I have outgrown my friendships. It is difficult to find new friends when you are a grown-up. One tip: don't google 'adult friendship'...

You should be friends with those who act in a virtuous manner and avoid those who act in a viceful manner, regardless of what they call themselves.

There is a difference between morality and theology. One can be righteous and upright but not share your theology, and at the same time plenty who share your theology may behave in an awful manner.

I think this video put a sensitive topic across with such humility. As a catholic christian convert, Christianity gave me the tools to move forward in life by the grace of discernment, the friends I hung with were coked up every weekend, adulterous, megalomaniacs, haters of all religion and God and while I still love these guys I had to move away as there behaviour had corruptible influences on me, as I became to Love Jesus more and more each day, my friends would drift further away, why, because I refused to indulge in that sinful life and yet, if they find themselves some day seeing the error of their ways and seek help or guidance , I’ll be the first at their door, to me that’s love I found through Christ. .

If your friends drag you down into their vices or lead you to sin, obviously you should avoid them or cut them off. But the claim that you should strictly cut off any non-catholic friend is something else entirely, and it's also a claim swiftly uttered by people who already find themselves well-situated within a community of believers. In my case, being exclusively friends with Catholics only would mean I wouldn't have any friends at all since there simply are no catholics in my hometown. It's a handful of catholics that I've met on social media but most of them are wannabe trads who spend too much time on the internet (I admit to being guilty of that myself) - God bless them, but social interactions on Instagram and Twitter are always tainted by culture war issues, moral outrage, trad daydreams of a "Catholic Golden Age", inner-catholic disputes and arguments, and I'm trying to get away from all of that. There are a couple of catholics where I live now but there's no one I would call a friend or who I'd even want to be friends with. Plus, cutting off friends also prevents evangelization from happening because in my case, there's literally no other catholic around, so if I want my friends to go to Heaven, I have to put in the effort and evangelize them myself. Selectiveness for me isn't the issue, the question is when to be selective.

A great topic. It becomes very tricky when the members of your family all believe differently than you.

I posted about a person that was mocking and ridiculing my Catholic faith and that I had let that friendship go. Someone said “I’m glad I’m not your friend”. That person came over about a decade ago with a six pack of beer and when he finished it off without me bringing up religion and knowing I’m Catholic became visible angry shouting about what he hated about the Catholic Church. There is no reason to be around that kind of hatred and I don’t apologize for it because what I did wasn’t wrong. I’m 65 and in my mid to late 20’s I took a look at all of my friendships. I realized that I was the one that initiated everything with everyone. I made the phone calls, and I drove over to visit people and not a single person reciprocated. I decided to see if I mattered to any of them and stopped calling and visiting and didn’t hear from any of them again. I have not sought friendship in the last 40 years. I engage in solitary activities. I was married for 11 years and divorced for 20 and I won’t commit adultery so I haven’t sought female companionship in 20 years and won’t again. I am polite, I smile when I encounter people, and I ask them about themselves and try to give and help where I can. I pray a lot, and I spend a lot of time in front of the tabernacle but I live as a hermit based on my experience with people in the past. When you are my age you are invisible to people. People just don’t care about the elderly. I realize that the comments sections of videos and social media are occasions of Sin for me because it’s too easy for me to respond in anger so I am going to once again retreat in solitude. To the person who said ”I’m glad I’m not your friend,” I hear you and I walked into solitude 40 years ago because of people like you.

I was close friends with a pot-smoking bro who was into all kinds of eastern mysticism and new age stuff. We had great discussions, sometimes while he was high. He was initiated into the Catholic Church this past Easter and I was his sponsor.

I never ask my friends or partners to share my faith, but I do ask them to respect it. If it comes down to having to make a choice between them or Christ, there's no way they're going to win.

I don’t think I was wise enough to listen to advice like this in my teen and early adult years, but I sure wish I would have. Great thoughts, Brian, as always, I really appreciate both the constructive thoughts, and the articulate way in which you convey them. God bless.

