Is it a sin to pray with Protestants?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Paxvobis
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
JReducation said:
Communion in sacris refers to that which is sacred, usually the sacraments. For example, we have full communion with the Orthodox when it comes to sacraments. They are the same sacraments, equally valid and equally licit.

On the other hand, we are not to receive Holy Communion at an Orthodox Divine Liturgy nor are they to receive Holy Communion at a Catholic mass unless expressed permission is given by the proper authority. It must be understood that the Orthodox are not Protestants either.

With the Protestants, the only sacrament that we have in common is Baptism. Because they do not have validly ordained priests, they cannot validly celebrate any of the other sacraments. We don’t as close a communion on matters that are sacred as we do with the Orthodox. However, we do have communion in other areas such as Sacred Scripture, our faith in Jesus Christ and many of our moral laws.

As to praying with Protestants, it’s never a sin to pray with anyone. Prayer is prayer. If the other person is a pagan, you can certainly pray alongside them, but not engage in their prayers or rituals. It’s a little different with Jews and Muslims, since Christians, Jews and Muslims worship the same God, albeit that Jews and Muslims do not understand the Trinity nor the Incarnation, but it does not make him a different god. It’s an incomplete or imperfect understanding of God. Therefore, you will see the Holy Father pray along with Protestants, Jews and Muslims, as well as other saintly people.

Partiicpating in Protestant rituals is a little tricky. There is nothing wrong with visiting a Protestant community and praying with them. We often do it when we go to a funeral service, a wedding or even a Baptism, if they have a special Rite of Baptism. These are very special occasions and these are rituals that we have in common: marraige, Baptism and funerals. A Catholic does not need to attend a Protestant service on a regular basis, because everything that he will find in such a service + more is already found in the mass. It’s kind of silly to attend mass and regularly attend a Protestant church just to pray with Protestants.

Other opportunities present themselves to pray together. I work in pro-life ministry. We work very closely with many Protestants, Orthodox Christians, Orthodox Jews and Muslims, because all oppose abortion. We pray together outside of abortion clinics. It’s always funny, because the Catholics always pray the Rosary. It never fails that one of the non-Catholics comes over and joins us in the rosary, especially the Protestants. The Jews and Muslims shy away from it, because of the msyteries and because we say “Mother of God”. That’s a stumbling block for them. But they are always very respectful while we pray the rosary in front of these slaughter houses. We’re very respectful as they pray. It’s actually eaiser for us to join them, because there is nothing in their prayers that is a stumbling block for Catholics. They Muslims don’t pray to Mahhamed. The Jews don’t use audible prayers. The Protestants pray to Christ. That’s an example of shared prayer with non-Catholics.

I hope that helps.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
Click to expand...
 
Jews pray to our God, Jehovah, Muslims pray to Allha who is not our God. We do not pray to the same God. Yes there is only on God, but he is not the Muslim god.
 
In prayer, then, the true protagonist is God. The protagonist is Christ, who constantly frees creation from slavery to corruption and leads it toward liberty, for the glory of the children of God. The protagonist is the Holy Spirit, who “comes to the aid of our weakness.” We begin to pray, believing that it is our own initiative that compels us to do so. Instead, we learn that it is always God’s initiative within us, just as Saint Paul has written. This initiative restores in us our true humanity; it restores in us our unique dignity. Yes, we are brought into the higher dignity of the children of God,the children of God who are the hope of all creation.

Crossing the threshold of hope

peace
 
Prayer begins in heaven. How am I to see my neighbor or my enemy in prayer?

peace
 
Rich494 said:
Jews pray to our God, Jehovah, Muslims pray to Allha who is not our God. We do not pray to the same God. Yes there is only on God, but he is not the Muslim god.
Click to expand...
This not what the Church teaches. Muslims do indeed pray to the same God, the God of Abraham. Their understanding of God is incomplete. But that does not mean a different God. “Allah” is simply the Arabic word for God.
 
Interesting dislogue.

** I come from a mixed heritage.** Our paternal family tree includes the first Archbishop of Quebec, Mom was of old Yankee background. I always have been interested in harmony and reconciliation among Christians - and, yes, among all people of faith who emphasis love of one another. This religious tribalism - my tribe is right and yours is wrong - strikes me as silly. Too often religion has preached peace, humility and love while promoting hostility, arrogance, and bigotry.

** My own practice, for what it’s worth, is worshiping at different places,** in large part to learn more of various faiths and understand them better. By this I mean Christian churches in particular, but occasionally at a Jewish synangogue, Muslim mosque or Hindu or Buddhist temple - etc. We as Christians have a lot to learn. There is much wisdom in other religions and in other versions of our own particular religion. The notion that any one group has a monopoly on spiritual truth had led me to move away from traditional Catholicism, even though I often still attend Mass. It does trouble me, however, when Catholics lay claim to being the one and only ‘true church’. Such an offensive and antiquated concept. How does the phrase go? God is too big to be included in only one faith. I’m inclined to go with that.

** So, is it a sin to pray with Protestants? The question itself is **]offensive and helps explain why there is still suspicion of Catholicism in much of society. Most Catholics of my family circle and among my friends would scoff at such a question just as I do. It is an insult to their faith. Re-read the last verses in Matt. 25, or the parable of the Good Samaritan. The lawyer asked: “How can I attain eternal life?” Jesus said nothing about doctrine or church affiliation. He held up as our example a religious outcast, a despised Samaritan. The priest and Levite of the religious establishment passed by, but that despised Samaritan stopped and helped the victim alongside the road.
Code: 
  **We are not 'saved' by our dogmas or by our labels but by our love**. Love of God and love of one another. Now abide faith, hope and love, these three, and the greatest of these is love.
** God bless people of every creed, culture, color and country.** Let us work together to make religion a bridge rather than a barrier.
 
