Attending Other Churches

[TrueLight]

Quote where I said she was less of a child of God?

In fact, I will switch to the most anti Catholic, shouty, heretical branch of Protestantism here and now if you can find where I mentioned your grandmother and her faith?

I didn’t say you or Convert said any such thing. You both asked me why I wanted to convert anyway so I replied to the both of you.

However I do get tired of hearing Protestants described as heretics in different places on the board.

And yes it is a Catholic board so that’s to be expected.

I feel there are mixed messages. Separated brethren with valid baptisms versus rebellious heretics who don’t want to follow God.

Come on. A Catholic can’t step into a Protestant church?

I may be wrong, but weren’t there protestants on the council at Vatican 11?

 

[markomalley]

I feel there are mixed messages. Separated brethren with valid baptisms versus rebellious heretics who don’t want to follow God.

Just as a pedagogical point here:

Can. 751 Heresy is the obstinate denial or obstinate doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith;…

So if a person rejects important points of Catholic dogma, and is obstinate about that rejection (i.e., he/she won’t change his or her mind), then, yes, that person is a heretic.

Guess what: there are a lot of heretics out there who identify themselves as Catholics, as well! (look at all of those “Catholics” out there who firmly believe that abortion is “a woman’s choice”)

It is not at all inconsistent to believe that a person is a heretic, while acknowledging that the person is a brother in Christ through a valid baptism.

 

[jmcrae]

I didn’t say you or Convert said any such thing. You both asked me why I wanted to convert anyway so I replied to the both of you.

However I do get tired of hearing Protestants described as heretics in different places on the board.

And yes it is a Catholic board so that’s to be expected.

I feel there are mixed messages. Separated brethren with valid baptisms versus rebellious heretics who don’t want to follow God.

Come on. A Catholic can’t step into a Protestant church?

I may be wrong, but weren’t there protestants on the council at Vatican 11?

It was Vatican 2, and they were there as observers, only.

“Heretic” doesn’t mean that they are bad people - it only means that they believe some things that aren’t really true (sola scriptura), or that they reject some things that are true (virginity of Mary).

 

[TrueLight]

Ok markomalley and jmcrae.

 

[Hboggs]

That’s pretty much it. You can go, but you cannot be an active participant, no matter how close to Catholicism it may be.

Please allow me to slightly alter the question which I think has been answered in the previous posts. If one attends a Protestant church, what would be the proper position in regards to making the sign of the cross after a prayer? Yes or no?

Thanks

 

[LDNCatholic]

Please allow me to slightly alter the question which I think has been answered in the previous posts. If one attends a Protestant church, what would be the proper position in regards to making the sign of the cross after a prayer? Yes or no?

Thanks

I would say yes, though I think it falls down to the individual. You may be visiting a church where identifying yourself as a Catholic in such a way would cause friction between you and your hosts.

Then again why would any Catholic want to attend such a church?

 

[MontChevalier]

I can see that RC’s don’t attend Communion with Protestants(I knew that), but what about the Eastern Catholics? The RCC IS technically in communion with them, do they count?

 

[MontChevalier]

So what you’re saying is that I CAN receive communion with them, attend mass and partake of whatever they are?

 

[markomalley]

Having said that, though, I think the attitude might be different if there were no churches in communion with the Holy Father within a reasonable distance.

For example, there have been a lot of military people (Latins) stationed at small remote communication sites in Eastern Turkey who have been allowed to communicate in Syriac Orthodox churches there (this is from back in Cold War days).

 

[markomalley]

Right. Regardless of where a person is, that person needs to check with the priest BEFOREHAND to ensure that it’s OK.

 

[vsedriver]

The good thing is in some ways this is like an Anglican church. The don’t have altar calls and we sing lots of Latin music. Yay.

But now I have a dilemma. Communion occurs about once a month and it is an open communion. Everyone takes it. There is one catholic woman in the choir who takes it. She said at first she didn’t but when she saw others take it, she started to.

This could be a case of ignorance. You’d be surprised at how many Catholics don’t know they can’t receive communion in another Church. I even had one of our own deacons say he didn’t see anything wrong with it. Not all are as well educated as they should be.

Considering the services are filmed it would look bad for me to be the only one in the choir loft not taking it.

This Catholic thing ain’t easy.

Which is more important, appearances or truth? You think you would look bad but the truth is most people probably don’t care whether you receive or not. It’s what’s in your heart that counts.

As for continuing in the choir. I see no harm in singing hymns of praise to God no matter where you are. You are not the choir leader but one voice among many. Our Catholic organist also plays for the Lutheran church across the street. A good church organist is hard to find around here.

 

[MontChevalier]

Lol, no, I understand the difference(Some differences, actually) between the Eastern Catholics and the Roman Catholics.

And I had a bad experience with an Orthodox Greek once. He was very, very rude to me.

 

[giuseppeTO]

I would say that if you were going to evangelize non-Catholics into accepting the True Church, you should certainly go. Otherwise, the one thing all non-Catholic churches have in common is that teach at least one if not many heresies against Christ’s True Church, the Holy Catholic Church. To go and experience these heresies out of curiosity is not an acceptable reason. You certainly would be forbidden in partaking in any non-Catholic worship.

Would you serve a piece of cake to your child if you knew it just had a “little” poison in it?

 

[JReducation]

Lol, no, I understand the difference(Some differences, actually) between the Eastern Catholics and the Roman Catholics.

And I had a bad experience with an Orthodox Greek once. He was very, very rude to me.

Rudeness and bad manners are a human patrimony. No group or ecclesial community can claim sole ownership of ill manners.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF