can i attend a worship service at a mosque?

[GaryTaylor]

I have no contempt for this religion nor do I find comfort in disagreements that turn to violence. Which is a tool of the ignorant.

Yet while the debate goes on as to if indeed the God that Islam prays to is indeed the same God we pray too. I must stick to that which I do know is true.

And thats the simple fact that Baptism and Jesus Christ accepted as Savior is required for the Soul to enter Heaven.

Untill we get on the same page with this? I’ll be attending the Catholic Church. Though I would attend many of the various Christian Churchs had it become a need.

 

[scottm]

Yet while the debate goes on as to if indeed the God that Islam prays to is indeed the same God we pray too. I must stick to that which I do know is true.

And thats the simple fact that Baptism and Jesus Christ accepted as Savior is required for the Soul to enter Heaven.

Untill we get on the same page with this? I’ll be attending the Catholic Church. Though I would attend many of the various Christian Churchs had it become a need.

That’s not what your church teaches, but, whatever. I salute your willingness to attend non-Catholic churches. Not everyone would even go that far.

 

[BernadetteM]

When I was in Hungary I attended a Reformation church (Calvinistic). It was a small church in the village that my husband’s mother family live in. The men sat on one side and the women on the other side. They all sat upstairs. His family owned a set of pews that were on the downstairs level and the family including women and men sat there. It was very odd.

Of course I didn’t understand a word of what was being said. Most Hungarians are Catholic, but due to the wall very few attended church. It was not approved by the Communists. After decades of this I believe that there are few faithful Catholics or Christians there. The country seems to have become much more seculized.

I would be interested in attending an Orthodox synogogue though.

Yours in the Hearts of Jesus and Mary

Bernadette

 

[Sister_Amy]

Why the fear of attending mosques? Afraid they’re going to do some mojo on you and steal your faith? Those with strong conviction–whatever their beliefs–shouldn’t be afraid of those with different beliefs.

I think it’d be a great idea for you to go to a mosque, captainmike. However, if your conscience doesn’t allow it (and your peers certainly advise against it), don’t join the prayer. It’s easy to avoid–when they all start lining up, leave.

But the service is just a lecture, and the prayer comes at the end. Listen for yourself to what they’re preaching. Lots of folks convert to Islam and Muslims come in every color and fashion sense so nobody will think you’re completely out of place, either. Just go, listen, and leave.

And what some folks were saying about the women–as a woman, personally, I don’t want to bow and prostrate with a line of dudes behind me. So yeah, we pray in the back, or upstairs at some mosques. (A lot of the ones I’ve been to lately, for instance.)

 

[Nine_Two]

At the mosque I have attended the women are in another room. And I like it that way. It’s smart. Here’s why: they bow and prostrate a lot.

Picture yourself shoulder to shoulder with several hundred people, in straight lines, one line behind another. As a guy, picture two dozen females in your line of vision in front of you. And they all bend over.



I’m glad the women are in another room. It’s a very, very smart idea. Deeply wise.

I take it your Russian Greek parish doesn’t sometimes have situations when prostrations are the norm?

 

[bosnian_muslim]

You are welcome to come to any mosque,doesnt matter that neither your or your friend are muslims

 

[ConstantineTG]

Last time I heard, the Koran hit at the heart of the Christian faith, defrauding Christ as a mere prophet.

Thats not as bad as some sects who deny the divinity of Christ using the Bible

 

[Sufjon]

long story, but i have been working on a liberal jewish friend of mine, trying to get him to attend mass. he says he will do it if i will go to a mosque with him.

can i do this?

Hi Captianmike: First, I would like to say that I admire that you have an open mind and would consider going to a mosque with your friend. I can speak from my own experience if I may. I am not a Christian, but many of my friends are. If I didn’t attend their services I wouldn’t be able to share in many of the major events in their lives, and their lives are important to me. I go to weddings, baptisms, funerals and Christmas and Easter services when I have friends in town for these holidays. It turns out that most of these friends are Catholic. I have learned the basic prayers and I go ahead and say them. I cannot speak to the issue as to whether or not your church allows that, but if you go in the name of the Lord, I would say that anywhere you go is sacred ground. All of these people from all faiths are seeking God. They all have their paths, all of them aiming for the same place. What could be the harm in walking with them for a while on their journeys? I think it would be a special way to celebrate God’s love. I have some Muslim friends. I hope one day they will invite me to worship with them at a mosque. Anyplace where people are being close to God is a place I want to be. Whatever the place of worship, He is to your left and to your right, behind you and in front of you.