Brian, you touched on a VERY important point - we haven't examined what we mean by "friendship". And when anyone says 'you cannot be friends with anyone who does not share your beliefs', we may imagine that amnity should turn to emnity against those who then become 'the others'. NO. We can be warm, gentle, caring and considerate of co-workers, acquaintances, and others with whom we have shared interests, in the spirit of Agape...We can have a moderate level of involvement (popularly called "friendships" these days), without spending loads of time and close personal involvement with them, and without lessening our commitments to those with whom we DO share our beliefs and commitments (true and trustworthy friends). We need to develop a vocabulary and sensibility for the vast middle ground, between 'I don't know them/associate with them' and 'they are true and deep friends and have my highest commitment of trust'.

I think a Christian can be friends with a non-Christian if they have other things in common, such as passions or hobbies. Sharing the same religion doesn’t mean you have anything else in common. Sometimes, personally differences can also clash. It also depends on how tolerant the non-Christian is of your opinions. I’ve met plenty of tolerant unbelievers and intolerant believers. With that being said, I do think it’s important for spouses to share the same faith, the foundation of which will determine the success of a marriage. I would consider dating a non-believer, but only if they were considering conversion.

I have no friends its hard to keep friendships when you are considered a “religious nut” because i say that life starts in the womb and is murdering a human. I keep saying God knows you since u were in the womb. So I’m good being “lonely”

When I was at university, the vast majority of my classmates were atheists, so a lot of my friends were Muslim. In the context, we actually had way more in common than I did with people who were "tolerant" and "liberal" etc so I had very meaningful friendships with Muslims that ultimately led me closer to God and to my own Catholic faith. Right now, I do have non-Christian friends, especially childhood friends. Your childhood friends are often the people that understand you the most and there's often little that needs to be said between you, they just "get it" so to speak. And I think those friendships are important. But the people that I hang out with the most day to day are my friends from church.

I do have non Christian friends and Christian friends and they don't belittle my Catholicism. If they did I wouldn't want to be friends anymore Family there is a similar thing of them being really pro choice and I keep my distance and pray for them. Plus they live in another state, we're not close and haven't seen them for years and they are atheists

I made that mistake: out of human respect, an imprecise notion of friendship, and a conflation of niceness with goodness I counted as friends people whose beliefs were incompatible with mine.

Why is it assumed that when a Christian is a friend to a non-Christian it is he who follows Christ who will abandon his beliefs? Is it not as dangerous for a tacit follower of modern secularism to befriend a believer and take on the habits and values of his strong Christian friend? What is required is not abstinence from friendship with non-Christians, but caution and prudence when forming or maintaining those friendships. I don't keep company with those who encourage the vices to which I am most strongly tempted, but I've spent many hours with friends who over time have changed their behavior because they respect and love me and see the effects of Christ in my life.

CHRIST IS KING

Brian, this really hit a soft spot for me. I see myself surrounded by friends who are not in the faith and it's sometimes hard to balance this. Your reflexion has helped me shed some light on this matter. Thank you!

If by maintaining friendships with non-Christians you risk being influenced away from your faith, doesn't that, by the same reasoning, enable the possibility of instead influencing them towards righteousness, which is something that also has eternal consequences for them?

I wished I could find good friends who share the same faith and interests as me, but unfortunately, as I grew older, the realization that some people will only bring you down and prevent you from living the life best meant for you stopped me from trying to become friends with everyone. At this point, I can only accept that regardless of faith, the friends to allow near oneself are those who respect one's choices.

Blessed Bishop Sheen is the example that I fallow, he had friends from all walks. If there is respectful behaviour the faith based conversations can lead to spirtual growth. Iron sharpens iron, a spirted exchange can be good for the mind and soul.

