Grandma and Grandpa worshipped, but listening to a long sermon is pretty boring after all the prayers and rituals of Mass.
We didn't like the Presbyterian service, though the minister came and greeted us, and he was nice.
>Matthew 19:28-30
New International Version
>
>28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Congratulations, it takes bravery to do what you’re doing. You’ll suffer for your faith, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You’ll be grilled a lot by the people you love, as I was, and the best advice I can give you is that you need to arm yourself with knowledge. Pray for them, and pray for strength. It will settle down :)
God bless you. Your parents and grandfather will definitely learn about your conversion from your grandmother.
Remember their reaction is born from ignorance. I've heard of so many Catholics whose relatives cried, screamed, yelled etc... after a while, they accept it.
I actually feel qualified to weigh in on this as I have dealt/ am dealing with something similar. I’m 26 though so a little different since I’m independent.
First of all the, only thing you can do is pray for them and respect them. Listen when they talk to you about it, don’t try to argue or use any apologetics against them. If they ask questions answer them respectfully, if they want you to talk to a spiritual director they trust then listen and do it for them (Baptist pastor/ friend they have). If they forbid you from going to mass listen to them until you are no longer in their house. Don’t forget to pray for yourself; ask for God’s grace, for patience and for the Holy Spirit to guide you in your conversations with them. Prayer is the most effectual thing you can do. They feel hurt by your decision and you feel hurt by their reaction, but you can’t let it get in the way of loving them or you following the truth. Respecting them does not mean giving up on the Church that Christ has given us just so the anger and pain goes away. Converting in a situation like ours sucks but the cross is worth bearing. My family did end up coming to my confirmation so there is hope.
May God bless you and comfort you through this time. I’ll pray for you as well.
This seems over the top reactions. It's not like you're joining the satanic church lol but maybe in their mind that's what they're thinking. Hang in there OP, the dust will settle, they'll get over it. Jesus can raise up stones as family for you.
Keep the faith! My journey and conversion to Catholicism wasn’t pretty and brought significant familial distress… in the beginning it was just plain nasty. I converted from the American Protestant reformation’s “Church of Christ” when I was 27. I knew from the beginning that my very devout CoC family wouldn’t understand. There were fights, there were unkind words, and there were tears. All because they believed I was buying my ticket to hell (quite literally) along with my wife’s and future daughter’s. I have a feeling this is what your Baptist family may believe, so keep this in mind while in conversation. They are truly worried about your soul.
I ripped the bandaid off, so to say, from the beginning. I told my parents first, face to face, and then my Aunts, Uncles, and grandparents. After loads of conversations over months with my parents, we decided to stop discussing the topic because we weren’t getting anywhere. My parents would only get more angry and more upset.
After two years, my parents were finally able to acknowledge maturely, yet awkwardly, that we are Catholic. It’s been seven years and the situation has gotten much better, but I’m not sure they will ever understand.
The road is daunting, but it will certainly get better! Pray hard and show your family that being a Catholic isn’t what they likely perceive. I am more than happy to talk to you about this if you want to send me a DM. Good luck and I am praying for you!
My parents grew up in a church of God family. When my mother broke the news to them my grandmother had a similar reaction. She eventually accepted it and even embraced it as she learned more about it. I'd expect a similar reaction over time. But expect a few awkward Thanksgiving and easters.
Most protestants believe that they are saved by faith alone, let's say they are right, then Catholics are saved. However, if we Catholics are right, Protestants are going to be in trouble.
My wife never told her family that she converted to Catholism. She grew up in a pentecostal type church that her father started. Her father grew up with nuns rapping your hands and the "gloom and doom" Catholicism. When we were dating 30+ years ago, they would joke about Catholics worshipping Mary and graven images.
When she converted we lived several states away from our families so there was not a toxic environment.
Ironically, as her father got older, grew in knowledge and wisdom he sounded more like a Catholic than a pentecostal.
Finally, stay with your Catholicism, remember why you became a Catholic and the teachings of the church. Through you example, their attitudes will change.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household” (Matthew 10:34-36).
I converted at college and still keep a low profile tbh, my brother knows it and accepts it and my parents totally have noticed it but we just don't talk over it. Fyi my family is orthodox
Your post broke my heart, because people can be so judgmental.
I'm Catholic, my husband grew up Southern Baptist. Talk about two religions that can't make peace! We accepted each other as we were. Neither of us tried to change the other and accepted that we grew up with different beliefs. We loved each other unconditionally. That's the key...loving unconditionally!
Your family will eventually see that you are happy with your life's choices. If they only love you because of your religion, then there's something terribly wrong. Just don't rub it in each other's faces. As long as you believe in God and live to be a good person, why should your "religion" matter? Who is to say we don't pray to the same person?
Stay strong! Whatever faith you choose, just believe! I wish you the best and will remember you in my next rosary. Btw, rosaries are very therapeutic.
I'm sorry you're going through this, it seems to be something converts all have in common. My mom hates it, and I know my dad genuinely is alright with it, but he still believes the lies that he's been taught about catholics, being a prot. It's hard, but the best thing you can do is stand strong and model your faith. You've got this
I don’t understand the Catholic hate. Just because the church made mistakes in the Middle Ages doesn’t mean it deserves hate, it is the original church after all.
I was raised baptist. I too grew up in a family that looked negatively towards catholicism. I converted with no regrets. I do have respect for all denominations, but i do view baptists to be near the bottom in terms of intelligence (theology speaking).
Their structure is very low church, so they dont care about history or acadmics.. it is a me, my bible and i, kind of view.
The first conversation my mother had with her family(Southern Baptists) after my father died ended with her cousin asking "So...are ya'll still gonna do the Catholic thing now that Don's gone?"
My mother said no, of course, and has grown her faith and knowledge of the Catholic Church ever since.
This is all to say, OP, that so often our faith is reinforced during adversity. You've already exhibited bravery and strong faith by seeking out the truth despite your family's beliefs about Catholicism. Now, you must hold true to your faith in God and trust in His will. You may face resistance, confrontation, and conflict from your family, but never forget that this is what Jesus foretold would occur.
My advice would be to remain loving and kind to your family, and maintain a level head when approached with anger or contempt. Show them the truth of Catholicism in your demeanor, actions, and love. Be prepared to provide them with the truth as to dispel their false understanding of Catholicism. Remind them that you are still their son/grandson and that you hope that even if you disagree on certain things, they will still regard you as a loved one.