Your friend
Sufjon

 

[HAnne]

Can you attend? As so many others have stated, yes.

Beyond that, I think you SHOULD consider it. And ask your Jewish friend to also let you go to the synagogue with him sometime.

I think it’s our responsibility as Catholics to know how others worship for many reasons. I have attended religious services all over the world of many different kinds. It’s amazing to see and hear and absorb how people worship.

But it’s deeper than that. By knowing how they worship and what they worship, I am in a better position to have an intelligent conversation with a person of that faith about Jesus. By knowing what they believe, I can better explain what I believe in a way that they are likely to understand and, by the grace of God, maybe even accept!

Smacking people upside the head with the Bible doesn’t convert them…it doesn’t lead them to Christ. If I walked down the streets of Chicago, one of the most culturally diverse areas in the USA literally smacking people with the Bible, I would be arrested. If I handed out flyers and pamphlets, they would 99% of the time be thrown in the trash. But if I take a ride on the city’s transit system and cross myself to pray, the woman sitting across from me may just notice. I may have the chance while snacking on a cracker to tell her about my faith, about Jesus, about the grace of the cross. If she tells me she’s Jewish/Muslim/Pagan/etc, and I know the faith well, I can explain the differences when she has questions. I can use my knowledge to help break down her defensive assumptions of my faith.

When we know each other, including our worship practices, we come to a table as equals. Able to talk openly and discuss rationally beyond the edges of CAF and other internet places. Real people, real conversations, real conversions of faith. Watching someone’s eyes be opened to Christ for the first time.

GO to the mosque. GO to the synagogue. Get that life experience under your belt so you can say with confidence to your friend and others you meet, “I have been to your services. I understand what you are telling me about your religion. Now let me tell you about mine.”

 

[Arch_Angel]

Why the fear of attending mosques? Afraid they’re going to do some mojo on you and steal your faith? Those with strong conviction–whatever their beliefs–shouldn’t be afraid of those with different beliefs.

I think it’d be a great idea for you to go to a mosque, captainmike. However, if your conscience doesn’t allow it (and your peers certainly advise against it), don’t join the prayer. It’s easy to avoid–when they all start lining up, leave.

But the service is just a lecture, and the prayer comes at the end. Listen for yourself to what they’re preaching. Lots of folks convert to Islam and Muslims come in every color and fashion sense so nobody will think you’re completely out of place, either. Just go, listen, and leave.

And what some folks were saying about the women–as a woman, personally, I don’t want to bow and prostrate with a line of dudes behind me. So yeah, we pray in the back, or upstairs at some mosques. (A lot of the ones I’ve been to lately, for instance.)

Sister Amy, you crack me up… good reply!

I have attended a few services at various Mosques before with friends and enjoyed my time, its nothing to be frightened about In fact, all the people who I met were very kind and welcoming. I listened to the lectures (even if I do not agree with some of the teachings, but my intent was to learn and observe and pray with my friends).

A question to ask one self is why not learn about other faiths? Seek to understand and observe in order to broaden your own fortification in your own faith or break some of your own hardened walls (i.e. pride). I know too many Christians who are closed minded, and don’t practice their faith just as well as others of various faiths because they just are not willing to open up to learn. Its a challenge to us all…

And as Sister Amy said, you’re not going to loose your mojo in fact, you may just make some wonderful friends.

Peace

 

[jakasaki]

…

but my intent was to learn and observe and pray with my friends).
Peace

So, let me understand & perhaps you can correct my thinking & post.

You’ve been at a mosque to learn & observe - ok - I get that

And then you state that you “pray with”… I take this you pray with your muslim friends in the mosque.

So, how do you pray - do you line up with them and do all of that hand motion, turning head back & forth and bow your forehead to the ground…???

Or do you bring your rosery and pray…???

Or do you kneel and pray to Our Father up above…???

 

[Arch_Angel]

So, let me understand & perhaps you can correct my thinking & post.

You’ve been at a mosque to learn & observe - ok - I get that

And then you state that you “pray with”… I take this you pray with your muslim friends in the mosque.

