Please allow me to get something off of my chest for a moment. If this isn't about you, then please feel free to mentally change the "you" to the pronoun of your choice.
I don't personally care whether you consider Catholics to be Christians or not. I don't care how well meaning your invitation for my children to "come to church with my kids" is. I don't personally give a rat's patoot as to how much fun your children have at "kid's church" on Wednesday nights. I think that what you are doing is wrong and not a little bit evil.
I am on to your AWANA program which encourages children to bring an "unsaved friend" to church with them. I know your child earns points and prizes for each friend they manage to bring along. I have no interest in helping him earn those prizes and I think your theology is seriously flawed.
It is wrong to take a small child and poison his mind against the faith of his parents. It undermines the very security of his whole world when you tell him that the Truth his parents have raised him in is leading him to Hell. How dare you attempt to place a wedge between my husband and myself and our child and use the Word of God as the mallet to drive it in. Evil, evil, evil.
I appreciate that you think you have his best interests at heart, that you only want him to know God as you know Him, and that you see me as the obstacle standing in your way. You're right!!!! I am that mountain. If you are seriously worried about my child's immortal soul, then you need to come to me. Do not attempt to destroy our family, but rather, approach the people in charge and try to persuade us all. If you have something to say to my child which can not be said in my presence, then perhaps you need to be doing some serious soul-searching and ask yourself what is wrong with your message that it is not fit for my ears.
My children are not now, nor will they ever be a party to your sick little heretical game. If you want my son to come anywhere near your church, then you better be prepared for his Mama to come, too. I'll be bringing my Bible, my Rosary, the One True Faith, and the entire Communion of Saints along with me. Still interested? No? Then BACK OFF!
31 comments:
Boy, am I glad that I am on the home team!!!
Call ya tomorrow for a full blow by blow...k?
:-D
Yeeeeooooowww!!
Glad I'm not the one standing there in bologna underwear!
Go get 'em tiger! [Throws raw meat]
Um, she's right...
Should I throw you some Barbies? Dressed in mini-Awana tee shirts?
:-)
I wasn't aware of that with AWANA ... wow! My daughter was asked to go one time with a friend and we let her. Of course she did find it "fun", but it was a one time thing for her.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Hugs
Please instruct the ignorant: what is AWANA? Thanks.
My husbands nephew is Lutheran. His parents were married in the Catholic church. It is my desire that our nephew eventually comes back to the church. So as his Godparents thats what we pray for. His father is no longer in the picture...and I'm sorry. But, he was a jerk. Theres no reason that the Lutherans should get to keep our nephew;). His parents were married in the Catholic church and they promised to raise their children Catholic. When I married my husband I was not Catholic but, I understood the promise I made to the church (Sorry to write a book) Anyway, we frequently pray for our nephew to come back to the church. But even though we are family we would never try what those AWANA people have tried to do with your child. I always ask permission before I give him anything that is Catholic. I can't imagine being so arrogant and intentionally destructive to undermine another parents religious training.
A few months ago I asked his mother if we could get him a rosary and some instruction booklets on saying the rosary. She said yes. She also said that he had been asking for a rosary. Awww the prayers of Godparents are answered:) Thats how you convert souls....
LOVE IT!
You go girl! I'm with Rachel, we need the blow by blow of what brought this about.
Yeah, sounds about right. Protestants can get downright mean and nutty when it comes to Catholics. And AWANA definitely rewards kids for bringing "unsaved" friends and whatnot. Of course, I was the one who usually got shafted in activities and points because I wasn't raised in church and didn't even know how to find Bible verses at the time, so even though they theoretically wanted me there they made it hard for me.
And ya know, Mormons do that too--send their kids to get between other kids and the parents on faith issues. It's one of their big missions.
Take heart--you're doing the right thing.
When I was in college I babysat for one of my professors. His family was Methodist. Well, one day while I was a there, a refrigerator repair person started trying to witness to the children in my care.
I immediately told him to stop. He started asking me if I was "saved". I started explaining the differences of Catholic theology in the limited ways I knew how at the time. Then he started in on the kids again. I asked him to stop again. But he started in a third time.
So, I made it very clear that what he was doing was improper, that he was superseding parental authority, and if he didn't stop he could leave until the parents got home and take it up with them.
It is evil to do such things. They are intentionally leading a child to sin. And I'm sure they wouldn't like it if we started telling their kids that they are heretics or explaining how their denomination didn't exist before the 1500's.
Barbara-- sadly they would probably just quote Luke 12:53 to you.
But, I think you probably handled the repair man better than most people would have:)
You're my hero!
Oh yeah!!! You absolutely ROCK, mama bear.
*laughs*
*cheers*
It really does shock me how much some folks are willing to be sneaky when they say they only mean well....
Me, I'm not so good at witnessing for the Church, but what little I do I'll do around anyone.
With kids involved, 90% of it would probably boil down to "it's kind of complicated, and your parents and I don't agree, so I really can't talk about it much."
Well, that and doing the too-much-information answers-- but that goes for EVERYTHING, with me. I think factoids are cool....
I just can't imagine TRYING to turn someone's kids against them.
All is can say is, welcome to Oklahoma. I have been around these kinds of people all my life. I now can't wait for people to try to "save" us because they usually don't know what hit them when I start my whole apologetics spiel. It's kinda fun!
Love, Suzanne
thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!!
you've put into words what i've wanted to say forever.
posting a link on my blog. awesome.
