Refuting such claims for a Catholic is almost futile in the hostile environment of a protestant forum. To the credit of a few fellow-Catholics, several responders did try to defend the Church although their message was likely lost in the din. Sharing our faith with others is difficult when they have preconceived ideas that have been reinforced erroneously over many years.
Today, I watched a DVD I recently purchased from CatholicAnswers called The Three Secrets to Sharing the Faith, by Catholic apologist
Trent Horn. In it, he recommends the
Socratic method of asking questions to those who challenge us about various
issues of Catholicism. Trent addresses
the problem I often face when an opportunity arises to share our faith. I get flustered if I can’t produce a quick reasonable
response someone opposed to some aspect of Catholic teaching or practice. Impromptu encounters offer brief
opportunities for evangelization that may never come again. I have often been kept awake at night,
thinking of what I should have said during a conversation I had earlier in the
day.
Trent Horn’s video presentation demonstrates that not
knowing all the answers need not prevent us from engaging in conversation, even
when the opponent may seem more knowledgeable than we are. Sometimes, all we need to do is question the
challenger about what he believes and ask how he knows it is true. Often they are regurgitating false
information passed on by anti-Catholics that cannot be substantiated when
pressed. Trent also tells how to keep
discussion civil and positive. If you
have found yourself in an uncomfortable position when challenges come up, I
would recommend grabbing a copy of the DVD.