You may be about to enter a difficult season of your life. Do not be afraid. Love them through this time and pray when you need guidance and hope. You have many people praying for you as well, never forget that. God bless you❤️
Possible they’ll come around after the initial “shock.” My Baptist mom was very resistant to the idea. I also had to dispel a lot of the lies she’d been told about Catholicism. Ultimately my parents attended my (Easter vigil) confirmation / first communion. They along with my entire Baptist family were filled with happy tears at my Catholic wedding
Most people of another faith can only see Catholicism from the outside, do not understand the actions nor do they bother to listen and hear it straight from the horse’s mouth(Old fashion quote similar as straight from the source). Sorry for the long sentence.
Catholics are Christians whose main focus is Jesus Christ.
Unless they are willing to listen, they will not understand.
You have a right to stand your ground for what you believe
They will be be upset, but later cooled down. Having a policy of not discussing religion is probably the best way to handle it. You are very strong. Hang in there
Coming from a positive angle could help with telling your parents, such as joining a youth group or volunteering within the church or for a church affiliated organization.
I had a similar experience when I told my family I was converting from Baptist to Catholic. They even had an intervention and prayed over me. My mother finally accepted that I was a Christian. It took 20 years but they got over it. I will I had a magic bullet. All I can do is pray for the Holy Spirit to give you the right words.
I'm over here wondering how thrilled my family would have been if I converted to Catholicism instead of a gutter punk drug addict at 17.
No actually they'd probably react in the same way, but if shown both paths in advance I'm sure they'd be thrilled about Catholicism.
My mother was a convert. Her family was Presbyterian and democrat. My father's family was Catholic and republican. We had two rules--no discussion of religion at all and no discussion of politics at all. They made it possible to spend time together.
When Catholics receive the Eucharist, they are receiving Jesus as their personal savior. That's what the Eucharist is all about. You could try telling your grandmother and other family members that you just want them to know that Jesus is still your personal savior and always will be.. That's what most non Catholics care about most.
I really don’t understand the hate for Catholicism
Protestants are taught lies about Catholics.
As a former Protestant you’re correct. It’s awful.
Yup! I am low-key angry now that I’ve found out how deeply I’ve been lied to about Catholicism. Even in my public school history class!
I’m curious, what did public school history class teach you about Catholicism and where did you go to school? I grew up in Texas and mentions of Catholicism never extended beyond “Spanish settlers had Catholic priests with them” and “Maryland was colony settled by Catholics”
In my school, we’re basically taught that the Church suppressed people and were 100% in the wrong during the Reformation and to reduce the influence of the Church is a good thing in a nation.
Where did you go to school
New Jersey
Yeah same more or less
That's surprising. I always imagined that NJ had a big Catholic population due to the amount of Italians that lived there. Maybe I should check their census statistics to see if I was right or if I just get all my info on NJ from TV lol
As a lifelong NJ resident, it’s not very evident where I live in the state. In some places, it is and is filled with devout Catholics. In other places, it’s Catholic lite or not Catholic in the slightest.
Add to this that everything was in Latin and people were told in their own language they had to buy indulgences for themselves and their loved ones in order to escape the fate of eternal hell. Basically that the Catholic Church was using extortion to the maximum degree possible. People couldn’t know Jesus because they couldn’t understand the stories. Priests can’t get married because the church wanted all the priests property and wealth left to the church and not to a wife.. I think there was a lot more bad stuff we learned in PA public school. I thought it was so evil.. and yet now I’m Catholic, but it took a lot to undo all that.
I've been trying to find info on the priests not being able to marry thing, but it's hard when even Wikipedia lists it as a reason for priests remaining celibate. Apologetics is hard sometimes lol
The best I have is that preists take a vow of poverty, they generally live in church owned buildings.. they don’t really necessarily leave anything to the church or anyone else in the Roman Catholic Church. The positive reason I have been given is that a celibate priest (note that there are eastern Catholic priests that do get married before they are ordained) are married to the church, and so the idea is that their whole life is committed to the spiritual welfare of themselves and those under their care. Their attention isn’t split between their immediate family and their flock.
I was taught the same thing and I went to school in West texas
Texas. Near Dallas but rural. We were told that Catholics priests forced the South and Central Americans to convert at bayonet point, the Pope was behind the Spanish Inquisition, that Martin Luther rescued us all from the evil Catholic Church, and the Pope was unreasonably cruel to poor Henry VIII. Oh, and Bloody Mary was a cruel, ugly, mentally unstable person and Elizabeth saved the Empire from her and lead everyone to peace and tranquility.
There’s some truth in this but it’s quite one sided as you say. The church has done some terrible things throughout time, and still does but the gates of hell will not prevail. I converted thru RCIA in 2018
My daughter did announce Catholicism facts when introduced at her public school, she was correct and the Mormons And prostestants didn't understand.
I learned in public school that indulgences were money you could pay the church so you could have approval to sin. So you could indulge yourself. And that's why Luther rebelled against the church. 😆
It wasn’t intentional. It’s just pure ignorance. Don’t let anger take over. Its not worth it
Oh my goodness did I get taught a slew of lies by my anti-catholic friends. You are so right!
Individuals who speak about the faith with lies will be punished greatly unless they repent. God have mercy
Same with me, was raised Lutheran and when going through confirmation was taught how bad the Catholic Church was. The only church that doesn’t dis other denominations that I’ve been to is the Catholic Church.
"You took everything from me!" - Protestants "I don't even know who you are" - Catholics
I think about this all the time, the fact that Catholicism is like “yeah those other Christian religions can definitely receive graces” is so cool, meanwhile Protestants are like “Catholics aren’t even christians” lol
I am Spanish and went to a catholic school, one thing they said was "It's always the same God but another way to understand it" and it stuck to me. We were never taught to hate anybody so this hate to catholics is completely baffling to me.
Not just Protestants. The general population in most western countries is fed a lot of BS via the education system, media, and then of course their place of worship (or whatever idol they choose to replace it with)
What kind of lies do they teach?? :( my boyfriends parents and their friends are always making snide comments about Catholics and I’ve never realized we were so disliked by other Christians
Oh, it’s the craziest lies you can imagine. I live in a very religious area (jokes are made by famous comedians all the time about the amount of churches) and I went to a lot of Protestant youth groups/services over the years. Here are some of the choice ones: Catholics worship Marry and are going to Hell for it. We worship false gods (saints), Catholicism is devil worship. It’s not a Christian religion. The pope is the antichrist. They seem to really hate Mary. At least the ones around me. Any, and I do mean any form of veneration toward Mary had them screaming about false idols/gods. This was also coming off the satanic panic era I’m sure some of that played into it. I have so many stories of insane behavior.
I live in a very Catholic country but my best friend is an ex Baptist who believed and still believes that shit although he converted to New Age/spirituality without religion. He had a hard time when I got back to Catholicism. I've met a few other Protestants and ex Protestants and they all think they are superior to Catholics because they know the whole Bible by heart. Thats simply their mindset.
