I find increasing reticence towards "public statements of my faith" in the online sphere. This isn't out of "fear of retribution", cowardice, something in that vein- it is more that many vocal co-religionists that on occasion consider me one of their own are utterly repulsive. I do not want to be among them nor lauded by them except perhaps as a means of "coming to Jesus" in realizing their horrific errors, but this leaves little room for my personal failures which are myriad and manifold. I am a convert, having done so at 19 and faithfully with the church since then, but a great blindness I have come to recognize within many of the faithful is a total lack of ability to view the supernatural and the church from the perspective of someone who does not believe. I remember being quoted scripture as an atheist, threatened with hell and such. It was not intimidating nor awe-inspiring. I had no context for its value and no interest in its purpose. Seeing well-meaning but stupid members of the laity trying to use scripture as a mallet has extremely poor effect to those who aren't even within bounds of Christian belief. This prescription of supernatural awe towards the church certainly has place and purpose (perhaps even affirming their piety in holding it as such) but in pragmatic matters much of it falls flat. Presuming others share this awe is foolhardy and only serves to further alienate people with a rightfully placed skepticism- it's served them in everything else, so when presented with the "Real McCoy" it would be uncharitable to blame them for having the same suspicious eye if not sufficiently convinced of its reality.
More irritating are the fellow converts who seem to have swiftly forgotten their own status as converts- especially if they've done so far more recently than I. As though the entire shift in worldview that comes with baptism and years of immersion in the church was so fantastic and immediate that their minds were blanked into tabula rasa the second their earthly body collided with a pool of holy water. These I can forgive the least- they ought to know better than any other how this former way of life isn't just ordinary, but understandable given our current societal situation and that their own conversion was a gift given to them by God. This gift is very quickly diffused into pride as they try to chastise a reflection of their past selves they see in others. I find it disgusting. Back when imageboards weren't run amok by chat bots one of the unspoken rules was to lurk for at least 2 years before posting. If you didn't, it'd show itself very clearly in how you wrote and responded and you would be heckled constantly in threads. If people can approach an imageboard culture with respect enough to humble themselves for two years, it is incredible how those who would approach the bride of Christ think themselves theologians or illuminated minds when many have yet to even be baptized, nor make it through an entire liturgical season.
There have been many recent scenarios in which someone outside of the church but of a politically-aligned bent points out some manner of scandal or crisis within or adjacent to the church, occasionally correctly diagnosing it, and the response from the laity is a barrage of useless gibberish or mocking derision that totally fails to address anything said. This is not how you defend the one true faith, nor is it how you preach to the world. If the church is truly the rock of ages, its militants should not scandalize it by claiming to represent it (in their prior statements- not many are pretending to be priests) while making an ass of themselves or behaving as one might expect of a football fan or Marvel slop-consumer. It is comical for people to screech and post snarky "i'm not mad >:(" half-baked memes or no u statements in response to a structured complaint against the church when they were also preaching six hours prior about the intellectual superiority of Aquinas's teachings.
I also find an increasingly common habit of attempting to "Christianize" something that doesn't really relate to the faith particularly annoying. A fair amount of these sorts end up having some sort of hobby, fixation, personal interest, etc. that they are fond of- that's great, except that they feel the need to rubber stamp everything they do in their personal lives with the Vatican seal. They treat the church as a logo or brand name that needs to be stamped on everything possible, showing the world that they are a CHRISTIAN and a CATHOLIC and LOOK AT THIS LOOK LOOK- it reminds me of depraved fetishists trying to inject their sexual proclivities in a similar way to their hobbies. "Femboy blacksmithing". "Femboy fishing". "Furry engine tuning". "Feeder amateur geology". Not much different. Slap your brand on whatever it is like a $5 bumper sticker and call it a day. Cheapen everything. Your church isn't the bride of Christ, it shouldn't be treated with reverence, just stick it on like it's a clan tag or a forum signature. Disgusting.
Hot button topics abound for both left and right wingers outside of the church (abortion, miscegnation, the death penalty, tithing, centralized authority, abuse of children, abuse of charitable organizations as a front for undermining a host country, oaths of loyalty, etc.) and there are intelligent answers to all of these statements- there is also honesty and humility in simply saying "I don't know the answer, but your concerns are justified". You will not be given a slap on the back by St. Michael for turning away people with meat on the plate when it comes to skepticism of the church's goals in a temporal frame. Wearing the gold and silver and jangling St. Peter's keys while also being horribly, stupidly cringy and belligerent towards anyone outside of your faith will drive away converts and scandalize fellow brothers in faith. For many the correct answer is to not speak. I will avoid hypocrisy and thusly do the same outside of this private blog. "He that keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from distress."