Servant_of_Eve Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Is it easier to convert catholics who are either ignorant of their faith or fallen away, or is it easier to convert non-catholics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qfnol31 Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 In my experience it depends on the person...I think it's easier to inspire fallen-away Catholics rather than convert non-Catholics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldenchild17 Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 That has been my experience as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myles Domini Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 It depends on the fallen away Catholic. For instance, in my experience some fallen away Catholics who have been seduced by the liberal 'gospel' are an impenetrable wall when it comes to talking to about the faith. The minute you say the word 'Catholic' its as if neon lights saying 'abortion' and 'contraception' start flashing around your head and the conversation effectively ends. You may still be talking but the person sure isn't listening! Sometimes, indeed much of the time, the unchurched are much easier to dialogue with. They have no knowledge or grasp of Christianity they're not really athiests they've just grown up in a cultural milieu where God was absent so its all new to them. They haven't got many preconceptions and though it may just be tickling the ears of Areopagites sometimes they're at least, generally, willing to give you a hearing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blovedwolfofgod Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 I think it depends on your ministry and your gifts. For instance, I dont think I can effectively influence even one person to convert to the truth... but the fallen away Catholics, well, God gave me a gift. As for fallen away Christians, sometimes I can at least put them on the path back to Jesus (tho often with scruples because i dont try to make them catholic, just try to get them back to church and the Bible).. I cant work with anything unless there is already a basis. So, I think it depends on your ministry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Era Might Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 Better to be cold than lukewarm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC IMaGiNaZUN Posted April 17, 2006 Share Posted April 17, 2006 What i am about to say, is in no way supposed to sound like an absolution for catholics who have fallen away, so please don't misinterpret it. I think there are a lot of things that push and pull catholics away. In most cases they are to blame, because they make the decision to turn away. For some, there parents never made a big deal. They were raised in a household of cultural catholics, who went to mass with the family on easters and christmasses. These are the easiest to get to. I will explain what their parents situation may be in a second. But as for them, the Catholic church is a world of mystery, and the second they encounter someone who is excited about the holy faith of the church, they will instantly be turned on. They will have questions, and will be attentive. Sometimes, they will have parents who will be VERY opposing to their faith decision. They will, encounter persecution first hand from the ones they love, and will therefore, if mature, take the faith message all the more seriously. They have been given reasons all their life to not have faith or take part in their church. All they really need is a reason to do those things. For some, per chance people like the parents i just mentioned, or those who are hurt. They have some kind of animosity and unforgiveness in their hearts against some particular priest, or worse their parents. They encountered some sort of hypocritical catholic in their lives. And as a result they somehow blame the catholic church for all sorts of nonsense. These people, if you delve deeper, tend to have made some sort of mistake in their lives, perhaps a sin against a loved one, like a parent, and never experienced forgiveness. They have not learned to forgive. These are very difficult. They are always critical, and are always looking for fault with the church. If they become protestant, they look for biblical reasons to hate the church. If they become atheist or agnostic, they look for scientific or political reasons to hate the church. But they are all the same, the ultra-conservative prods and the ultra-liberals. These people have made the decision to turn away from God not based on intellectual rational reasons, and WILL PROBABLY NOT be turned back for intellectual rational reasons. They made a decision based on emotions, so they need emotional reasons. They need forgiveness, love, healing, mercy first. However, if one of these persons is encountered a crisis in life, they may be more open to just about anything you can offer. I find that non-catholics are more similar to the first group. They need a reason to believe. If they come from an anti-catholic protestant background, all they need is for the misconception to be knocked down. If they are convinced first that you have a personal relationship with Jesus, and that you read the bible and aware of it, then they will realize that not call catholics fit the stereotype. They will be open to intelligent conversation. I don't believe that fallen away and non-catholics is an accurate division. More accurately it would be those who have been hurt by a catholic and those who have not. SHALOM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelFilo Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 If they didn't teach you anything in Catholic school, or Sunday school (they gave me a minimial education, worry not), then let me tell you, baptism leaves an unremovable mark on your soul. Once your Catholic, your always Catholic. I believe that the entirity of Canon Law applies to a Catholic even if they fall away and come back during the whole duration except for 2 exceptions, one dealing with marriage. Anywho, of course it's easier for a baptized Catholic to return to their Faith, they already received it in baptism, and if they've received Communion, well, it's that much easier. That aside, the only person that have been converted due to my efforts (and by that I mean, the Spirit's work through me, since certainly, i'm a blathering idiot, so it's hard to accomplish such high feats) was not a Catholic, but an Episcopalean. Mind you, since they have valid baptisms, they are almost as likely to convert as a fallen away baptized Catholic who's parents taught them minimally about the Faith. God bless, Mikey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dspen2005 Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 fallen away Catholics usually don't have an intellectual problem w/ the Church, they KNOW that she is TRUTH. there prob is emotional -- so says, one of my Theology profs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasJis Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 Assumptions, assumptions. It's easier to convert an agnostic or aetheist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelFilo Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 wait, jasjis is an ex-catholic? Seriously, what the hell? How am I supposed to convert the whole world to Christ's Church if His Church won't even stick together. Whatever, I'm hoping your profile is a joke, or I'll have yet another dissapointment in life to add to the reasons why life is truely not worth living, except for the fact that Christ's Church doesn't look kindly on suicide out of despair. God bless, Mikey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brother Adam Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 Those with harder hearts are harder to convert than those who are open to God. I think that is the only true distinction that can be made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasJis Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 [quote name='MichaelFilo' date='Apr 17 2006, 06:30 PM']wait, jasjis is an ex-catholic? Seriously, what the hell? How am I supposed to convert the whole world to Christ's Church if His Church won't even stick together. Whatever, I'm hoping your profile is a joke, or I'll have yet another dissapointment in life to add to the reasons why life is truely not worth living, except for the fact that Christ's Church doesn't look kindly on suicide out of despair. God bless, Mikey [right][snapback]951379[/snapback][/right] [/quote]Never be disappointed in people you don't know. And never let your disappointment in others bring you dispair. Catholic or not, God doesn't look kindly on suicide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC IMaGiNaZUN Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 [quote name='dspen2005' date='Apr 17 2006, 06:19 PM']fallen away Catholics usually don't have an intellectual problem w/ the Church, they KNOW that she is TRUTH. there prob is emotional -- so says, one of my Theology profs [right][snapback]951355[/snapback][/right] [/quote] Thats exactly what i was trying to say, except nobody wants to read my terribly boring unnecesarily elaborated post. SHALOM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelFilo Posted April 18, 2006 Share Posted April 18, 2006 The problem is, it's not true. Fallen away Catholics CAN have problems with the Catholic Church. Wasn't Call to Action one such group. I believe some former priests have left the Catholic Church too... these are intellectual differences with the Church. It is wrong to even say half the reasons are emotional, I'd say today's biggest reason is apathy. God bless, Mikey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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