Let me share a little exchange I just had with a young Christian who follows my VTC site:
Me:
You asked on another blog an example of misinformation or lies (regarding Catholicism) . Here’s one.
“The Catholic rosary is wrong because it is ‘mindless repetition.'” We have several times given her links and information about the scriptural rosary, about the four mysteries of the rosary that Catholics meditate on that cover Jesus’s death through to the ascension into heaven! She never acknowledges that information. She continues to post that Catholics are sinning because they pray the rosary which is”mindless repetition.”
So we tell her she is mistaken, we given her the facts and back it up with information, and she still doesn’t believe it. This is why Catholics are mad at her. She doesn’t listen, she doesn’t want to listen, and she will never retract information when it is proven to be incorrect.
There are tons more on our Visits to Candyland Site, but that is the first example that came off the top of my head.
Young Christian:
Thank you for emailing me, I appreciate it, I have read a lot on the catholic church, I know what I know and I have friends that are Catholic that I believe are saved and will be in heaven with me one day. However, most Catholics do not get past their worship of Mary and know the True real God. The do not get past their prayer book. But thank you for emailing me.
Me:
How can you possibly make a comment about what “most Catholics” do or do not do? How would you know that? I would also be the first to tell you that if your friends are “worshipping” Mary they then are in serious sin and need to go to their priest and talk about it. My guess however is that you know people who honor and venerate Mary and because that’s out of your paradigm, you think it must be worship. I assure you that it is not. As for the prayer book comment, I’m unsure what to make of that. If prayers lead us to Christ, if they focus us on God and the Trinity, why is that a problem? What we try to represent on VTC is the actual church teaching. The church does not teach us to “worship” Mary. The church is very clear that Mary is not a Goddess; she is not God. I have been a Catholic for almost 50 years and I have never EVER met a Catholic who “worships” Mary.
Young Christian:
I read what you posted and quite frankly I do not agree with it at all, even the rosary thing. I am open to the truth. Each side can twist scripture all they want to make it come out they want it, so how can I know you are not doing it too. … with this, I am going to end this email and end my visits there. It reminds me of the devil. The devil will do anything it can to tear down a Christian. It has done a remarkable job through you and your site as well as the other blog site.
Me:
OK, let’s examine that.
Repeatedly (saying) that praying the rosary is vain repetition. That is either a true or a false statement.
I have proven to her that the rosary is based on 4 different sets of mysteries. For example, the Joyful Mysteries include the angel Gabriel coming to Mary in Luke 1:26, Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth Luke 1:39, Birth of Jesus Luke 2:1, Presentation of Baby Jesus in the Temple Luke 2:22, and Finding Jesus in the Temple Luke 2:41. We meditate on these things as we say the rosary.
How is that vain repetition? It’s not. Therefore the statement that the rosary is vain repetition and forbidden in the bible is false. It has been proven false. Candy repeats this falsehood. This isn’t a hard judgment to make Ginger. Is what Candy says about the rosary true or false? The facts prove that it is false. And that is why you should believe me. Because I present a logical case and I can back up my points. If you are truly open to the truth, you have to take this evidence which I have clearly supplied you into consideration.
Young Christian:
Again, like I said, when you and your friends can present some real truth let me know.I have not seen one concrete proof and no one seems to want to give me any other then their opinion. I also believe the rosary thing is vain repitition.
Are you ready to bang your head against the screen yet dear reader?
Me:
It is not my opinion that the rosary follows scripture and it is not vain repetition. That is a fact.
http://rosarycreations.com/scripturalrosary.htm
In the face of blatant, obvious proof, I am just absolutely baffled that you have a “belief” about the rosary at all! You don’t say the rosary, and you know little to nothing about it. So how can you possibly have an informed opinion one way or the other. It’s like your other statement about “all Catholics.” You seem to hold a lot of opinions that aren’t backed by a lot of substance.
Young Christian:
I have read my bible and I have done a lot of studying and taking institute courses, I have learned about the rosary and what it entails. I have a different opinion then yours. You have one opinion and I have another. The only fact there is, is that we are on two opposite sides of what you claim as a fact. I disagree with you. You disagree with me. That is life.
Me:
For my own education then because I honestly do not know:
What is an institute course? What institute? Was it Catholic? Where did they get their information?
I guess I didn’t really think it would be an “opinion.”
During the first decade of the first Joyful mystery, the praying person meditates on the mystery of the angel Gabriel visiting the Virgin Mary. It’s not an “opinion”. That is traditionally, historically and in practice what the first Joyful Mystery is. That is a fact.I guess the “opinion” part would be, is it “vain” to think about that part of Christ’s life, the part where he because the actual word made flesh in Mary’s womb, while saying the Rosary? You say yes I guess so I would ask why is meditating on the actual life of Jesus Christ considered to be “vain?”
And is there a possibility in your mind that a sincere Christian could pray and meditate on the actual life of Christ and it not be vain, but indeed deep, sincere, and meaningful? Is that even a possibility in your paradigm?
Young Christian:
Institute is where they teach you bible, our pastors who came from a catholic upbringing taught us. Like I said, you can believe what you want to be as fact and I will believe how I want to for what is fact.
Me:
So just to see if I understand this correctly, you received your information about the rosary from disgruntled ex-Catholics?
Young Christian:
They were saved out of the catholic church and it’s falsehoods, So yes I have learned my information not only from them, but my own personal research at the library and the internet. After getting saved, they found out what true salvation was and that being good was not going to get you anywhere but to hell.
She then sent me the Jesus is Lord site and the Jack Chick site… sigh. Yea, I know.
YC ended our discussion with:
No matter what you say at this point, like I said and no matter what I say we are NOT going to agree, so these emails are fruitless in my opinion. I know what I know to be true and you know what you know to be true. So, we can agree to disagree though.
I will not engage in futile dialogues.
I will not engage in futile dialogues.
I will not engage in futile dialogues.
I will not engage in futile dialogues
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