If St. Peter returned today

[Rahn]

… would he recognise the church he started? Would he be welcome in it?

 

[NewsTheMan]

… would he recognise the church he started? Would he be welcome in it?

Is this a philosophical question

I would firstly say that Christ started the Church, but I understand the point you are making.

Anyway I am not St.Peter so I cannot answer if he would recognize it but I will give an opinion. There are different levels of recognition. He would recognize it doctrinally, institutionally, prayerfully, etc but may not be familiar with it. He may not recognize it aesthetically (i.e. walk past a Chapel and not realize it’s Catholic) or personally (i.e. he may walk past a Catholic without knowing this person is a Catholic).

As for “would he be welcome”. Well, all are welcome, are they not? What a strange question.

I’m finding it hard to see the merit of this question if I am being honest. These questions are usually the result of a “the Church has changed/the Church is wrong/the Church is not true to its roots” kind of ideology. I am probably wrong though, and this is probably an innocent question.

 

[Rahn]

Is this a philosophical question

I would firstly say that Christ started the Church, but I understand the point you are making.

Anyway I am not St.Peter so I cannot answer if he would recognize it but I will give an opinion. There are different levels of recognition. He would recognize it doctrinally, institutionally, prayerfully, etc but may not be familiar with it. He may not recognize it aesthetically (i.e. walk past a Chapel and not realize it’s Catholic) or personally (i.e. he may walk past a Catholic without knowing this person is a Catholic).

As for “would he be welcome”. Well, all are welcome, are they not? What a strange question.

I’m finding it hard to see the merit of this question if I am being honest. These questions are usually the result of a “the Church has changed/the Church is wrong/the Church is not true to its roots” kind of ideology. I am probably wrong though, and this is probably an innocent question.

I’m sorry, let me explain. I heard a while ago someone criticising one of the Protestant denominations (can’t remember which one), and the person made the statement “If John Wesley (not sure if it was Wesley) came back, he wouldn’t be welcome in his church”.

The way I was thinking about this is: looking at Peter, his temperment, his zeal for the Lord, and looking at what is written about him in the book of Acts and what he wrote in 1 and 2 Peter. Now, picture this person, with all that we know about him, walking into any Catholic church today. Would he be happy with what he saw? With what we know about Peter, I think it’s fair to say that if he wasn’t happy, he’d let you know and be an advocate for change. How would that be accepted within the church (that’s the welcome part)?

 

[Quirious]

Is this a philosophical question

I would firstly say that Christ started the Church, but I understand the point you are making.

Anyway I am not St.Peter so I cannot answer if he would recognize it but I will give an opinion. There are different levels of recognition. He would recognize it doctrinally, institutionally, prayerfully, etc but may not be familiar with it. He may not recognize it aesthetically (i.e. walk past a Chapel and not realize it’s Catholic) or personally (i.e. he may walk past a Catholic without knowing this person is a Catholic).

As for “would he be welcome”. Well, all are welcome, are they not? What a strange question.

I’m finding it hard to see the merit of this question if I am being honest. These questions are usually the result of a “the Church has changed/the Church is wrong/the Church is not true to its roots” kind of ideology. I am probably wrong though, and this is probably an innocent question.

Do you believe that the Church has not changed? I don’t quite see why you are suspicious of such a question. Would you mind elaborating?

 

[NewsTheMan]

Do you believe that the Church has not changed? I don’t quite see why you are suspicious of such a question. Would you mind elaborating?

Changed? Yes in some respects, of course. Stayed the same in others - in the ways that matter. Of course its changed. It changes daily. If you mean doctrinally…apostolic succession… unity… holiness… then no it has not changed. If you mean have the people, buildings, etc changed then yes of course.

I am not suspicious, I was just voicing a concern since these questions usually imply that something has gone wrong. For example, people often say “Well if your Father returned today to see what you’ve done with his car…”.

 

[Quirious]

Changed? Yes in some respects, of course. Stayed the same in others - in the ways that matter. Of course its changed. It changes daily. If you mean doctrinally…apostolic succession… unity… holiness… then no it has not changed. If you mean have the people, buildings, etc changed then yes of course.

I am not suspicious, I was just voicing a concern since these questions usually imply that something has gone wrong. For example, people often say “Well if your Father returned today to see what you’ve done with his car…”.

Thanks. Well, it is an interesting question, but I can’t imagine how anyone could answer it in a meaningful way. Perhaps the OP can clarify?