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guanophore
Guest
Sometimes the best thing to do is pray for them. The battle is not ours, but God’s.
- Status
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guanophore
Guest
Since God created everything, and He reveals Himself to mankind through His creation, how can there possibly be any disconnect between his direct revelation of Himself through His Only Son, and indirect revelation through creation?
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Roy5
Guest
Easier? It depends upon the form pf Protestantism as well as the commitment of the individual, whether Catholic or Protestant. I know Protestants who are at church several evenings during the average week, with prayer meetings, committee meetings, evening services, etc. I know Catholics who frequent novenas, stations of the cross, and various other events at their churches - and send their children to parochial schools, serve on parish committees, bake for bake sales, etc. Others, both Catholics and Protestants,
attend worship now and then, and it ends there.
attend worship now and then, and it ends there.
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Now, as to the attractiveness of mainstream, mainline Protestantism - speaking for myself alone - is that it seems more open to new discoveries in science, new ideas in the realm of theology, a more tolerant atitude toward other ideas and other faiths. Not evangelical Protestantism so much, but the major denominations - Episcopal, Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregational, etc. In a word, it is less dogmatic, more open to different opinions, depending less upon ancient traditions, more likely to adjust to modern practices and thinking. I'm well aware that this is the very reason many Catholics reject mainline Protestantism. They feel that authority rests not only with the Bible but with tradition and the magisterium.
I have studied the Church Fathers etc over the years. I put little stock in what they wrote. Yes, they were brilliant for their age, but without a decent telescope and any microscope much of what they wrote seems primitive and even superstitious in the world of today. It troubles me that Catholicism relies on them so much when it comes to substantiating current teachings. It's as though science still depended upon ancient scientists when we've advanced well beyond that.
But different people have different spiritual outlooks, backgrounds and needs. God bless them all. We shouldn't fight about our differences but seek common ground and a spirit of Christian reconciliation. Christ would want that. Well, that's my view anyway.
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newconvert56
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Roy5
Guest
New convert
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Fine. Be happy in your new room within the broad Christian community. Many others have serious trouble remaining Catholic because they have difficulty with its limitations upon freedom of thought.
I believe in big tent Christianity, where we respect one another.
It's true that the mainline churches have been losing. Many drift into more dogmatic churches - mainly evangelical Protestant churches. That's fine with me, too. It happens that in this area the mainline Protestant churches appear to be full of former Catholics. At least two Protestant ministers in town were former Catholics.
But God bless them all. My own view is that all of us possess just a small fraction of the truthin this mammoth, magnificent, and mysterious universe, so we need humility. Sadly, so many 'religious people' embrace love, humility and peace while actually spreading bigotry, arrogance and hostility. I expect we will meet all sorts of Christians, along with Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, etc., in the world to come. I'll look for you there. Keep smiling.
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newconvert56
Guest
Roy5
I understand what you are saying, but my experience in the Lutheran Church was not one of very tolerant people, although I met many good people and clergy over the years. It was what I heard and overheard from a lot of members that made that impression on me. Yes, I am very happy in my new room
and for me the breadth and depth of the RCC has made me think harder about what I believe than I ever have before. I do not agree that you can’t think for yourself in the Catholic Church, we are told that God made us with brains and we are not supposed to leave them at the Church doors. As one famous convert said “the Catholic Church is so much bigger from the inside than it is from the outside”. That’s been my experience, and I agree others have had a much different experience, starting with my dear departed Dad. Yes, we may be very surprised who we see in the next world and I do hope I’ll be there too.
I understand what you are saying, but my experience in the Lutheran Church was not one of very tolerant people, although I met many good people and clergy over the years. It was what I heard and overheard from a lot of members that made that impression on me. Yes, I am very happy in my new room
and for me the breadth and depth of the RCC has made me think harder about what I believe than I ever have before. I do not agree that you can’t think for yourself in the Catholic Church, we are told that God made us with brains and we are not supposed to leave them at the Church doors. As one famous convert said “the Catholic Church is so much bigger from the inside than it is from the outside”. That’s been my experience, and I agree others have had a much different experience, starting with my dear departed Dad. Yes, we may be very surprised who we see in the next world and I do hope I’ll be there too.
