Your Worst Anti-Catholic Experience

[Ave Maria]

It happened to me my Junior year in High School. It was ash Wednesday and 1st period math class. I was to leave 15 minutes before class ended to go to the church and serve 8:30 mass. My teacher, who is/was Jahovass witness, had asked why I was to leave and I told him. Well he flipped out. Saying I'm crazy for being catholic, he said let was stupid, and the pope was a fake, he went on and on for a good 10 minutes, I just sat there and starred at him as he went on and on like a fool, if I had a tape recorder I would've had him fired. I just got up and walked out more proud about my religon than I ever was in my entire life. Ever since that I have valued my religon so much.

Wow, I would have reported him anyway. The other students could have been your witnesses and you could easily have gotten him fired.

 

[PetertheRock]

Well, I had one person tell me that if she ruled the world she would make religion illegal so people could think for themselves. I also wear a Benedictine cross and I had it on at the fire station and one of the college kids made some kind of nasty comment about Christians in general. I don't even remember what he said but I didn't say anything to him...I just prayed.

 

[Caedmon]

I think that it's best not to dwell on such experiences Speaking from my own personal experience, dwelling on such things can breed resentment and anger, which is poison for the soul. I had to confess a lot of anger and resentment toward anti-Catholic folks the last time I went to confession and the priest to whom I confessed came out and told me straight out that I was "being totally stupid" for allowing such feelings to well up inside of me when that's the opposite of what Jesus would feel for these people.

When you see someone being anti-Catholic, correct their misconceptions gently as best you can, and if they won't listen, leave the rest to the Holy Spirit and walk away.

If a priest told me that I was "being totally stupid," I would never confess to him again. But that's just me.

 

[Caedmon]

It was mainly a scare tactic which failed miserably and actually backfired. I sent her a very firm but charitable reply and told her how she had caused possibly irreparable damage to her relationship with Brenda and she was very apologetic and sorry. More than a year later, though she has forgiven her mother, my wife still can't be as close to her as she once was. I guess finding out a parent's love isn't as unconditional as you thought changes your emotional dependency on that parent.

You should have heard my mother the night I visited after sending her and my dad a letter explaining that I had become Catholic. She tried to rip me a new one. She told me that I was betraying the family, and that people had coerced me, and a lot of other bologney. She also asked me to stay baptist over and over and over again. She damaged our relationship that night. She tried to talk to me about it later twice on the phone, and she sent me an email as well, which I did not respond to (Later on she asked me why I didn't respond). It's ironic -- she doesn't even attend her own church, and yet she wants to control where I go. Amazing. I was angry at her for a while, and I was extremely uncomfortable around her for weeks and weeks. Now things have gotten a little better. She doesn't try to talk about it anymore. I am trying to love her the best I can.

 

[Kasia]

I guess the worst I endure is on my university campus, which is full of liberal athiests who just don't approve of religion in general. I'm just really glad that I found a group of friends that accept the fact that I am Catholic even though they don't really believe in any religion. I knew that my secular friends really loved me when they came to comfort me when JP2 died.

 

[Ave Maria]

Well, I had one person tell me that if she ruled the world she would make religion illegal so people could think for themselves. I also wear a Benedictine cross and I had it on at the fire station and one of the college kids made some kind of nasty comment about Christians in general. I don't even remember what he said but I didn't say anything to him...I just prayed.

How sad that this person doesn't believe in religious freedom. Anyway, welcome back Darryl!

 

[Highway of Life]

I had one anti-Catholic experience the other day at work, from a customer.
When asked what Church I go to, I said Catholic, to which she immediately tensed up.
I got in a dialog with her, she presented her concerns, I had no trouble disbanding her misconceptions, once she found out that our real first priority is to love and worship Jesus, and that some Catholics know Scripture, in a very short time she was soon comfortable, and relaxed. It was an awesome thing!
It was not about I'm right, you are wrong, it was about seeking truth. We were building bridges! And we praised God that we had the opportunity to meet!

We are called to this kind of evangelism and witness friends!

Be a light to the world!
Blessings,
Carretera de la Vida

Sea un testigo

 

[Highway of Life]

Sometimes I would wear this crucifix outside of my shirt.

I happened into many great dialogs with people because of it.
One man eventually became a Christian because when we met he noticed the crucifix, and we began to talk about God.

Blessings!
Carretera de la Vida

 

[Kusanagi]

I did not have any anti-catholic experiance drawn against me. Though mainly when I was an agnostic, I realy never revealed my faith during that time .

 

[alban]

Well, I had one person tell me that if she ruled the world she would make religion illegal so people could think for themselves. I also wear a Benedictine cross and I had it on at the fire station and one of the college kids made some kind of nasty comment about Christians in general. I don't even remember what he said but I didn't say anything to him...I just prayed.

Lol, i love people who think like that. 'In order to have intellectual freedom then it must be made illegal to believe in something!'