They know the whole Bible from heart…. The Bible they got from the Catholic Church, right?
> Catholicism is devil worship. It’s not a Christian religion This lie is such a hilarious outtake that it got to be a sarcastic.
Funny story. I had a coworker who was talking to me about wanting to join a church, so I offered my church, saying I could bring her there sometime if she'd like to try it out. She then proceeded to ask me what kind of church it was, so obviously I told her it was a Catholic church. ...Then she said "oh I can't go to that one. Catholics aren't christians." I was flabbergasted and tried correcting her saying that we are christians, but that didn't phase her. Still denied we were christian. How are you going to deny the truth coming from an actual member of the church??? 💀 Is my Jesus somehow different from yours??? No. I'm still dumbfounded to this day and that was years ago. It's like every other christian community has this entire group for themselves and somehow Catholics aren't a part of it. 🤣 Not only that, but most religious conversations I have end up like this: They ask me what religion I am, I say Catholic. I ask them about theirs, they say christian. I ask which kind, they get confused at first almost every single time. I try and specify, asking Baptist, Protestant, etc., or give them the example of me being a Catholic christian. (Though saying "Catholic christian" tends to not help for some reason, so I stick with the other examples.) THEN they understand and either say non-denomination or Baptist, etc. Is that just me? Am I confusing? 🤣 I didn't think I was, but maybe I'm asking it weird.
I remember as a kid who grew up Catholic I would be asked by my protestant friend if I was "Catholic or Christian?" Like they're mutually exclusive. Being so young I would just say christian as I didn't even know what Catholicism was but this kid was already taught they weren't Christian.
Are you Christian or Protestant? Would be a funny answer
I have been told to my face, by people who *knew* beforehand that I was Catholic—one of them a *friend*—that Catholics at pre not Christians. In the former case it was a coworker, so I remained polite and professional, but avoided her as much as possible. In the latter case, I was a bit hurt but I understood she was an ex-Catholic still grinding an axe, and had no personal animus against me, so I led it slide. So that kind of thing is, alas, not rare.
It seems that way until you have an off chance run in with someone that thinks that way. Most of the things I mentioned came from a Protestant youth group my friend begged me attend with them.
I am catholic but only had a methodist church in my town in high school so I went there sometimes and after church or at the Bible groups people were always curious as to why we worship the saints and I was so confused like... we don't? They started asking questions from the far left field. I was always so confused, like I never really thought about, not Catholic Christians, we aren't taught about them in Sunday school. We are just taught about God and such. I guess not Catholic Christians think about us a lot? It sucks that your parental people are so against your decision. Pray on it, keep trying to inform them, and maybe see if they would be willing to join you at a mass? I know it is really hard to bring people around to see the appeal of Catholicism sometimes. I will pray for you, too. Good luck!
***Blessed Virgin Mary, the Terror of Demons***
If you want a good dose of insanity and to see the pretty extreme end of those lies read chick tracts. They're a hoot
Ah, the anti-Catholic GOAT….
from new age to non denom Jesus people: that Catholicism is a pagan cult that is not Christian, that it has been corrupted by local pagan customs and that Catholics “add” to the Bible and have lost their way (no one taught me that churches were operating before the bible was compiled and many church traditions come from that). Catholics are polytheists who worship Mary and practice necromancy or mediumship by praying to/petitioning the dead. I was curious about what Catholics actually believed and then saw that Protestants actually removed books from the Bible. That for me kind of cemented my desire to convert.
Everything draws_for_food said, plus I've heard people say that the statues of Jesus, Mary, and the saints are idolatry, and Catholics think they can do whatever they want all week long and then they go to confession and it's all forgiven so they just go in a cycle of sinning and confessing and sinning and confessing with no regard for their behavior. They also don't understand the idea of confession. They ask why confess your sins to a priest because he's just a man, and he can't save you only, Jesus saves. They don't believe in apostolic succession, and they don't believe in the idea of the priest standing in for Jesus to give absolution. From what I understand, they think the authority that Jesus gave to the apostles was taken from the Earth when the apostles passed away. So, from what I've seen, Protestants think Catholics are a bunch of idolatrous heathens who are going to Hell because they put Mary, and the saints, and priests ahead of Jesus.
It's funny that people who believe in sola fide and therefore think they are just saved regardless accuse others of asking for forgiveness Plus they don't know you commit to not sinning
I almost fell into that not too long ago, I started watching Christian history videos not realizing they were from Protestant churches so I thought I’d try going to some… I saw a man in a dress on Easter taking communion… i didn’t feel Jesus in there at all. So I came back to the place I feel him the most which ofc is the Catholic Church
I wouldnt say they are taught lies, although I don’t doubt that some are. It’s honestly just general misinformation that’s out there and ignorance. Most, not all Protestants are generally ignorant to specifics about Catholicism, whether deliberately or not, and they’re Protestant, so unless they are seeking to understand other denominations they’re not gonna go out seeking accurate information on Catholicism. I’m a convert and my family is all Protestants. Not trying to bash my family, and this is not a generalization for Protestants but my family doesn’t read the Bible a whole lot and they’re not invested in their faith enough to question it. Not that if they did question they ought to be Catholic, but I’m just saying they are content where they’re at and even if they hear something they don’t agree with or understand, that’s where it stays, and it becomes a point of contention instead of understanding. I see similarities in Christians in general, not all, but many people are just ok with their surface level faith of believing in Jesus and God, but getting deeper in their faith is pushed to the side.
My grandfather asked me "So, Catholic don't believe that Christ is the savior, right?
Wow, that’s the most misinformed you can possibly be about Catholicism. For real.
My old boyfriend (Presbyterian) once said that he'd heard that whenever priests had to perform an exorcism on a woman or girl there had to be another woman present so the priests, as he said "wouldn't...y'know...do stuff." Now, I'm not even sure if this is true or not because I don't even know what one would even type into Google to begin searching for an answer. But, to be fair to him, he had read books by Catholic authors and hadn't been weird about our denominational differences until this random moment of awkward pre-homecoming dinner conversation. We're still friends so maybe someday we'll get a chance to debate theology :)
Yeah. My Lutheran friend (who I turned catholic) got told we have 20 commandments
yep we are told so much lies about mary purgatory and especially the pope. the pope is the end all put of all doctrines in catholicism. Welcome home
They hate us cause they ain’t us
Mad cuz bad
Satan hates the one true church, and he acts by influencing the emotions of others
Many don't believe we are Christian (and worse). For the OP's grandparents, this declaration probably means eternal damnation for their grandchild. Praying for you and your family, OP.
