Do You Ever Attend Non-Catholic Worship Services?

[TrueLight]

Now, when it comes to Fundamentalists, there’s a whole lot more fire and brimstone in the sermon, a lot of “Amen!” and “Yeah!” at particular points. Some holding the arms up in the air. Altar call. Now and then a screech or a scream. Sometimes somebody gets “slain in the spirit” and goes down. But it still lacks any purposefulness; any real center. Seems like an exercise in getting the adrenalin up and not a whole lot more.

Oh my goodness. Really?

 

[SteveGC]

I have been to a number of protestant services over the years; situations i simply couldn’t avoid. Never otherwise…

For some reason, I enjoyed reading this post. Granted it is your personal experience and not necessarily indicative of all non-Catholic services, but I connected with your comparisons and sentiments about what is displeasing to you about other forms of worship. Thanks for sharing.

 

[ElToro]

First you need to read and learn more about what the Mass is all about. It is not about making one feel good. Buy “The Lambs Supper” by Scott Hahn

What makes you think I know less than you when it comes to the Mass? How insulting is that, huh? I know a fair amount about the Mass and far more importantly I am always trying to learn more. I read a few of Hahn’s books early-on. Fairly basic stuff, he’s certainly not my favorite theologian or liturgist. Far too Presbyterian for my taste (fixation on covenant theology and all.) Did you have a question about his writings?

I see where some links have been provided that are very good. I have attended non-catholic services in the past for the same reason but I knew something was missing that the fellowship, music communal prayer could never provide. THE EUCHARIST. I started learning more about the Mass and decided never again to go to protestant services unless I would go as an observer.

What?

I know this guy who did exactly the same thing you are doing. He said the people there were NOT anti-catholic and welcomed him. However, he started challenging me regarding Catholic teachings and I know he didn’t come up with those himself. You must understand that this preaching may be their own personal interpretations and they may not come right out and say it but they may slowly start putting doubts into your mind regarding the CC. This is what happened to this guy and now he no longer attends Mass because its more fun at the other churches, and he gets these fuzzy-wuzzy feelings. They will point out certain passages in scripture and even though they wouldn’t say it outright that the CC is wrong, but their explanation may be contrary to CC teachings and before you know it they’ve got you hook line and sinker.

I guess I failed to communicate even though I was very clear. You seem to be struggling to equate their services to the Mass. They aren’t the Mass. Apples and oranges. How clear can I be that they are not a Catholic sacrificial liturgy and I’m not trying to compare them to one? Didn’t you see where I stated that before?

Their services are rather simple. Begin by singing 3-4 songs most of which I already know. I really enjoy this. It’s like the entire congregation is the choir. It begins with some basic, non-fomulated prayer. Then there is some reading of Scripture sans commentary intermingled with more music. Unless you are weary of the Bible or the most basic forms of communal prayer there is no way you could take issue thus far.

Then there is a sermon. I certainly have never heard anything remotely anti-Catholic or anti-Christian in it. It might be a bit too Christian lite for my tastes but there is nothing wrong with it. It’s very engaging and delivered very well. Then more singing, a call for special intention prayers, there might be a 5 minute bit on some community matter (local team wins championship and 4 members of the team also attend that parish) and more singing. Then there is time for fellowship which is nothing more than an evening coffee social.

The psuedo-communion, altar calls and other things that people seem to be conjuring up in their minds just doesn’t exist. I obviously wouldn’t attend it they did.

 

[ElToro]

Still looking, I don’t know, but that appears to be the case. I think Catholics may attend a non-Catholic service with good reason, i.e, a wedding, a funeral, but not just because. Please see the links I provided in my first post in this thread.

I’ll save you some time, it’s NOT prohibited.

OF COURSE things like taking part in a psuedo-communion IS prohibited but I would never attend service where that took part.

 

[ElToro]

While not the intent of this thread I will add one thing that really steams me.

Using the AWESOME GIFT of Catholic sacrificial liturgies as an excuse not to persue EXCELLENCE in liturgical music and preaching. I don’t know how many times I have heard Catholics comment in awe about the high quality music and preaching at non-Catholic parishes only to be told they don’t have the EUCHARIST.

**GEE, NO KIDDING!?!?! ** Tell us all something else every Catholic knows or should know. Make it especially nettlesome when you tell us the obvious in a way meant to excuse inferior music or preaching.

I don’t think God gave us these AWESOME GIFTS so that we would not persue excellence in liturgical music and preaching.

 

[Monica4316]

I would only attend a non Catholic service if I have to. My family is Eastern Orthodox and sometimes when they go, I might not have a choice about going or not going.

But I don’t have a desire to attend any Protestant service. I did, before, and - it felt kind of empty to me no offense to anyone… I loved Protestant services when I was Protestant. But I just missed the Eucharist. It was just different without the Eucharist. I didn’t have peace even though the people were very nice and it wasn’t a bad service.

 

[StrawberryJam]

Do any of you ever attend non-Catholic worship services? I do and I really enjoy it.

