There is a Protestant habit, which makes me physically sick.

There is a Protestant habit, which makes me physically sick.
https://www.facebook.com/hglundahl/posts/pfbid032HXejfDpFR7cE9yTmpGPbPBMWSDBUE4V3TeW2x5JHHTmY3x51JSLNgTrWibsbV17l

Let’s say a Catholic and a Protestant are for some reasons friends or business associates and from time to time speak of religion.

• A. Protestant or Catholic brings up a topic dividing the two confessions (the Protestant one not usually being European Lutheranism or Anglicanism, but more in the range of what Europeans would term « freikirchlich » in German, « frikyrklig » in Swedish and roughly speaking « Evangelical » in US American and Canadian English, probably used the same way in England too, but on Ireland, Calvinists would do this more often then Pentecostals, I think, and you also have Calvinists who are into this). The Protestant brings up a few objections. So far, hunky dory.
• B. The Catholic then does a fine job getting into all the intricacies of interpretation and exegesis and Church history to defend the Catholic doctrine. The Protestant listens patiently and nods.
• C. When the Catholic is done, the Protestant is then replying, « but why does it have to be so complicated ? Do you really have to know Greek and Latin Church Fathers to come to Christ ? How can you have your sins forgiven if, God forbid, you should miss a little detail in Church history ? We have a far simpler way of turning to God, you see, we are done with all these extra mediators ... »

Why does this Protestant tactic make me sick ?

On their view, probably because I have an issue with coming to Christ. They are witnessing of Christ you see, so if their tactic makes me sick, I must be under some kind of demonic influence, and therefore disgusted at Christ Himself, that being obviously ALL of their religion, and so on.

There are other reasons, if you want my opinion.

• 1) It’s dishonest. You pretend to be interested in the intellectual side so as to bait a Catholic to waste his time as an intellectual, so you can end it all of by pretending he’s an intellectual instead of being a Christian. Part of the reason that particular Catholic has a well educated and to your view even complex intellect, is, he actually grew up close enough to Protestants to need to be able to give an answer well before you asked one of him. There are Protestants who are actually interested in the answers, as I while a Protestant was in the Catholic answer to my two main objections, that being Indulgences (not too interested actually, except it kind of made the Church I was attracted to look a bit bad) and Inquisition (far more interested). Picking up habits of intellectualism when growing up as a Catholic or a near Catholic semi-Protestant interested in converting, the latter my case, but growing up near people like you (I had met your kind in Austria) or near Commie like Atheists, an act of self defense, but also of outreach. You pretend this is how WE do « how do I get saved by the Cross » which is simply not the case. Confession may be irksome, but it’s not complicated. Fasting on a vigil day or the early hours of a day you intend to receive Communion may send you to a caloric breakfast when the fast is over, but that is also not complicated. Praying the rosary is pleasant, unless you have a problem with one of the prayers, as I currently have with the Our Father, which says « as we forgive those who trespass against us » this being my main problem for these last up to ten years I have not been praying the rosary.
• 2) It’s by that dishonesty underscoring your Protestant superiority complex in a way which doesn’t cost you any intellectual effort. It allows you to feel totally smug about not being Catholic and basically pitying Catholics, without your having any need to look for any answers.
• 3) It fools yourself and any Protestant listeners (of your type), but worse, it’s intended to fool me. I’d be ashamed of such dishonesty, so I don’t intend to get fooled. But some Protestants who are around are not ashamed of such dishonesty and do intend to keep trying.