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Roy5
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I come from a mixed religious background - old Yankee Protestant and French Canadian Catholic. The mainline Protestants in this area (Lutherans are not that strong here) seem to be very tolerant - some would say too tolerant (not me). They have numerous women ministers and at least the UCC ordains gays. (I’m not sure I can go with that, though I do believe that homophobia can be a serious bigotry).
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The Catholics around here - at least the ones I know - are very liberal, too, though what makes them seem different is when you attend a Bible class. The Protestant Bible study groups (mainline) don't try to mold opinions so much as to hear them. Usually the response of the group to some 'heresy' is 'very interesting!'. Catholic groups (few of them here and about) seem aimed at indoctrinating those attending with the 'truth'. The church has the 'truth' - and that's that. That's where I have a problem, both with Catholicism and the narrow form evangelical Protestantism (don't confuse this with the ELCA, of course). I enjoy the right to 'think outside the box' and over the years have come to doubt, for example, many of the wild miracles claimed by the church as well as such basic doctrines as papal infallibility in faith and morals and even transubstantiation. I also disagree with the church on married priests and women deacons. Etc.
I find that many of the my Catholic friends stay Catholic despite their reservations - 'cafeteria Catholics". They stay Catholic by attending mass on Easter and Christmas, but beyond that their association is thin. They have cultural, family and emotional ties to Catholicism.
By the way, in Quebec, where one set of grandparents came from, Catholicism has all but withered on the vine. The CC is up for sale in the village where my grandmother once lived! When I was a kid probably 90% of French Canadian Catholics faithfully attended mass, but maybe 15-20% at most now. The Protestant situation is little better, though among Protestants it was not serious sin to miss Sunday worship, so their figures were never that high - perecntage-wise.
But I also believe that different religions appeal to different people. Some like a formal liturgy. Others like to clap their hands and shout 'hallelujah'. Some want a church that claims to be the one true church. Others want a church where various views are accepted.
God bless them all. I'm troubled when I read intolerant statements here on CAF. Why do Christians have to be so verbally nasty to other Christians? Seems like a contradiction in terms to me.
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newconvert56
Guest
I grew up in New England, although I was originally from the midwest and that’s where I am now. I attended MS and ELCA Lutheran churchs in NE, and ELCA in Ohio for a couple years before I started RCIA last fall. Anyway, I totally agree with your last two statements, I’ve always felt that way, definitely a contradiction I’ve never been able to figure out:shrug:.
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Roy5
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newconvert
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Hope you find happiness in the Catholic Church. As for me, I've had to conclude that for myself Catholicism offers too little latitude for someone who enjoys exploring various beliefs and expeiencing worshiping at different churches. The more I read of the Church Fathers, the more I watch people like the Lords on EWTN, the more I feel that there are simply too many 'infallible' doctrines, traditions, apparitions, and other miracles and such that I cannot honestly embrace.
There are people who appear to need the stability of a totally settled set of beliefs, and I don't knock them. I guess I feel that we need to find what suits our needs, and that God is just and merciful, so he understands. Actually, with a million or a billion or more stars and even solar systems our wisdom can seem naive. That's the problem I have when I read the Church Fathers and medieval theologians. They had such a puny and mistaken concept of the universe amd too many of their views are based on such mistaken concepts.
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sleeping_gecko
Guest
This is a thought-provoking question!
Before I seriously looked at Catholicism, I would have said, “Duh, Catholicism’s easier!!! You can sin all you want, then confess to a priest, say some Ave Marias or Pater Nosters, and you’re good to go!”
Needless to say, I didn’t know what I was talking about!
Then, upon seriously looking at Catholicism, I would (initially) have said that Protestantism is easier. After all, Protestants don’t have to confess to a priest, they don’t believe in a purgation (specifically the Catholic idea, not the lack of suffering), etc. If Luther was correct (in his hyperbolic manner of rhetoric), and one can commit murder or adultery 100 times in a day with no effect on his eternal salvation, I would be hard pressed to see how Protestantism could be more difficult!
However, with some mulling on the question, it’s not so clear as it once seemed to me.
Having received the sacrament of Reconciliation, I can say that it is a beautiful, wonderful, but very difficult thing to do (or at least, it is for me). After 24 years of not seeing a need to confess to another human (at least not in the sense that confession is heard by priests). The idea I once had, that a Catholic can just say “Oh, I’ll confess this tomorrow”, while choosing to sin today, would make the sacrament invalid, as absolution requires contrition. I’m sure there are many who go to confession with this in mind, it’s not what the Church teaches us to do.
