Does anyone have bad stories from their Protestant days?

[O.S.Luke]

I don’t want to pry, but I’m quite curious as to why you don’t like to attend Catholics weddings and funerals.

Most Catholic weddings and funerals around here are masses - which I certainly don’t begrudge Catholics. But it is simply too painful to be baptized and attend the celebration of a couple or the celebration of a loved one’s wife and not be able to participate in the sustaining sacrament of the Eucharist. When my father-in-law died, I had to escort my daughter out of the church when she found out she could not commune at her grandfather’s funeral (she had never been in a Catholic Church and did not know about the Catholics-only understanding of Eucharist).

I’m not asking Catholicism to change. I just can’t handle the pain of that.

 

[James1982]

I am still Protestant, and have some bad stories. Most of them involve other Protestants. A few involve Catholics. As a result, I rarely go to Baptist or Catholic weddings or funerals.

Seconded.

I’ve been to “non-denominational” churches that frankly scare me to this day… Badgered and challenged from the moment I walked in the door until the moment I left. Among other things, I have been told, at work, that what I believe is of the devil.

Most of my bad experiences come from other Protestants, rather than Catholics. I live in a majority-Catholic area of the country, and most of my friends are Catholic. So I have learned to co-exist fairly well with the Catholic church, despite not being a part of it.

 

[Peter_J]

Most Catholic weddings and funerals around here are masses - which I certainly don’t begrudge Catholics. But it is simply too painful to be baptized and attend the celebration of a couple or the celebration of a loved one’s wife and not be able to participate in the sustaining sacrament of the Eucharist.

I see what you’re saying, O.S. Luke, although I can’t really relate to it. I mean, if I attend an Orthodox liturgy (which I do from time to time), I’m not permitted to receive the Eucharist – which is unfortunate of course (I earnestly wish we were in full communion and could share the Eucharist with each other) but I never feel affronted by that policy. Conversely, I don’t see why a Protestant would feel affronted at not being offered communion at a Catholic mass.

 

[O.S.Luke]

I see what you’re saying, O.S. Luke, although I can’t really relate to it. I mean, if I attend an Orthodox liturgy (which I do from time to time), I’m not permitted to receive the Eucharist – which is unfortunate of course (I earnestly wish we were in full communion and could share the Eucharist with each other) but I never feel affronted by that policy. Conversely, I don’t see why a Protestant would feel affronted at not being offered communion at a Catholic mass.

It’s not an affront - it’s just painful. To be baptized in Christ and not partake of his body and blood when it is present is painful.

 

[Peter_J]

It’s not an affront - it’s just painful. To be baptized in Christ and not partake of his body and blood when it is present is painful.

My apologies.

I have heard some Protestants speak of the Catholic closed-communion policy as though it were an affront to them (and, for that matter, I have heard some Catholics speak of the Orthodox closed-communion policy as though it were an affront to them), and I guess I just read something into your post that wasn’t intended.

 

[sambos671]

I have a story. It happened back when I was in the Air Force stationed oversees back in the 80’s. I had left the CC a few years before at a missionary boarding school. And being young and confused and still a new “born again” believer. I was in search of fellowship and hooked up with a good bible study off base though the oversees servicemens center. At the time I also attened this fundalmentalist independent baptist church just outside the main gate. I met a fellow worker at the bible study who accepted Jesus and attended the church as well. However, because of our work schedules he couldn’t always make it to church on sundays and looked for an accomodating service on other days of the week and was introduced to Pentecostals. He began “speaking in tongues”. However, once he was able to attend Sunday service he heard a sermon that indicated that speaking in tongues was for the time of the apostles and not meant for the present day. He stopped the practice of "speaking in tongues for a while. Until his shift changed again and he went back to the pentecostal church where he was told that to deny speaking in tongues and not to do it is blaspheming the Holy Spirit which is the unforgivable sin. Well, he took it to heart and began to believe he could never be saved. He began to isolate himself and insisted that he was given over to the devil and would be damned. He ended up having a nervous breakdown and went to the psych hospital and had a medical discharge. A really sad story. It was there I began to wonder about singularity of truth and christian teaching.