So, how do you pray - do you line up with them and do all of that hand motion, turning head back & forth and bow your forehead to the ground…???

Or do you bring your rosery and pray…???

Or do you kneel and pray to Our Father up above…???

Hi Jakaski,

Good questions. Yes, I have prayed generally “with” them but not exactly as they pray (meaning what they are reciting as prayer and their exact formation). I am in fact lining up with them, bowing, putting my head to the floor while I’m praying my prayers to Christ.

You mention “all that hand motion” that Muslims do. Do you know what and why they do that? Do you also know what they are saying while they pray? At church, do you know why we sit and stand, stand and kneel, genuflect and bow?

I observe The Little Brothers of St. Francis bow their heads to the floor of the church while in prayer. The way that they pray is very similar.

 

[jakasaki]

Hi Jakaski,

Good questions. Yes, I have prayed generally “with” them but not exactly as they pray (meaning what they are reciting as prayer and their exact formation). I am in fact lining up with them, bowing, putting my head to the floor while I’m praying my prayers to Christ.

You mention “all that hand motion” that Muslims do. Do you know what and why they do that? Do you also know what they are saying while they pray? At church, do you know why we sit and stand, stand and kneel, genuflect and bow?

I observe The Little Brothers of St. Francis bow their heads to the floor of the church while in prayer. The way that they pray is very similar.

Thanks for you reply - and yes - I do know “what & why they do that” with their hands & the turning of the head. I also do know what they say.

I’ve been studing all aspects of islam for over a decade now…

 

[jakasaki]

Hi Jakaski,

Good questions. Yes, I have prayed generally “with” them but not exactly as they pray (meaning what they are reciting as prayer and their exact formation). I am in fact lining up with them, bowing, putting my head to the floor while I’m praying my prayers to Christ.

You mention “all that hand motion” that Muslims do. Do you know what and why they do that? Do you also know what they are saying while they pray? At church, do you know why we sit and stand, stand and kneel, genuflect and bow?

I observe The Little Brothers of St. Francis bow their heads to the floor of the church while in prayer. The way that they pray is very similar.

I’ve come back to visit this post - I had to get dinner started…

I am curious as to your statements about “praying” to Christ in a mosque.

Can you take the time and explain to me, so that I may understand, how is it that you as a Catholic can pray like the muslims do in a mosque.

They have their own “rituals” in place with their “praying” movements of hands, body and head… and they must say specific words in Arabic.

Generally, when outsiders -non-muslims- visit a mosque to learn and observe, they do not partake on these ritual prayers.

So, if you can, please take me step by step on how you accomplish praying as a Catholic in a mosque.

Thanks in advance… & BTW - welcome to CAF…!

 

[Arch_Angel]

I’ve come back to visit this post - I had to get dinner started…

I am curious as to your statements about “praying” to Christ in a mosque.

Can you take the time and explain to me, so that I may understand, how is it that you as a Catholic can pray like the muslims do in a mosque.

They have their own “rituals” in place with their “praying” movements of hands, body and head… and they must say specific words in Arabic.

Generally, when outsiders -non-muslims- visit a mosque to learn and observe, they do not partake on these ritual prayers.

So, if you can, please take me step by step on how you accomplish praying as a Catholic in a mosque.

Thanks in advance… & BTW - welcome to CAF…!

Hi Jakasaki,

I’ll quickly reiterate here what I sent you in my personal message to answer your questions in the forum for anyone to participate.

“To pray like the Muslims do in a Mosque”?

To me, in order to do that would mean that one is completely partaking in all the rituals and prayer recitation formulas (i.e. washing ritual, reciting that one submits to Allah and his last messenger, facing the direction of Mecca, prayer movements and recitation, and overall… believing in Islam etc.).

I was simply invited to attend on a few occasions by my Muslim friends and when it came time for the prayers to being, I simply lined up next to my friends and everyone else and bowed with them. I found it quite different of course, but I simply said my own silent prayers as I stood, bowed and bent down. I didn’t “wash” or recite their prayers, but nor did I have to. I may be over simplifying but I simply went to pray with my friends.

So to answer your questions:

1. I did not “pray as Muslims pray in a Mosque” even though I bowed, kneeled etc. I was praying to Christ. Prayer is a lot more than one’s bodily actions, its the heart’s intentions.
2. I prayed as any other Catholic would pray. I was just inside a Mosque this time with a few extra bends at the knees and bowing to the floor (very humbling by the way).