Protestants, on the other hand, do not hear the priest’s words of absolution. The tangible experience of forgiveness is missing. I frequently “tried to feel remorse” for my sins, hoping that it would be good enough to warrant forgiveness (I know this is also a bit of a misunderstanding of most Protestant theology, but without the priest there to administer the sacrament, I needed some confirmation, some emotional feeling that I was forgiven, as I had no physical one).
For me, it is easier to soak in the Catholic faith as one would soak in a healing spring. It may burn at first, may be hard to sit in the bubbling, steaming water. Once you know how to get into the water and how to let it soothe your injuries and wash you, you begin to crave it! In Protestantism, there always seems a big tendency to dip your toes in the spring and, finding it too hot, too cold, too bubbly, too still, to move on to the next spring, or to mine one yourself, digging through the Scriptures to find all the answers to your questions.
In Catholicism, I find the faith to be similar to the Gospel of John: like a river that is safe enough for a child to splash around, yet deep enough to submerge an elephant! It’s a both/and. My experience with Protestantism (in general, though there were specific exceptions) was Protestant traditions tend to be either too safe/shallow/broad or too dangerous/deep/narrow. Contrast much of the mainline Protestant denoms in the US with staunch Calvinist denoms. The mainliners often are looking to stay relevant, to engage the culture, often at the expense of orthodoxy. Much of the writings of staunch Calvinist theologians I’ve read, on the other hand, had such a stodgy feel that it was like being dropped out of a helicopter into the flooding Mississippi.
The emphasis on personal interpretation of Scripture, the perspicuity of Scripture, etc, mandates that the individual (or, perhaps a very small unit of the church, i.e. husband and wife, not even the full “domestic church”) constantly reinvents the wheel. After all, if we rely too much on commentaries, systematized/biblical theology structures, etc, we’re relying on traditions of men.
What my father and father-in-law see as the straightjacket of Catholic dogma/infallibility/unchangeable doctrine, etc, I see as a framework to grow within/upon, in the same sense that the trellis/support surrounds and protects my tomato plants in the garden, allowing them to grow higher and bear more fruit than if they were unsupported. As a Christian in the Catholic faith tradition, I can lean on the Saints (in prayer and study), and I can stand protected against the spiritual storms of life when I grow within the framework of 2000 years of faithful Catholic doctrine. Sturdier than the tomato cage, of course, this faith goes back to the Apostles, firmly founded on the Rock of Christ and on the See of Peter!
In short, I don’t see Protestantism or Catholicism as easier than the other. I do believe Catholicism to be true, so I am Catholic. Because of this, I can say that it is “easier” for me to be a Catholic in the sense that I firmly believe it’s where I’m supposed to be, and I seriously believe it is where God has led me to grow and ready myself for eternity with Him!
(I know I went a little off topic here, but I hope it was a little useful)
Before I seriously looked at Catholicism, I would have said, “Duh, Catholicism’s easier!!! You can sin all you want, then confess to a priest, say some Ave Marias or Pater Nosters, and you’re good to go!”
Needless to say, I didn’t know what I was talking about!
Then, upon seriously looking at Catholicism, I would (initially) have said that Protestantism is easier. After all, Protestants don’t have to confess to a priest, they don’t believe in a purgation (specifically the Catholic idea, not the lack of suffering), etc. If Luther was correct (in his hyperbolic manner of rhetoric), and one can commit murder or adultery 100 times in a day with no effect on his eternal salvation, I would be hard pressed to see how Protestantism could be more difficult!
However, with some mulling on the question, it’s not so clear as it once seemed to me.
Having received the sacrament of Reconciliation, I can say that it is a beautiful, wonderful, but very difficult thing to do (or at least, it is for me). After 24 years of not seeing a need to confess to another human (at least not in the sense that confession is heard by priests). The idea I once had, that a Catholic can just say “Oh, I’ll confess this tomorrow”, while choosing to sin today, would make the sacrament invalid, as absolution requires contrition. I’m sure there are many who go to confession with this in mind, it’s not what the Church teaches us to do.
Protestants, on the other hand, do not hear the priest’s words of absolution. The tangible experience of forgiveness is missing. I frequently “tried to feel remorse” for my sins, hoping that it would be good enough to warrant forgiveness (I know this is also a bit of a misunderstanding of most Protestant theology, but without the priest there to administer the sacrament, I needed some confirmation, some emotional feeling that I was forgiven, as I had no physical one).
