Do fundamentalists really think they can convince Catholics with their sales pitch? (Lutherans, hell)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I strongly dislike pushy people - in real estate/auto sales, in religious matters, in political matters, in affairs of the heart, etc.
I have run into a possible total of 10 people in my life who very quite obnoxious in trying to get me to attend their non-denominational church, in that it is "relational" () whereas Catholicism isn't. It was mostly "you've GOT to come to our church" or here's something you need to read. (On one occasion, a charismatic speak-in-tongues Catholic, tried to get me to go to their service. I went twice. It was not my bag).
Why do these people keep harping? Do they think that mere assertiveness will convert you? Do they also push on Lutherans and Anglicans? I would assume their success rate is low.
I strongly dislike pushy people - in real estate/auto sales, in religious matters, in political matters, in affairs of the heart, etc.
I have run into a possible total of 10 people in my life who very quite obnoxious in trying to get me to attend their non-denominational church, in that it is "relational" () whereas Catholicism isn't. It was mostly "you've GOT to come to our church" or here's something you need to read. (On one occasion, a charismatic speak-in-tongues Catholic, tried to get me to go to their service. I went twice. It was not my bag).
Why do these people keep harping? Do they think that mere assertiveness will convert you? Do they also push on Lutherans and Anglicans? I would assume their success rate is low.
I've had fundamentalists tell me that my church is not Christian (Episcopal), and one was my uncle. He was a money-hungry successful salesperson who, around the time he hit 60, suddenly became "born-again" and now knows more about Jesus than everyone else on the planet. You know the type.
I've known a few other fundies through my job, and during her high school years my daughter dated the son of the pastor of a little "Church of God", one of those non-denominational denominations, lol, which went by a strictly literal interpretation of the bible. I warned my daughter and so did a friend of hers what she would hear there, and she thought we were kidding. I just taught her to make a choice that she would either sit there and let them talk and use her mind to determine whether what they said had any value, or she could speak up and argue with them if she wanted. She kept her mouth shut in church but would sometimes challenge her boyfriend, asking if he really believed what he was told. He said, "I never really thought about it. My father just said it so I assumed it was true." She didn't last into her first year of college with him.
I am not sure what drives them to have to be so "right". I'm with you, I don't think they would have much success with Catholics, Lutherans, or Anglicans or even some of the non-Eucharistic mainstream churches like the Presbyterians and Reformed.
I strongly dislike pushy people - in real estate/auto sales, in religious matters, in political matters, in affairs of the heart, etc.
I have run into a possible total of 10 people in my life who very quite obnoxious in trying to get me to attend their non-denominational church, in that it is "relational" () whereas Catholicism isn't. It was mostly "you've GOT to come to our church" or here's something you need to read. (On one occasion, a charismatic speak-in-tongues Catholic, tried to get me to go to their service. I went twice. It was not my bag).
Why do these people keep harping? Do they think that mere assertiveness will convert you? Do they also push on Lutherans and Anglicans? I would assume their success rate is low.
Fundamentalists, by and large, believe that they're the only real Biblical Christians out there. Unless you're baptist or conservative nondenominational, your orthodoxy will be suspect to some degree. It's not really a meanspirited attitude. A lot are nice people. but it comes from a complete lack of understanding of Christian history and theology.
I used to go to a fundamentalist church. I was saved in one. I remember being told that Catholics were all going to hell, Episcopals were practically heretics, and that other denominations (Methodists, Lutherans, etc...) had "liberal tendencies" whose relational experience with Christ was impersonal. The first two had to be evangelized, the others had to be led to the example of what Christianity should be (ie fundamentalism)
Fortunately, because I didn't grow up in that environment, it didn't take long for me to realize how silly and intellectually inferior such a mindset was, which made it easier for me to move to a less hard edged version of Christianity.
I despise the phrase "a personal relationship with Jesus". It makes Jesus sound like a disposable razor.
I do too. That one and a few others are patented, trite, and overused.
Don't get me wrong. The Catholics have some huge faults, of which one can't be in denial. One relative belongs to a parish that is a veritable hornet's nest of gossipers.
I do too. That one and a few others are patented, trite, and overused.
Don't get me wrong. The Catholics have some huge faults, of which one can't be in denial. One relative belongs to a parish that is a veritable hornet's nest of gossipers.
That can happen in any church where there are human beings. I belong to a lovely, warm little Episcopal parish. Before I began attending there, I first went to the bigger parish in the pre-Revolutionary colonial church up the street in the wealthier town. People smiled and greeted me when I came in on Sunday, but no one sat near me, no one invited me to join them at coffee hour, the priest could never remember that she'd ever seen me before and after three months I was just as alone as the day I first walked in. Meanwhile, they sent home this little newsletter all about reaching out and being a warm and welcoming church, etc.
I finally said screw it and decided to try the smaller church in a the blue-collar town. Very friendly, very welcoming, and two years later I'm still there. The problem, now that I know that other church and some of their members better, is that they have a lot of little long-established cliques that are very turned inward and jockeying for power within the parish. They are so busy watching one another that they didn't seem to even notice that a newcomer was amongst them.
