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Alexa
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I am a Catholic college student who goes to a Catholic
church on Sundays but I would like to be in a group of
fellow students who are also religious. The majority of
religious groups on campus are Christian. There is only
one small Catholic student group and they aren't as organized
as the Christian ones.
- I am wondering whether it would be wrong to go to a
student Christian group if they are better and more organized?
Alexa
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Is
it wrong to go to a non-Catholic Christian student social group
if theirs is better than ours? }
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John
replied:
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Hi, Alexa —
Well, first of all, let's start using proper terminology.
You are a Catholic Christian and you would like to fellowship
with non-Catholic Christians.
So long as you are rooted in your faith and the group
is not anti-Catholic, it's fine. Nevertheless, I
would be cautious of attempts to proselytize,
which is a common occurrence in such groups.
If
they accept you as a fellow Christian, go
for it.
Just remember to be cautious not to adopt Protestant
heresies into your own beliefs.
John
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Mike
replied:
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Hi, Alexa —
I would tend to disagree with my colleague John.
Here are some previous postings, where I have answered
similar questions:
In another posting I said:
I used to attend Protestant Bible Studies for a
while because I wanted to bring them the fullness
of the Faith, they were missing. A friend of mine
reminded me that although I had a good intention,
there is always an underlining assumption with any
Protestant church service and/or Bible Study and
that is:
The Catholic Church is wrong, and their teachings
are incorrect.
This
is despite the fact that this false
assumption is never challenged in
any Protestant Bible Study. When a Catholic attends a Protestant Bible Study they are implicitly saying:
There is something missing from my parish that I hope you can fulfill.
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A knowledge of Church history and the Early Church
Fathers will lead you to the truth.
Although the Church is the pillar and foundation of Truth (1 Timothy 3:15) . . . this page has a list of Catholic Scripture verses that defend Catholic doctrines.
Hope this helps,
Mike
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John
replied:
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Mike,
This is not a Bible study or service the person
is asking about. It's a social group. Given the
college environment, I'd say she's better off attending
a solid Christian fellowship over a nominally Catholic
group. When it comes to morals, Evangelicals and
Fundamentalists are probably stricter than Catholics,
while most Catholic campus groups are pretty much
a joke.
For the most part, these are simply young adult
type social networks. They go to movies, restaurants,
and what not. I'm not saying they ever talk about
their faith, but as Catholics, we are called to be
the salt and light in the world.
- Let's put it this way, would you have a problem
with a Catholic joining a fraternity or a sorority that's completely secular?
Think about it.
- What do they do and how do these
groups socialize?
- Now if a Catholic can join a such a secular group,
why shouldn't they join a group that shares and often
times lives out the principles of Christian living
better than us?
Are you saying they
can join Alpha Gama Lamda, who regularly has kegs
parties, but they can't go to the movies, or even
discuss matters of faith, with a bunch of other Christians.
John
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Hi, Alexa —
Every one of those well-put-together Protestant groups (they
are either Protestant or non-denominational evangelical,
which is even more Protestant than Protestant) was
created by a student with zeal and faith.
Do the same for your Catholic group, or found
another.
- Start a study or discussion group based on the
Catechism or the Theology of the Body.
- Invite in speakers.
- Have a Life in the Spirit Seminar and start a
Charismatic Catholic prayer group.
- Start an adoration program.
Just do it yourself!!
Mary Ann
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