 

[cthulhubryan]

Growing up Methodist, I had many ‘odd’ experiences:

I remember going to my cousin’s Catholic wedding and being stuck in a box, I later learned it was the cry room.

I remember going to a “church” service with a girl I REALLY liked. It was at someones house in Georgetown, TX and in the middle of it there was this loud thud as one of the guys hit the floor and then he started convulsing and speaking loudly in a odd voice in a ‘language’ that had lots of m sounds. I somehow managed to not run from the house. Afterward I asked the girl I came with if anyone understood what he said. She said no, it was him talking to God. I brought up Paul’s argument to the Corinthians about nothing being from God if it doesn’t edify the Church. There was never another date.

I went to a Baptist Church that was almost completely African American (again, because of a girl) and I was used to my Methodist services so after the third hour I had to sneak out of the sanctuary to go to the bathroom. I managed to sneak back in and everything was good. Later I mentioned that that ‘blowhard’ could really go on and on. Ooops. It was her uncle. No more dates, again.

I went to a Mormon church with friends and thought that it was odd that little girls were speaking. After a bit I realized that I was the only guy there. After the relief society meeting we went to the actual church meeting. It was hot in there and it went on and on and at one point they passed around little glasses of water. I tried to take one, as I was thirsty, only to have Sally hit me and tell me that I couldn’t have any because I was a gentile. That didn’t go over so well. Sally and I broke up a little later.

Girls and church!

 

[emeraldcoast]

It’s not an affront - it’s just painful. To be baptized in Christ and not partake of his body and blood when it is present is painful.

I totally understand what you are saying. I have had to explain the closed Catholic Communion with my children that attend a Catholic School. Honestly, I think that they appreciate knowing that at our Eucharist all Baptized Christians are welcomed to the Lord’s Invitation. It was hard for them at first to be denied the Eucharist in the Catholic Church but I think that it has strengthened their faith in not wanting to be a part of a Church that would deny Christ’ body and blood to another Christian.

God Bless!

 

[kalt]

Most Catholic weddings and funerals around here are masses - which I certainly don’t begrudge Catholics. But it is simply too painful to be baptized and attend the celebration of a couple or the celebration of a loved one’s wife and not be able to participate in the sustaining sacrament of the Eucharist. When my father-in-law died, I had to escort my daughter out of the church when she found out she could not commune at her grandfather’s funeral (she had never been in a Catholic Church and did not know about the Catholics-only understanding of Eucharist).

I’m not asking Catholicism to change. I just can’t handle the pain of that.

While I feel bad for anyone who feels excluded from anything (Everyone has felt excluded from something, so we can all sympathize.), I’ve never understood why someone would feel excluded from participating in something they don’t believe in.

If I went to a wedding of a different religion and I couldn’t participate in some part of it because I’m not a believer, why in the world would I feel hurt by that?

At the UM church near me, they don’t believe in the real presence, and they have a communion with bread (regular bread with yeast) once a month. They call it Communion Sunday, I think. With the bread they serve grape juice.

This is nothing like Catholic Sacramental Communion.

So why do you feel excluded when you aren’t allowed to participate in something that you don’t believe in? If you believed in it, you would accept the rules and have no problem with it.

How could you be hurt that you’re not allowed to recieve something you don’t even believe in? You’re feeling hurt that you can’t recieve the body and blood of Christ, but you don’t believe that that’s what it is.

You can participate by walking to the altar and getting a blessing from the priest. All you have to do is walk up, and when you get to the priest, you cross your arms on your chest. (Place each hand on the opposite shoulder.)

Have you ever done that? It’s what the non-Catholic kids did at my son’s Catholic school. No one was allowed to stew in his seat, feeling separated or put upon. No self-pity allowed. Everyone was there in communion. Protestant, Muslim, Atheist. It didn’t matter. They all went up to recieve a blessing.

