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january tuesday
Member
| Joined: | Fri Apr 4th, 2008 |
| Location: | Minneapolis, MN |
| Posts: | 41 |
| First Name: | Karli | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Evangelical Free, Baptist, Roman Catholic (2008) |
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Posted: Tue Jul 8th, 2008 06:39 pm |
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so, it's been a few weeks now of a lot of discussion via email about my faith with my dad. and to my great surprise, he's actually listening to me. because my dad is a KJV only Evangelical, I have been focusing on explaining Catholic doctrine using the KJV.
Anyway, we started talking about Tradition and Sola Scriptura and I sent him an audio clip of a radio interview of Jim Anderson on the Origin of the Bible, btw thanks Jim for doing that interview!! It was so much like my own experience! And I sent him an article called "What is Truth? An Examination of Sola Scriptura" by Dwight Longenecker. My dad changed all of the references to KJV and we discussed them, and he told me that he wished he could disagree with me but he can't.
Then we started talking about faith alone. I sent him a list of verses that I had put together two years ago in my own search through this issue that support the Catholic understanding of salvation, and he replied that he cannot deny what I'm saying, and the Bible seems to support it.
He is also going to borrow my copy of Dave's book "A Biblical Defense of Catholicism" this friday.
This all sounds wonderful, except that when my dad started emailing me about this, I responded only to try to show him that I have done my research (he accused me of not) and that I am at least not crazy. I never expected him to agree. And he says he still does not agree with me, he's very stubborn and would not change his mind quickly, but his demeanor in his emails has changed and he is beginning to become more interested in what I have to say about a particular issue rather than telling me what I'm supposed to think, like he did at the beginning. It's great and wonderful, except that I have this awful sinking feeling that if he begins to agree with me, there will be a whole lot more family problems to come. It's been crazy enough when it was just me, I can't imagine what will happen if my Dad starts looking into becoming Catholic. I'm afraid my parents will end up with a divorce, you know? I told him that I am conflicted in sharing too much because I'm afraid of what will happen if he starts to agree with me and he said he doesn't agree with me so I shouldn't worry about it.
any advice about what to do?
also, prayers for my family are definately welcome!
-Karli
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"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7
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Intercessor
Member
| Joined: | Tue Sep 25th, 2007 |
| Location: | Southcentral, Kentucky USA |
| Posts: | 1224 |
| First Name: | Becky | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Southern Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Tue Jul 8th, 2008 09:33 pm |
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Karli, bless your heart. What a fine daughter you are!
Keep doing what you are doing. You are praying, studying, following the Truth wherever He leads, dealing with your family with honesty, humility, and fine preparation. Don't let Satan sidetrack you.
He will want you to accept blame for whatever the fallout is from your conversion and from your dad's possible conversion. In fact, each person has to accept responsibility for seeking the Truth and following the Truth. It won't be your fault; nor will it be your dad's fault if his coming into the Church results in serious marital problems with your mom.
Try to stay focused on doing what needs to be done now (as you have been). Let the Holy Spirit work on your father and mother. Your dad has responded with remarkable quickness. It may take many years for your mother to move as far.
Whatever happens, trust God and leave the responsibility where it will belong--with the person making the decision about his/her own journey.
I salute you, Karli.
Becky
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"The perfection of a soul may be measured by the degree to which it does the will of God, and finds its happiness in doing it.... O my God,...the only thing necessary is Your holy will," Divine Intimacy, pp. 15-16 Father Gabriel, O.C.D.
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tedjenczewski
Member
| Joined: | Thu May 10th, 2007 |
| Location: | Richmond, Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 263 |
| First Name: | Ted | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic, Presbyterian, revert Catholic |
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Posted: Wed Jul 9th, 2008 01:10 am |
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| God bless you Karli. You are taking the right approach here. The Holy Spirit will lead your dad (and your mom) into all truth. Faith will lead to knowledge which will lead to the truth.
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"...the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth." 1Tim 3, 15
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january tuesday
Member
| Joined: | Fri Apr 4th, 2008 |
| Location: | Minneapolis, MN |
| Posts: | 41 |
| First Name: | Karli | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Evangelical Free, Baptist, Roman Catholic (2008) |
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Posted: Wed Jul 9th, 2008 04:16 pm |
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Thanks for the encouragement Becky and Ted, it means a lot. It's still unnerving for me, and I'm not sure how my Dad will respond to Dave's book, or what he'll eventually do with all this information, we'll see...
I've been thinking, perhaps if my Dad starts to see what I see and talks to my Mom about it, maybe she'll start to listen. I feel like my Mom doesn't really listen to me when I try to explain this all to her, because she already has it set in her mind from the beginning that I have been manipulated by my Catholic boyfriend into thinking this, even though I explain to her how minimal of a role he played in it. I think it's just easier for her to blame someone other than me for my conversion, like its easier for her to think I have been manipulated and brainwashed than that I made a conscious and informed decision on my own. Perhaps, just perhaps, if my Dad begins to explain what I am thinking to her, she will have to listen...
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"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5348 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Wed Jul 9th, 2008 05:44 pm |
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january tuesday wrote: Perhaps, just perhaps, if my Dad begins to explain what I am thinking to her, she will have to listen...
Karli, maybe it will help if you keep a couple of things in mind.
1. If she loves and respects you and your beliefs, it challenges the entire belief system she was raised in. It is easier for her to believe you are wrong (misled, lied to, etc.) than that the foundations of her own belief are wrong, from her parents to her pastors to everyone she has ever trusted with her own faith. It is very difficult to let go of a lifetime's worth of belief, especially if you truly believe it is right.
2. If she believes you have been lied to and misled by your Catholic boyfriend, it means she hasn't failed you, but you have been blinded by the "cult" mentality of the Catholic Church (which we, of course, know does not exist). Again, that is easier for her to believe than to believe you might have discovered a truth she never knew.
I don't envy parents who's children become Catholic, especially if they have been raised so that every fiber of their being truly believes the Church is the "whore of Babylon". On the one hand, they love and respect their child (especially if the child has earned that respect), and yet they are making an intelligent decision which the parent truly believes to be wrong, that will condemn their soul to eternal damnation.
I know it would be enough to keep me awake crying into my pillow pretty much every night.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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january tuesday
Member
| Joined: | Fri Apr 4th, 2008 |
| Location: | Minneapolis, MN |
| Posts: | 41 |
| First Name: | Karli | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Evangelical Free, Baptist, Roman Catholic (2008) |
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Posted: Wed Jul 9th, 2008 07:24 pm |
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You're right Rick, I know this is extremely hard for her. I have to remind myself from time to time that it's not just that she's being unfair to me, but that it really is that hard for her to accept my decision, as it would be for many devout life-long Evangelicals.
It is probably especially hard for my Mom for a number of reasons. She has three siblings. Two of her siblings became Jehovah Witnesses, and her other sibling became Catholic. We hardly see her side of the family because the Jehovah Witnesses don't get together on holidays, and the wife of my Mom's Catholic brother is kind of mean and doesn't like getting together with our family. So she already feels that religious differences have payed a toll on her family.
Also, my oldest sister married a Catholic, though she never considered becoming Catholic herself. He is sort of relapsed now I guess, he doesn't go to Mass anymore, and they were going to an EV Free church for awhile.
Then I come along and start dating a relapsed Catholic, who then decides to go back to the Church some time after we started dating, and then later I decide to join the Church.
This all must just feel like insanity to her. Thanks for making me think through that again, I think I just found another big dose of understanding for her. It's too easy to forget all this.
Last edited on Wed Jul 9th, 2008 07:29 pm by january tuesday
____________________
"Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God." 1 John 4:7
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