This reply from Roy is exactly what I was talking about. Unitarianism…
 
Morgan_Hiver said:
This reply from Roy is exactly what I was talking about. Unitarianism…
Click to expand...
Unitarianism is a denomination that denies the Holy Trinity. The post in question has elements of syncretism in it, altough saying that other religions have wisdom within them isn’t syncretism. The Church admits this. Saying that all are equally valid is however syncretism.
 
Jesus is the good Samaritan, and Holy Mother Teacher Church is the Inn.

peace
 
Oops, I meant Universalist. You see Universalist and Unitarian lumped together on one sign all the time. Sorry for the confusion.

Anyway, I said it before and I will say it again. The Catholic Church has everything we need. It is the whole truth. Therefore we should continue to learn and grow in our own faith, rather than some outside group. They really have nothing to offer us spiritually that we can not easily find in the church. When Rome tells us that the other religions have small bits of truth, they are not telling us to go and learn from those groups in order to become full Catholic Christians. My take on it, and it seems like this view should be obvious to anyone, is that the bits of truth teaching is more for non-Christian benefit. Sort of like “come on over for the rest of it!”. Nothing more than that.
 
Rich494 said:
Jews pray to our God, Jehovah, Muslims pray to Allha who is not our God. We do not pray to the same God. Yes there is only on God, but he is not the Muslim god.
Click to expand...
You must either think with the Church or remove yourself from the Church. You can’t have it both ways.

Here is what the Church says.

841 The Church’s relationship with the Muslims. "The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are the Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind’s judge on the last day."

Don’t even go to the cop-out question, “Was that an infallible statement?”

It seems that when it’s convenient and agreeable to people, they never ask this question. When it’s inconvenient or not of their liking, then this becomes a paramount question. Of course, always forgetting that we owe the Ordinary Magisterium an assent of the will. Therefore, we accept what she says. The simple answer to this is that the Church cannot teach that which is contrary to the faith, even through the Ordinary Magisterium.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
Roy, who is a wandering Protestant, said that we should all roam outside of Rome.
 
Look at the history of this thread. You’ll see that many encourage us to look around.

Besides, I was telling Roy that he is def confused and that we, as Catholics, do not need to follow his advice.
 
Morgan_Hiver said:
Look at the history of this thread. You’ll see that many encourage us to look around.

Besides, I was telling Roy that he is def confused and that we, as Catholics, do not need to follow his advice.
Click to expand...
I don’t think any of the Catholics here have encouraged anyone to “look around”.

It’s quite a leap to go from some of us saying it is OK to pray with Protestants for common causes or with family members, to suggesting that we are saying Catholics “look around” (presumably you mean the equivalent of “shop around”).

Really Morgan, you keep making these absurd assertions and illogical leaps. Why are you so insecure about Protestants? They don’t bite!!! Trust me, I’ve been married to one for 23 years, and before that I had a Protestant father for the 12 years of my life until he passed away.

In fact you can credit my Protestant father for having a good grounding in the Catholic faith. He took seriously his promise that the children would be raised Catholic when my parents received a dispensation so they could marry. It was he, far more than my mother, that insisted I learn the faith, it was he who took me to Mass on Sundays when my mother wasn’t feeling well, and it was from him that I caught hell once when I’d skipped out of a Church event during lunch hour at school.

Knock it off OK? The two people I have loved the most in this world besides my children are my father and my wife, happen to both be Protestants.
 
Look at the thread history. I’m not doing it. Only a few people like NewsTheMan stood up for our faith when others advocated Protestantism. Anyway…I’m not insecure at all. I just know the truth and beauty of Catholicism and am passionate about defending it. I am not trying to offend others at all, so I apologize if anyone visiting a Catholic forum is offended by Catholic views.
 
Also, I have already stated that my comment was to Roy. He is saying that his way of religion hopping is the only way to fully understand the truth…how to really know the one GOD by many names. So I was saying that we have the truth and his negative comments about the one true church is wrong. I never claimed he was a Catholic. Just don’t read beyond what I said and take it as face value. And that is it…no more bickering over it.
 
Morgan_Hiver said:
Look at the thread history. I’m not doing it. Only a few people like NewsTheMan stood up for our faith when others advocated Protestantism. Anyway…I’m not insecure at all. I just know the truth and beauty of Catholicism and am passionate about defending it. I am not trying to offend others at all, so I apologize if anyone visiting a Catholic forum is offended by Catholic views.
Click to expand...
We’re not getting through to you. Praying with Protestants is not “advocating Protestantism”. Saying it is OK to pray with Protestants is not “advocating Protestantism”.

You’re being thoroughly illogical, and engaging in fear-mongering of the worst kind that actually makes Catholics and the Church look bad.
 
I’m not the only one on here that expresses these views. Check out previous pages on this topic. And as for embarrassing the entire church, I’d like to think that my views are more inline with traditional teachings, as yours are definitely more hip to the times, my modern friend. Do you read a lot of Hans Kung?

And besides…I can’t believe I have to say this again but Roy told us all to be awesome like him and visit all the other truth nibblets out there, otherwise we aren’t tolerant. Yep…that is why I replied. No other reason.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top