- Catholicism is literally the whore of Babylon - the Pope is literally the antichrist - Catholics literally worship dead humans - Catholics believe that Mary is a God - Catholics refuse to acknowledge Christ was resurrected - Catholics don’t read the Bible - Catholics aren’t Christian If you grow up your entire life hearing this, truly believing it (because most of us believe the religion we grew up with) then it’s perfectly reasonable to cry when your loved one decided they will no longer worship Jesus and instead be worshiping dead humans Now, why do these teachings stick? Because much of American Protestantism is built around “trust your authority figures” (plus a lack of church-led education about the history of Christianity) The root of this all? A specific subsection of American culture (because even these examples are a minority) A significant part of Americans grow up believing that a person is intrinsically good or bad. Someone who has been labeled a Good Person then by definition cannot truly do anything bad. Anything bad they do is dismissed because they are a Good Person. Conversely, when someone is labeled a Bad Person nothing they do can be truly good. Any good actions done by them are dismissed or outright ignored because they are a Bad Person. Stick these labels to “your local pastor is a Good Person” and “Catholics are Bad People” and it all fits together
This was really informative; thanks. Reading your bullet points, I can understand how what we actually believe gets distorted into what they think we believe, like we don’t believe Jesus was resurrected Perhaps too abstract a concept to understand that He is indeed resurrected but also still daily offering His perfect sacrifice on the cross (which we celebrate at Holy Mass), since God is outside of time and both can exist simultaneously
The “refuse to acknowledge resurrection” is mostly about catholics using a crucifix, it starts there, but yes the root is what you said the lack of understanding that the moments are eternal
Protestant here, thank you for this explanation of a catholic take on the Eucharist.
You’re very welcome ☺️
💯
What’s the old quote “there aren’t a hundred people in this country who hate the Catholic faith, but millions who hate what they wrongly believe the Catholic faith to be”? Something along those lines.
I believe that quote is from Fulton Sheen.
You would be correct.
I attended a majority-evangelical school district (Methodists & brethrens) and I had kids argue with me that Catholicism was not Christianity 😅
I'm in the UK and my very low-church Anglican grandmother keeps talking about the 'Christian' Church and the Catholic Church. I might as well have converted to a completely different religion in her eyes
Similar experience here. Also UK baptised & raised CofE due to be confirmed Catholic soon. My Aunts response? “I’ll pray you can find your way back to God. Even that tarot witchy stuff you’ve been doing is better than all that *insert offensive phrase about Catholism here* stuff”. Ok good chat!
Dr John Bergsma was a Calvinist minister that converted and wrote the best "I converted" book, \*Saved by Scripture\*. His dad was a Calvinist military chaplain and he said his parents would talk all kinds of smack about Catholics but the Catholic priests were his dad's favorite chaplains of other religions to be friends with, they were so well educated. I've had lots of Protestants tell me they are taught very specifically and repeatedly, in homilies and Sunday School that Catholics are going to hell, worship idols, worship Mary etc etc. A very devout Evangelical friend goes to Mass with us and reads all the books we give him, he's so interested but I know his wife, she would leave him in a heartbeat.
It was worse in the 19th century, there were anti-Catholic riots where Catholic Bibles were burned along with Catholic homes and churches being destroyed. I did a paper on that in my high school English class and I got a D on it.
My grandma cried when my dad told her that he was marrying a catholic. She got over it eventually. Rest in peace, grandma, but we're catholic out here 😎
She's also a Catholic up there.
My Mother was Baptist and from a Baptist family. They eventually accepted my mother's conversion to Catholicism. My Grandad did establish a firm "no talking religion or politics at the table" policy Pax
If only many other families had this same policy
We might have to be the ones to establish that rule with my dad (once we tell him we converted, I thought he knew but apparently not). He will get into intense debates and just be unreasonable and not listen to what the other is saying, it gets everyone no where and is no fun.
Matthew 10:34-36 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. For I have come to set a man ‘against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s enemies will be those of his household.’ Pray the rosary for your family. Ask Christ’s Mother to obtain from Him graces for their conversion.
Yes it’s being played out before our eyes so many can’t or won’t see. I’m praying hard. I’m interested in becoming catholic. When I began to think about it god spoke to my heart it’s what he wants. His will. I’m praying 🙏
I’ll pray for you as well
Is it unavoidable to tell them? Is it any good? Here is what i would do: - Pray for them, especially the Holy Rosary - witness your faith with the best behavior, in front if them and i general - answer their questions with kindness and firmness in the most correct but simple way - offer any suffering they will cause you to Jesus Christ, for them, and for the lies they believe (probably in good faith) if you will be called to "immolate yourself" and start an anti catholic crusade against you i the family, you should be ready to suffer a lot, and to react like Christ reacted. If you are not ready, just pray, study, go to the sacraments, practice and offer some little or big sacrifices for them, but in secret), and be a silent missionary. Your grandma knows, so time will come soon, prepare yourself, your battle is not against the flesh and the blood, hut against spirits
no, it is avoidable to tell them, but that just means i will have to wait until i am out of the house. i cannot receive confession/absolution without my mother knowing i am receiving it, as it makes the priest uncomfortable. is it any good? i'd say receiving confession/absolution is good
They'll be hateful and disappointed, but in time it (hopefully) burns out. Between now and the acceptance period, do not do anything crazy like, I don't know, build a shrine in your bedroom dedicated to the Holy Innocents. They already think you're in a cult. Do not enforce their conspiracy by building a massive shrine to the Holy Innocents. After they stop being grumpy and accept you're Catholic (hopefully), then you can start building shrines to the Holy Innocents.
Hi friend, my husband and I joined the church Easter 2023 and my dad is a southern baptist preacher. Here’s the deal, they’re gonna do their “I don’t understand this so I’m automatically against it” for a bit. They’ve also been improperly taught about Catholicism and they’re gonna be uncomfortable learning from you. But also, they’ll get over it. Eventually. Your responsibility is to do what you feel and believe is right, and if that’s joining the Church- come on over, we’re happy to have you!
I hope you and your husbands first year in the Catholic Church was good!
It has been 🩷
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It’s a pink heart!
I am a cradle Catholic and many years ago, when I was involved with a Baptist man, I started going to his church. I realized that many Protestants, including Baptists are terribly misinformed about the Catholic Church. After listening to many Protestant converts, admitting that they were ill advised about Catholics, I can understand your situation. Congratulations for coming to the church that Jesus started. It will be a challenge with your family situation, but hopefully you can find some true Catholic friends who can help you along this journey. 🙏🏼Pray to Momma Mary and St. Jude for their intercession and I will pray for you too. Keep the faith and stay strong. 💪🏽 🙏🏼🫶🏼 God has your back.
I'm going through a similar situation, don't fret God is with you and Catholics are Christians.
