You have probably had a number of people approach you to talk about religion, and some may have tried to convert you, but almost certainly none of these was a Roman Catholic. So, probably until now, no Catholic has ever invited you to become a Catholic.
HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED WHY THIS IS SO?
The Catholic Church teaches that it alone is THE true Church, and that—no matter how much its enemies or disobedient children try to weaken the dogma or authority - there is NO salvation separated from it. Yet if YOU are a Catholic - even if you are a "good" one - the chances are quite high that you have NEVER (or only VERY infrequently) attempted the conversion of another. If you are a Protestant, etc. you may wonder why your Catholic friends do not seem to care if you go to hell or not. Don’t we?
Add to these facts the fact that the Catholic Church DOES hold that evangelism is a primary task of all Christians. So still, the question arises: why don’t Catholics make the effort? We all see some of the "fundy" Protestants at least go through the motions of conversion attempts. Could it be that Catholics do not really have the same commitment to their faith that the Protestants do?
This tract examines this issue and, I hope, will act as an inducement for those Catholics who read it to take more seriously this obligation in the future.
There are a number of reasons why Catholics do not evangelize.
FIRST: In Catholicism there is a radical distinction between the clergy and the laity. As a result, far too many (most?) lay Catholics feel that the role of missionary belongs properly to the priest, and not the lay person. This is a common misconception.
SECOND: The Catholic Church, being the true Church of Jesus Christ, is divided into bureaucratic subdivisions. Some of these do ONLY evangelism work. The average Catholic supports these groups financially. This gives him the sense that he has done "something" to meet his obligation. It is not enough, of course, but it does lessen to some degree the sense of obligation.
THIRD: Catholicism, unlike the other religions (especially Protestantism) consists of a set system of truths, morality, and worship. Conversion to Catholicism ACTUALLY means a change from sin to virtue, reform, and truth. In Protestantism when one changes "faiths" it means no more than where one parks his car on Sunday. One can believe or not believe ANYTHING AT ALL (including that God does not exist) in Protestantism and still be in "good standing."
Catholicism, on the contrary, is different. Unlike brothels and Protestantism, where the "customer" is always right, Catholicism is committed to preserving God’s truth, and not merely satisfying people’s whims. In our Church, truth MUST be totally accepted, whether YOU like it or not. Our beliefs are not meaningless phrases which require no commitment, no reform, no truth.
Catholicism DEMANDS
(under the penalty of eternal damnation)
- the complete acceptance of the Divine authority system AND
- the complete acceptance of a large body of Divinely revealed truths AND
- contrition for sins AND
- true & sincere reformation of the self AND
- acceptance of the Bible as true AND
- veneration of the Blessed Virgin as the Mother of God.
When faced with this uncompromising situation many Catholics become intimidated by the task. This is all wrong, of course, because with God ALL things are possible. They need to but rely on Him for help.
Related to this is the more difficult task which Catholics face, especially when compared to Protestants. Unlike the non-Catholic who NEVER has to give an answer which makes sense, the Catholic MUST give an answer which is sensible, true, and defensible. The Protestant, for example, when confronted with some "unpleasant fact" about his belief system, can simply tell the prospective convert that he can "disregard" this particular facet. Everything is optional, and the convert can customize his own belief system as he wishes and call it "Christianity." And according to the Protestant dogma of "freedom of conscience," there is no penalty for this. In fact, he is encouraged to do so! Such "Christianity" is a man-made invention, and can be modified whenever it is to anyone’s inclination.
Catholics have no such "advantage." We cannot simply reinforce sinful prejudices and call/pronounce it "faith." We MUST tell man that he "must deny his very self," and die to his old ways.
"Eternal truth" of Protestantism (and Rabbinic "Judaism," and Mohammedanism, etc.) are like New England weather: if you don’t like it now, wait a moment, and it’ll change to suit you.
So it is much easier to "sell" those other "religions" than to call men to submission to the will of God and conformity to His plan. Unfortunately – after and because of Original Sin – humans will ALWAYS prefer what is easier rather than what is right.
Catholicism has something to explain, defend, and offer. To be a Catholic evangelist requires an effort, and study, and knowledge. The Protestant can simply make things up as he goes along.
My last point is so self-evident that you probably haven’t noticed it. The very tract which YOU hold in your hand shows you that Catholics do in fact evangelize. This tract is produced by ARM, the best and toughest Catholic evangelistic organization in America today. We encourage people to convert, and we teach Catholics how to attempt to invite others to convert.
So, if YOU are a Catholic, get in touch with us and we will supply the ARMs for your task. And if YOU are not (yet) a Catholic, become one and meet the first necessary condition for salvation.
Simply look at the claims of our Church, and you will find: "that upon first examination of the proofs of Catholicism, they are so self-evident that the will compels assent to them."
JOIN UP!
Hell is a rotten way to spend eternity.
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For further study, obtain the following ARM productions: T1, T13, T5, T21, L3, The ARM Pre-Evangelism Book.
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