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Darlene
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 868 |
| First Name: | Darlene | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Christian, trusting His love and forgiveness |
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Posted: Sun Dec 17th, 2006 10:54 pm |
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Hello Again Everyone,
Earlier today I was having a chat with my husband. Since we didn't attend church service today, I was looking around for a decent gospel message. It was very easy to find Pentecostal preachers, for some reason.
Anyway, my husband does not have an inclination whatsoever, to listening to Pentecostal preachers. He is very conservative but more along the lines of a Conservative Baptist or Presbyterian. Anyway, I asked him why he is so skeptical of Pentecostals. "Afterall," I said, "many of our friends are Pentecostals." He admitted that while many of our friends are Pentecostal, he does not agree with a lot of their thinking or doctrine. Then I said to him, "You mean, you would never want me to be a Pentecostal?" He replied, "no." It was at that point that I wondered just how much he wouldn't want me to be a Pentecostal. So I asked him, "Would you rather I be a Catholic or a Pentecostal?" Without hesitation, he replied, "A Pentecostal." Then I asked him, "How about a Charismatic Catholic? That includes both." Of course, he let me know he would never want me to be a Catholic of any kind.
Now I thought this to be an interesting conversation because I have known for quite some time how my husband feels about Pentecostal Christians. He thinks they are waaay too emotional, have unbiblical ideas about many things (slain in the spirit, binding spirits, casting out demons, speaking in tongues w/o interpretations, etc.), focus way too much on feelings and experiences both in their services and in their lives in general, do not consider doctrine important (which he does), and are too noisy, loud, goofy and not reverent enough at church services. This is just some of his assessments about them. And yet, he would rather I be a Pentecostal than a Catholic?? This does not make sense to me.
Of course, I could actually try it on and start acting like a Pentecostal. I could lay hands on him on a regular basis, as well as lay hands on anything that breaks down, say the car, etc. I could also begin binding evil spirits and using oil to anoint things around the house. And I could dance in the spirit and come against all evil forces by continually quoting scripture in his presence. I could tell him that the Lord has revealed all sorts of things to me and that I am being led to do this and that. I think you get the general picture here. Could it possibly be that he would get so sick and tired of having a crazy Pentecostal wife that he would be begging me to consider becoming Catholic instead?
Just some thoughts. I just can't imagine that my husband would ever be able to live with a Pentecostal wife. It's one thing to have friends that are Pentecostal, but to dwell under the same roof with one is an entirely different matter.
But why is he so afraid of me becoming Catholic that he would even prefer me to be a Pentecostal instead of a Catholic? I guess it must be the fact that I would still be considered a Protestant, and a Protestant, no matter what brand of one, is better than being a Catholic, eh? (Although I daresay, he might have answered differently had I asked him if he would rather me be a Catholic or Christian Scientist. Afterall, Christian Scientists don't believe in the diety of Christ and many other orthodox doctrines of the Christian faith)
Musing on the wonder of it all,
Darlene
____________________
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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CajunRick
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Posted: Sun Dec 17th, 2006 11:08 pm |
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Darlene wrote: So I asked him, "Would you rather I be a Catholic or a Pentecostal?" Without hesitation, he replied, "A Pentecostal." Then I asked him, "How about a Charismatic Catholic? That includes both." Of course, he let me know he would never want me to be a Catholic of any kind.
But why is he so afraid of me becoming Catholic that he would even prefer me to be a Pentecostal instead of a Catholic?
Why don't you ask him?
Maybe he's afraid that if you become Catholic you will challenge his belief structure. Maybe he's afraid that if you become Catholic, it might become attractive to him. Maybe he's afraid that if you become Catholic, you'll find out he's wrong. Maybe he's afraid that if you become Catholic and find out he's wrong, you'll lose respect for him.
Maybe what he's really afraid of is that he'll find out he's wrong.
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2410 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Dec 17th, 2006 11:29 pm |
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I think you’re missing your husband’s point, Darlene. In his mind, Pentecostals may be crazy, he may disagree with them, he would never be one nor want his wife to be one… BUT! Catholicism is the work of the devil. (This may be literal or figurative, but regardless, it is all the way to BAD on the scale. No, it’s OFF the scale. It’s “unthinkable.”)
Basically, he just needs to lighten up and learn what Catholicism is really all about instead of accepting uncritically the usual folklore and polemics. I like BodRod’s approach on this. He’s explained in several threads here what he did and the results.
David
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Darlene
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 868 |
| First Name: | Darlene | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Christian, trusting His love and forgiveness |
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Posted: Mon Dec 18th, 2006 09:04 am |
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cajunrick wrote: Darlene wrote: So I asked him, "Would you rather I be a Catholic or a Pentecostal?" Without hesitation, he replied, "A Pentecostal." Then I asked him, "How about a Charismatic Catholic? That includes both." Of course, he let me know he would never want me to be a Catholic of any kind.
But why is he so afraid of me becoming Catholic that he would even prefer me to be a Pentecostal instead of a Catholic?
Why don't you ask him?
Maybe he's afraid that if you become Catholic you will challenge his belief structure. Maybe he's afraid that if you become Catholic, it might become attractive to him. Maybe he's afraid that if you become Catholic, you'll find out he's wrong. Maybe he's afraid that if you become Catholic and find out he's wrong, you'll lose respect for him.
Maybe what he's really afraid of is that he'll find out he's wrong.
Wow, I never thought about ALL of those possibilities. Rick, I'm trying to take this slowly. If I went down all of these avenues at once, I think it might be too "heavy" of a discourse. Then again, perhaps not. Sometimes I just wish I could get inside my husband's head and understand him a little better. lol
Darlene
____________________
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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Darlene
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 868 |
| First Name: | Darlene | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Christian, trusting His love and forgiveness |
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Posted: Mon Dec 18th, 2006 09:13 am |
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David W. Emery wrote: [size=I think you’re missing your husband’s point, Darlene. In his mind, Pentecostals may be crazy, he may disagree with them, he would never be one nor want his wife to be one… BUT! Catholicism is the work of the devil. (This may be literal or figurative, but regardless, it is all the way to BAD on the scale. No, it’s OFF the scale. It’s “unthinkable.”)
] [size=I have considered that he thinks Catholicism is the "UNTHINKABLE." Yet, I did reassure him the other day. He made a comment to me, "You're not going to become a Catholic" as if he were telling me that is not an option, PERIOD. After he said that, I reassured him by saying, "No matter what ever happens, I will NEVER stop loving Jesus. I will always love Him and believe in Him." I think that response actually calmed him down somewhat.] [size=
Basically, he just needs to lighten up and learn what Catholicism is really all about instead of accepting uncritically the usual folklore and polemics. I like BodRod’s approach on this. He’s explained in several threads here what he did and the results.
What are you thinking of specifically when it comes to BodRod? I must say that I think it is just a bit different to be a wife who is on a journey toward Catholicism than the other way around. There is the issue of needing to respect your husband and be submissive to him, which I don't think men have to be concerned with. Yes, BodRod and other husbands on this forum had to love their wives but they didn't have the pressure of having to be submissive to them. It is a fine line. I don't want to go against God's Word nor do I want to be unfaithful to my convictions and push the Holy Spirit aside. It is a very delicate balance.
David]
Thanks for your comments David. You are always soooo helpful.
God Bless You,
Darlene
____________________
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
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Posted: Mon Dec 18th, 2006 10:17 am |
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Darlene, BodRod dealt with specifics. His wife had declared that she could never accept Catholic beliefs. So he went over the Nicene Creed with her, point by point, asking her which of these beliefs she disagreed with. She found out that she really didn’t disagree with any of them. So then she was able to understand that at least this area of “disagreement” did not really exist. She still protested when he became Catholic, but lately their relationship has improved as she observes that her husband is actually still Christian.