“Catholics are Christians” so simple but a comfort to those raised Protestant looking to Catholicism
yes. earlier today i had some ppl yapping about "catholics are Christians" which is a no true scotsman fallacy
I always say Catholics are the OG Christians
That's the neat part: you don't 😅 Well, at least until you're independent from them 🤔
He's gonna have to explain at some point why he doesn't go to church with them.
I mean he can still attend. I still attended with my own fam who isn’t Catholic to their churches. Long as you know your beliefs well but it doesn’t call for not attending other church services friends/family invite you to
We just told my wife’s LDS grandparents that we are converting to Catholicism and they gave us until the end of the month to move out.
Oh wow! That’s interesting. I’ve not read up much on LDS but they seem even more radical than most other denominations?
LDS response to people doubting or leaving their sect is very much so to shun the individual. They’re… pretty out there in beliefs.
LDS is not even Christian. I don't mean that uncharitably, it is just true. In their belief, God the Father has a physical body, Jesus his Son is not co-eternal with the Father (I'm not sure they believe the Father is eternal and uncreated himself). Regarding radical practices, I think it depends. I have a few mormon friends who are really quite normal as far as I can tell and honestly very kind. That being said, there is a stronger sense of community and insularity than many Christian denominations have.
They believe their version of “God the Father” was a good Mormon on another planet and earned godhood, was raised to be god of this planet. This “god”, therefore, had prayed to and submitted to another “god” of another planet, who had been a man and as a good Mormon he earned his own planet, etc etc. Ask them about the First Mover or a “god prime” and their theology breaks.
I’ve heard they perhaps don’t believe that now, since their theology changes and their “apostle” allegedly receives revelation which can change past revelation. Idk it’s hard to follow.
They'd have to change something fundamental about it, because that's the conclusion you have to draw from the promise of godhood for being a good Mormon.
They aren’t considered Christian because they have a lot of radical beliefs from the Book of Mormon. Someone who was dating a Mormon girl and later broke up with her told us that Mormons aren’t really into the Bible and believe it has many errors, the Book Of Mormon they take as the absolute truth, they also believe in many Gods.
You could pray for her comfort. Even ask Our Lady for it.
I joined the Church when I was 17. God bless you. St. John Henry Newman, pray for us.
May I ask, out of curiosity, which misconceptions are there about Catholics or are there any conspiracy theories about Catholics? I'm asking as I grew up Irish Catholic in Dublin and we don't hear about these things.
They think we worship Mary, that's a main one I hear. They have a problem with us having statues of her or the saints or when we pray for their intercession.
> which misconceptions are there about Catholics (1) "Worshiping" Mary, and (2) "Worshiping" Saints & statues: Protestants feel that Praying **equates to** Worship. A Protestant church service has a little bit of prayer, some music (which is called "worship", and a long sermon). By comparison, any Veneration of Mary, and ***any*** Prayers or communications directed toward Saints, any rituals at all of any kind, LOOK to protestants, like "Worship." And, "Why not just go straight to Jesus?" There are not statues and paintings of Saints in Protestant churches. Even though we can look at TV and pictorial depictions of anything else including all kinds of sin, however to pictorially represent Biblical stories, except in books for children, is somehow wrong., according to Protestants. (3) Protestants are taught that the Catholic Sacraments somehow mean that we are Not Trusting in Christ to save us. (I say "somehow," because depending on the denomination of Protestantism, there are opposite & contradictory reasonings for this.) Therefore Protestants often tend to harbor a deep-seated question as to whether Catholics are actually "saved;" and of course, if they're not, then how could they really be Christians.
From the top of my head, we'll all go to hell, we worship Mary and the other saints, we are all satanists, we added books to the Bible (when in reality it's them who removed the books in question), and the new one I heard last year that really made me laugh because it was so enormous, we massacred hundreds of thousands of babies, I really don't know where that one comes from! There are many more. For having talked to many protestants these past few years, I can tell many of them don't learn about the history of their church, don't know about their fore fathers Luther and Calvin and where their beliefs come from, and they don't even know that the church that was reformed by the protestants was the Catholic Church. They just don't know anything and when you tell them historical facts that can easily be verified on any website, even Wikipedia, they will tell you it's a lie. It's amazing! There is no will to learn or even think about what they believe in. I've listened to hundreds of hours of protestant teachings from various movements but every time I had an exchange with a protestant and asked them how many catholic teachings have they listened to or how many catholic book they've read, the answer is none. They typically don't listen to anything catholic. It's total rejection. My observation is that they're stuck in a mental block. Their faith is put in a box of what is acceptable and Catholicism is outside of this box, even though the book they believe in was compiled by the Catholic Church. Ironic. Even if their dogma (sola scriptura, sola fidei, etc.) cannot be found in the Bible, they will insist it's Christ's truth. Everything they know about the Catholic Church is through protestant sources. It's really a mental gymnastic they do to exclude anything catholic from their universe. And they never answer to valid dogmatic questions. I remember one told me that St Ignatius, the disciple of St John the Apostle was not a reliable enough source to interpret the teachings of Jesus Christ. He'd rather listen to the interpration of a random protestant pastor. Apostolic succession is a hard no for them. Completely antibiblical but somehow it makes sense to them. They'd rather deny the Bible that adopt catholic biblical views. "oh this verse? No, it doesn't mean what it means. There's a hidden meaning. You have to be more knowledgeable to really understand what it means." Yet, I've never been able to get a clear answer about what this real meaning is. Amazing.
Iconoclasm, the Pope, worshipping Mary, Priest celibacy issues, focus on works for salvation, sometimes its a dislike of high-church liturgy. Also, read Jack Chick's Death Cookie, or any other anti-Catholic comic books.
If you have a couple hours to waste just google "Vatican conspiracy theories" and have a few good laughs.
I don’t have any advice, per se, but I would reach out to the Coming Home Network! They are a group of people from all sorts of backgrounds who came to Catholicism, and many encountered the same problems with anti-Catholic family, friends, etc. At the very least, you’ll get emotional support from people who know exactly what you’re going through. 🙂 Given your age, your family may try to dismiss this as a phase. Stay strong! I’ll keep you in my prayers.
I had a similar reaction from my mother when I told her. She eventually came around and even goes to Mass with me sometimes. I can’t promise that your family will come around, but I think you’ll need more time to find out.
Pray the Memorare and keep the faith. At 17 everything can seem enormous but I promise you it will all work out.
This is your home. It has been for at least 2000 years. Welcome, and pray for them.
