Defend The Faith

What To Do With People Attacking Your Faith
How Catholics should Respond to Common Protestant Obstructions

"There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be."

- Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ....

The above image and quote by Fulton Sheen highlights something every Catholic will encounter at some point: Catholic prejudice. If youre Catholic, you can expect to be assailed sooner or later by non-Catholics for your faith, and about The Church. It has been that way for a very long time, in fact, since the Protestant reformation. That movement started with anti-Catholic belligerence and it has not abated in the 500 years since. It is THEIR reaction to US, however; keep that in mind as we go along.     And here's what you have to remember... very often, if not most of the time, non-Catholics are not really looking to understand Catholicism, no matter what they may say. Instead, they may be looking for ways to attack Catholics and The Church - deliberately.      Now, to be fair, many of them can't help themselves, as they have been brought up on a lot of disinformation. Yet, a great many are "trained" to attack Catholics and Catholicism. They have it in books, and films, in seminars, and in their churches. I've met many who have obviously studied a playbook, if you like, in order to prepare themselves to defame, slander, and sully The Church and its members.      They actually take some pride in it...which is interesting, as they also proclaim themselves to be Christians. There's some irony there, don't you think?

They say things like:

“Catholics worship Mary.” “The Catholic Church is man-made.” “Your faith is unbiblical.” “You just follow traditions of men.”

They say these things so often, and so repetitively, it's like a recording has been implanted in them. Pull the ring on their back and hear these same recorded phrases come out – over and over.     And even after you explain what Catholics actually believe…

Even after you give Scripture…

Even after you say, “No, that is not what we believe”…

They keep repeating and sharing among one another the same made up accusations. Here is another bit of irony, in that they made them up, themselves, years ago, and that is now their legacy tradition. But they claim the Church follows the traditions of men. Go figure....

Any Catholic webpage sees it every day.

They'll post information about Mary, the Eucharist, confession, the Pope, statues, saints, Scripture, the sacraments — and occasionally, someone has honest questions.

But a great many have no intention of understanding, unless they can extract some kernel of fact to twist into a beat down they intend to deliver.

So the question becomes:

“How do Catholics defend the faith when people refuse to listen and accept Catholic explanations?”     In short you stick to facts, Scripture, and humility – and expect it will have no effect, regardless. But lets look at how to go about it.

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE ACTUALLY SAY?

    If you listen to these, "assault Protestants" long enough, you realize that they think only they can interpret the Bible correctly... and that they have given themselves the exclusive right to do so.
    However, the Bible, itself, doesn't say that about anyone; it doesn't even say in its pages that it is the only source of infallible authority. That's ANOTHER self-derived Protestant notion.
    But we can also refer to the Bible as well as anyone, and since the Catholic Church created the Bible, its seems like a smart place to look. And it so happens that Saint Peter tells us something there about defending the faith:

“Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.”
— 1 Peter 3:15

    That is the core of apologetics....by the way when we say "apologetics," we mean, "mounting a defense,"... not apologizing for being Catholic or for The Church. This context stems from the ancient Greek word, "apologeaia," which was the term used in Greek courts for a legal defense.

    What Peter said there is why we explain. That is why we respond. That is why we do not run from hard questions.

    But - the rest of the verse matters too:

“Yet do it with gentleness and reverence.”

    That part is important. Defending the faith does not mean being rude, bitter, obstinate, obnoxious, overbearing, or obsessed with proving people wrong. That is how most of the opponents of Catholicism behave. If you've ever been on an anti-Catholic social media page, or had anti-Catholics jumpo into a Catholic page, you'll know what I mean.

    Instead of acting like them, though, defending Catholicism means speaking the truth clearly, while still acting like a Christian.

    Jesus also told His disciples:

“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.”
— John 15:18

    So we should not be shocked when the faith is mocked. Truth has always been resisted.

Here is what we have to remember.

You can explain the Catholic faith clearly.

You can quote and properly explain Scripture.

You can correct misunderstandings.

You can say, “Catholics worship God alone.”

You can say, “The Rosary is centered on Christ.”

You can say, “Confession is biblical.”

You can say, “The Eucharist is not just a symbol.”

And those who don't want to hear it will still say: “Nope. You’re wrong.”

But that does not mean you failed.

It means their heart is not ready to hear it.

Your job is not to force someone to believe.

Your job is to witness to the truth.

Some conversations are for conversion.

Some conversations are for planting seeds.

And some conversations are not really there to benefit the person arguing with you.

What do I mean by that?     Well, some conversations are for the few quiet people in the background who genuinely want to learn. That is why we keep responding.

Not because every critic will change their mind. In fact, one of the greatest lies humans tell themselves - especially nowadays - is this: “If you can prove me wrong – I'll change my mind.”     And, yes, some people are fooled by that, including those who say it. But what they normally mean is..."you can say all you want, and I will still doubt and reject it, and then try to find ways to knock you down.”     So the things you say are probably NOT going to matter to them.

But someone else may be watching and thinking:

“I never heard the Catholic side explained like that before.”

When someone keeps attacking your faith after you already explained it, you can say:

“I am happy to explain what Catholics actually believe, but I cannot make you accept an answer you obstinately wish to reject. Catholics worship God alone, follow Scripture, and believe Christ founded a visible Church. You may disagree, but repeating the same accusations do not make them true.”

Then ask:

“Are you wanting to understand what Catholics believe, or are you only trying to argue against it?”

    That one question changes the conversation. Because honest questions deserve patient answers. But bad-faith arguments do not require endless replies. You can't argue with ignorance, and you shouldn't try.

And point to:

1 Peter 3:15 — Be ready to give a defense with gentleness and reverence.
Matthew 10:14 — Sometimes you have to shake the dust off your feet.
2 Timothy 2:24–25 — The Lord’s servant must correct opponents with gentleness.

    In fact, you should take the last line or two of someone's attack and reword it into a question. They will usually leap to rebut your question and reveal much of their true character and intent.
And when you need to have an end note, because you're at an impass, the entire Catholic position, The Church's entire purpose and action, really, can be summed up in Matthew 10:7-15.
    I advise you to have that handy should it be useful,... and it will be.

Let’s clean it up: Let’s clean it up: ❌ You do not have to answer every insult. You can deflect them, and say nothing. You actually learn more that way. ❌ You do not have to win every comment section. In today's arena thats impossible. ❌ You do not have to keep arguing with someone who refuses to listen. Thats for fools, as St. Paul indicated. But,... ✅ You should know your faith. ✅ You should defend the truth. ✅ You should discern people's intent...they often mask it, until they think they can strike. Get ahead of that with the technique above. ✅ You should respond with charity if someone asks honestly. ✅ You should remember that your witness may help someone watching silently. So yes, defend your Catholic faith. But do not lose your peace trying to convince someone who is obstinately committed to misunderstanding and misrepresenting you. Speak the truth. Stay charitable. Plant the seed. And let God handle the heart, if that is His will.