I dunno about this one, Brian. The closer I get to Jesus, the more I see God’s goodness and light in my friends. Both the believers and unbelievers alike. I also feel like Jesus was pretty big on friendship with all sorts of people, even those who held different beliefs. Friendship is also…for those of us developing the virtue of chastity… of the upmost importance. Intimacy is found in friendship and community, and the beauty of it is that, unlike with a spouse, a difference of belief amongst friends ends up emboldening our convictions rather than diminishing them We are built for community and relationship, and I would disagree with Lewis on his assessment of friendship being the lesser form of love or whatever…. Jonathan and David loved one another more than their women. That’s saying something. Thanks for your content

One of the most important things I came to realize in my journey out of the world of drugs, alcohol, and casual sex and into the world of Christianity was that the people I considered my closest friends weren't truly my friends. There were people I liked to hang out with and had good times with, but when it came down to the wire, very few of those people actually cared about me. They were pulling me into a spiral of drug addiction. When I stepped away from the drugs and the rest, I realized that drugs were the only thing I even had in common with many of them. We barely even talked about anything else, and when I cut that out, those people fell away. A lot of them weren't even all that fun to be around. In fact, some of them were downright nasty, and I only tolerated them because they hung around the people I actually wanted to be with and I could get something from them. At best, you could call those acquaintances. Certainly not friends.

Thank you so much for this one!! I've been tormented by this question for such a long time and now I've found all the answers in your video. Finally feeling at peace with myself and the friendship decisions I had to make. ❤

Are you really chosing your friends? Most of the time it just a product of your environment most often school or workplace. I don't see the problem as long as they are not actively against the faith.

My non Christian friends have been more Christ-like than my Christian ones... Outward piety is not always a sign of true piety. Judge a tree by it's fruits...

Some people must be loved safely from afar.

Wow… you have answered the question perfectly, and 100% resonates with me. Thank you very much, may God bless you and increase your holiness and wisdom ✝️

Of course, the answer to the question "Should Christians be friends with non-Christians?" depends on how we define friendship. I think, for me a friend is someone: 1) I personally know, 2) I share some things in common, 3) I have some sort of mutual benefit with, 4) who respects my boundaries, and 5) who possesses genuine goodness, thus, making them someone whom I would prioritize over a stranger, unless if the said stranger is in an obvious and more life-threatening situation to which I am capable of providing immediate and effective assistance. Any non-Christian can therefore be my "friend," as long as they have those five qualifications. I think this sort of friendship is essential in ensuring our own survival, in the propagation of the gospel, in the understanding of the human condition, and hopefully, for that non-Christian friend's conversion.

My childhood best friend became an atheist. It never destroyed our friendship. We still love each other, share the same hobbies, and the same values. Often, difference in religious belief is a difference in semantics.

Excellent! Thank you, Brian. ❤

I asked my husband about this and he said that it is important to keep friends of similar values. I could have a friend who is technically of the same religion but whose values differ greatly. I added in that having friends from multiple backgrounds could expose me to beliefs better than what I currently hold. He said that it was good not to keep yourself in an echo chamber type environment. However, he said I should have friends who support the values I hold very important even while differing in other ways. It's hard to say what to do, because it's hard to say if I'm doing the right thing to begin with or if I need to change. And it's harder to talk to another person about how they should change, as in "You should be friends with so and so because they'd be a good influence on you and hopefully change your mind about this certain thing."

As a non Christian, I'll answer this question from my end as a no. We don't need you as friends if you have nothing but contempt for us as heathen, when we too wish to preserve our cultures and traditions.

Love your videos Brian. ❤

Nay. We should also be careful with "cafeteria" catholics.

Great question, Brian. I’ve had to drop friends because of different beliefs and that makes me sad. But I will say they couldn’t hear my beliefs and I was barraged with their beliefs. Both sides suffer I think. But, I decide to be yoked with believers. God bless.

He gave the game away when he said that people get turned away from their faith being surrounded by people who challenge it. If the only way to stay, religious is to live in an echo chamber because you are religion, can’t withstand scrutiny, you have a false belief system.

Larry Taunton and Christopher Hitchens were good friends. Larry a Christian apologist and Christopher a famous atheist. Plus Christopher also developed a relationship with The theologian Douglas Wilson. Of course, opposing viewpoint people can become closely bonded. Because eventually God intervenes, and that becomes the tape the glue is Velcro that connects and they don’t even realize it. LOVE=GOD There is no need to push anything on anybody just warm, loving thoughts and discussions and will help and God will do the rest.