Why do these people keep harping? Do they think that mere assertiveness will convert you? Do they also push on Lutherans and Anglicans? I would assume their success rate is low.
Can only speak for myself. At one point in my life I was a very Fundamentalist Evangelist. I really did believe that I could get people to convert if I was persistant enough. The more rejections I got the stronger I became in my preaching. It convinced me I must be on the right road as Satan was trying so hard to stop me.
The success rate among converting Catholics and Mainstream Protestants is very low, which I believe is the reason they now seem to be concentrating on non-Christians.
That can happen in any church where there are human beings. I belong to a lovely, warm little Episcopal parish. Before I began attending there, I first went to the bigger parish in the pre-Revolutionary colonial church up the street in the wealthier town. People smiled and greeted me when I came in on Sunday, but no one sat near me, no one invited me to join them at coffee hour, the priest could never remember that she'd ever seen me before and after three months I was just as alone as the day I first walked in. Meanwhile, they sent home this little newsletter all about reaching out and being a warm and welcoming church, etc.
I finally said screw it and decided to try the smaller church in a the blue-collar town. Very friendly, very welcoming, and two years later I'm still there. The problem, now that I know that other church and some of their members better, is that they have a lot of little long-established cliques that are very turned inward and jockeying for power within the parish. They are so busy watching one another that they didn't seem to even notice that a newcomer was amongst them.
That's exactly what they do within this one parish I'm describing. And why? It's not like all these "cute" functions listed in the bulletin are paid jobs.
While not a member of this parish, I essentially stopped attending last Christmas. I'm burned out and will put "parish shopping" on the back burner. Church, almost any Christian church, is really not set up for single members, anyway.
I am not sure what drives them to have to be so "right". I'm with you, I don't think they would have much success with Catholics, Lutherans, or Anglicans or even some of the non-Eucharistic mainstream churches like the Presbyterians and Reformed.
Here is good example of the troubles we have with language. Almost all Reformed churches and a lot of Presbyterian churches are FUNDAMENTALIST. The Presbyterian Church in America known as the PCA is a good example.
I have attended a Reformed church for many years. We really don't spend our time or efforts trying to convince other Christians that they are wrong about this or about that. Sure I will put forth my Reformed Theology on a forum such as this because that is exactly what it is. A discussion board. When I am talking to a brother or a sister in the Lord just out there in the world I will always speak to the things we DO agree on. Even though there is a lot I really disagree with in the RC for instance. When I'm talking to a Catholic I'm probably not going to bring up the issues I have with that persons faith. If that person though, asks me any questions about what I believe I will for sure tell to the best of my ability why I'm a reformed believer. What they do with that information is up to them. Many times I have to bite my tongue when someone is talking about some preacher on the TV that I know is just a snake oil salesman.
Here is good example of the troubles we have with language. Almost all Reformed churches and a lot of Presbyterian churches are FUNDAMENTALIST. The Presbyterian Church in America known as the PCA is a good example.
I have attended a Reformed church for many years. We really don't spend our time or efforts trying to convince other Christians that they are wrong about this or about that. Sure I will put forth my Reformed Theology on a forum such as this because that is exactly what it is. A discussion board. When I am talking to a brother or a sister in the Lord just out there in the world I will always speak to the things we DO agree on. Even though there is a lot I really disagree with in the RC for instance. When I'm talking to a Catholic I'm probably not going to bring up the issues I have with that persons faith. If that person though, asks me any questions about what I believe I will for sure tell to the best of my ability why I'm a reformed believer. What they do with that information is up to them. Many times I have to bite my tongue when someone is talking about some preacher on the TV that I know is just a snake oil salesman.
OK, you know what, I agree with you saying the Reformed Church is fundamentalist. When I'm thinking of fundies, I'm often thinking of the holy-roller-behavior type of fundy church, more like Baptists or "Bible Churches", but I grew up in the Reformed Church and by and large, they did believe the bible was literal, with some exceptions (my father being one. He was a quietly devout Christian, but more of a scholar-type and would also pay attention to context and circumstances of when the specific part bible was written, etc.) The Reformed Church people do seem to be able to hold theological conversations without constantly quoting verses in lieu of true dialogue, another feature I normally associate with fundamentalism.
I am glad to be free of the RCA. Its constant emphasis on sin and death and hell and darkness was not emotionally and mentally healthy for me, especially as a child, but I do have some good memories of Sunday School, and growing up in the RCA I did learn a lot about the bible which I've been able to take with me. Even minor things--in third grade I won a prize for being the first one to memorize all the books of the bible in order and thought nothing of it until, as an adult, people started to ask me how I could find something in the bible so fast!
And alas--like most churches, the RCA's hymns are so much better than the Episcopalian's.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
) whereas Catholicism isn't. It was mostly "you've GOT to come to our church" or here's something you need to read. (On one occasion, a charismatic speak-in-tongues Catholic, tried to get me to go to their service. I went twice. It was not my bag).
