to my Catholic friends

[fpb]

Don't waste your time trying to defend the Church. There is no point: the haters don't want to be set straight - it is too convenient to them to recycle the filth of the New Jerk Lines and its repulsive accomplices. If anyone comes at you with the kind of excrement that has been coming through the wrong orifice of media persons in their jolly progress towards Hell, just dump them on the spot and save yourselves some grief. Remember the parable of the pearls and the swine; there has rarely been a clearer case of swinishness in human behaviour. So leave them strictly alone to damn themselves in their own time.

Comments

[mentalguy.livejournal.com]

It depends on the person and the situation. I am also more likely to try in a one-on-one setting where there isn't an audience to be played to.

As I think Mark Shea put it though, out of the spiritual works of mercy, instructing the ignorant is one of those that isn't necessarily appropriate for everyone. I don't attempt it in a situation where I know the limits of my patience and charity are likely to be severely tried, and everyone has their own limits.

[fpb.livejournal.com]

If a person starts with "the Church is a cult of paedophiles", as one person did to me recently, I cannot think that there is much of any way to break through to him. I just place him in Our Lord's swine and keep my pearls for those who will not trample them underfoot.

[mentalguy.livejournal.com]

Indeed; that is prudence.