Eating and drinking don't make friendships - such friendship even robbers and murderers have. But if we are friends, if we truly care for one another, let us help one another spiritually. . . Let us hinder those things that lead our friends away to hell. - St. John Chrysostom

Oddly, some of best friendships in the past were with non-Christians; they respected my opinions & beliefs and I respected theirs. Sadly put predictably, my worst encounters were with non-Catholics and Muslims 😉

Excellent intro Brian!

I dont have religious beliefs, so there's simply no need to have this question. I never would turn down the oppurtunity to befriend people outside of my familiarity zone.

My best friend is a non-Christian, an agnostic I think! She fully appreciates I am a Catholic and seems to be happy when I go to Church! She seems to like Christian content when I share it. She has fostered/adopted orphans and seems to be a better Christian than me in that she is more generous.

Thank u, that helped me tremendously!

I think Brian has made some good distinctions. Thank you.

Should isn't a good question. Should is prescriptive, it's an opinion. The question is *can* you. It requires defining what a friend is. To answer would be too long and off topic, but here is a single line item: A friend is not a shepherd leading livestock. If that's all you see people who don't share your beliefs as: lost, sick beasts fumbling in the darkness; you cannot be those people's friends, because you hold them in contempt.

That was a good one. Thank you..

I disagree with you. My 2 best friends are all non catholic. You don't just go and quit your 2 only real friendships ypu build over 15 years. It would be an anti christian sect like behaviour to do so, because those friendships bring value to my live and help me and the other person in their lives. And it would be a sin to destroy something good and fruitful. You also shouldn't underestimate the evangelizing effect that I have on the others. The only situation where i would agree with you is, if your friends have a very bad influence on your life e.g. they do drugs all the time or they do satanic rituals.

Friend? Sure. But inner circle, I don't even let some Christians into my inner circle.

This past year I’ve been deepening in my catholic faith. I’ve been doing lots of reading attending mass every Sunday, praying the rosary every day. Some of my friends are Christian others atheist. I find that I really don’t have anybody to talk to about my Catholic faith and I need to find some Catholic friends because what’s important to me now is not some thing that I feel comfortable sharing with my current friends.

Superimposing the categories of "wicked" and "unbeliever" is a dreadful sophism.

I had to end a friendship with a very worldly person, not because their sins and vices were contagious to me as a Catholic, but because those sins caused them to act uncharitably to me and others. It was the definition of a toxic friendship.

Excellent discussion. I think we love our dis functional/sinful neighbor by firstly not hating them and by praying for them and their salvation… all at a safe distance.

When Christ spoke his parables to his followers, he demonstrated a profound understanding that transcended their faith or ethnicity. His teachings were not bound by the limitations of social divisions, be it Greek, Roman, Canaanite, Amorite, or any other group. Christ's message of love and compassion encompassed all individuals, regardless of their background. He saw the inherent worth and potential in every person, recognizing that building genuine friendships beyond religious boundaries, one could effectively convey the transformative power of Christ's love and lead others to Christianity. It is essential to recognize that isolating ourselves from those who do not share our beliefs hinders our ability to manifest the love of Christ in their lives. By reaching out to non-Christians and establishing meaningful connections, we open doors for them to witness the profound impact of Christ's teachings firsthand. It is through genuine friendships and sincere interactions that we can effectively communicate the essence of Christ's message and inspire others to seek a relationship with Him. Therefore, our commitment to sharing the love of Christ should transcend religious affiliations, enabling us to extend his kindness, understanding, and acceptance to all individuals we encounter on our journey of faith.

As an atheist, why not??

Actually this video, need to be watched by all youths, not just Christian youths. Thankyou gentle man. I should have watched this 5 years before, Iam soo tierd of nurchuring all peoples from my neighbourhood to internet and feeding feeding..ended up being nowhere both careerwise and personally ❤thankful for this video.

Is your content available on spotify? I stopped watching your videos a year ago because too long.

Having friends from other faiths can be wonderful, but take it from a child of an interreligious couple: if raising children in your faith is important, don't date outside of your religion.

