im sorry for caters ,,it must be painfull
my father is a ufo believer and evalution fundamentelest
an i dont realy want to take my wife around there because of her weak faith ,,,,he was a catholic once so her also believes in a god ,that will come to vist the eathe in ufo
he doesnt think he needs he repent
im geting im trembleing wile i type
im desusted as well
your not a child now caters ,,,,you and your husbane are one ,you honer god and his word now ,, and protect you daughter from all outside sin full influences
that what i do with my wife as mush as can be done ,and would not hesatate to do it with a child in my care
try to love your mother and have pity on her and pray for mercy ,, thats one of the most importatnt trils you wll need to over come , pray to god for strength ,and by happy that he will answer you prayer for it is what he wants
wow very nice sharing and thanks for posting here
Welcome your parents into your home. But make sure they know its your home and your rules. Lay down the law no catholic practice here.....then show them a list of hotels.....if they don't like your rules this is where they can stay. But predetermine that for the sake of your child you will pack them up a drive em to the hotel....with a smile and in love of course.
"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
12. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."
13. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand."..Ephesian 6.
The RCC is much like any cult, except of course, that it has become a world power. Behind the ritual, and anti-Christ doctrines, though, are Demon Powers and Princes...and I'm sure Satan himself visits his throne there quite often.
It is a fortress, designed to keep multitudes in. It is a prison of lies and deception, and those inside are in bondage, as much so as if bound by bulky chains and cuffs.
Herein lies the state of your mother...and she does not know this, of course. She carries the lie with her, close to her heart, and ministers it. It is the lie that kills, hates Jesus, and you and yours. The living princes that rule her, are very aware, and angry that you believe. You escaped [ thank-you Jesus ]; multitudes do not.
Really, she is in no worse state than those bound by the World...your common unbeliever in any religious or secular setting. She is lost, has become deceived, and is on her way to a real Hell, with real fire and torment, unless she believes on the Lord Jesus and His shed blood, and becomes a born again believer in Him. I know you know that....I just wanted another perspective brought to light upon the obvious.
This is how I handle similar situations with my grandchildren when unbelieving family members pull the same strategy....I confront them then and there...and in the presence of my children. I do so as calm as possible, and with as much compassion as I can muster.
"I don't appreciate your constant darts to me, and my daughter...the RCC is all lies, and if you don't get out Mom, your going to die, and I want you to live...and not go to Hell.....and I want you to promise that you will stop trying to influence her, PLEASE!"
A couple of these statements, done in love, and gently, should do the trick...and if there is an opening to lift up the Name above all names, do so.
"Honor your mother and father!"...This is important, for your daughter to see you respect and love and honor your unbelieving mother. I'm sure you do...and this , at this point, is not serious enough to reject her.
You live with your daughter, and even as a child, she will be exposed to the lie. You have all of the influence over her now. Talk to her in real terms about what a Christian is, and isn't. It's not going to church, being nice, or being good most of the time. Tie this in with your mother in love and respect...she'll get it.
You may be the only channel on Earth for your Mom to see Jesus. Learn to use this conflict to love her more, and there is a lot of freedom when you love someone, to speak your mind. My best wishes, and thank-you for posting this. I appreciate your transparent expression of your faith struggle...Tom
Sherid,
Enochh and Tom gave you good advice, IMHO.
When this discussion (about Catholicism) occurs, just do not get emotional. Do not allow her emotional distress suck you into its whorl because soon you can have a royal fight on your hands. Be calm and deliberate, but always kind. Make sure you and your husband are in agreement in whatever you decided you want to do about their stay in your home.
It may also help to cook them a delicious meal, cooking her favorites so she will know you love her - its just one of those little things that mean a lot to a mom.
Whatever you do, remember you ARE a mom and someday your daughter will be an adult as well.
God bless....
BTW, I suspect many Catholics do not understand all the doctrine the Vatican adheres to. It just does not register. I have a friend who was in the Catholic church for many years and her understanding on many of these issues is not as we perceive it. I attribute it to ignorance.
I came from roman catholic faith. My elder brother was the first one to came to Christ. He used to bring tracts especially from Kieth Green and place them in our living room. I read them casually, from time to time, when I have nothing to do.
However, he did not personally talked about Christ with me. When I went to college he asked me to go with him at the campus fellowship he was attending. Eventually I was converted myself.
In my solitude, there were times that I would have such a heavy burden to pray for the salvation of my parents who were deeper into the catholic faith. Like a child, with simply faith, I just prayed and prayed. Early on, I came to know that I can do nothing at all. But I just persisted in prayer as my heart becomes heavy for them.
What I can show them was kindness, respect, politeness, courtesy, a change in character and disposition, how my life is changed, with resilient hope amidst difficulties, now that I came to know Christ.
I just came into realization, when I came home, after finishing my studies in a faraway place, that they have already abandoned their former faith and came to know the truth.
HI Sherid,
I understand your thoughts and position. I was born and raised in a Catholic community in Scotland. All my education was Catholic and I was married in the Catholic church. In parts of Scotland and Ireland, its just about as Catholic as it gets. My advice to you sister is to love your mom with all of your heart. She is caught up in real evil and she does not even begin to realize it. Only the power of God can release her from such ancient deception. When they say that Catholicism is a masterpiece of Satanic deception, they do not exagerate.
