Christians Have To Be Best Friends?

[Pontifite 7 of 10]

Is it true that only Christian can be your best friends? My 2 best friends are not christian and I heard on a radio station that Corinthians somthing or another says that our closest friends should only be Christian. Whats our Catholic veiw on this?

[avemaria40]

If we werent' friends with nonChristians, how can we expect them to become Christians?

That said, I have a best friend who is Jewish. I pray for all my friends, Christian and nonChristian and try to live my faith by word and deed.

[uruviel]

I don't have any close friends who are Catholic or even Christian. I have always wanted one, but if it's God's will I will have one when it's time. For now I pray for those who need it most, and try my best to expose them to the faith and give good examples.

[Era Might]

No, it's not true. Your friends are your friends, although they should never come between you and God, whether they're Christian or not. If they do, then you have to pull back.

[uruviel]

I agree with Era Might.

[scardella]

[quote name='Pontifite 7 of 10' post='1058642' date='Sep 7 2006, 06:37 PM']
Is it true that only Christian can be your best friends? My 2 best friends are not christian and I heard on a radio station that Corinthians somthing or another says that our closest friends should only be Christian. Whats our Catholic veiw on this?
[/quote]

I don't see why it'd be a problem unless it posed some danger to your faith, whether by breaking down your faith itself or by leading you to sin. To explain a little better, let's assume they're atheists. If they're always attacking your faith, belittling the faith, etc. then it's not a good idea to hang around them. If they're always watching porn or something, and it puts you in the near occasion of sin, then it's not a good idea to hang around them. To put it in another way, if they're not damaging your faith, then there's no reason you'd have to necessarily break off a friendship.

[Pontifite 7 of 10]

[quote name='scardella' post='1059049' date='Sep 8 2006, 01:07 PM']
I don't see why it'd be a problem unless it posed some danger to your faith, whether by breaking down your faith itself or by leading you to sin. To explain a little better, let's assume they're atheists. If they're always attacking your faith, belittling the faith, etc. then it's not a good idea to hang around them. If they're always watching porn or something, and it puts you in the near occasion of sin, then it's not a good idea to hang around them. To put it in another way, if they're not damaging your faith, then there's no reason you'd have to necessarily break off a friendship.
[/quote]

There not like that.

[Resurrexi]

It's a good idea, though not a precept to have your closest friends be Catholic

[XIX]

Isn't your spouse supposed to be your best friend??

[uruviel]

Yes, you and your spouse are one, but what does that have to do with this?

[Anastasia13]

[quote name='scardella' post='1059049' date='Sep 8 2006, 11:07 AM']
I don't see why it'd be a problem unless it posed some danger to your faith, whether by breaking down your faith itself or by leading you to sin... To put it in another way, if they're not damaging your faith, then there's no reason you'd have to necessarily break off a friendship.
[/quote]
I don't think that the point is that you should break off friendships with non-Christians. but that friends should build you up in faith rather than simply not endanger your faith.

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens his fellow man.

Christian friends will encourage us and keep us accountable in a way that non-Christian friends won't. We won't share fellowship with them like we do with each other. When problems come up, non-Christians aren't going to offer to pray with us, remind us that God will come through when we feel like He might not, or remind us to see things in the light of knowing Christ. Non-Christians simply won't share that view because they don't know Christ. I think that is why the person on the radio was saying that about Christians as best friends. That is also part of why the Bible tells us not to be unequally yolked as in marriage to an unbeliever, because one's spouse is one of the closest human relationships one can ever have.

That should certainly should not mean having only Christian friends. To avoid friendships with people who are not Christian would be to avoid ministry and evangelism opportunities as well as some pretty cool people--who God-willing may someday be saved and go to heaven.

[isilzha]

None of my close friends are practicing Christians. I think they think I'm a little goofy.

[PadrePioOfPietrelcino]

I think what Corinthians is trying to teach (my understanding right now, not official teaching) is that we SHOULD try to have our CLOSEST friends be Christinas, because it provide a strong support system, the same way the Bible give warnings about marrage between Christians and Non-Christians. having our close friends believe in God they way we do helps us stay straight on the path to rightiousness and in many cases may eleviate some occasions of sin.