I somewhat disagree. I think we have to have the ability to bridge the gap in understanding between ourselves. I am comfortable enough in my faith. I have seen enough, read enough, my questions are satisfied and I too have not shunned outside beliefs as I don't think they are unfounded, just misled. I used to be friends with an atheist and now he's a Christian trying to discover more about the faith and about God, he used to drink hard and do drugs when I was friends with him as I've been friends with him since we were 4 and we are in our mid 20's now. Our faith has and can stand up to the test, it has stood up to ridicule and criticism and in this modern age we still have Christians of all experiences and walks of life. With that said, I agree that there is a danger in to be had in being friends with these people, but if your faith isn't taken seriously to begin with. I think the bigger danger is being friends with people going through the same struggles as you as on the one hand you might encourage each other to greater heights or you might bring each other down. If you have an issue with keeping your lust in check, maybe have a bit more distance from prostitutes, if you have a drug problem, maybe have a bit of distance from drug dealers

Thank you for your words of wisdom taken from Scripture and good writers. It used to be the case in my part of the world as we grew up that we were a minority among all the population both at school and later in the adult world. So finding a good catholic friend was almost impossible. It still is there. But interestingly as we’ve moved to a once-Christian country, which I believe is where you’re from too, Brian, I witness the paganism here increasing at an alarming rate! And so my young adult sons and my husband are landed with the same fate as we had back in our land of birth. Especially in our so called “Catholic” public schools where I happen to work, good luck finding ANY truly catholic friend! Thanks to post Christian wokism within our own curriculums and our “training” as staff!! So what’s at stake here is our having fewer and fewer friends and deep friendships, and our lives are directed to more of “evangelizing” of our so called catholic co-workers and students. And it would be necessary to mention that evangelizing has its consequences, thanks to the very aggressive wokism among the unionized staff, the secularism prevalent among families, which has manifested as open minds and souls to the occult among the children, and our evangelization is “increasingly intolerable” to them. Martyrdom is on the horizon☺️ no chances of finding enriching friendships it seems 😄 However to be honest, very few are still to be found if we can discern, from the people we meet or come across.

Very well said

Jokes on you i dont have friends

“He said not, 'Intermix not with unbelievers,' but rather dealing sharply with them, as transgressing what was right, 'Suffer not yourselves to turn aside,' says he, For what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity?” -St. John Chrysostom on 2nd Cor. 6:14 If I might offer my personal opinion, I think it’s primarily an issue of not being taken up by the ethics of unbelief, not insulating ourselves from unbelievers - one kind friend can change our hearts - I think this might have been the point you were also trying to make, but I can’t say for sure In any case, good video as usual Brian!

When your non Christian friends drag you down in your journey to following Jesus, you don’t need those friends. I recently met a non Christian couple and instantly knew I won’t be friends with them.

You should be around people who hold the same level of standards as you, that’s important. However, your religious beliefs/ lack of beliefs etc, don’t need to come into the picture unless your desire is to convert people. If you’re worried that people that don’t share your beliefs will influence you then perhaps your belief system wasn’t that strong in the first place. My husband and I are spiritual and we have Muslim, Christian, Hindu and atheist friends. It works because of being open minded and respecting everyone’s right to believe what they want. It’s only those who are extreme and need to save that can’t handle friendships outside their beliefs.

Some of these comments seem to be responding only to the title of the video. Brian in the video references points of virtue much more than merely do you categorize as Christian or non-Christian. I want everyone to be Catholic, but I understand those not raised as Christians can still have a code of ethics they live by that is very similar to what Christianity teaches. I think they may have indirectly been raised on values that originate from Christianity without even knowing it. Therefore, as Catholics, we should always encourage others to know our Lord, but not just avoid interaction merely on not being categorized Christian.

So don't be friends with non believers because we are so weak they will eventually turn us, then they won't see our lives, faith or example? Will do. I regret my deep friendships that resulted in conversion.

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”[e] 34 Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God-I say this to your shame.

I’m certainly glad that my Christian friends didn’t give up on me when I was an atheist. To not be friends with these people for your own benefit could be selfish.