For me, it is easier to soak in the Catholic faith as one would soak in a healing spring. It may burn at first, may be hard to sit in the bubbling, steaming water. Once you know how to get into the water and how to let it soothe your injuries and wash you, you begin to crave it! In Protestantism, there always seems a big tendency to dip your toes in the spring and, finding it too hot, too cold, too bubbly, too still, to move on to the next spring, or to mine one yourself, digging through the Scriptures to find all the answers to your questions.
In Catholicism, I find the faith to be similar to the Gospel of John: like a river that is safe enough for a child to splash around, yet deep enough to submerge an elephant! It’s a both/and. My experience with Protestantism (in general, though there were specific exceptions) was Protestant traditions tend to be either too safe/shallow/broad or too dangerous/deep/narrow. Contrast much of the mainline Protestant denoms in the US with staunch Calvinist denoms. The mainliners often are looking to stay relevant, to engage the culture, often at the expense of orthodoxy. Much of the writings of staunch Calvinist theologians I’ve read, on the other hand, had such a stodgy feel that it was like being dropped out of a helicopter into the flooding Mississippi.
The emphasis on personal interpretation of Scripture, the perspicuity of Scripture, etc, mandates that the individual (or, perhaps a very small unit of the church, i.e. husband and wife, not even the full “domestic church”) constantly reinvents the wheel. After all, if we rely too much on commentaries, systematized/biblical theology structures, etc, we’re relying on traditions of men.
What my father and father-in-law see as the straightjacket of Catholic dogma/infallibility/unchangeable doctrine, etc, I see as a framework to grow within/upon, in the same sense that the trellis/support surrounds and protects my tomato plants in the garden, allowing them to grow higher and bear more fruit than if they were unsupported. As a Christian in the Catholic faith tradition, I can lean on the Saints (in prayer and study), and I can stand protected against the spiritual storms of life when I grow within the framework of 2000 years of faithful Catholic doctrine. Sturdier than the tomato cage, of course, this faith goes back to the Apostles, firmly founded on the Rock of Christ and on the See of Peter!
In short, I don’t see Protestantism or Catholicism as easier than the other. I do believe Catholicism to be true, so I am Catholic. Because of this, I can say that it is “easier” for me to be a Catholic in the sense that I firmly believe it’s where I’m supposed to be, and I seriously believe it is where God has led me to grow and ready myself for eternity with Him!
(I know I went a little off topic here, but I hope it was a little useful)
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GaryTaylor
Guest
I suppose its nice to have the leisure to pick and chose religion and faith as you will.
I wasn’t afforded that opportunity. I found myself confronting death and begging God not to let me die like that.
Life is a long lesson in humility to be sure. And in a NY Minute you may be in that position? In those moments when your life flashs before your eyes. The why’s are replaced by the “It is”! And should you have another opportunity to re-think your choices? I’m sure they would be different.
As so here we are through the Grace of God. I quickly have come to realize we live by His Mercy by the moment.
And then He led me to the Catholic Church. I didn’t ask why. It wasn’t mine to do so. It was my duty to do as told, and so I do.
Chance and choice and what to do, is all a wonderful opportunity in life. When you have a split second choice? The choice is always God. Always.
Look at the Tornados down in Dixie Alley last month ? Every one of those Souls prayed to God to live. Ironic isn’t it, how quickly one becomes a believer when Death stands at the door.
Time is commodity today but it may not always be so? Carefull with the choices you make, you may to live with them for eternity.
I do believe Catholicism to be true, so I am Catholic also, though I believe I was shown specific aspects in life which confirmed his for me?
God Bless, Gary
I wasn’t afforded that opportunity. I found myself confronting death and begging God not to let me die like that.
Life is a long lesson in humility to be sure. And in a NY Minute you may be in that position? In those moments when your life flashs before your eyes. The why’s are replaced by the “It is”! And should you have another opportunity to re-think your choices? I’m sure they would be different.
As so here we are through the Grace of God. I quickly have come to realize we live by His Mercy by the moment.
And then He led me to the Catholic Church. I didn’t ask why. It wasn’t mine to do so. It was my duty to do as told, and so I do.
Chance and choice and what to do, is all a wonderful opportunity in life. When you have a split second choice? The choice is always God. Always.
