Dear Roy —

She probably wouldn't have been too receptive to anything you said, so I wouldn't worry.

I would say a prayer for her and next time, you could say,

• "Do you think that believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior means believing what he says, and doing what he commands?"

And then take it from there.

Mary Ann

Hi, Roy —

Thanks for the question.

You said:
This friend used to be Catholic but now she belongs to a "Faith Family" church.

• What should I have said?

That you belong to the original "Faith Family" Church!

Sure it matters!

There are over 30,000 Christian denominations all claiming Christ as there Lord and Savior which is good, but they all have different bodies of beliefs.

• How do we know which Church is the one Jesus founded before ascending into Heaven?
• Why would we want to go to any other church, especially when St. Paul warned us not to? Galatians 1:8
  

History tells the Catholic Church is the only Church that can trace it's roots back to 33 A.D.

She may ask,

• "Why can't I just go to the Lutheran church and accept Jesus as Lord and Savior?"

The answer:

Because what they "believe" about Jesus is different than what Jesus wants them to believe about Him and His teachings.

The question your friend asked sounds like she has had problems with institutional religions.
Institutions these days are falling on bad times and for good reasons!

Those who have been put in charge of the flock sometimes scandalize their organization by their bad behavior. Nevertheless, these are times of opportunity for such organizations to change for the better.

This is what I personally believe has happened in the Catholic Church though we are more of a Family of Faith rather than an institution. Policies preventing abusive behavior against any parishioner are now in place at every diocese and CORI checks are required for new diocesan personnel.

Your question brings up another important question:

• Can you separate faith from those who run the institution?

Yes! Jesus promised that despite scandalous behavior among its members, the faith would remain pure.

Share these points with your friend and make sure she is aware of the awesome power of the sacraments, especially the Blessed Sacrament and Confession, that she is missing out on by leaving. And as always, if she changes her mind, she is always welcome back with open arms.

Make sure you pray for her on a regular basis.

Hope this helps,

Mike