I would not begin to point out parts of the doctrine, I have never, not a single time, found it to be fruitful to engage in any kind of doctrinal conversation with a Catholic, for the most part, they are simply ignorant of Scripture and certainly ignorant to what they are supposed to believe. The key to your mother's salvation will come in your witness to her. If you get a chance to talk to her about anything, talk to her about the Jesus that you know personally. Wait for the opening of the Holy Spirit. Let Him go before you and do His work. Your work will lie in the realm of prayer. Your mothers heart is the Lord's domain. She is a captive and only Jesus can set the captives free.
Tell her that you guys must agree to disagree. Maintain the relationship on those grounds. Tell her that even if you die disagreeing with her, that you will always love her. If she ever says anything, simply speak the truth in love and move on.
My favorite Scripture to talk about with Catholics when i get the opening is John 3. " Unless a man is born again, he cannot enter the Kingdom of heaven." I ask them what that means to them. It is obviously a very unambiguous statement from Jesus. So one must decide , at the cost of ones soul, what it means to be born again. Your own persoanl life will be a witness to that, you will be a living epistle, read of men, whether you were to ever utter a word or not.
God bless you Sherid, my prayers are with you. Take heart, there are millions of ex-Catholics, a testimony to true power............. brother Frank
Hey Carters-
Thanks for opening up this topic. It has been on my mind a good bit lately. In the same boat of discerning exactly what track to take. Slightly different in that it is not my family members but folks that have gotten born again in our church being assaulted by their Catholic family for it.
Several catholics have gotten saved recently. We live in a strongly catholic area. When the folks that got saved started plugging in and growing it sent their catholic families into orbit. They DID NOT CARE that their grown children were alcoholics, drug abusers, and totally living a life of destruction...THEY DID NOT SEEM TO CARE AT ALL! However, when they got saved and delivered from the drugs, alcohol, and started being a good role model for the kids it sent their catholic families over the edge! They would do a "family intervention" and tell them that if they were going to "get religion" they were coming to the catholic church..period. If not they were basically divorced from the family..in other words don't come to Thanksgiving dinner.
One of the more heart breaking examples involved a single mother with 2 children. She hesitantly came to services at first. She was looking for answers and a way to turn her life around. She knew from experience that it was not to be found in the catholic church. She then started following more hard after God and seeing some real growth and fruit in her life. Her mother and aunt live in the same neighborhood. They came by and forbade her to attend "that protestant church". However, she continued on for a week or two. The next time the mother and aunt showed up on her front porch on Sunday morning. They informed her that if she wished to damn herself for all eternity by fellowshipping with us then they supposed she could. However, they were taking her children from her and placing them into the catholic church. They were stopping her from keeping her own children with her and insuring the children were safe within the catholic church. She was to be divorced from them. Well... this was to much and she returned to the catholic church with them. I am of course concerned that within a few months she will return to her former lifestyle of sin. Ironically this will then be fine with her family as long as she isn't fellowshipping with we protestants.
One tip I keep hearing is to love your catholic family. Love is an unconquerable force. It disarms people that nothing else will. It is difficult to stay at odds with folks that just keep loving you. Over time this sometimes overcomes their resistance. However, after leading ministries for many years in heavily catholic communities I must say that it is some of the hardest ground to produce harvest from you will ever see!
If you do get a chance to engage them in a deeper conversation keep it civil. USE THEIR BIBLE. They have been taught that the "protestant" bible is filled with errors and scriptures removed. So just use theirs. The great big St. Joseph Press Douay-Rheim 1899 Edition. That removes some of their preconceived walls. The translation is reasonably solid as well. It of course has the apocrapha but the the scripture verses themselves are in a fairly good translation. For example it translates
1 Tim 2:5 : For there is one God, and one mediator of God and men, the man Christ Jesus
THAT is in the Bible most catholics have. Unfortunately most are absolutely clueless as to what is in "their" Bible. They typically say, "The priest tells me what I should believe". His opinion trumps the clear teaching of scripture in their mind.
Good topic for those who are from catholic families or minister in heavily catholic areas.
I would not begin to point out parts of the doctrine, I have never, not a single time, found it to be fruitful to engage in any kind of doctrinal conversation with a Catholic, for the most part, they are simply ignorant of Scripture and certainly ignorant to what they are supposed to believe.
This may be relevant in some cases, but definitely not all. When you have a die-hard Catholic like your mom, it may be the best thing for her. When she brings it up or when the Lord gives you and opening, you can challenge her on some of the very basic things which you would be able to refute easily; such as:
1. "A bishop MUST BE the husband of one wife.." How come none of their "bishops" meet this qualification for a bishop?? Peter was supposedly the first pope; how come he was married?
2. "There is one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus" What's with their "mediatrix," Mary?
Just start with simple stuff like that that's easy to refute. This could go on...
But then again, you said she doesn't really care about what the Bible says, right?
I would encourage you to give her the book by David W. Daniels, Babylon Religion. It's available at many places, the following on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Babylon-Religion-David-W-Daniels/dp/0758906315
It might get her attention enough to read it... The dash of humor in it usually keeps you reading, too.
My grandfather was a Catholic priest (almost!) similar to your mom, although I would say he was a bit more radical than your mom in that he was part of the "traditionals" who count all the popes since Vatican II as antichrists. Talk about cult!! :)
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