Look at the Tornados down in Dixie Alley last month ? Every one of those Souls prayed to God to live. Ironic isn’t it, how quickly one becomes a believer when Death stands at the door.
Time is commodity today but it may not always be so? Carefull with the choices you make, you may to live with them for eternity.
I do believe Catholicism to be true, so I am Catholic also, though I believe I was shown specific aspects in life which confirmed his for me?
God Bless, Gary
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GWright
Guest
Protestant imo, does not sola scriptura make everyone their own Pope?
Maybe a basic argument, but it seems to the case given how main protestant denominations (eg the anglican communion) cannot seem to agree on anything amongst themselves.
Maybe a basic argument, but it seems to the case given how main protestant denominations (eg the anglican communion) cannot seem to agree on anything amongst themselves.
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hn160
Guest
It is easy to be a lazy Catholic or a lazy Lutheran if all you do is go to church, but if you want to be Catholic or Lutheran, you should study your church doctrines and catechisms, Our church has an ongoing study of the Lutheran Confessions and conferences on various subjects such as Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, etc.
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Roy5
Guest
Catholicism may be harder for some because it requires that we give up our delight in thinking for ourselves. Most mainline Protestant denominations are quite ‘broad’ when it comes to doctrine. You can, for example, view communion in a variety of ways, from a special presence of the spirit of Christ to a simple service of remembrance - or a community sharing in a meal together. And in other ways, too.
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Or, take Mary. They can see her as the Virgin Mother of Jesus and more, or they can view her as the mother of Jesus, possibly not even a virgin, to be honored but not venerated, to be respected but not prayed to. They often see the historic Mary as covered over the centuries by a thick layer of folklore (myth?).
It can go on and on. Clergy may marry or remain single. Women may be ordained. In some denominations gays and lesbians may be ordained.
In a nutshell, mainline Protestantism is much more open to a variety of views, ranging from traditional Protestantism to liberal Protestantism. I suspect that most mainline Protestants are somewhere in between. They might believe that Jesus healed the sick but don't believe that God insisted that Joshua murder everybody in such conquered cities as Jericho and Ai (as the Bible asserts).
Now, contrast that with Catholicism, where the faithful are expected/required to believe the precise dogmas as taught by the church. These doctrines were established by ancient writers (Church Fathers) or church councils who lived or met in an era when there was little knowledge of the huge universe we live in. Most of them believed the earth was flat, the sun whirled around the earth each 24-hour day, that Jesus literally sat on the right side of God the Father up in heaven, that hell was underneath the earth and non-Christians went there, etc.
The difference is apparent in Bible study groups. In Catholic groups the goal seems to be to achieve uniformity. In mainline Protestant groups different interpretations are not only acceptable but even encouraged. "Interesting" is the normal reaction to an unusual interpretation.
Which is easier? If one likes top-down authority, a form of Christianity that is pretty-well set in stone, a Pope in Rome who speaks infallibly when it comes to faith and morals, then Catholicism may be easier.
If one likes to think more freely, accepts the idea that fellow Christians can disagree without some being 'heretics', isn't all that confident in theologies from an ancient era of widespread superstition - etc - it's easier to be a Protestant, more difficult to be a Catholic. Mainline Protestantism can seem like breathing fresh air. It sees much as scripture as symbolic, not to be taken literally It is horrified by such passages as Ex. 22:18 and 20, the basis for so much evil persecution of other Christians over the centuries. .
Note that I keep citing mainline Protestantism. Fundamentalist Protestants are likely to be as dogmatic as traditionalist Catholics. Most Catholics I know - incidentally - aren't that traditional, but they hold on to their religion because of cultural or family ties plus plenty of nostalgia and often a deep affection for a specific parish and/or priest. Most of us are 'tribal', loyal to our tribe (religion) even when we don't share all of its ideas.
God bless Catholics and Protestants, along with others Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, etc. They all seek God in their distinctive ways.. I'm sure God is interested in our hearts and not in our dogmas. When Jesus was asked how to inherit eternal life, he replied by giving us the parable of the Good Samaritan. And he spoke Matt. 25:31ff.
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patricius79
Guest
I think Protestantism for me would be intellecually much harder, both in regard to Scripture and to Church historyI’ve been both. For the first 47 years of my life, I was an active and faithful member of various evangelical Protestant churches. In 2004, my husband and I converted to Catholicism, and we’ve been active and faithful Catholics.
