The title might seem a bit misleading but it isn't. My parents are Catholic, they converted when I was a boy. It seemed mostly about getting my brother and I baptized. Fast forward 15 years. The Catholic Church has this habit of "revolving door priests" and it's okay for the most part with my mother. Some of the priests come from other countries they don't understand the culture here or we can't speak language very well. And my mom starts getting and my mother starts getting irritated. One day this priest from India comes to their Church and my Mom and Dad love him, I visit my parents for Christmas and we go to one of the Christmas masses. He is a great orator. After few years this priests Visa expires, he has to return to India. And it's back to the revolving-door priests. My mother becomes disillusion then stops going to church. And then my brother becomes ill. And eventually passes away. I talk to my mother a lot and she tells me how she's angry with God over taking her son away. Something that's completely understandable. Even among the most devout Christians. Meanwhile my father is still everybody is a devout is he always was and goes to church every Sunday. Priest from India returns for a visit. And he is taking a special interest in bringing my mom back. He sends text messages with some inspiring words. Really recognizing my mom sorrow. But there's always an undertone I was trying to get her back. They have a dinner plans tonight, I know my mother is worried that they're going to try and drag her back into the church. I just don't understand why people try and practice evangelism this way. If she is to return to the church it is going to be her choice all you can do is let her make it. This kind of crap is going to drive a wedge deeper. So what this has to do with evangelism is why do people think this works? If they come to your church then they want to be evangelized, if you go to their house and knock on their door or try to drag them back you're only going to push them away.
You would know better than I would, Poly, but I don't see the situation with the priest and your mom as the same as a bunch of Moonies or Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses showing up at your door out of the blue. Furthermore, I can only speculate about whether the priest's motives are pure or not and where he's coming from. He very well could looking at this situation as I would expect any priest would - perhaps he sees himself as s "good shepherd" looking after his flock and he's found that one of his lambs has wandered off and he needs to find it and bring it back. He may also see that your mom is angry at God and that's not a good or healthy spiritual place for a man or woman of faith to be and he wants to help her work through that anger and pain. Perhaps, he thinks deep down inside your mom might want to return to her church and she needs a little encouragement. In the end, what's important is what your mom thinks and what she wants to do. I have no way of knowing if that will get worked out tonight - perhaps it will, perhaps it won't, perhaps it will take more time. All that being said, I've never been a fan of the zealots who think they're on a mission from God and have to get out there and evangelize and save people's souls and humanity itself from damnation. I've always considered my relationship with God a deeply personal thing and even my wife, who I have known for decades, respects my space. Back in my late teens my friends and I learned how to turn the tables on the annoying little buggers who made the mistake of trying to make our salvation their business, and while it's fun putting them in their place they really shouldn't be making that mistake at all.
Any grown adult should know that people of all ages die and, if they are religious, they should know what their favorite religious fairy tale says about that.
Have you ever read the biblical fairy tale on how to handle grief? I can give you a lot of passages if you want.
Have you ever thought why do you post such worthless garbage? I can recommend a few psychiatrists if you want to talk about it.
As I said, I will gladly post some biblical passages that might be able to comfort you, if you want me to. Death comes to everyone and you are not the only person in history to have ever suffered the lost of a loved one. You either get over it or you give into depression and die. The choice is yours. When you tell people your problems the honest ones will tell you how they handled similar problems and won't BS you with platitudes. People don't have an unlimited supply of empathy. The bottom line is that if your mother doesn't get a grip she will eventually piss off your father and even you because she will be a drag to be around. That could lead to a divorce and a strained relationship between you and your mother because you will resent her for loving your dead brother more than you, her living son. Your empathy will be exhausted.
Are you saying that your father and you are not starting to resent your mother for her refusal to focus on you, who are living, instead of her dead son? At some point you will.
no I'm saying your posts are worthless. You would be able to tell by the words, "your posts are worthless."
Words of wisdom = https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Sirach+30:21-23&version=CEB https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Sirach+22:11-12&version=CEB https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Sirach+38:16-23&version=CEB
I think he's desperate for attention. Some people really get off on me giving it to the believers I guess. Seems immature to me but here we are.
You said that you are religious so my comments were meant to ease your pain. As you see, I summarized the relevant biblical verses that deal with mourning and grief. If you let it take control of your life you will fall into depression and ruin your other relationships. I have seen it happen in my own family when my sisters lost their children. Some handled it better than others but one flipped out and is now worthless to her other children and to everyone else, including herself. What did Adam & Eve do when Cain killed Abel? They kept living and had another child. What did David do when his son by Bathsheba died? He kept on living and had Solomon. People you love will die in all kinds of ways. You have to deal with it. If you don't then you become worthless to everyone around you and they will grow to hate you for it.
@Polydectes Sorry, english isn't my native language and it's a little bit hard to me to find the right words for that kind of situations, but I would like to wish you good luck in supporting your family in those difficulties, aswell good luck for you to over coming that. Just to says first : I don't believe in God. I hope I would answer correctly to your question, but I suppose there is many reasons for Evangelism. First some people find a sincere help in religion and so when you find a sincere help in religion, it might be harsh to see some people struggling with their difficulties. Also, in the mind of some religious people, believing in God is a matter of heaven or hell, so it's maybe one of the reason for them it's extremly important to convert people.
I'm not a believer, so my take is worth nothing to those who are, but I'm certain the reason Christians evangelize is because they're called to do just that by the NT scriptures, in several places. Whether or not it's annoying to any particular individual is a personal issue, not a doctrinal one, and in the U.S. it is protected by law from Federal government interference. Not that the Constitution has mattered since 1861, but we still like to pretend it does nonetheless. I can understand how it can be offensive in certain situations, but I don't know how one is to resolve it to everybody's satisfaction, so I go with the texts and the law on this; they have a right to try and persuade her back into their church as long as it's of her own volition.
From what you've written, I believe that your mother got great joy and comfort in Mass. I'm thinking the priest knows this and wants to help her find the joy and comfort again. And I hope, for her sake, that she goes along with it. She's feeling empty and angry about the loss of her son - and for believers, religion is very soothing. All the best...
I would think it is the duty of a priest to bring the strayed sheep back into the fold . The RCC is greater than any of its priests. Sounds like she is a fan of particular priests instead of a believer in Christianity
