Wednesday, July 21, 2010

some apologetics assistance needed...

I have quite a love/hate relationship with Facebook - I've gone on several "FB fasts," canceled my account on numerous occasions, etc.  I think it can serve a good purpose when used prudently and not as a means to "be in the know" about people with whom one never communicates with aside from exchanging Facebook status changes on the homepage.  But, I digress. 

Within the last week, there have been two bold claims made by two individuals, both of whom I would consider a friend (more than simply a "Facebook friend").  These claims were essentially the same, stating that the Roman Catholic Church needs to get with the times and start ordaining women.

Obviously this isn't the first time that people have expressed this view.  But as a committed Roman Catholic who loves and embraces the Magesterium, this is clearly a sentiment that I do not uphold.  Not even a little bit.  Nope.  Not at all.

And there are so many reasons, but a lesson in apologetics is not the reason for my post.  I do, however, need advice as to how to best serve people who make these claims on Facebook.  I feel like I have a few options:
  1. Do/say nothing.  Pray for them, but take no more action than that.
  2. Send them a link to some solid apologetics in text or podcast format, thus potentially starting (or continuing?) an open-forum debate on their profile page.
  3. Send them a FB message or email (something sent only to the person making the claim) about why their view is flawed.  The intention here is not to be seen as better or holier than them but rather to plant a seed rooted in the fullness of the Truth.
When it comes down to it, I want to DO something.  I'm so sick of Church bashing, particularly among people who claim to be Catholic.  But on things like Facebook, I don't know how far I should go in terms of apologetics.  I want to be charitable without sugar-coating anything.  It's easy to paint a picture of our Lord as a peacemaker - someone who simply wanted everyone to get along, love each other, etc.  But Jesus was so much more than that, desiring nothing but our sanctity and bringing us closer to the Truth.  So how the heck do I convey that on Facebook?

Thoughts?  Suggestions?  Please give me some ideas! 

4 comments:

  1. I think that a respectful dialogue is a great way to go. However I don't think electronic communication is an appropriate way to engage challenging questions. You could direct them to Peter "I-have-7-arguments-against-each-of-these-criticisms" Kreeft and ask about their thoughts, or something along those lines. I always feel like theologians say things much more eloquently than I. These can be touchy and polarizing issues--I think they are most reasonably mitigated with in-person or phone conversations.

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  2. I think ataustin has a good point about theologians saying things better. lol

    If I were doing it I would maybe say something in an email about how I saw the status and wondered if they had ever investiaged WHY the Church teaches what it teaches. Say that some teachings can seem really archaic (if you think that's true) but that in your research you've been really convinced that the teachings are actually rich, radical and TRUE. Then maybe offer some links that explain it all.

    Good luck and God bless!

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  3. Sheesh! Jon and I just had a "debate"/"conversation" with my mom about this exact issue and it didn't turn out super well. I'd love to hear what you end up doing/saying/emailing!

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  4. I would love to hear your side as well, as I am not Roman Catholic, and have always wondered why women were not ordained as well. Without a full knowledge, I would tend to lean toward these 2 people's opinions as well, but I would be really interested to hear your perspective.

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