Praying with non Catholics at pro life events

[catholicschoolmom]

perhaps this is naive, but wouldnt God be pleased with ANY prayers lifted to Him in the hopes of defeating abortion, or at least changing someones mind about it being OK?   

[little_flower10]

perhaps this is naive, but wouldnt God be pleased with ANY prayers lifted to Him in the hopes of defeating abortion, or at least changing someones mind about it being OK?   

I'm sure it's good to pray for an end to abortion, I meant specifically about praying together with Protestants.. but the fact that there are Protestants who pray for an end to abortion too, of course that's a good thing and I'm not against them being there at all. I was asking more about common prayer, not prayer in general.

[Nic]

Abortion is such an obviously horrible and disgusting sin, crying out to Heaven for vengence, that I feel more brotherhood with protestants who are dead set against it than Catholics who are lukewarm or accepting of it.

It's the parable of the Good Samaritan all over again if you ask me.  If God condemns me praying with good people under these circumstances, not for some bullshit "peace in our time" or "this is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius" nonsense, but for the stopping of the slaughter of millions then I cannot understand what the parable of the Good Samaritan was about.  Any Protestant who is at these sorts of meetings I consider a de-facto Catholic.  Perhaps held back from converting by the disgraceful example that the clergy have provided over the last 50 years.  Perhaps in confused ignorance.  But certainly worthy of being called a brother.

Besides, I've never experienced this problem, as 90% of the protestors at any anti-abortion protest I've been to (and I have been to many) have been Catholics and over 50% of those 90% have been Trads of some colour.

We've always prayed the Salve Regina, Hail Holy Queen and the Rosary.  Our Lady is a pretty obvious figure to ask for help in the case of stopping abortion.

I guess in the US where the anti-abortion lobby has more evangelicals this is something that happens.

Protestants in England are either blase about it or helping the women up the steps to the slaughter house.

Ggreg, while I agree with some of your post, being pro-life hardly makes one a "de facto Catholic."  I know several Fundamentalist Protestants who are fervently pro-life and fervently anti-Catholic.

While of course abortion is a wretched thing, it seems that it is the only evil that the Catholic Church actively fights against.  I think that it is partly because pro-life sentiment encourages some sort of ecumenism - a way to break down denominational walls without trying to convert.  Statements like "being pro-life makes one a de facto Catholic" probably puts a huge smile on the faces of the N.O. elite.

The Church should also focus more on the other multitudes of evil in the modern world - not to mention actively trying to CONVERT these pro-life Protestants to save their souls (instead of the bogus "Catholics come home" nonsense it should be "Catholics stay home" and "Protestants come home," because if you are a Catholic you are already "home" so why do Catholics need to "come home???" - but making it "Protestants come home" instead  is not ecumenical and also against the apparent teachings of the post-conciliar establishment concerning what constitutes members of the Body of Christ).

[JayneK]

The Church should also focus more on the other multitudes of evil in the modern world - not to mention actively trying to CONVERT these pro-life Protestants to save their souls (instead of the bogus "Catholics come home" nonsense it should be "Catholics stay home" and "Protestants come home" - but that is hardly ecumenical and against the teachings of the post-conciliar establishment concerning what constitutes members of the Body of Christ).

You sound like you are just looking for things to complain about.  There is nothing wrong with "Catholics come home."  Huge numbers of Catholics are "in name only" and it is perfectly reasonable to evangelize these people.  Of course, it would be good to evangelize Protestants too, but it isn't like we have to choose one or the other.

[Nic]

The Church should also focus more on the other multitudes of evil in the modern world - not to mention actively trying to CONVERT these pro-life Protestants to save their souls (instead of the bogus "Catholics come home" nonsense it should be "Catholics stay home" and "Protestants come home" - but that is hardly ecumenical and against the teachings of the post-conciliar establishment concerning what constitutes members of the Body of Christ).

You sound like you are just looking for things to complain about.  There is nothing wrong with "Catholics come home."  Huge numbers of Catholics are "in name only" and it is perfectly reasonable to evangelize these people.  Of course, it would be good to evangelize Protestants too, but it isn't like we have to choose one or the other.

I had a feeling you would be the one to say that.

"Catholic come home" doesn't make any sense if Catholics are already home to begin with, regardless of being "fallen away."  It would only make sense if it was "Catholics STAY home" or at the very least "Fallen away Catholics come back home" But what it really should be is "Protestants COME home," but the post-conciliar establishment is definitely not going to start that campaign when they apparently teach that we don't need to convert Protestants because the Catholic Church is only a part of the Body of Christ.  This is obviously true since there have been no attempts by any Pope or groups of bishops post-council to convert Protestants enmasse or denounce Protestantism as the heresy that it is.  There hasn't been any attempts to convert ANY groups of false religions - only ecumenical BS like Assisi, popes kissing false religious books and taking the little red Hindu dot, praying in "the synagouge of Satan" among the Talmudists etc.  All of this is done without the slightest attempt at conversion, only praise for what we share in common.  The only religion that is denounced is true Catholicism, which shows just how infiltrated the human structure of the Church truly is.

