Replies

Thank you.

I completely understand where you are coming from. I need to take a break from RF at times as well. Defending the faith can be exhausting.

I agree with Wagglebee when he said “My real concern are the lurkers who will be lead to damnation by some here.”

There are many who learn from these friends and your defense of the the faith. Sometimes posts (in my experience) are directed at the lurkers rather than the posters themselves. That is an invaluable service. While it is true that you may not reach those who are most vocal in posting, you may reach those who are just reading.

you said: “I envision a non-Catholic thread discussing Catholic beliefs, with no participation from any Catholics at all.” While I believe that is an admirable goal, from my experience on other threads, it will lead to a “field day” for those who most vocally oppose Catholic faith and doctrine.

As an outsider, I love Mad dawg’s idea of “tag teaming”, a period of silence from Maundy Thursday through Easter Monday (during which the Sacrifice and Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ should be foremost in ALL of our minds), and prayers for those who are participating. It would serve both the defense of the Faith and a respite for those who need it.

1 Peter 3:15 states: “But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess.”

Defense of the faith is part of the faith. However, not everyone is given the same spiritual gifts and that is good. We are all to use our strengths (and apologetics can be one of them, as can prayer) for the Glory of God. And, IMO, both are needed.

Just my 2 cents.

Sometimes posts (in my experience) are directed at the lurkers rather than the posters themselves.

When someone has been saying the same thing literally for years and continues to say it no matter how many times it has been proven false it becomes clear that THEY are directing it at the lurkers and it is necessary for us to respond in kind.

If I was a lurker and my only knowledge of the Catholic Church came from unanswered statements by non-Catholics here, I would believe that the Catholic Church was the most evil institution in history and that its members were Satanic cult members. Such posts MUST be rebutted.

I like MadDawg's idea too. A "fast" from disputation is a good thing, but we can't leave the field to anti-Catholics.

There are some folks who simply will not listen to reason. Nothing we can say or do will convince them.

But false statements unanswered become truths.

This is particularly true when somebody makes a post (or worse yet, starts a thread) with "Pope Pius XII murdered the Jews" or "All priests are child molesters". Look what happened to the reputation of a saintly Pope because nobody stood up to Hochhuth in a timely fashion.

Besides . . . some of us just love to argue and dispute - as long as there's some actual discussion going on, not just talking to a stone wall.