Webinar: How To Talk To Protestants

I attended Dr. Taylor Marshall’s webinar last night on “How to talk to Protestants and Non-practicing Catholics.”   He was shocked that over 700 people joined the one-hour live webinar.   

Opening Poll Question:   Your friends think of you as:

-          A crazy religious zealot

-          A mean and intolerant Catholic

-          A hypocrite

-          A source for religious information and guidance

Why should you bother trying to explain Catholicism to your family and friends?

-          For the sake of their salvation so they don’t end up in hell or spend a long time in purgatory isolated from their loved ones who are already in heaven.

-          We gain graces for helping others to find the Way, the Truth, and the Light.

-          We love our family and friends and don’t want them to miss out in the next life.

What are 3 positive ways to start conversations about religion and about Catholicism?

-          Ask the person about their worldview, why we are here on earth, what happens after we die, and about their religious beliefs

-          Move laterally – ask them next if they have a relationship with Jesus and how intimate it is now and how they keep that relationship growing

-          Drop silent bombs – don’t be confrontational – send them e-books that you have read and recommend, send them Google articles/links that you find interesting,

-          (Never ask a Protestant what religion they are.   They will be insulted and will  say “Christian” and wonder why you think they are Buddhist or Jewish or Muslim.   Instead, ask them what denomination or “faith tradition” they follow.)

What are 3 things we must know when sharing our faith?

-          Know about scripture.   Read it daily (Magnificat comes in handy).   Read books (Pope Benedict’s books are of great help explaining scripture.)

-          Know about the various Protestant religions and how they differ from Catholicism.   Use Dr. Marshall’s handy Apologetics Bible Sheet (6 pages) to explain the differences so you don’t get in heated arguments and debates.    Let the Bible Sheet show what we believe based on the referenced lines of scripture and leave it at that.

-          Know Catholic Theology, History, Devotions, and Customs.    Read books and web sites that are rich sources of this information that can be shared.

Homework Assignment:

Study Theology – Aquinas in 50 pages (free from Dr. Marshall), Augustine’s Confessions, Pope Benedict’s books, podcasts

Study History – Lives of the Saints, Saint of the Day,

Study Devotions – Rosary, Sacred Heart, Divine Mercy

Study Customs – Feast Days, Novenas, Sacramentals such as Miraculous Medal and scapulars

Show Peace by example – Who needs yoga or mental therapy when you can go to chapel and meditate before the Blessed Eucharist?

Show Wisdom by example – Talk about the pilgrimage you went on, the beautiful church you visited, the book you just read, the Catholic movie you just saw, the saint you just read about.

Show Joy by example – The joy of talking to Jesus daily in prayer and the daily scripture readings (Magnificat), , the joy of being freed from sin in Confession, the joy of being part of the only religion where our priests bring Jesus directly to us in Holy Communion, the joy of our pope greeting the sick, the joy of our nuns/monks helping the poor, the joy of our parish doing good things for others, they joy of seeing our babies being baptized and youngsters receiving First Holy Communion,  the joy of being able to directly receive Jesus every day in Holy Communion – you can’t have a more intimate relationship with God than that!