Jerry
Thompson
wrote:
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Dear AskACatholic.com,
I am having a problem with one particular
associate in my life. He's insulting my faith
and proclaiming his own faith is right. He
is Evangelical, and this time, proclaimed
straight to my face:
Catholics are just wrong. Dead wrong.
It's actually sad.
It really bothers me when he says all this
because later in the day he said he was only kidding and
said the differences between our religions
were minor, although he also went on to say
our differences drew the line between Heaven
and Hell. He was basically saying that
we are close, but Catholics still have no hope
of being saved. This guy really annoys me.
- What can I say to him if he says this
again?
My apologies if these questions are getting
trite, but this is a very frequent occurrence
and it deeply bothers me.
Thank you very much; please respond when it
is easiest.
Thanks again,
Jerry
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What can I say to my annoying associate if he keeps insulting my faith, saying I am going to Hell? }
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Mike
replied:
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Hi, Jerry —
Thanks for the question.
This like, some of our questions,
fall into the Dear Catholic
Abbey category so just take
my advice for what it is: advice.
By your question, it appears you
take your faith a lot more serious
then your annoying associate.
I think you have to make it clear
to him:
- at the right time
- in the correct venue or setting
that you take your faith seriously
and you expect him to respect that
seriousness.
If he is making false accusations
against the Church, just tell him
he attacking a church that
doesn't exist; and probably has picked
up some erroneous information from
one or more uncatechized
Catholics.
Tell him, if you are willing, that
you would be happy to discuss the
differences both of you have in the
faith, as long as there is:
- two-way dialogue
- patient listening on both sides while the other side is talking,
and
- charity throughout
keeping in mind what St. Peter states in 1 Peter 3:15-17:
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
1 Peter 3:15-17
If he really annoys you and you
wish to just get him off your
back tell him so. If
he continues, and you are in a work
environment, take it up the chain
of command to your supervisor.
Hope this helps,
Mike
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Mary
Ann replied:
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Hi, Jerry —
- He has no right to subject you
to religious harassment in the
workplace, so tell him that.
- Many Evangelicals truly believe
all Catholics are going to Hell.
Tell him that you:
- realize he believes
that
- realize he is
acting out of concern for
your soul, and
- thank him, but
that he can, from now on,
restrict his endeavors to
praying for you.
If he wants to discuss religion,
in an honest dialogue, he can
talk with you outside of work,
or you can give him books to
read that will show him that
he is misguided about Catholicism.
Mary Ann
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