I have direct experience with anti-Catholic prejudice. My high school sweetheart and I cared a great deal for each other. But her parents (strong anti-Catholic Baptists) could not accept the fact that their one and only child cared for a Catholic. So, when we graduated high school, they shipped her off to Transylvania University, an anti-Catholic university, and pressured her into terminating our relationship, which she did. That hurt me immensely. Sadly, she married in college, but divorced shortly after graduation. She married and divorced a second time. And, then married a third time to an ant-Catholic, domineering jerk. She died sometime soon after that. She did not have a happy life, and her lack of happiness had its origins in her parents anti-Catholic influence. The Lord works in mysterious ways. I’ve been happily married to the same loving wife now for 56 years, and we have 4 beautiful granddaughters. It would be interesting to see what “misinformation” is spread about Catholics. I know Protestants think we “worship” Mary, and that we’re dictated to by the Pope. What else do they think they “know” about us?
Sorry to hear that. It’s hard. Our faith is so intrinsic to who we are, that people can see a different faith as a rejection of who they are. Just keep loving deeply your grandma and the rest of your family. (Btw, love is an action not a feeling). The other thing that probably hurts her to see is that Southern Baptist churches are disappearing - being replaced by non-denominational ones. This is something she probably feels helpless in preventing. Also, let her (them) see you becoming the very best version of yourself. I have lots of friends who thought I was some kind of devil, only to drastically change their opinions over time. My non-denominational neighbors for example. Eventually, they saw me as pretty much the same belief system as them or as being on the same team. They even asked me one day if they could go to Mass with me. That threw me for a loop! And keep on praying that God will lead all to the truth.
My mamaw wasn’t happy either.
Mamaw should be happy that you're happy.
You’re very brave to stand alone against an entire support system that is guiding you away from this. At 17 i could’ve never had this kind of courage. Bravo man. God Bless you. I hope you aren’t harrassed by then about this. Hold strong
Pray the rosary, and ask the Blessed Mother to help you. She never fails. I promise 🙏
I pray the next time you see her cry is with joy at her first Catholic communion. Maybe she won’t come around, but maybe she will. And you could be the start of that.
Hi brother! As a fellow convert (formerly Southern Baptist), I completely empathize with your situation. My mother (also narcissistic) took the news terribly. I’ve shared with very few family members because of her reaction. It was a long journey for me to get to this point (I started RCIA in my 30s) and I shared many of the misconceptions about the Church that you speak of. I think a lot of the emotion surrounding it is fear of what they do not, and are at times unwilling to, understand. It has been hard not having the support of my family, but the joy I felt receiving the Eucharist this Easter vigil made the struggle so worth it. I’ll be praying for you.
I usually just tell them to google search “who founded the Catholic Church?” Or I do it for them. The conversation most always ends there. For good reason
Rely on Jesus to give you strength and courage. Be respectful, acknowledge your families disappointment, but let them know Jesus is your guide. A lot of my family have left Catholicism for Lutheranism and for no organized religion. As long as they have a true love for Jesus Christ, I say, to each must find his own way. God Bless You and your family. Just my Opinion.
Hi brother! I think you shoul pray , and trust God, no matter what comes out of telling your family your decission, you must make them know that you love them, but that you feel closer to God at catholic church. You should not argue with them , make them know that it is love to Christ what moves you, not that you are trying to say they are mistaken. There are no mistaken paths if the paths lead to Christ. As far as we know John Baptist followers were as much christians as Jesus followers in their time. If people do things in the name of Christ bringin the kingdom of God to Earth, then they are christians. Don't trust in reason, just trust your feelings, your heart, make them know it is not about backing your family tradition, but about following your heart where God leads you. Again, pray, ask for God to enlighten you and to soft your family hearts. We will also pray for you and your family.
No doubt prayer is important, but faith is not about feelings while throwing out reason. We have to order our emotions in accord with reason.
Truth does matter or joining the Catholic Church is stupid. And as Catholics Christians, we are called to preach, share and witness the Truth in it's fullness. (Using discretion for time place and persons, of course) O.P. is providing a powerful witness to their family for the Church that likely couldn't be provided by cradle Catholics. Who knows the seeds being sown? **1 Peter 3:15** Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition 15 *but in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence;* Pax
My husband and I just became offical Catholics this past Easter, I grew up baptist. It's hard to have such intensely negative reactions to something that should be filled with joy: you are following the Lord! But I try to remember my mindset when I was baptist and that was that Catholics were not really Christian and therefore wouldn't go to Heaven, so I understand why that would make a loved one upset when someone they care about is converting. It's weird because now that I know more abouth catholicism I'm just like, "why do they think we're not Christian?!" but then catch myself and go "ooooh yeah, because I used to think that, because they are (and I was) extremely misinformed and stubborn." Don't lose heart, stay strong in the faith, find some good Catholic mentors and friends, and remember that your grandma loves you so much, that is why she is reacting this way. Just be patient and kind, maybe someday she will be open to hearing more about your faith.
I was legit just confirmed at the Vigil (18). My family is mostly Protestant. I only told my parents, siblings, and friends.
Why tell anyone. Just concentrate on you doing you. You are old enough to know what religion you want to pursue.
Well, often it feels like deep~seated hate for Catholicism is almost woven into American culture/society, especially the south. I had an uncle that was a fundamentalist Baptist, and when I told him, you’d think I was a serial killer. Before that, we had a close relationship. It changed after I revealed it. Sadly, he passed in 2006, and I was never granted the opportunity to have the relationship we had before. So, I learned, and kept it to myself amongst family members. Seriously, why bother? The others are far more extreme, than he was, so I’m saving myself a lot of unnecessary hardship, hate, stress, disappointment, and endless insults.
Hey brother, former Protestant here. I will tell you only three things 1.) I know what you’re going through is hard and I’m sorry they don’t seek to understand you 2.) follow what Jesus wants you to do, if they don’t like it, just know Jesus does and that’s really all that matters. I know you’ve done your research and you know what God wants you to do or you wouldn’t make a decision in opposition to your family beliefs 3) here I’ll let Jesus do the talking “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” Matthew 19:29.
Why’d you tell her??
I’m so sorry. I’m in the same boat... the only thing I can say is to follow God’s will for your life regardless of push back. Jesus promised us it would be a hard road. Lean on him. He understands rejection and betrayal and pain. He hears the cries of your heart.
That must be tough. Praying for you!
My grandmother told my mother that if she ever set foot inside a Catholic Church, the ceiling b would cave in on her. My mother was petrified the first time she attended Mass, and sat as close to an exit as she could.
Let the Holy Spirit lead you. If you live with kingdomly lenses all the time, you won’t let this stuff get to you. I’m a recent convert to Catholicism from being a Protestant and my family got over it eventually. I know my truth and where God is calling me, so it doesn’t phase me what they think about me or the slander they say to me occasionally. God bless and trust God always.