WOW - We really were separated at birth. Go get em. And don't forget the older version of AWANA, Young Life
You know what? I was involved in leading kids in an AWANAs program while in college to fulfill some of my required 'service' hours. I was supposed to be all supportive and behind it. But, I have to say, even then (as a "good" Baptist) I found the program spookily (is that a word?) like a brainwashing cult. I remember them encouraging kids to bring in "unsaved" friends but I don't remember Catholics being specifically mentioned--although at the time I, in my ignorance, wouldn't have known the difference. So, I send up apologies to the ether, if I EVER hurt ANY family with my very brief (about 3 or 4 months) involvement in AWANAs. BTW, I quit because I was uncomfortable with the program.
Anyway, to anyone that doesn't know me...I have been a Catholic for over 10 years and an amateur apologist for a little less.
I was bombarded with requests from adults to allow my children into AWANA only because I worked with them on an ecumenical VBS. I was very hesitent and everything in me told me to not do it, so I went to ask my priest. He flat out told me "Any parent that puts one of the children of my flock into that heretical group will find themselves out of every an all ministries of which they belong in my parish." It was deadpanned, serious and came with a look of "I dare you to challenge me." Needless to say, I never put my children into AWANA and never will.
Thanks for writing something I could so desperately send to my in-laws who had heart attacks after learning my husband came into the Church this past Easter. It's ok for you to be Christian as long as it's not Catholic. (rolling eyes)
Points and prizes.
So that's why the kids on my street who hated me invited me to their church. I thought it was at least out of some kind of sincere attempt to do good, and now I discover it was also for points and prizes.
Wow. Simony for kids. Evangelism, the Girl Scout cookie premium way.
Pretty low, AWANA.
Damn right.
All those religiuos zealots only caring about some fairy-tale and it's variations, while 90% of the world is starving/drowning/burning/suffering in any other way.
Good thing there's still so many people who dont give a rats arse about the above mentioned problems, but instead dedicate their time to "save our soul for the afterlife".
Way to go.
Not to mention the planet itself crumbling beneath our very feet.
But who cares right? Let our children worry about that - we gotta make sure WE get into HEAVEN!
Oh, I'm sorry, AND I understand. We left the Baptist church several years ago. Both my husband and I were raised Protestant, and I ended up in the Catholic Church. I know you won't think highly of me, but we attend a Lutheran church together as a compromise. Anyhoo, when I went into the Catholic Church, I was an AWANA Cubbies director. The responses I got for converting were awful and just threw me further into the arms of the Church. Some Catholics in our area sent their kiddos to AWANA, but I remember specifically telling my husband that if they knew what these people really thought about them, they'd NEVER send their kiddos. I also have a fundamental Baptist "friend" who is always talking about her poor 4-year-old daughter who is "unsaved", hasn't "accepted the Lord", and behaves plain evil as though she's possessed. It makes me ill, and the child really just acts like a normal child. I've tried to talk to her about it. Anyway, I get evangelized a lot for being Lutheran, which is "too Catholic" in their books. I have been feeling that strong urging to return to the Catholic Church, and this blog entry reminded me WHY I went to Her in the 1st place. Thanks for posting it. It is true that they are "awarded" for bringing visitors, though we never made a reference to awarding for bringing unsaved kiddos, i.e., any Christian that wasn't Baptist.
Anonymous - First of all, I never judge people for where they are in their faith. That's God's job and I'm just not qualified to do it.
and just so you know, I went to the Lutheran church in town for several years as a compromise with my husband. Our eldest was Baptized in the Lutheran church. It was a few years later that I came home to Rome. Ten years after that, my husband followed me.
God bless,
the Mom
Oh, wow! That is very encouraging. For the first time in YEARS my husband is considering the RCC. Our daughter, who was bullied quite a bit in school, has 2 best friends that attend the local RCC, AND he was considering it for private school as well. The Lutheran Church has softened hinm a lot, and that would not have happened if we had remained in a Protestant Church.
Interestingly, I almost lost my marriage when I joined the RCC, and his family was quite hostile. His sister wouldn't send me hateful emails about joining a cult and she wouldn't "allow me" to take her nieces to the RCC. She has claimed to be a Christian since I've known her and is one of the most immoral people I know. Oh, the irony . . . .
Anyway, thanks for sharing that with me about your husband. We have been trying to sell our home in another town for 2 years now, and I mentioned to my husband about St. Joseph, and he is interested in trying it. If that isn't an open door, I don't know what is.
Thanks : ).
Thank you for this powerful insight. You couldn't have expressed my thoughts on the subject better.
My first time on your blog, and I think I've found my blogger soul mate. Had to read this one aloud to my husband. AMEN, sister!!!
My Kindergarten son has been very upset with me because he wants to go to a Good News club here before school in the mornings. He doesn't seem to understand why I will not allow him to go, and I can't seem to explain it in a way that makes sense to me. Thank you for making me not feel so alone in it!
In my Sunday School when I was a little kid back in the 1950's they offered a $5 prize (a big deal to a kid at that point), to the person who brought the most visitors to our Vacation Bible School. I never won it, it got won every year by a kid who didn't go to our church regularly who brought a ton of his friends (mostly Catholic) to attend for one day. He then paid them off at like a dime a piece (they'd each come for just one day). He ended up with probably $3 or $4 at the end of the week, the kids spent half a day doing crafts, playing games, listening to Bible stories (I'm sure that was the painful part), and getting a snack. It bugged me at the time because he seemed like such a shyster. In retrospect, he was simply gaming a system that he had figured out and had no respect for. I spent a lot of time unlearning the anti-Catholic stuff I learned in that Sunday School. Consequently, I'm always totally shocked and frightened at the ease with which a lot of Catholic parents justify sending their kids to AWANA or Backyard Bible Club. They don't know what the theology of it is or they'd be a mama bear like you.
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