Catholic worshipping at non-Catholic church

[milimac]

Church Militant:

Here’s the LINK to that article.

Thanks for the link. I will print it and keep it with the other paper I printed off to give to him. He wasn’t here this morning. Maybe he was just feeling the waters to see what everyone thought of him worshipping at both churches. Or perhaps he was seeing if he might find any others to join him – he is a salesman by trade. I’m hoping for the best though and just assuming he’s poorly catechized.

 

[Malachi4U]

When I was still Protestant and on my journey home I too used to go to both Catholic mass and Protestant (i.e. Baptist) services. My entire family would go to the Baptist church then after that we would go to the Catholic Church and mass.

Why did I stop? Because I read Scripture and saw the evil I did by attending Protestant churches as if it was OK. I saw the evil I did by misguiding my children in Baptist opinions. A house divided cannot stand. Christ founded the Catholic Church in 33 A.D. and commanded us to be of one body and mind. John Smyth founded the Baptist schism in c. 1609 – not GOD! The Bible has 73 books in it . A bisexual king has no right to take books out of Gods word. We don’t pick a church because the preacher is fun or the church has a big youth group or it has a great basket ball league or it has a game room or the Bible studies teach us what we want to hear – not what God wants to tell us.

You can’t say both sides are right because it is clear one side is wrong. Is Faith alone right or wrong? Is Marriage a Covenant between three parties or just a breakable contract between two people? The Pope is the head of the Church or the preacher is the Pope?

Your friend is following the easy gospel of health and wealth. He wants the fun of the Protestants and the truth of Jesus in His Catholic body. He cannot have both. It took me a long time to realize my error, it may take you time to show your friend the error of his way.

Today I still go to Protestant services whenever the opportunity arises. (I love to witness the truth to them) I do not take part in their rituals (services), I do not pray with them when their prayers are full of heresy (most of the time), I do not sing their songs of misguided “ME”-ology. When I leave their churches I shake the dust off my feet at the door as I leave.

You friend needs our prayers.

 

[Malachi4U]

PS, give him one or two of the good apologetics books like these:

Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on “Romanism” by "Bible Christians"

Crossing the Tiber: Evangelical Protestants Discover the Historical Church

Rome Sweet Home: Our Journey to Catholicism

There are other good ones too. By the way, ask him if the Bible has 66 books or 73? Does he know why? He needs to know before he dumps 7+ books of Christs love letter to us to follow a schismatic.

 

[trogiah]

milimac:

Thank you for the advice. I’m sure he has a good heart and means well, but what he is witnessing to – to both us and to the non-Catholic church – is that differences in belief don’t matter, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist is not that important. That may not be his intention, but actions speak louder than words. Rather than accepting the fact that we are not united with our non-Catholic brothers and sisters, what he does would seem to promote a shallow, meaningless, superficial unity at best, which at heart just promotes further disunity in both.

Pope John XXIII stated and Pope John Paul II emphatically reaffirmed: “That which seperates us as believers in Christ is far less than that which unites us.” If he and a nonCatholic pastor are engaged in meaningful dialogue about Scripture and both sincerely trying to understand God’s will, there is every reason to believe that some good will come out of such meetings. That he is not maintaining his relationship with his Catholic faith community is serious - is he possibly going on Saturday evening?

Perhaps at the very least the person should be made aware that his actions are troubling to those in his community, Then see how he responds. I think efforts to dialogue with, and even pray with, other Christians ( and even with non Christians when the opportunity arises) is very much a part of living our faith.

Peace

Jim