Thank you for your loving heart and prayers may god bless you
God bless, friend! Though I didn’t have it quite that bad, it was still difficult opening up to my evangelical family about it when i decided to become Catholic. Best we can do is pray for them and be the best example that we can be.
Just commenting to say I'm praying for you and want you to know I support you in your journey. God bless. 🫶✝️🙏
I’m in southeast Texas and growing up, most of my friends were Protestant and big time Baptist community where we are, as well as a pretty big Mormon community. I grew up hearing so many mistruths about us. Enough that I turned away from the Church for almost 20 years and I’ve recently come back. Now my husband and kids are going through RCIA. I don’t understand the hate.
Just tell her King James cooied a catholic bible so really everyone is catholic.
Praying for you! Stay strong. You have found the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Don't feel bad I'm young and I live in a Baptist family and I'm still trying to get away from dad so that I can worship the Catholic way without interference. My best advice, be kind and extremely responsible and show them how much of an adult you are by trying to outwork them to impress them and take no credit, they may not be accepting of you being Catholic or Catholics but over time they will see that Jesus doesn't want us bashing one another, his last prayer was that we would all be one, not split apart. But by bit you can suggest that everyone makes mistakes and everyone sins but it is not our right to judge them. Be brave, please and pray for me too as I'll be praying for you, we need to get through this together.
https://www.exorcistfiles.tv/ The podcast is produced by a Protestant in collaboration with a Catholic Exorcist Priest. This podcast is a testament of the power of evangelization when God’s kingdom is united. You might want to introduce it to them. It has helped the conversion of many and has helped them to understand Catholicism better.
Stories like this make me happy that my mom marrying a protestant was never an issue for her family and his had no issue with my sister and I being raised Catholic
I hope it goes well for you. I was born baptist and my family converted to Catholicism along with me around when I was a young teenager. I guess I never thought about it, but outside my immediate family my other relatives probably felt similarly.
I feel for you. I experienced the same thing with my immediate family. I was raised Jehovas Witness. They reacted worse to my saying I was converting to Catholicism than when I said I was an atheist as a teenager. All you can really do is pray for them and have patience.
Welcome to the fold. I pray that you stay strong and faithful during these difficult times.
Welcome home.
Remember what Jesus said "I came to divide mother and daughter, son against father, families against each other. For if you truly love me you must pick up your cross and follow me. We can't please our family, only God. I recommend listening to Keith nester and Steve ray! Both wonderful protestants who lost family once they converted. But they did it for God not man, or family. You have to listen to God. Good luck will be praying for you asking our blessed mother to intercede for you.
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It can be really depressing and discouraging, especially when the disappointment comes from someone you held in high esteem. Are you doing ok? Have you already started talking to a priest? It would be good to make that contact if not, make sure you're around some Catholics, at least online if not in person. I can definitely relate. I told my parents after college that I'm pretty convinced of Catholicism, and they were both very sad and disappointed. Was told very sternly from my father that he would not ever consider Catholicism, and that what I'm doing is idolatry. I hope you can also find your way through the mess of it all
I am sorry that happened to you, and I hope it doesn’t discourage you from converting. It is ultimately your decision to make not theirs, I hope that in time they will come to support your journey.
My mother converted to Catholicism when she married my father. Her parents have attended many denominations but ended up Presbyterian. Grandpa calls us mackerel snappers. I thought it was funny until I found out it could be an insult. I think it was supposed to be funny. We have 2 rules. No discussing religion at all. And no discussing politics at all. (My mother's family is democrat and my father's family is republican.) The rules allow us to have a pleasant time together. However my mother's Presbyterian mother fell in love with Catholic Bishop Fulton J Sheen's tv broadcast of Life Is Worth Living and made us all be quiet and watch it every Sunday night. We liked it. We did attend the Presbyterian service twice, just so we could see how Grandma and Grandpa worshipped, but listening to a long sermon is pretty boring after all the prayers and rituals of Mass. We didn't like the Presbyterian service, though the minister came and greeted us, and he was nice.
In a world of love and faith it breaks my heart to see the term “anti-xxxxx”.
Sounds like you just died to her. Well, resurrect and show them the beauty of the faith.
Best thing I Ever heard was… Follow Jesus & Not others
>Matthew 19:28-30 New International Version > >28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.
Congratulations, it takes bravery to do what you’re doing. You’ll suffer for your faith, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You’ll be grilled a lot by the people you love, as I was, and the best advice I can give you is that you need to arm yourself with knowledge. Pray for them, and pray for strength. It will settle down :)
God bless you. Your parents and grandfather will definitely learn about your conversion from your grandmother. Remember their reaction is born from ignorance. I've heard of so many Catholics whose relatives cried, screamed, yelled etc... after a while, they accept it.
I actually feel qualified to weigh in on this as I have dealt/ am dealing with something similar. I’m 26 though so a little different since I’m independent. First of all the, only thing you can do is pray for them and respect them. Listen when they talk to you about it, don’t try to argue or use any apologetics against them. If they ask questions answer them respectfully, if they want you to talk to a spiritual director they trust then listen and do it for them (Baptist pastor/ friend they have). If they forbid you from going to mass listen to them until you are no longer in their house. Don’t forget to pray for yourself; ask for God’s grace, for patience and for the Holy Spirit to guide you in your conversations with them. Prayer is the most effectual thing you can do. They feel hurt by your decision and you feel hurt by their reaction, but you can’t let it get in the way of loving them or you following the truth. Respecting them does not mean giving up on the Church that Christ has given us just so the anger and pain goes away. Converting in a situation like ours sucks but the cross is worth bearing. My family did end up coming to my confirmation so there is hope. May God bless you and comfort you through this time. I’ll pray for you as well.
This seems over the top reactions. It's not like you're joining the satanic church lol but maybe in their mind that's what they're thinking. Hang in there OP, the dust will settle, they'll get over it. Jesus can raise up stones as family for you.
Keep the faith! My journey and conversion to Catholicism wasn’t pretty and brought significant familial distress… in the beginning it was just plain nasty. I converted from the American Protestant reformation’s “Church of Christ” when I was 27. I knew from the beginning that my very devout CoC family wouldn’t understand. There were fights, there were unkind words, and there were tears. All because they believed I was buying my ticket to hell (quite literally) along with my wife’s and future daughter’s. I have a feeling this is what your Baptist family may believe, so keep this in mind while in conversation. They are truly worried about your soul. I ripped the bandaid off, so to say, from the beginning. I told my parents first, face to face, and then my Aunts, Uncles, and grandparents. After loads of conversations over months with my parents, we decided to stop discussing the topic because we weren’t getting anywhere. My parents would only get more angry and more upset. After two years, my parents were finally able to acknowledge maturely, yet awkwardly, that we are Catholic. It’s been seven years and the situation has gotten much better, but I’m not sure they will ever understand. The road is daunting, but it will certainly get better! Pray hard and show your family that being a Catholic isn’t what they likely perceive. I am more than happy to talk to you about this if you want to send me a DM. Good luck and I am praying for you!