Getting back to the original issue - it is all fine and good to be pro-life, everybody should be.  But being a non-Catholic and pro-life does NOT associate one with the Catholic Church.  I was raised Baptist and in my area nearly all are pro-life and most are very anti-Catholic - but there are probably a good number who would be fairly easy to convert if the Catholic Church actually did what it's supposed to do.  These truly are sad, sad times we are living through.

[JayneK]

The Church should also focus more on the other multitudes of evil in the modern world - not to mention actively trying to CONVERT these pro-life Protestants to save their souls (instead of the bogus "Catholics come home" nonsense it should be "Catholics stay home" and "Protestants come home" - but that is hardly ecumenical and against the teachings of the post-conciliar establishment concerning what constitutes members of the Body of Christ).

You sound like you are just looking for things to complain about.  There is nothing wrong with "Catholics come home."  Huge numbers of Catholics are "in name only" and it is perfectly reasonable to evangelize these people.  Of course, it would be good to evangelize Protestants too, but it isn't like we have to choose one or the other.

I had a feeling you would be the one to say that.

"Catholic come home" doesn't make any sense if Catholics are already home to begin with, regardless of being "fallen away."  It would only make sense if it was "Catholics STAY home" or at the very least "Fallen away Catholics come back home" But what it really should be is "Protestants COME home," but the post-conciliar establishment is definitely not going to start that campaign when they apparently teach that we don't need to convert Protestants because the Catholic Church is only a part of the Body of Christ.  This is obviously true since there have been no attempts by any Pope or groups of bishops post-council to convert Protestants enmasse or denounce Protestantism as the heresy that it is.  There hasn't been any attempts to convert ANY groups of false religions - only ecumenical BS like Assisi, popes kissing false religious books and taking the little red Hindu dot, praying in "the synagouge of Satan" among the Talmudists etc.  All of this is done without the slightest attempt at conversion, only praise for what we share in common.  The only religion that is denounced is true Catholicism, which shows just how infiltrated the human structure of the Church truly is.

"Catholics come home" has nothing to do with denouncing true Catholicism.  It targets nominal Catholics who do not believe or live the faith.  In my experience, the sort of people who promote this program are not the liberals who promote the false ecumenism that is practically indifferentism.  Liberals don't usually care that "Catholic" is just a name for many.  One is more like to find "Catholics come home" among neo-caths.   These two things have nothing to do with each other.  You appear to be conflating the "come home" program with false ecumenism, just so you can complain about it.

Personally, I think it is a good idea to use tact when discussing Protestant errors, rather than to merely denounce them.  The two main threats in our time our secularism and Islam.   Much of the time, Protestants are going to be our allies against much worse foes.  The pro-life movement is a good example of that. 

Getting back to the original issue - it is all fine and good to be pro-life, everybody should be.  But being a non-Catholic and pro-life does NOT associate one with the Catholic Church.  I was raised Baptist and in my area nearly all are pro-life and most are very anti-Catholic - but there are probably a good number who would be fairly easy to convert if the Catholic Church actually did what it's supposed to do.  These truly are sad, sad times we are living through.

As was mentioned earlier in the thread, working along side Protestants in the pro-life movement is a great way to expose them to Catholicism and has been a constant source of conversions.  I dare say it does more good than screaming at them that they are heretics.

[ggreg]

Ggreg, while I agree with some of your post, being pro-life hardly makes one a "de facto Catholic."  I know several Fundamentalist Protestants who are fervently pro-life and fervently anti-Catholic.

Then they are somewhat stupid.  Because Catholics and Orthodox are the only religion who officially speaking and practical speaking defend unborn life.

By their fruits you shall know them.  Do these Fundamentalist Protestants you know go to Abortion vigils and pray alongside Catholics?  I would doubt they would in which case your argument is a hypothetical fiction.

Stupid is stupid, whatever religion people happen to be.

There are lots of Catholics on Cathinfo who don't consider me Catholic, but I would still be happy to stand beside them and pray alongside them at an anti-abortion vigil.

Lots and lots of confusion out there.  In my book however, thinking it is OK to kill babies when the pics make it obvious you are doing exactly that, makes you a scumbag whether you like Catholics or dislike them.  Being anti-Catholic for reasons or bad experience or mis-information or indeed the scandal of child abuse, is easily understandable.

I've never met an fevently anti-Catholic protestant at an anti Abortion prayer vigil.  And I doubt you have either.

[JayneK]

A follow-up:
I went with my husband and three youngest children (age 17, 14, 11) to the March for Life in Ottawa.  I did not see anything that was inappropriate for Catholics.  On the contrary, there was a strong Catholic presence - lots of priests, sisters and visible Catholic symbols like rosaries and pictures.