Is God There?

[english_guy]

Hello everybody,
When you visit a protestant church for whatever reason,do you feel that God is there?. In the course of my work (I work for one of the largest funeral homes in the UK) I visit many churches of all denominations,
I can honestly say I never feel the presence of God in ANY of them!! , except Catholic ones, perhaps I am biased, but they just feel so empty.Also all their so called priests or ministers, especially Anglican women “priests” are so full of their own self importance as to make your stomach churn.
They are so convinced they are right and everyone else,especially us Catholics are wrong!, I consider it my duty to correct them as best I can, I have had many an argument with some of them, indeed when one of them is particularly pompous that is when I really go for them and defend our faith.I hope I am not committing a sin by not being totally tolerant but I just cannot sit back and listen to their drivel.
I hope you don’t mind me having a rant, but I thought it might help me get some answers on this subject.

                                           Thank you,
                                                               God Bless,
                                                                                 Mick.

 

[ConallCernach]

Hello everybody,
When you visit a protestant church for whatever reason,do you feel that God is there?. In the course of my work (I work for one of the largest funeral homes in the UK) I visit many churches of all denominations,
I can honestly say I never feel the presence of God in ANY of them!! , except Catholic ones, perhaps I am biased, but they just feel so empty.Also all their so called priests or ministers, especially Anglican women “priests” are so full of their own self importance as to make your stomach churn.
They are so convinced they are right and everyone else,especially us Catholics are wrong!, I consider it my duty to correct them as best I can, I have had many an argument with some of them, indeed when one of them is particularly pompous that is when I really go for them and defend our faith.I hope I am not committing a sin by not being totally tolerant but I just cannot sit back and listen to their drivel.
I hope you don’t mind me having a rant, but I thought it might help me get some answers on this subject.

                                           Thank you,
                                                               God Bless,
                                                                                 Mick.

God is omnipresent. He is present with us always, and despite what others might say, Protestants are our separated brothers and sisters in Christ. And when they gather to church, they are gathered in His name, and He is likely there with them. They unfortunately do not get the experience of Christ that we do, but He can lead them to a fuller relationship with Him through the Church.

 

[LilyM]

I think He is there, as said, wherever two or three gather in His name. Having said that, I’ve been to an Anglican (Episcopalian) church during their Mass which is very similar to the Catholic - definitely felt a difference and a slight something missing.

Looks like the Real Presence is Really Real after all!

 

[Simon_X]

Hello everybody,
When you visit a protestant church for whatever reason,do you feel that God is there?. In the course of my work (I work for one of the largest funeral homes in the UK) I visit many churches of all denominations,
I can honestly say I never feel the presence of God in ANY of them!! , except Catholic ones, perhaps I am biased, but they just feel so empty.Also all their so called priests or ministers, especially Anglican women “priests” are so full of their own self importance as to make your stomach churn.
They are so convinced they are right and everyone else,especially us Catholics are wrong!, I consider it my duty to correct them as best I can, I have had many an argument with some of them, indeed when one of them is particularly pompous that is when I really go for them and defend our faith.I hope I am not committing a sin by not being totally tolerant but I just cannot sit back and listen to their drivel.
I hope you don’t mind me having a rant, but I thought it might help me get some answers on this subject.

                                           Thank you,
                                                               God Bless,
                                                                                 Mick.

I agree with you Mick. I haven’t been in too many Protestant Churches, but would have to say there seems to be a big difference in the feeling of God’s presence in a Catholic church as opposed to the Protestant church. The sense of sacredness is always where the Eucharist is present as Lily stated above…

 

[SimonArizona]

Hello everybody,
When you visit a protestant church for whatever reason,do you feel that God is there?. In the course of my work (I work for one of the largest funeral homes in the UK) I visit many churches of all denominations,
I can honestly say I never feel the presence of God in ANY of them!! , except Catholic ones, perhaps I am biased, but they just feel so empty.Also all their so called priests or ministers, especially Anglican women “priests” are so full of their own self importance as to make your stomach churn.
They are so convinced they are right and everyone else,especially us Catholics are wrong!, I consider it my duty to correct them as best I can, I have had many an argument with some of them, indeed when one of them is particularly pompous that is when I really go for them and defend our faith.I hope I am not committing a sin by not being totally tolerant but I just cannot sit back and listen to their drivel.
I hope you don’t mind me having a rant, but I thought it might help me get some answers on this subject.

                                           Thank you,
                                                               God Bless,
                                                                                 Mick.

There was a great banner in the Pentecost Church that said “Come Holy Spirit Come” and He did in a very powerful way. The Most High, untouchable, God, would humble himself to be felt by the gathering of sincere worshippers. I’ve had instances in this Pentecost congregation where all the answers in life flooded me in an instant, and flooded out the pain and emptiness with tears of joy which were pure ectasy. The preacher would look around at our faces and say “oh my, Jesus has come in a powerful way tonight.”