Best regards,

 

[BlueShadow123]

Sure. You can go see what they’re all about. Its about experiencing and learning new things in life.

 

[jakasaki]

Hi Jakasaki,

I’ll quickly reiterate here what I sent you in my personal message to answer your questions in the forum for anyone to participate.

“To pray like the Muslims do in a Mosque”?

To me, in order to do that would mean that one is completely partaking in all the rituals and prayer recitation formulas (i.e. washing ritual, reciting that one submits to Allah and his last messenger, facing the direction of Mecca, prayer movements and recitation, and overall… believing in Islam etc.).

I was simply invited to attend on a few occasions by my Muslim friends and when it came time for the prayers to being, I simply lined up next to my friends and everyone else and bowed with them. I found it quite different of course, but I simply said my own silent prayers as I stood, bowed and bent down. I didn’t “wash” or recite their prayers, but nor did I have to. I may be over simplifying but I simply went to pray with my friends.

So to answer your questions:

1. I did not “pray as Muslims pray in a Mosque” even though I bowed, kneeled etc. I was praying to Christ. Prayer is a lot more than one’s bodily actions, its the heart’s intentions.
2. I prayed as any other Catholic would pray. I was just inside a Mosque this time with a few extra bends at the knees and bowing to the floor (very humbling by the way).

Best regards,

Thanks & best regards right back to you AA…

 

[benidict]

long story, but i have been working on a liberal jewish friend of mine, trying to get him to attend mass. he says he will do it if i will go to a mosque with him.

can i do this?

i think it would be more interesting and benificial to go to synagouge with him. thats just me though. i love the Hebrew prayer book i have. and i must admit a huge amount of ignorance as far as the worship service of Islam. plus being Military and deployed, i cannot legally enter one where i am at. Peace

 

[agent_grey]

Catholics are free to attend other faiths’ worship services as an observer. As long as you don’t go there and pray but merely observe, then its fine. Although I don’t know if you can be in there and not join the prayers. Unless perhaps its not prayer time. Best to ask a Muslim. But yes, its permissible for Catholics under the context I said.

Bang on.
So long as you do not partake in worship you can study them or be a witness to what you see but you can not partake or participate.

My brother was married not long ago. I was in the wedding party and the wedding was at a non Catholic Christian denomination. I felt that it was OK for me to go but because I was in the wedding party I discovered that I felt absolutely filthy. I had sinned a terrible thing. In contrast I have been to many Protestant weddings aside from this one but I was only an observer in the crowd and wasn’t part of the ceremony and felt just fine.

Take my advise from personal experience. You can not participate in nonCatholic worship or ceremony whithout engaging in a most dispicable sin.

 

[Arch_Angel]

Bang on.
So long as you do not partake in worship you can study them or be a witness to what you see but you can not partake or participate.

My brother was married not long ago. I was in the wedding party and the wedding was at a non Catholic Christian denomination. I felt that it was OK for me to go but because I was in the wedding party I discovered that I felt absolutely filthy. I had sinned a terrible thing. In contrast I have been to many Protestant weddings aside from this one but I was only an observer in the crowd and wasn’t part of the ceremony and felt just fine.

Take my advise from personal experience. You can not participate in nonCatholic worship or ceremony whithout engaging in a most dispicable sin.

Hello Agent Grey,

Just for clarification, what do you consider wrong in partaking (to share in a part of) another religion’s worship? I’m assuming that you mean reciting their devotional prayers etc. that contradict our Catholic beliefs for which I agree. I’ve been to a Mosque and other Christian denominational churches before, and I consider myself to have partaken in a portion of their service but not the root of it.

So why did you feel “filthy” and say that you had sinned while attending your brother’s wedding? In general, sin means to be selfishly disconnecting oneself from God. So you drew father away from God somehow during your brother’s marriage? The only thing that comes to mind is that you may have felt obliged to participate in an aspect of the service that goes against Catholic beliefs (i.e. receiving the host from a female priest or something like that). From that degree I’d feel awkward too and I have a feeling something like that must have happened.

But about your last sentence “…engaging in a most despicable sin” I think that it depends upon the level of one’s participation and intentions (see my previous post when I went to a Mosque).

Peace