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When a Baptist Marries a Catholic

Michie

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DIFFICULT MORAL QUESTIONS: The distance between Baptists and Catholics is much closer than the distance between believers and nonbelievers.

Q. My son, who was raised Catholic, is marrying a Baptist woman and I am not sure how I feel or what the specific protocols are for interacting with my new daughter-in-law. I don't know enough about the Baptist communion, and I am not sure if there are specific actions my wife and I need to be aware of and sensitive to. I’m hoping to connect with a religious authority in this area to help educate us and guide us as we navigate this foreign territory in our limited religious landscape. Is this something you can help us with? — Gilman, Augusta, Maine

A. It’s not clear to me whether you are asking whether you should respect the faith of your son’s fiancée or asking for more knowledge about the Baptist faith. Thus, I will briefly respond to both.

Continued below.
 

chevyontheriver

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DIFFICULT MORAL QUESTIONS: The distance between Baptists and Catholics is much closer than the distance between believers and nonbelievers.

Q. My son, who was raised Catholic, is marrying a Baptist woman and I am not sure how I feel or what the specific protocols are for interacting with my new daughter-in-law. I don't know enough about the Baptist communion, and I am not sure if there are specific actions my wife and I need to be aware of and sensitive to. I’m hoping to connect with a religious authority in this area to help educate us and guide us as we navigate this foreign territory in our limited religious landscape. Is this something you can help us with? — Gilman, Augusta, Maine

A. It’s not clear to me whether you are asking whether you should respect the faith of your son’s fiancée or asking for more knowledge about the Baptist faith. Thus, I will briefly respond to both.

Continued below.
I think I would see this as an opportunity for conversation with the in-laws. You could approach it like 'since you are going to have a Catholic in-law now, maybe we could clue you in on a few things. Get them a copy of the Catechism. Invite them to come to mass with you. The topic will not go away. Make the best of it.

My in-laws were a mixed bag. But a brother in law got in a Baptist way and decided one visit to try to convert me. Not to reconvert his sister but to convert me. He brought booklets and tracts. He got an earful, and books in return.

Funny thing is that a few years before he got in a Baptist way, back when he was in a semi-Pagan way it was myself and another Catholic and an evangelical that teamed up to challenge him on matters of faith. I think we planted seeds that may not have germinated perfectly but nonetheless germinated.

I think it all comes down to whether they are thinkers or not.
 
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Bob Crowley

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My wife is Baptist, but the story is different in that we were both Protestant when we married (I was Presbyterian). I became Catholic later.

It could be a challenge. My wife accepted my decision a long time ago, and she's probably done a few hundred visits with me as an associate member of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. We finished our Christmas gifts and hampers drop off about two hours ago, and she came with me for that.

On the other hand, I remember a comment by my old Presbyterian pastor who predicted I'd become Catholic. He said "I think you might have some trouble with the Baptists. They're very much aware of being "Baptist", much more so than Presbyterians are of being "Presbyterian" for example." So far it hasn't happened. I did have one argument some years ago with a Baptist chap who is very much into Creation Science, but he's since changed his tune. I think he was invited to give a few presentations in Catholic schools about his creationism, and said to me "I like the Catholic emphasis on Social Justice".

Unfortunately my old pastor was pretty accurate with his predictions, so I still expect it to happen sooner or later, preferably later.

I'll just say it could be a challenge. What wasn't stated in the original question was how seriously the son takes his faith. It says he was "raised" in the Catholic faith, but that doesn't mean much these days. Once they're old enough, most of them don't turn up at church again. The depth of his own faith is going to have a bearing.
 
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Tuur

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Worst case is the fictional situation in the song The Orange and the Green. There's going to be a lot of misconceptions from both sides of the family. For the Roman Catholic side, I recommend Hershel Hobbs What Baptists Believe. Roman Catholics will have to recommend an equivalent work for the Baptist side.

Unfortunately, there's apt to be resistance from the Baptist side due to a strong anti-Roman Catholic streak that still seems prevalent and a lack of knowledge about Roman Catholics. I don't know how Roman Catholics view Baptists, so can't comment there.

What I do know is that Roman Catholics and Baptists share the core belief held in common by all Christian denominations about who Jesus Christ is, what He did for us, and that God the Father resurrected Him on the third day. Unfortunately, you'll find some Roman Catholics and Baptists who don't, but that's true in any denomination.
 
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