Unfortunately, the best people (high in "natural virtue", if you say) I meet were outside the Church. And I include from radtrads to charismatics and everything in between. Ironically, the best catholic friends I have are non-vinculated to any particular apostolate: they just go to the Sunday mass and try to live the commandments somehow. I was targeted by envious and narcisistic behaviour *far* more frequently from catholics than from non-catholics. To be fair, the filter for non-catholics was much more rigorous, I assumed good-faith and general goodness from the people working on catholic apostolates - that's the most holy work, so people must be holier by default - boy, I was wrong!

Didnt watch the video yet. I think as long as the person isnt viceful or promote vices, theres nothing wrong with associating with them regardless of their faith.

Like you said, "Exercise prudence." And I'll add the advice to continually ask the Holy Spirit for that virtue.

Wasn't G.K. Chesterton's best friend a militant athiest?

I find your use of 1 Corinthians 5 to justify your position (at 5:19) to be rather misleading. If you read the whole passage with context, Paul specifically excludes non-Christians: > I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people --- not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler-not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

I have been unfriended, but rejection is expected as a true believer of Jesus.

I think the bible indicates there's a middle ground, throughout scripture it urges us to be careful who we form relationships with. On the other hand we are not to required to avoid unbelievers all together "else you must needs go out of the world" and "if an unbeliever invite you to a feast"

Wat if I try to tell ‘em about God and they ask me why do you want to convert me so bad ? Or let’s change the topic , or always shakes their head

I have had to turn my back on our local Church literally around the corner from our house and travel 50 mins down the road. Because majority of the kids that go there are only going to stamp their book. They need over 15 stamps of Sunday Mass attendance to receive 1st holy communion. The parents talk about going to mass in a negative context and im assuming their children will learn from their parents. It's a tough call because apart from the luke warm faith we have a good community here. Many parents know each other and we have a lot of friends here. I want to be the example for them to deepen in their faith but not at the cost of mh childrens faith.

It's really tough when your own family is made up of non-believers...are you supposed to cut ties with them too? Then I would have no friends and no family, because true Catholics are few and far between where I am.

What if your own wife became unrepentant sinner? You can't abandon her without breaking the oath/sacrament

Always a friend will be a help or deterrent to heaven. I have Holy prayerful friends who encourage me through life. But also some that I help and pray for.... They are victims of a dark world and desire the light.

Jesus befriended all kinds of people without regard to whether they were Jews, pagans or whatever. Your 'job,' so to speak, is to glorify God with your life so that others, seeing your good works, will give glory to God the Father. What must be avoided at all costs is any relationship that depends on you acting contrary to your faith. Going to the margins to seek out the lost is what discipleship is all about.

Theres my boss im friends with him because he enjoys listening to me talk about the Lord and his word. And i believe i am helping him get closer. His wife already is. But my other friend have fully rejected christ and told me that they wanna move further from God just because i was talking about his word and the other one told me he wanted to move further from me because of it. So ive decided to separate from them but love them still from a far

What about the miracle of Jesus having 12 close friends in his 30s?

I live in Germany. None of my "Catholic" acquaintances know what catholicism is, they are basically baptized pagan/atheists. In Mass, all priests I've seen are liberal and support the heresies you already know about. I met just some days ago a "catholic" that was complaining his homeland (Poland) wasn't very open to abortion and sexual perversity. I really do believe I probably will never meet strong Catholic people, and if it weren't for some great Catholic youtube channels, I'd be a worse Catholic myself.

My whole family are unbelievers, except one sister. But the ones I live with, because they cannot see my experiences with the Lord, they think medicine will help better than He can 😂. They're trying their best, lord bless their hearts, but I honestly think they have no clue what is going on in the world. I'm pretty sure they're oblivious to the pharmakeia vicious cycle when it comes to mental issues. I'm also pretty sure they have no clue of His power. I have an addiction issue, where each time I feel like doing something productive with my self, the addiction slips into my mind, I pray it away. It goes away. I told a family member that abstinence is the end goal of psychiatry when dealing with addiction, and I'm already there through the Lord, bless His gracious mercy on me. But she just ignored me and didn't want to hear it, so walked away. How do I deal with people like these? It's driving me up the wall!

excellent

5:12 Actually it says don't be UNEQUALLY yoked with unbelievers. This is a reference to when a stronger animal was yoked to a weaker one they would veir off to one side.