I’m not suggesting that you use the Nicene Creed, but deal with your husband’s opposition on the same level of specific points that BodRod did. In other words, find out exactly what bugs your husband about Catholicism and meet his objections with the fact that this is not what Catholics believe, that the objection is based on a fallacious argument, that experts have varied opinions on what actually took place, etc. It will involve some research on your part, but do much the better for that. You will be able to show him the answer right from the written page and not have to rely on unsubstantiated oral argument.
I do not see this as somehow violating the husband-wife relationship. Do you?
David
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Mon Dec 18th, 2006 10:24 am |
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Darlene, I just read a post of yours in another thread, and it appears that you are already working towards doing what I outlined. So I think you need no further advice from me.
David
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Darlene
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| Joined: | Mon Oct 9th, 2006 |
| Location: | Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania USA |
| Posts: | 868 |
| First Name: | Darlene | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Christian, trusting His love and forgiveness |
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Posted: Mon Dec 18th, 2006 03:23 pm |
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David,
Advice is always needed and welcomed. I am a novice here, when it comes to the Catholic faith. Yes, I have been reading quite a bit and that has helped. Still, when one has to contend with the staunch Protestant mindset, one can use all the help thay can get. And this is coming from someone who is currently a Protestant!
I think one of the wonderful things on my journey at this point is meeting so many spiritually enlightened Catholics on this forum. While in recent years I did believe that Catholics could be saved, I thought in many respects that they were blinded to many Biblically accurate doctrines that the Protestants hold. Really I thought many were saved because God looked at their hearts and their desire to please Jesus, albeit in spite of their false doctrine. Needless to say, I no longer hold this view.
Darlene
____________________
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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GoFisher
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| Joined: | Mon Dec 18th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 111 |
| First Name: | Kathy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Mth Cng Prs UM sang@RC Ep UM (MDiv) Word-Faith Charismatic-RC |
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Posted: Wed Dec 20th, 2006 03:45 pm |
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Darlene,
On October 2, when I asked The Lord, which is more important, being charismatic or Catholic, His reply was, "BOTH!"
Baptists and their related descendents are afraid of The whole truth. A baptist preacher who did not have a theological degree told me that I should go to a certain independent church in order to be "deprogrammed from both charismatic and Catholic". He is deceived by the enemy into thinking that the enemy and not God prays in tongues, and he is deceived to think the pope is the anti-Christ.
I found this out when I was meeting with him to see if there was any hope of collaborating in evangelism. I had told him that he should not try to remove Catholics from The Church, but should just see that they serve Jesus as Lord and Savior, and then send them back to church to make more disciples.
I still am not sure how to reach the folks who leave the church before the recessional procession even gets down the aisle. By their actions, they are running away from Jesus in the priest. As a prophetic word in Revelation (and given aloud at a church service) says, the wheat and the tares shall grow together until The Lord separates them for judgement.
Your job at home is to pray for your husband: that The Lord and the angels assigned to your husband will remove the blinders from his eyes, cast out the demonic spirit of deception from him in The Name of Jesus, pray for his eyes, ears and heart to be made open to receive The Truth that will make him free. Pray for his angels to win their battles in the heavenlies and come to earth to accomplish their mission to clear the spiritual path for your husband. Remember to Thank God for it. (even if it is in a work in progress for a long time). I agree with these prayers in Jesus' Name, Amen. BLESS YOU.
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Love, hear + obey God: go fish! (me)
+ The Word became flesh... (St. John 1:14)
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. (St. Jerome)
+ Follow Me... fishers of men. (St. Matthew quotes The Lord Jesus)
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GoFisher
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| First Name: | Kathy | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Mth Cng Prs UM sang@RC Ep UM (MDiv) Word-Faith Charismatic-RC |
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Posted: Wed Dec 20th, 2006 04:17 pm |
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Get a blessed St. BENEDICT MEDAL, on it is engraved the abbreviation of a prayer of exorcism, and would help lighten the atmosphere at your house.
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Love, hear + obey God: go fish! (me)
+ The Word became flesh... (St. John 1:14)
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. (St. Jerome)
+ Follow Me... fishers of men. (St. Matthew quotes The Lord Jesus)
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