debiwebi said:
Ok this is where we part ways slightly and where although some of you might think this should not be so important to me it is. I was always taught not to base things on a persons race, religion, ect but on the individual themselves when I am evaluating them. Do I take certain things into account Yes I do and I can understand that some may be upset and disappointed with my personal decision. But my religious denomination is not all of who I am. Just like it is not all of who you are. So I would be disappointed and tell the person that but I would not desert them either because that isn't Christianlike and what if they are just going through a rough time and need some time to see the error of their ways, I want to be able to be there for them too.
In Christ
Debi
Debiwebi . . . I know that some would say, "this is only a chat board" and dismiss the relations that can be built here as something less than in real face to face life . . (and I am not saying that anyone here is really saying that, just that I have run across it on other forums), but there are real people behind these icons and names, with real feelings and personalities . . and what you are saying is very true . . we relate to each other on a different level because we can't see each other . . we don't judge each other on the physical looks, etc . . we only have what is presented here . .
Something to think about . . the friends you made who are now attacking you for your decision may have become your friends as a protestant for different reasons than you became their friend . . that they saw, in their anit-catholic stance, a like-minded soul and so someone worthy of befriending . . when you ended up no longer being "like-minded" they feel betrayed . . and in reality, you may not have been really as like-minded as they thought . . you have crossed the "line" and this is abhorrent to them . . . where if one of them had crossed this "line" instead of you, you probably would not have reacted the same way . .because your basis for friendship was not the same . .
As has been suggested, give them time .. the ones who are really friends will work this out and still be there . .the ones who are not really friends will not . . but still pray for them .. you never know when they also, to the shock and dismay of their friends, will cross this "line" like you did.
All of us who have converted have experienced this .. we have found something so joyous that we want to share it with our friends and help them see how wrong we all had been about Catholicism . . and because we are friends we think they will at least listen . . then we find that we are wrong . . our friendship many times is not enough to get them to really hear us and to see things differently . . and a line gets drawn by them between them and us and their relationships with us undergo a change, we are not treated the same, we are not "friends" like we used to be .. And even family begins to treat us differently . . our decision is not understood, they think we are going into error, they think we are turning our back on God even .. we are treated as somehow being less by some simply because we are now becoming Catholic . .
It is very real . . it can cut very deeply in our hearts . . we are still the same person we were before we made this decision .. but we are no longer treated by some we love, care about and have been friends with because they don't see us any longer as being the same person . . prejudices and biases are strong and now we are the recipient of what they engender in one who holds them . .
And we may be completely surpised by who it is . . one we may not ever suspect will be the one who has the biggest problem with our decision . . one of my brothers, the one I thought for sure would understand and have no problem at all (and I have a catholic friend who knows him and thought the same thing) is the one who thinks I may be going to hell now . . I was completely shocked . .
It costs something to follow the Lord . . and it can really cost something to follow Him into the fullness of faith in Catholicism . . there are still costs you will have to confront yet as you move into the fullness of truth and into full communion with the Catholic Church . . sometimes you may be tempted to think the costs are not worth it . . do not let this rob you of what God has for you!
And I want to add that even so, we as converts can still feel very connected to our Protestant background and our Protestant friends for quite some time . . and this feeling of "connectedness" only accentuates how much such actions and attitudes affect us . .
Peace in Him!
Oh well got do what we have to do.
