Do you have an ecumenical spirit?

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yeah I think you’re right. “compromise” is the wrong word. it obviously sends some Catholics into a meltdown as if I mean we are all going to fuse with others religions and lose our identity as Catholics. My fear is the danger of reinforcing our identity as Catholics. Enjoying our separate identity as if we are elites who don’t wish to respect “inferior theologies”. Maybe the idea of ecumenism is to forget doctrines and just be human with each other. Like the Good Samaritan, see another human being in need, not a non-Catholic.
 
“It is impious to say, ‘I respect every religion.’ This is as much to say: I respect the devil as much as God, vice as much as virtue, falsehood as much as truth, dishonesty as much as honesty, Hell as much as Heaven.”

-Fr. Michael Müller.

My feelings about religious liberty, ecumenism and the like are pretty much summed up in that quote.
 
That’s nice, but the Catholic Church cannot advise Catholics to attend such events. Particularly on a Sunday. For a Catholic to attend in lieu of fulfilling his Sunday obligation would be a mortal sin.
 
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That is a very dangerous thing to say. Why would the Vicar of Christ not be interested in winning souls for the catholic faith, the One True faith? God desires all men to belong to the fold of Holy Mother Church.
 
Rather, I like to think (however erroneously) that I have a unifying Spirit. Division is against God’s will, although He allows it so that those who are approved may be made apparent.
 
goodcatholic said:
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This quote is of dubious origin. It’s a recounting by an evangelical of a comment at a luncheon for which there is no transcript or copy of remarks available…
 
goodcatholic said:
Interfaith dialogue , tolerance for other denominations, other faiths and philosophies. Respect for those who follow different theologies.
Or do you prefer to stay in catholic circles? Are you annoyed by talk of the Pope conversing with Buddhists and Muslims?
I sometimes think the more you get into apologetics and debate on theology the more rigid you become. By defending your faith, you cement boundaries and have no desire to compromise with fellow Christians and other religions.
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A person’s right to believe whatever they want should be respected but I don’t not believe we should have to respect their beliefs if they are false ones.
 
I suspect that people who engage in apologetics as Catholics may well develop skill,. knowledge and be able to put those who propose “inferior theologies” in their place. My fear however is that it leads to intellectual pride and arrogance. We need to stay grounded. Faith is more than intellectual warfare. We need to see our brothers and sisters in other Christian denominations as human beings who may well be living closer to the core of Gospel teachings than us.
 
@anon10271182
anon10271182 said:
That’s nice, but the Catholic Church cannot advise Catholics to attend such events. Particularly on a Sunday. For a Catholic to attend in lieu of fulfilling his Sunday obligation would be a mortal sin.
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Eric in no way claimed that he attended this prayer service/council meeting in lieu of Mass. Why are you making the assumption that he would say it’s ok to miss Mass for this?
anon10271182 said:
That’s nice, but the Catholic Church cannot advise Catholics to attend such events.
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Are you serious? This is ridiculously false. What harm could come from partnering with the local faith community and reaching out and showing the Catholic Church loving in action? Are we meant to sit in our churches and never reach out to anyone beyond baptized Catholics?

People at my parish are encouraged to attend the sunrise Easter service in our town and pray with all the local Christian denominations. It’s a lovely tradition and many of the Protestants there are incredibly grateful for members of the Catholic church showing up.

Our diocese also recommends ecumenical discussion and prayer groups. Ecumenical does not mean compromise. It can mean putting your foot in the door by loving each other and giving a helping hand. By being willing to start the discussion. I like what Ron wrote here:
goodcatholic said:
Maybe the idea of ecumenism is to forget doctrines and just be human with each other. Like the Good Samaritan, see another human being in need, not a non-Catholic.
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My dad was just ordained as a Deacon, and part of his ordination process was ecumenical groups. He attends a weekly prayer meeting with the local Protestant pastors of his city and it’s the highlight of his week.

These men knew him when he was a Protestant pastor and an Episcopalian priest, and they are astonished by his faith journey to Catholicism. He has been turning their preconceived notions about Catholics on their ears and making many of them quite curious about the Church.

Nothing but good comes from loving people where they’re at and being a loving witness for the Church and Truth. It doesn’t mean you have to compromise the truth by reaching out and starting a dialogue or volunteering with a charity.

Goodness, so many here seem so unwilling to really listen to anyone else’s opinion or make snap judgements without trying to understand.
 
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goodcatholic said:
I suspect that people who engage in apologetics as Catholics may well develop skill,. knowledge and be able to put those who propose “inferior theologies” in their place. My fear however is that it leads to intellectual pride and arrogance.
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So, as I suspected, this is your critique of CAF.
goodcatholic said:
My fear is the danger of reinforcing our identity as Catholics
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It’s Our Faith and We’re Proud to Profess It.
goodcatholic said:
I see myself more as Christian than Catholic.
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You Are Both

http://m.ncregister.com/blog/longenecker/are-you-christian-or-catholic#.W0vrzhYpDYU
 
Jesus has the Truth. Jesus is the way, the truth and the light
 
goodcatholic said:
I sometimes think the more you get into apologetics and debate on theology the more rigid you become. By defending your faith, you cement boundaries and have no desire to compromise with fellow Christians and other religions.
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I think you kinda have started this thread on the terms that if you defend the faith you are rigid. But I don’t really think that is the case. It’s perfectly possible to defend the faith, try to find common grounds with other faiths, and practice ecumenism.

However the Catholic understanding of ecumenism is focused on bringing our Protestant brethren back into communion with the Church.

Compromise is fine, but we cannot compromise on the essential elements of our faith, or on important doctrines. Compromises can be made in certain disciplines, such as Anglican priests being allowed to remain married if they wish to convert. However, we can not compromise truth.
 
goodcatholic said:
Just I’ve seen some Catholics frown at Pope Francis’ interest in ecumenism.
I think Im speaking mainly in broad terms here. Bishops of different denoms getting together and discussing where they agree on a unified stance to fight relativism. What point s they agree on about same sex marriage and homosexuality. How Christians in general are being marginalised by political correctness. Religious freedoms.
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I think it makes sense that the church hierarchy should look to make common cause with others.

That being said, I look at many Catholic communities in the west who have joined with secularism and it has not been beneficial to the extent that it has literally decimated Catholic community.

I think there has been a priority on trying to join together with a vague universalism instead of concentrating on facilitating and transmitting a Catholic culture. What I think we are seeing in the west is a failure in secular political correctness being a unifying culture. This failure is creating a breakdown in common culture causing a split into so many sub groups that are not joined together intellectually or culturally and who are travelling further apart.

Because political correctness has been the religion taught in schools and used for legacy media a lot of people in the church seem to want to join in this culture thinking that if it can make common cause there will be a unifying of culture which includes a soft Catholicism or at least a respect for Christianity. I think this is not just the wrong way to go but quite literally a disaster for not just Catholicism but western culture in general.

Happy to discuss.
 
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