Don’t you think that is the purpose of going to someone’s wedding? To support the couple and to be part of the group? Is it really the time to protest Catholicism by sitting in your seat stewing, or worse, to walk out in a huff or wounded, when you could simply walk up with everyone else, Catholic and non-Catholic and recieve a blessing?

 

[SpiritMeadow]

At the risk of sounding like a ‘broken record’, I don’t think this ^^ happens any more on CAF than it does on the average Protestant forum.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record—does that make it right?

You seem to have missed an important lesson of youth. Two wrongs don’t make a right. You continually excuse poor behavior by claiming that the other side is doing the same. I don’t really see that as an excuse.

 

[SpiritMeadow]

I totally understand what you are saying. I have had to explain the closed Catholic Communion with my children that attend a Catholic School. Honestly, I think that they appreciate knowing that at our Eucharist all Baptized Christians are welcomed to the Lord’s Invitation. It was hard for them at first to be denied the Eucharist in the Catholic Church but I think that it has strengthened their faith in not wanting to be a part of a Church that would deny Christ’ body and blood to another Christian.

God Bless!

You know to be honest, if I were in a Rcoman Catholic church and was not known there, I think I would receive communion. Probably wrong of me, but I suspect I would. Frankly I’ve been to Catholic masses as a Catholic wherein the Priest invited everyone who was baptized to come forward if they so desired. No doubt that’s wrong on his part, but frankly he agreed that God wished no one turned away.

 

[Mrs_Mac]

When I was a little girl (some decades ago), I was a Pioneer Girl, which is a Baptist version of the girl scouts. I remember being present at a conversation where the adult Baptists said they were certain that the rapture and the end of the world were going to take place within 2 and 20 years of then. I was so upset that I wasn’t going to be given the chance to live my life that I had stomach aches for weeks. Even decades later, this is a very vivid memory.

Oh, and I have nothing against the Baptists, so no one should get in a tizzy.

 

[emeraldcoast]

You know to be honest, if I were in a Rcoman Catholic church and was not known there, I think I would receive communion. Probably wrong of me, but I suspect I would. Frankly I’ve been to Catholic masses as a Catholic wherein the Priest invited everyone who was baptized to come forward if they so desired. No doubt that’s wrong on his part, but frankly he agreed that God wished no one turned away.

I have had the same experience with Catholic priest, but as we know it is not the norm or correct according to the Catholic Church but I trust correct in Christ’s eyes.

I have read on this forum recently that my children or Catholic children should not even be welcomed to receive a blessing at Communion if they are not receiving Communion. Lovely… At least so far at my children’s school that are not turned away to receive a blessing at Communion…yet…

Let me find the post…
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=292341

God Bless!

 

[Peter_J]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record—does that make it right?

You seem to have missed an important lesson of youth. Two wrongs don’t make a right. You continually excuse poor behavior by claiming that the other side is doing the same.

I’m not sure why you think it’s alright to put words in my mouth. I never “excused poor behavior by claiming that the other side is doing the same”. (I did, of course, “claim that the other side is doing the same”.)

I don’t really see that as an excuse.

Neither do I.

 

[masuwerte]

If you believed in it, you would accept the rules and have no problem with it.

Not necessarily. As an Episcopalian, I certainly believe that Jesus is truly present in the Catholic Eucharist, but I don’t believe everything the Catholic Church teaches. So if I’m at a Catholic Mass, I won’t receive, just out of respect for my hosts.

 

[SpiritMeadow]

While I feel bad for anyone who feels excluded from anything (Everyone has felt excluded from something, so we can all sympathize.), I’ve never understood why someone would feel excluded from participating in something they don’t believe in.

If I went to a wedding of a different religion and I couldn’t participate in some part of it because I’m not a believer, why in the world would I feel hurt by that?

At the UM church near me, they don’t believe in the real presence, and they have a communion with bread (regular bread with yeast) once a month. They call it Communion Sunday, I think. With the bread they serve grape juice.

This is nothing like Catholic Sacramental Communion.

So why do you feel excluded when you aren’t allowed to participate in something that you don’t believe in? If you believed in it, you would accept the rules and have no problem with it.