I attend the Mass 1-2 times during the week at my parish plus every Sunday. I also attend the Divine Liturgy at a local Eastern Catholic parish from time to time. On Sunday evenings I now also attend a “non-denominational” (Protestant) worship service. I really enjoy the singing, the fellowship and the communal prayer. I sure whish my parish had that level of music and fellowship. Obviously such services are no replacement for a valid Catholic sacrificial liturgy and it would be wrong even to compare the two.

I was obligued to attend one service a while back at this place because a friend was being presented with an award. I enjoyed myself. A few weeks later I attended again. I found myself looking forward to attending again one Sunday evening so I made an appointment with the head minister of this group.

I gently grilled him to see if the group in any way preached anything anti-Catholic. They don’t. I asked what he thought of me attending as a non-tithing, fully devout Catholic. He said he had no problem with it. I specifically asked that I not be evagelized and he said he would quietly put the word out. This group is clearly “Christian Lite” but I am curious if there is any problem with me attending? I asked my pastor and he looked shocked/pained but said there would be no problem so long as my Mass attendance did not suffer.

I hate to sound cynical, but If you are already tithing to your catholic parish, and with all the requests they make for money you can even entertain tithing to two different denominations, you really are blessed!

 

[Isa_is_Allah]

I go to an Orthodox school so when they have masses i attend them.

 

[ConstantineTG]

I’d love to attend Orthodox Vespers if there is one close by. My parish doesn’t have Vespers on a weekly basis, only during eves of Great Feasts

 

[valentino]

In the past ive been to a no.of different churches.i still watch protestant services on tv occasionally.I like most of them but prefer the ones that show a lot of enthusiam.When the crowd worships God .Don’t care all that much about the preachers who try to explain the word of God.

 

[Like]

IMHO, this should have been posted in the NON-CATHOLIC RELIGION forum.

 

[TrueLight]

I don’t think God gave us these AWESOME GIFTS so that we would not persue excellence in liturgical music and preaching.

Last week at mass, the priest gave what I considered to be a good homily. I am so tired of bland, “summaries” of the Gospel. I was like a starving baby just given a bottle. I thanked him afterwards.

 

[SwizzleStick]

I’ll save you some time, it’s NOT prohibited. …

Did you see the Ask an Apologist threads? The posts with Q&A’s answered by Fr. Serpa and Fr. Angel? I think Fr. Serpa and Fr. Angel are reliable sources of information regarding Catholic teaching.

With that being said, I did find something that seems to support your stance but with qualifications, just as all my sources have had qualificaitons, i.e. attendance is permitted with just cause. I posted the link in one of my earlier posts. I also posted the text in another post last evening, but then deleted it, posted it again, deleted it again. My reason? I want to be very careful about not leading others to sin. Since I’m not sure how reliable the source is, I don’t feel I should post the entire text in case the source is at all questionable because I am aware that many folks and organizations call themselves Catholic, but then teach things contrary to the Faith.

I’ll post the qualifications bolded below with the most relevant text underlined.

"…However, the Catholic must not think of the worship service as an addition or substitution for Mass. It is important that the Catholic does not give the impression that there is no real separation between Catholics and Protestants. Protestant services must not be attended in order for the Catholic to experience “feelings” of fellowship or closeness to God."…

 

[Jim_Dandy]

Actually the Catholic Church did not write the New Testament as you suggest. But God did use His Church to compile the canon of the Christian Bible and quite a few Protestant groups acknowledge that fact even if they disagree with the contents of the canon (which is becoming less and less common.)

The NT was written by Catholics, to Catholics, and for Catholics.

I didn’t know where we got the Bible all those years I was a Protestant. My Protestant teachers never told me – they probably didn’t know either – and it never occurred to me to ask. I don’t know a single Protestant who has a clue that it came from the Catholic Church. The Church didn’t come out of the Bible – rather, the Bible came out of the Church!

QUOTE:

But since sacred Scripture must be read and interpreted with with its divine authorship in mind, no less attention must be devoted to the content and unity of the whole of Scripture, taking into account the Tradition of the entire Church and the analogy of faith. . . **all that has been said about the manner of interpreting Scripture is ultimately subject to the judgment of the Church which exercises the divinely conferred commission and ministry of watching over and interpreting the Word of God. ** (emphasis mine)
Excerpt fromDei Verbum, Vatican II

END QUOTE

By participating in a Protestant “Bible study” you are denying that the interpretation of the Scriptures is entirely within the purview of the Catholic Church; ergo, you are denying the authority of the Church.

May God have mercy.

Jim Dandy

 

[SwizzleStick]

Another Q&A, answer from a Catholic priest:

""ATTENDING NON-CATHOLIC SERVICES
Question from on 04-21-2008:

Is it wrong to attend a non-CAtholic Christian service on a regular basis, while also attending Mass weekly, so long as we do not receive communion? And if they do not claim transubstantiation, is it wrong to receive communion as strictly a symbolic/memorial gesture and if no, why?

