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Tiago Marciano
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Hello everyone,
First of all, I’d like to thank you for the work you do.
I have a question and would appreciate your help.
- Would it be sinful to watch or listen to content from other Christian denominations (usually Protestant), simply out of curiosity to understand what they say or think about the Catholic faith — even if, most of the time, they are critical of it?
I want to emphasize that I don’t agree with their views and I remain firm in my Catholic faith.
I’m asking this because I struggle a bit with scrupulosity, and I recently came across an examination of conscience that mentioned speaking or listening against the Church could be a sin, possibly even a mortal one. That left me uncertain and concerned.
Thank you in advance for your attention, and I look forward to your guidance.
Tiago
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Would it be sinful to watch or listen to content from other Protestant Christian groups? }
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Paul replied:
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Dear Tiago,
There's a good rule of thumb question to ask oneself with regard to questions like these:
- Can I benefit from it or will it bring me down?
You know yourself and your limits better than I, so you must decide. Generally, there's nothing wrong with listening to people of others faiths for educational purposes, even when they're criticizing out of ignorance the Catholic faith. I do this often, to see what other perspectives are actually thinking. Yet, know your own faith and conviction before testing it.
Peace,
Paul
Beneath the Surface at www.Paulmurano.com – where faith and reason meet.
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Mike replied:
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Dear Tiago,
You said:
- Would it be sinful to watch or listen to content from other Christian denominations (usually Protestant), simply out of curiosity to understand what they say or think about the Catholic faith — even if, most of the time, they are critical of it?
I would give a more cautious reply than the one Paul gave. Everyone reading this posting have various educational and religious backgrounds and have been raised differently so their level of knowledge of "What the Catholic faith is" or better "What their "perceived" knowledge of what the Catholic faith is" will vary from person to person.
That said, remember the type of Christian we are watching or listening to. Implied in their talk is the assumption that there is something wrong with the teachings of the Catholic faith. They are Protestants and what they are protesting is, "what the Catholic faith is".
If we are not well-versed or well-studied in our Catholic beliefs, we can end up agreeing with Protestant Christians on an issue when, after digging deeper into the issue, we actually disagree.
This is why I have always discouraged going to Protestant Bible Studies, rather than creating new Catholic Bible Studies. When we do this, we are playing a HOME game, not a protesting AWAY game.
The Bible was written by Catholics and their ancestors, for Catholics, for use in the Catholic Mass, the Church's worship service.
That's just History 101!!
Hope this helps,
Mike
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