the anti-Catholic crowd who worship their own Most High and Holy Self
Those who dislike us don't worship themselves any more than we worship Mary, statues, or the saints. Please, let's not return the false accusations.
People who don't even accept the entire Bible telling others how to interpret Scripture are clearly not led by the author of all Scripture, Jesus Christ.
Again, let's stick to teachings of our faith please. CCC 818-819 tell us that there are elements of truth and sanctification outside the Catholic Church. Yes some nonCatholics overlook parts of scripture but that doesn't mean they are without the leading of Christ and his Holy Spirit. Others don't overlook but simply interpret them differently.
Of course we have differences with our nonCatholic brethren. Those differences don't give us license to treat them poorly though. Even if they refuse to give us the same consideration.
Peace be with you. Thanks for taking time to consider my comments :)
I see no way around concluding that anyone who relies on their own personal judgment to interpret Scripture for their self by denying all of what was taught by the Apostles and for the fifteen hundred years up to the Self Alone Rationalization, is placing them self above the Scripture they claim to interpret. Especially when they begin by throwing out a portion of the Bible and only then claim to believe in the Bible. When someone claims their own interpretation of Scripture is inerrant and that everyone from Jesus Christ, through the Apostles, and up to their favorite rationalizer is wrong, they are worshiping their Self as The Word, not Jesus Christ who is the Word. That is following Eve, not following Christ.
There are elements of the Truth outside the Catholic Church, no doubt, and pursuing those portions of the Truth rather than deciding what I wanted to believe and interpreting Scripture to suit my preferences is what led me to the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church Jesus Christ Himself founded after being Lutheran most of my life.
It's nice to be ecumenical, but those who obstinately deny the Truth by denying the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist and who constantly lie about what the One True Church teaches aren't overlooking something, they're deliberately denying His Word, deliberately telling lies, and deliberately slandering His Church. People who who the Holy Spirit is working on do not resist the Truth when it's explained to them. They pray, open their heart, and at the very least admit that they can see why there is as much reason to accept what the Catholic Church teaches as to accept what they belive contradicts it. They don't lie and slander pretending that lies and slanders are part of spreading His Word.
Making nice with those who lie about and slander the Catholic Church is not ecumenicism towards those who "overlook but simply interpret things differently", it's refusing confront those who are under a powerful delusion. A powerful delusion that blinds them with the glory of their Self and keeps them from seeing how they're being used to attack Christ and Christianity. Their very manner, in fact, slanders all of Christianity and ignoring such folks only leads others to believe there is no answer to the lies and slander and not much reflection of Christ in those who claim to be Christian whatever they claim to believe.
People who lie about the Catholic Church are confronted with the facts, that's not treating them poorly. I'd be treating them very poorly indeed if I left them to stew in their own lies and funky delusional wastes. More importantly, I'd be treating His Word poorly if I constantly threw pearls before such swine rather than obeying Scripture and letting them be anathema after they've been confronted with the Truth. Only the Holy Spirit can lead them away from the broad highway to destruction they're on so I pray for them. I also make it clear to them they're heading towards hearing, "I never knew you" from the very same Jesus Christ they in essence call a liar.
Such folks are not just slandering the Catholic Church, they're slandering all of Christianity and Christ Himself.
They pretend to "only" be attacking the Catholic Church but if the Catholic Church has for two thousand years been wrong about how to interpret Scripture and wrong about the canon, then there's no real reason to believe that the Luther Subset of the Bible is the inspired Word of God, either. Especially since Luther also wanted to throw out the parts of the New Testament he found it difficult to argue his way around. Disagreeing with an interpretation or doctrine is one thing, slandering His Word, His Church, and Christ Himself, is another matter.
I'm sorry, but I don't see it the way you do. I don't know of any nice way to point out that someone is denying what His Word says, refusing to accept a portion of the Bible, essentially calling Jesus Christ a liar by denying what Christ Himself clearly said, and repeating slanderous lies that have been shown to be lies over and over for five centuries since they were first spun out of thin air.
Look at CCC 1753 & 1754 then tell me that a desire to be ecumenical is a reasonable response to lies about His Bride and His Word. I see no way around confronting lies and no way around pointing out a situation where someone is denying Christ while pretending to be Christian. Doing that is claiming that the ends, being nice and ecumenical, justifies means that include silently ignoring lies and slanders against Christ and His Bride. The angel Michael didn't say, "I beg to differ", he confronted Lucifer by saying, "who is like God".
I feel sure Jesus Christ expects to likewise be confrontational when someone is deliberately slandering His Bride.
Regards