How could you be hurt that you’re not allowed to recieve something you don’t even believe in? You’re feeling hurt that you can’t recieve the body and blood of Christ, but you don’t believe that that’s what it is.

You can participate by walking to the altar and getting a blessing from the priest. All you have to do is walk up, and when you get to the priest, you cross your arms on your chest. (Place each hand on the opposite shoulder.)

Have you ever done that? It’s what the non-Catholic kids did at my son’s Catholic school. No one was allowed to stew in his seat, feeling separated or put upon. No self-pity allowed. Everyone was there in communion. Protestant, Muslim, Atheist. It didn’t matter. They all went up to recieve a blessing.

Don’t you think that is the purpose of going to someone’s wedding? To support the couple and to be part of the group? Is it really the time to protest Catholicism by sitting in your seat stewing, or worse, to walk out in a huff or wounded, when you could simply walk up with everyone else, Catholic and non-Catholic and recieve a blessing?

I’m so sorry to hear you weren’t aware Kalt that many Protestant denominations do in fact believe in the real presence and celebrate the Eucharist exactly as you do. We also offer a blessing in the exact way you describe to those who are not baptized.

I certainly don’t think anything was said about stewing or walking out in a huff. I believe the feeling alluded to was emotional “pain.”

No doubt those denominations that don’t believe in the real presence have no difficulty in not participating.

 

[SpiritMeadow]

I have had the same experience with Catholic priest, but as we know it is not the norm or correct according to the Catholic Church but I trust correct in Christ’s eyes.

I have read on this forum recently that my children or Catholic children should not even be welcomed to receive a blessing at Communion if they are not receiving Communion. Lovely… At least so far at my children’s school that are not turned away to receive a blessing at Communion…yet…

Let me find the post…
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=292341

God Bless!

Wow, that would over the top wouldn’t it?

 

[SpiritMeadow]

I’m not sure why you think it’s alright to put words in my mouth. I never “excused poor behavior by claiming that the other side is doing the same”. (I did, of course, “claim that the other side is doing the same”.)

Neither do I.

Then I am at a loss for your comment at all. If you find the practice unacceptable then what is the reason behind “the other side is doing the same thing?” And I didn’t put words in your mouth. I said it was poor behavior. I didn’t say you did. I assumed you didn’t think it was poor behavior given your excuse. Again, I am at a loss why you commented in you were not offering an excuse, and now you seem to be saying that you don’t find it an acceptable one?

 

[kalt]

I’m so sorry to hear you weren’t aware Kalt that many Protestant denominations do in fact believe in the real presence and celebrate the Eucharist exactly as you do. We also offer a blessing in the exact way you describe to those who are not baptized.

I certainly don’t think anything was said about stewing or walking out in a huff. I believe the feeling alluded to was emotional “pain.”

No doubt those denominations that don’t believe in the real presence have no difficulty in not participating.

Be honest. You’re not “sorry” to hear it.

I know that the EC has kept a lot of Catholic form. We’re not so far removed. However, your Wucharist is not exactly the same thing.

If you believed in the Catholic Eucharist, you would believe that you would first recieve in your First Holy Communion, a sacrament.

I think you want to separate things, believing that it’s the real pressence, but chucking the sacrament of First Holy Communion.

If you believed in that, you wouldn’t feel hurt by not recieving.

The writer, I believe, is UM.

 

[kalt]

You know to be honest, if I were in a Rcoman Catholic church and was not known there, I think I would receive communion. Probably wrong of me, but I suspect I would. Frankly I’ve been to Catholic masses as a Catholic wherein the Priest invited everyone who was baptized to come forward if they so desired. No doubt that’s wrong on his part, but frankly he agreed that God wished no one turned away.

Probably wrong?

You’ve spent the afternoon posting slaps on the writsts to other posters, and here you are saying that you would receive comminion in the Catholic Church though you know full well that it’s wrong.

Check your own eye. (Boy that wink is the perfect icon this time. )

PS:Why wouldn’t you go up to Communion in a church where you were known, but only where you aren’t known? You’re a rebel only when you know you won’t be caught?