Although, on my journey into the Catholic Church, I went to a mass in a gym and thought “how great can this possibly be?, its in a gym.” That night with the most beautiful music playing I got in line for the Eucharist crying and I felt like I was in heaven itself because of the fullness of goodness and joy, and getting into line I remembered Pope John Paul’s words “Mass is heaven on earth.”

 

[CentralFLJames]

I am sorry to say that I get absolutely ZERO “sense of presence” of God in any of the secular religious “churches” - with our without people present.

Rather, what I do get inside some of the empty and older style small wooden “postcard Churches” is a certain sense of sad sentimentality or yearning for yesteryear. I “feel” a sadness for a long gone and more pious time, generations ago, where very simple “good” folk sat at attention while hearing the gospel and quietly nodding or saying soft “amens” and singing the more reverent old-school Christian hymns. But this is not a sense of presence of God - it is more a romantic sense of empathy for a gentler and calmer time where more innocent people just tried to do their best to understand God and “do the right thing”.

In a certain sense I suppose as an afterthought that perhaps I do sense God in a limited way through romantic empathy for the original people, long since buried, who used to worship in these places in a more innocent and genteel time. But for some reason I can’t extend that empathy to current times - innocence seems to have been lost by even deeper secularization of the modern protestant religions.

This lack of “feeling” doesn’t change with people present either. I have been to a few protestant services (weddings or funerals etc.) but I still feel “nothing” spiritual at all. I usually see a secular “Man of Gaaawd” (using the customary over-animated and rehearsed fundamentalist pronunciation for reverencing God’s name) standing up on a stage or at a podium and feel more like I am in a theater play house than a place of worship. It’s as if there is play-actor up there gripping his KJV high (as if a stage prop) who sometimes shouts then suddenly goes silent in an unnatural melodramatic cookie-cutter form of oration (they must all be students of the same instructor at the same protestant divinity-school). Maybe I just can’t feel the sense of “presence” becuase I get distracted by that and the animated bounding around and hand waving that is intended to get people “excited” and motivated. While I do see that some people do get motivated (with heads bobbing in agreement and a few spontaneous amens here and there) I get absolute no sense of spiritual connection. There is a complete lack of reverence in most protestant churches - except for some of the Anglican style churches.

So, it’s a little different in the Episcopal and Anglican style churches. I smile when I hear them recite the Apostle’s Creed and the hymns and sense the familiar more-sophisticated depth of theology present in the music and the liturgy. But when I see a secular “minister”, sometimes a woman, stand up and try to speak and teach with authority I want to cringe and cross my arms and just try to “get through it” without getting upset. It just always comes across sounding so “secular”; often with a teaching that is very liberal or even a patriotic theme. I just feel like “something very important is missing”. The whole atmosphere seems to lack that natural impact of credibility and “presence” and reverence I get in any Catholic Church I have ever attended anywhere in the world.

I am probably sounding harsh here but for the record I want to say that I do not question the sincerity of the faith of the people who attend these “churches”. But in all honesty - apart from some pleasant and smiling people who seem to leave feeling “uplifted” and “motivated” I don’t really get a sense of Christ’s presence in the service’s themselves at all. The empty “buildings” they call “God’s House” feel utterly empty with not even so much as a burning votive candle or a single person praying alone.

But in an empty Catholic Church I ALWAYS feel a sense of reverence, presence, hushed silence and a feeling of “warmth”. When I see that small red flickering candle burning quietly and gently under the red glass holder I am immediately drawn to the tabernacle and know I am home and never alone. It is in fact a rare luxury to find the quiet peace and solitude of an empty Catholic church since “somone”, a widow, a hurting person, an old person, a church volunteer etc. usually will come in most any hour of the day to pray or bring flowers to the altar or attend to the Church. Then I have to remember its God’s House, and not mine, and we all must share His sanctuary and peace with others.

James

 

[RedSoxFan]

Hello everybody,
When you visit a protestant church for whatever reason,do you feel that God is there?. In the course of my work (I work for one of the largest funeral homes in the UK) I visit many churches of all denominations,
I can honestly say I never feel the presence of God in ANY of them!! , except Catholic ones, perhaps I am biased, but they just feel so empty.Also all their so called priests or ministers, especially Anglican women “priests” are so full of their own self importance as to make your stomach churn.
They are so convinced they are right and everyone else,especially us Catholics are wrong!, I consider it my duty to correct them as best I can, I have had many an argument with some of them, indeed when one of them is particularly pompous that is when I really go for them and defend our faith.I hope I am not committing a sin by not being totally tolerant but I just cannot sit back and listen to their drivel.
I hope you don’t mind me having a rant, but I thought it might help me get some answers on this subject.

                                           Thank you,
                                                               God Bless,
                                                                                 Mick.

I would say that God is still there, but in a different way. Not like at our Churches.

I wouldn’t bother getting to upset with them. They don;t know any better or else they would be Catholic. Still I would try to have an email debate with them over an actual debate. It’s much more rational and likely to convince them. At least that’s my opinion. Still I think its good that you talk to them.

~RSF