Reasoning through the teachings & beliefs of the Catholic Church while striving to live them out as a young adult.
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Is Anyone Out There??
Sometimes I wonder whether I should keep up with this blog, since it doesn't seem like I'm reaching anyone except for a few other fellow Catholics. However, they are not my intended audience. I'd much rather reach out to non-Catholics and their perspectives on the issues I present.
I don't want to be thought of as the "morality police" or for people to ignore what I have to say. I get the sense that people blow me and this blog off since it may not coincide with their views. Margo's just being a Catholic freak again, why doesn't she just leave us alone?
I'll tell you why. YOU are too important and too loved to be left alone. If you are a human, then you are loved by God, simple as that.
God gave me the gift of writing, specifically explanatory writing as well as the passion for His teachings. I greatly desire to share that gift with others as well as to engage in thoughtful discussions. Yet every time I try (either on here or through Facebook), there are only crickets.
Would you rather have me shut up and leave you alone to do whatever you wish even if what you are doing is really hurting yourself?
As Penn Teller once said, "If you believe that there’s a heaven and a hell, and people could be going to hell or not getting eternal life, and you think that it’s not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward—and atheists who think people shouldn’t proselytize and who say just leave me along and keep your religion to yourself—how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize? How much do you have to hate somebody to believe everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?"
I really would appreciate some feedback from anyone out there reading (preferably from non-Catholics). What changes should I make to better communicate to you?
Never forget how much you are loved :) Many blessings!
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As a non-Catholic, I have no problem with reading about your views or anything like that. This is your blog, so you should honestly write about whatever you choose.
ReplyDeleteBUT if you are specifically trying to reach the non-Catholic audience in an attempt to "convert" (I'm using the term lightly, but you do believe that Catholicism is the one true religion) or facilitate a discussion, you can't really go about it by telling people they need to be Catholic and that being Catholic is the only true religion. I've seen this issue before in person at a religious retreat- the organization hoped to convert the non-believers in the room and build a stronger sense of faith for the believers, but their message unfortunately isolated non-believers even more.
If I were an atheist (this is hypothetical, as I am actually a Christian, but I'm involved in interfaith discussions often to understand others' beliefs), what would you say to me to convince me to become Catholic?
Things to think about:
1) you can use the Bible as support, but don't use it as your crutch. Remember that as an atheist, I don't buy into the whole Bible and Jesus dying for our sins thing.
2) you probably shouldn't use the compendium as support, as it is a text specific to Catholicism and not to other Christian denominations.
3) why are YOU a Catholic? why do YOU believe this is the only true religion? once again, the Bible shouldn't be your only source for reasoning because a non-Christian most likely won't believe it.
4) pretty much, think of questions you would ask a non-Catholic who wanted you to convert to their faith. While your default response would be to defend your faith, ask questions to get a feel for what they believe and why.
Overall, just listen to people, hear them out without planning how you'll convince them that you're right and they're wrong (not saying that you don't listen to people, this is just general advice).