Answer by Fr. Robert J. Levis on 04-23-2008:

Anon,If there is no Faith in such religion, why attend to it regularly? This is illogical. Further, scandal may well be taken if a Catholic is seen by others thinking the Catholic has ceased believing in Catholicism.God bless. Fr Bob Levis "

Source link: ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=538415&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2010&Author=&Keyword=attending+non%2Dcatholic+service&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=1&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=

 

[SwizzleStick]

Another Q&A, answer from a Catholic priest:

"Attending Non-Catholic Services
Question from on 01-10-2007:

Dear Father:
In the past I got together with non-catholic christians to read the Holy Bible and participate in what they called Services.

I was informed by my cousin that as a Roman catholic it was forbidden for me to do this. Is this true?

Further, I listen to protestant TV stations and radio stations preaching. Particurlarly I listen to Trinity Broadcasting Network and to cornerstone television and do quite enjoy some of the preachers. Am I in error to do this?

What is the position of the church regarding this?

Thank you.

Answer by Rev. Mark J. Gantley, JCL on 01-10-2007:

Attending non-Catholic services does not fulfill your obligation to participate in Sunday Mass. So as long as you are attending Sunday Mass, then I don’t see a problem. You are also not permitted to receive any communion at the non-Catholic services.

I would add other comments, though. First, I do not think that you should do anything that might create doubts in your Catholic faith, which could happen from excessive exposure such as what you are descriving. Second, I wonder if you are spending a similar amount of time learning from Catholic sources. After all, the Protestant sources are incomplete expressions of Christian faith while the Catholic Church teaches the fulness of the Catholic faith. "

Source link: ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=491170&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2010&Author=&Keyword=attending+non%2Dcatholic+service&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=4&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=

 

[SwizzleStick]

Another Q&A, answer by a Catholic priest. Please note that this answer was given by the same priest as my post #53 above. The difference in answers seems to be that qualifications matter, i.e. we may attend for just cause, to support family, but not just because we like the music, fellowship, etc…

"Attending non-Catholic service
Question from on 06-16-2006:

Dear Father Levis, Thank you for all your hard work here. My question is, is it a sin to attend a non-Catholic service? I learned at Christendom that it is a sin, but some very faithful priests have told me it is not a sin. I know that it would be a sin to take communion in a protestant church. I am in particular interested in attending a Russian Orthodox Liturgy with my uncle, who is an Orthodox priest. If i go to Mass as well, am I permited to go with him to his liturgy simply because it seems interesting to me? Thank you.

Answer by Fr. Robert J. Levis on 06-17-2006:

Dear Anon, Yes, you may attend this orthodox service, surely not to receive the Eucharist therein since that would be an expression of a change of belief. Since the priest is an uncle, I see no problem with your attendance for educational and family reasons. Fr. Bob Levis "

Source link: ewtn.com/vexperts/showresult.asp?RecNum=472290&Forums=0&Experts=0&Days=2010&Author=&Keyword=attending+non%2Dcatholic+service&pgnu=1&groupnum=0&record_bookmark=5&ORDER_BY_TXT=ORDER+BY+ReplyDate+DESC&start_at=

 

[Jim_Dandy]

Last week at mass, the priest gave what I considered to be a good homily. I am so tired of bland, “summaries” of the Gospel. I was like a starving baby just given a bottle. I thanked him afterwards.

Mass may be celebrated without a homily. The homily is not the most important part. The sacrifice is primary.

A homily is not a sermon. A homily is based strictly on the Scriptures read at that particular Mass…A sermon can be based on any Scripture chosen by the preacher.

A homily is a reflection on the Scripture readings for the day. The priest does not get to choose the readings. There is a cycle of readings so that the entire bible is read over a period of time.

A sermon is designed to teach to a specific point. The preacher chooses a Bible verse or verses to reinforce his point. He usually preaches on his favorites. A homily is a reflection upon the passages designated for the day. A homily doesn’t really have a point unless the particular readings had a point.

The priest has the job of relating the readings to one another and to our lives. It’s much harder to preach a homily than a sermon. The preacher can choose his own (favorite) subject.

Jim Dandy

 

[benedictgal]

Mass may be celebrated without a homily. The homily is not the most important part. The sacrifice is primary.

A homily is not a sermon. A homily is based strictly on the Scriptures read at that particular Mass…A sermon can be based on any Scripture chosen by the preacher.

A homily is a reflection on the Scripture readings for the day. The priest does not get to choose the readings. There is a cycle of readings so that the entire bible is read over a period of time.

A sermon is designed to teach to a specific point. The preacher chooses a Bible verse or verses to reinforce his point. He usually preaches on his favorites. A homily is a reflection upon the passages designated for the day. A homily doesn’t really have a point unless the particular readings had a point.

The priest has the job of relating the readings to one another and to our lives. It’s much harder to preach a homily than a sermon. The preacher can choose his own (favorite) subject.

Jim Dandy

A homily is required for Sunday Mass and for Holy Days of Obligation, though. It is optional for daily Mass.

 

[OraLabora]

My wife is Anglican and I occasionally go to her service. I will go on big occasions like Christmas when it doesn’t conflict with the time of Mass; on other occasions, I sing in a small Gregorian schola once a month and we sing at a Saturday evening Mass so on those weekends on Sunday I will accompany my wife to her service. I of course will also attend funerals or weddings in non-Catholic churches, the most recent being the funeral of my Pentecostal mother-in-law.