 

[Kusanagi]

I should also include my online experiance also. There is another forum that frequent (its a gaming forum) that the majority of posters are eather atheists or agnostics. Catholics are a minority in that forum and I oftenly see anti-catholic statements which makes me kind of afraid to express my faith .

 

[Caedmon]

Sometimes I would wear this crucifix outside of my shirt.

I happened into many great dialogs with people because of it.
One man eventually became a Christian because when we met he noticed the crucifix, and we began to talk about God.

Blessings!
Carretera de la Vida

I wear a 3" long olive wood St. Benedict's crucifix with a metal corpus and medal. Almost every time someone's talked about it, it's been complementary. Many of the african-american Christians that I've met said they really liked it. I think it just scares my caucasian acquaintances, lol. However, I have had a few comments like, "He walks around like he's Mother Teresa." And to tell the truth, it does make me feel uncomfortable sometimes, and it can be a little physically cumbersome, like when it wraps around my safety-belt in the car. I'm thinking about finding a smaller one.

 

[Irenaeus]

I wear my Miraculous Medal, Caedmon. Younger kids say, "It makes you look different."

Believe me, there's worse things you could be called than Blessed Mother Teresa.

 

[Carrye]

I wear my Miraculous Medal, Caedmon. Younger kids say, "It makes you look different."

I'd like to find a crucifix and chain so that I could put a miraculous medal with it. Maybe when I get paid.

 

[Egghead]

Too many to keep track of. Though I should add, it's all been online.
In real life, people are basically decent.

I think the anonymity of the internet can cause people to drop pretenses and show their true colors.

you need to meet me in person then

I dont usually need anonymity to offend folks

 

[FreeinChrist]

Exactly! Most Protestants/Non-Catholics are friendly to us Catholics/Orthodox. I am quite thankful for that. Most of them do not judge.

Anyway, I really feel for those of you who have experienced such hatred. The best we can do is to love our enemies and pray for them. Any more stories? If you have already shared your worst experience, you can share other experiences as well if you'd like.

I experinced a different type of thing. I married a Catholic and there was a Baptist minister and a Catholic priest doing the wedding ceremony. My husband's Catholic family didn't even bother to dress nice for the wedding (except his parents and those in the wedding party) - after all, one said, "it wasn't in a real church". Just a Baptist church. Everyone was nice to them so in the end, most who came to the wedding dressed sloppy felt bad.

You know, it comes from all sides, Holly.

 

[AMDG]

Everyone was nice to them so in the end, most who came to the wedding dressed sloppy felt bad.

I'm glad you'll were nice to them, but in their defence, chances are though, that those who didn't "dress up", didn't even feel that they were dressing sloppily.

Just the other month my son got married IN a beautiful Catholic Church. Although the wedding was formal and MOST of the guests dressed appropriately, still I know that some of the guests dressed--err--"casual". I know for a fact that some of the guests were NOT Catholic, but I don't know that the "casual" dressers were not. Perhaps the "casual" dressers simply wore what they would wear to Mass. Too often nowadays, Catholics DON'T wear their "Sunday best" when they go to Church. (In fact not too many in the secular world dress-up for special occassions anymore either but I digress.)

This always makes me think of my Baptist Sister-in-law. Honest, she has one closet of "regular" clothes, and another closet of dressier "Sunday-go-to-meeting" clothes. It makes me smile. I think my Sister-in-law has the right idea. Church time is time to dress-up.

 

[FreeinChrist]

I'm glad you'll were nice to them, but in their defence, chances are though, that those who didn't "dress up", didn't even feel that they were dressing sloppily.

This was 30 years ago (and we are still married! ). They knew they were not dressing up.
I will say his family was nicer after that.

 

[cristoiglesia]

Blessings to all,

I was a Protestant minister for over 25 years and converted to Catholicism just a few years ago. I am a priest in the PNCC serving as a missionary in the Philippines. Here in the Philippines, the people are mostly Roman Catholic and for years have been under the influence of Cardinal Sin who had restricted the practice of married priests that is in the US on a limited basis and under specific circumstances. Therefore, people are not used to seeing married priests and are not aware that this practice is allowed elsewhere.

One day my wife met me for lunch at a local Shoemart mall. I was dressed in a cassock and my wife was dressed somewhat less modestly than she usually dressed when we went out together. When we met she and I kissed and I put my arm around her as we walked towards the restaurant. As we were walking a older lady came up and tapped me on the shoulder. When I turned around she scoulded me saying , "shame on you father for being in public with your mistress this way". It probably took fifteen minutes to explain to her that we were married and in fact grand-parents. My wife and I still laugh about this experience. We are much more careful now about our public displays of affection.

In Christ

 

[Dicy mind]

I don't blame you at all. I wouldn't speak to him either after that. I would however remember him in prayer and maybe offer a novena of the Divine Mercy Chaplet for him.

I don't blame him either because when you take heavenly things and make it secular of course you'd be best to explain every one where the holy ends and earthly begins.