I appreciate that this is a massive question with a lot of nuance to it. However, I am not convinced by the argument on display here. As Christians, we are not called to simply create entirely parallel and insular communities that only intersect with the wider world in a minimalistic way. Evangelization is best in the context of a pre-existing relationship like friendship. Paul says "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some". Now, does this mean you participate in sin with the un-believers in question? Of course not, and I think that is more what the verses in question are referring to when it condemns association with un-believers. And there are probably some people who it is not wise to build relationship with, but Jesus eats and drinks with the tax collectors and prostitutes. I'm sure He did call all of them to repentance in some form or another, but it is not clear that all of them accepted that call in fullness as a prerequisite for relationship with Him. I agree that having friendships with other strong Christians that propel you and your faith forward and living in community with them is definitely essential though.

I think there is an over conflation between those who engage in an Immoral/Wicked life vice those who are of a different religion. Through friendship, I have personally helped 3 muslims friends convert to Christianity. They were not immoral or wicked, just raised in a different belief system, and through friendship with me, they had the opportunity to inquire and learn. Separating the immoral/wicked from the different religion is a distinguishable. However, it is important that you, the Christian pray for the the Spiritual nourishment to not entangle yourself whilst befriending another person of a different faith. Also, is there a "slippery slope" here of, well not just different faiths, but different denominations? Can a Catholic be a friend with an Anglican? Or Baptist?

Thanks for being real on this and not happy clappy. Yes Christ spent time with sinners, but as you said, they were repentant. Very good video.

Sorry, Brian, but I can't agree with you on this video. When I was a kid (I'm 77 y.o. now), the Catholics I grew up with were Irish-Americans whose only form of socializing was to be perched on a barstool, knocking down beers, and watching the ballgame on TV. To make friends with people I wanted to be around, I had to expand my social circle to include friends who were not Catholic.

My whole life i never really chose my friends....they just came to me and tried to befriend me. They were all pothead losers. So i became one too. Now i chose my friends. It wouldnt surprise me if satan used friendship to get close to you and tear you apart from the inside.

This is a very verbose way of arguing in favor of echochambers.

This is a difficult message to receive for those who, if they abided by it in some parts of the world, we would have no earthly, corporeal friends. I suppose he who is able to accept that can accept it. It's a nice idea, but not practical in real life for everyone.

Love is willing the good of the other. It's caring for another's well being, however, that manifests. Friendship is a close association among equals. You can love someone without being a pal. With that said, I wouldn't restrict association to people who believe the same as me, since that topic might never come up in a significant way. Religious Catholics can be awful. And non-Catholics can be holy. No, it's not advised to hang out with people who have a negative influence. Case by case. As a "Catholic come home," I am learning that words have different means when used philosophically or theologically. I'm constantly asking myself what basic words mean such as love, grace, belief, faith, etc. It's hard to come to grips with sometimes.

I just ended up around some unbelievers. I usually dont do that nowdays. I have felt ill since. At ease and physically. Something to be learned from. I don't want to hear about their secular interests, nor do I want to stroke my ego by saying im there to show them love and the way, as some videos are saying. To be friendly and 'get along' means to have to agree with what they say, at least to some extent. I got to hear about satanic musicians, see people drunk and tattooed with dark things, see people who seem mentally ill talk about their counseling work with children. I pretended with everyone else that the man in a dress named sophia was a normal thing. A seemingly nirmal man had painted red nails. I did not hate any of them. Does to be yoked mean even to socialize and eat with someone? I need to pray now for some clarity and for them and myself. Secular society is really distrubing.

To be safe, get married, stay home and have no friends 😄

So, if I understand correctly, your conclusion is that you shouldn't befriend people who hold different beliefs than you? I want to clarify that I'm not trying to provoke or troll here. Perhaps I need to rewatch your video to fully grasp your opinion. It seems obvious that everyone agrees that if your friend is engaged in serious wrongdoing, you should distance yourself from them. That goes without saying. However, when it comes to non-Christians, specifically non-Catholics in your case, are you suggesting that you should completely avoid them in your opinion?