Hello, I've been recently asked to attend a Bible study with an old dear friend of mine who is not a Catholic but neigther is anti-catholic. What should I do? I mean where would it go since I am firm in my Catholic beliefs and I will not choose my own private judgment as we read the bible. I believe what the catechism teaches. So should I even bother to attend?

-- Robert (Noemail@nts.com), April 18, 2004

Answers

Bump to New Answers to invite comment.

-- (bump@bump.bump), April 18, 2004.

Robert,

In saying your friend is not "anti-Catholic", I assume you mean that he is respectful to you, and not openly hostile toward your beliefs. However, many of his beliefs are in fact anti-Catholic if he is Protestant. If you participate in a gathering of people who share the same orientation and beliefs with one another, which are opposite to your own on many issues, one of two things will happen - (1) you will politely refrain from saying much, just listening to their interpretations of the text they are reading. This may do you no harm if you are thoroughly rooted in your own beliefs and the scriptural support for them; but you won't get much out of it and won't feel very comfortable doing it ... and, if you are not solid in your faith, it may indeed do serious harm. Or (2) you will freely present the Catholic view on the scriptures that are presented, which will turn the "Bible study" into an ongoing "you vs. them" debate rather than a mutual learning experience. Why not look for a good Catholic Bible study? Many (though unfortunately not most) parishes offer them.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), April 18, 2004.

Robert, there is a high risk of stressing out your friendship, if you do attend his Bible study. You may actually forfeit any friendship that you have now. One of you will have to remain dormant to the other in regards to your personal faith. That's going into the extreme of things. It could get worse.

...................

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), April 18, 2004.

I agree with Paul M. Check with your local parishes or diocese if necessary to find a good Catholic Bible study near you. Or start one at your own church, and invite your friend along too!

Tell your friend about your convictions, that the Church's teachings are correct. It is very important to back this up with Scripture, as Protestants place a high value on that. Start with 1 Tim. 3:15, Matthew 16:17-19, and John 16:13 (note here that Jesus speaks to the apostles, ie. Church leaders, not all Christians as Protestants claim).

Explain that for Protestants, "truth" depends on their own interpretive reading of Scripture, but for you, you look to the Church's teaching and the Bible for Truth. Emphasize this such as with the verses above that is this indeed a Scriptural concept, unlike using "Scripture alone," which is a manmade Protestant tradition that is NOT in the Bible. Challenge the person to provide a verse otherwise. They will likely, if anything, give you 1 Timothy 3:16-17, but this verse says "all Scripture" but not "only Scripture" is God-breathed.

However, your friend (not being anti-Catholic) should have no problem attending a Catholic Bible study, since Protestants consider the views of all people to be on equal planes (at least in theory). I don't know your friend, but if this person is like most Protestants (and like I once was), he or she if probably trying to convert you to Protestantism, and this is the subtle method.

-- Emily (jesusfollower7@yahoo.com), April 18, 2004.

Hi,

I was in a Bible study here at the University of MN with non- Catholics, and I really couldn't take it for too long. They must have felt like I was fallen from the faith, and that in turn caused me to be quiet most of the times. I didn't bond with them, because I didn't bond with their personal interpretations. If you want a good Bible study, find one at a local Catholic parish. It is far too easy to start believing ideas which are contradictory to your faith; this is a catalyst for many leaving the Church.

-- Andrew Staupe (stau0085@umn.edu), April 18, 2004.

Wow. I just want to say that the above answers are on the money.

-- Mark Advent (adventm5477@earthlink.net), April 20, 2004.

Robert, I agree with eveything that's been said above. But your friend may feel hurt, if, like most protestants, he probably still won't "get it" why you would see it as harmful to attend his study group. He is probably imbued with the belief, so pervasive in our culture that even some younger Catholics have been influenced by it, that any Christian belief or church is, or should be, based only on the Bible; that the Bible is a kind of instruction book for each reader to interpret how to set up a Church and regulate all aspects of one's life.

Try to explain to him charitably that: this is like saying "I take the works of Marx, Lenin, Stalin and Mao as my guide for life, but please don't call me a Communist!" The Catholic Pope and bishops MADE the Bible. They chose which books to include in it. The authors of the New Testament were Catholic bishops and priests.

-- Peter K (ronkpken@yahoo.co.au), April 20, 2004.

"The authors of the New Testament were Catholic bishops and priests."

Is that really an accurate statement? Would it be best to use the word "compilers", instead?

"The [compilers] of the New Testament were Catholic bishops and priests. "

..........................

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), April 20, 2004.

Both the 4th century compilers of the Bible AND the 1st century authors were priests and bishops of the one Church Christ founded for all men.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), April 20, 2004.

Thanks brothers and sisters, that really helped. But I am pretty confident he's not trying to convert me. I know this fellow well and I used to be protestant and attend the same church as he does today. He is'nt hostile towards Catholic beliefs but I fear the study will turn out much of like what you all said. So I think I not attain.

-- Robert (Noemail@nts.com), April 21, 2004.

Paul M.

Where would that put Marcion? A poser or a publisher? Surely not a bishop or priest? Or, is my history lesson off?

..........................

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), April 21, 2004.

Anon

Try in envision a Bible study about Baptism in the Protestant doctrine as the Catholic sits dormant listening to the idea that infants do not require baptizing. Gradually, the dormant Catholic will one day become a smoldering volcano and cease to contain his doctrine. The Bible study will become hotter than a lava flow when the conflicting doctrines clash and words get spewed about.

.....but, other than that, things will ge fine.

................

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), April 21, 2004.

Anon's post has been removed from this discussion as she is prohibited from participating in the forum.

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-- Ed (catholic4444@y;ahoo.ca), April 22, 2004.