I will make this post a bit different. I will ask questions and maybe I will get some responses back. Feel free to leave a comment.
How do I explain to people my Catholic faith, when they are not even willing to listen in the first place?
How do I tell them that I am not an anomaly within the church, but that I am the norm and the people they have interacted with are the anomaly?
How can I say what I want to say and yet be respectful of their differing beliefs?
I am discouraged and frustrated sometimes at the poor witness other "Catholics" are giving to non-Catholic Christians. It's because of this poor witness that a common ground is slowly eroding away. Or so it seems. I know that there is always hope and that I need to continue in praying for an openess and understanding for this other party.
How do I relate to them that, yes, I know "we all serve the same God...yet you in your way and I in his" as a great saint and theologian once said?
So many questions...
MVV, first if they're not willing to listen, then you can't say anything except that you feel like they aren't willing to listen. Make it about how YOU feel and then maybe they will be able and willing to listen.
ReplyDeleteAlso, maybe you should point out how many nonCatholic Christians aren't real Christian either. It's not the Catholic Church is the only one filled with nominal Christians. Point out all the ardant, practicing Christians who divorce, or the ones who proclaim to love Christ but really their faith is nothing more than a warm fuzzy. It's just ignorant to think that Catholics are the only pathetic ones.
And sometimes I think that the most respectful way to disagree is to NOT say anything if you know the other person will not be able to recieve what you have to say without being offended. But if you have the first conversation then you should be able to have this one.