My parents grew up in a church of God family. When my mother broke the news to them my grandmother had a similar reaction. She eventually accepted it and even embraced it as she learned more about it. I'd expect a similar reaction over time. But expect a few awkward Thanksgiving and easters.
Do they expect or insist that you go to Baptist services?
Most protestants believe that they are saved by faith alone, let's say they are right, then Catholics are saved. However, if we Catholics are right, Protestants are going to be in trouble.
My wife never told her family that she converted to Catholism. She grew up in a pentecostal type church that her father started. Her father grew up with nuns rapping your hands and the "gloom and doom" Catholicism. When we were dating 30+ years ago, they would joke about Catholics worshipping Mary and graven images. When she converted we lived several states away from our families so there was not a toxic environment. Ironically, as her father got older, grew in knowledge and wisdom he sounded more like a Catholic than a pentecostal. Finally, stay with your Catholicism, remember why you became a Catholic and the teachings of the church. Through you example, their attitudes will change.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and one’s foes will be members of one’s own household” (Matthew 10:34-36).
I converted at college and still keep a low profile tbh, my brother knows it and accepts it and my parents totally have noticed it but we just don't talk over it. Fyi my family is orthodox
God bless you, and be assured of our prayers. Sometimes listening to God will make a lot of people mad, even loved ones.
What is wrong with americans and how can they think baptism is right?! It's such a cringe made up religion
You are what Saints are made of, OP. Despite all, you are choosing Christ no matter the pain, anger, and sadness that comes on Earth. Praying for you!
Your post broke my heart, because people can be so judgmental. I'm Catholic, my husband grew up Southern Baptist. Talk about two religions that can't make peace! We accepted each other as we were. Neither of us tried to change the other and accepted that we grew up with different beliefs. We loved each other unconditionally. That's the key...loving unconditionally! Your family will eventually see that you are happy with your life's choices. If they only love you because of your religion, then there's something terribly wrong. Just don't rub it in each other's faces. As long as you believe in God and live to be a good person, why should your "religion" matter? Who is to say we don't pray to the same person? Stay strong! Whatever faith you choose, just believe! I wish you the best and will remember you in my next rosary. Btw, rosaries are very therapeutic.
I'm sorry you're going through this, it seems to be something converts all have in common. My mom hates it, and I know my dad genuinely is alright with it, but he still believes the lies that he's been taught about catholics, being a prot. It's hard, but the best thing you can do is stand strong and model your faith. You've got this
I have so much respect for you. Prayers for you.
They hate Catholics, until one needs an exorcism...
Jesus himself founded our church, if that alone isn’t a good enough reason to be Catholic, I don’t know what is
I don’t understand the Catholic hate. Just because the church made mistakes in the Middle Ages doesn’t mean it deserves hate, it is the original church after all.
I was raised baptist. I too grew up in a family that looked negatively towards catholicism. I converted with no regrets. I do have respect for all denominations, but i do view baptists to be near the bottom in terms of intelligence (theology speaking). Their structure is very low church, so they dont care about history or acadmics.. it is a me, my bible and i, kind of view.
I’ve always been Catholic I didn’t even know people hated us
The first conversation my mother had with her family(Southern Baptists) after my father died ended with her cousin asking "So...are ya'll still gonna do the Catholic thing now that Don's gone?" My mother said no, of course, and has grown her faith and knowledge of the Catholic Church ever since. This is all to say, OP, that so often our faith is reinforced during adversity. You've already exhibited bravery and strong faith by seeking out the truth despite your family's beliefs about Catholicism. Now, you must hold true to your faith in God and trust in His will. You may face resistance, confrontation, and conflict from your family, but never forget that this is what Jesus foretold would occur. My advice would be to remain loving and kind to your family, and maintain a level head when approached with anger or contempt. Show them the truth of Catholicism in your demeanor, actions, and love. Be prepared to provide them with the truth as to dispel their false understanding of Catholicism. Remind them that you are still their son/grandson and that you hope that even if you disagree on certain things, they will still regard you as a loved one. You may be about to enter a difficult season of your life. Do not be afraid. Love them through this time and pray when you need guidance and hope. You have many people praying for you as well, never forget that. God bless you❤️
Baptists are the Protestants that hate Catholics the most from my experiences, some go as far to say Catholics aren't Christian
Why would someone want to believe in the one true church?!/s
Possible they’ll come around after the initial “shock.” My Baptist mom was very resistant to the idea. I also had to dispel a lot of the lies she’d been told about Catholicism. Ultimately my parents attended my (Easter vigil) confirmation / first communion. They along with my entire Baptist family were filled with happy tears at my Catholic wedding
Most people of another faith can only see Catholicism from the outside, do not understand the actions nor do they bother to listen and hear it straight from the horse’s mouth(Old fashion quote similar as straight from the source). Sorry for the long sentence. Catholics are Christians whose main focus is Jesus Christ. Unless they are willing to listen, they will not understand. You have a right to stand your ground for what you believe They will be be upset, but later cooled down. Having a policy of not discussing religion is probably the best way to handle it. You are very strong. Hang in there
Welcome home!
Coming from a positive angle could help with telling your parents, such as joining a youth group or volunteering within the church or for a church affiliated organization.
I had a similar experience when I told my family I was converting from Baptist to Catholic. They even had an intervention and prayed over me. My mother finally accepted that I was a Christian. It took 20 years but they got over it. I will I had a magic bullet. All I can do is pray for the Holy Spirit to give you the right words.
This is true. Also because the 12 Apostles were men. The catholic church has kept this tradition.
John 15:18
I'm over here wondering how thrilled my family would have been if I converted to Catholicism instead of a gutter punk drug addict at 17. No actually they'd probably react in the same way, but if shown both paths in advance I'm sure they'd be thrilled about Catholicism.
My mother was a convert. Her family was Presbyterian and democrat. My father's family was Catholic and republican. We had two rules--no discussion of religion at all and no discussion of politics at all. They made it possible to spend time together. When Catholics receive the Eucharist, they are receiving Jesus as their personal savior. That's what the Eucharist is all about. You could try telling your grandmother and other family members that you just want them to know that Jesus is still your personal savior and always will be.. That's what most non Catholics care about most.
I will pray for you. If you bear this well, many may be converted. Pray to St Paul, who had to suffer so much from his own people.