So which is easier?
I don’t want to post my opinion yet (mainly because I have to go to work now!). Also, I am interested in reading what others have to say.
On the surface, it seems that Protestantism is the “easier” path. No obligations, no sacraments. For many Protestants, no fear of ever losing heaven. Great music, friendly people, lots of activities for children and teenagers. Lots of activities for all ages, actually.
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I would know that I had huge intellectual problems
but it would be easier in the sense you describe
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JillianRose
Guest
I agree. I have ones at my sons school who joined the church just to get the school discount. I think it also depends on which protestant sect you are talking about. My two best friends are Calvinist (dutch reformed) they always attend church, part take in bible studies, charity and are faithful to their church.
I think is depends on the religious denomination. Since protestants have too many groups it is hard to decide what we are comparing. I think some of the generalizations being made here are from the comparison of Very Liberal or Non-denomination groups that only preach prosperity. I refuse to use these forums to judge which is better. I will leave that to God.
I just know that I belong to the most wonderful Midwestern Catholic Church anyone could possibly go to. We have tons to do and the kids have VBS and the older children are so respectful and always are volunteering to do works in the Church.
Yes for the most part like in any denomination, (Jewish, Catholic, Non-denominational etc) I think there is a lot of non-practicing people in any religious sect. Sometime I feel people use religious affiliation to say they belong somewhere. I just hope God will have mercy on their souls…
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Roy5
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What I have found about many Catholic churches today is that they have been heavily influenced by Protestantism. Vacation Bible School is an example. They also have Bible study in a way that was not true when I was a youngster. Catholics often had no Bible in the home. It was a ‘Protestant thing’. Congregational singing of hymns - which I love - is an innovation borrowed from Protestantism, along with the insistence that worship be in the language of the people.
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Vatican II played a large role in all this. Before Vatican II it was a sin to even enter a Protestant church, as Protestants were viewed as heretics. Luther and Calvin were depicted as wicked, rebellious men. With Pope John XXIII that quickly changed. All of a sudden we were worshiping together, in Protestant as well as Catholic churches. Protestants became our separated brothers and sisters. Apparently the church had been wrong during earlier centuries. The 'Syllabus of Errors" in which Protestantism and democracy, too, were bitterly attacked no longer represented Catholic thinking. Pius IX became an embarrassment - the man, by the way, who declared and defined the dogma of papal infallibility in 1870.
I find mainline moderate Protestantism appealing in that it accepts a wide range of views on various theological questions. Mainline Protestantism also allows clergy to marry (as the early church did) and doesn't make family planning by using birth control a serious sin. It recognizes that marital love is about much more than child-bearing, that is involves continual bonding between husbands and wives. Mainline Protestantism also permits the ordination of women and provide women a greater role in church leadership. The Episcopalians and Methodists (and others, I suspect) have women bishops. Etc.
I hope and pray for the day when all Christians accept the 'big tent' concept - the idea that Christians have the right and freedom to differ among themselves on a wide variety of matters and still feel part of the universal church. The insistence by traditional Catholicism and many evangelical Protestants that they alone have found and travel the right path strikes me as arrogant, contrary to the humility that Christians should exhibit. Let's face it: the mysteries of this marvelous and miraculous universe are beyond human understanding. We are called to live by faith, not in fine points of doctrine, but in the love and mercy of our one God. None of us, including top church leaders, know very much about certain aspects of ultimate truth. Catholicism depends too much upon traditions dating from ancient and medieval times, many no longer valid. Fundamentalist Protestantism tends to worship the Bible, a book of enormous inspiration, but also replete with traditions and teachings reflecting earlier times and not relevant today.
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nickybr38
Guest
I think they are both hard and easy but on different spectrums.
Catholicism is easier spiritually. Because there is clear direction and when you have questions there is definitive doctrine to guide you. But Catholicism is harder in the physical realm - it’s not aimed to make you comfortable.
Protestantism is easier in the physical realm. Everything is geared towards pleasing you personally. The music, the sermons (good pastors with growing churches always have entertaining sermons and are very charismatic), the functions… it’s all geared towards your entertainment and your edification. But it’s harder spiritually because when you have those deep questions that scripture just doesn’t seem to answer adequately there’s no where (really) to turn except to yourself.
One of my last very vivid memories of being in the Protestant church is a lady who said; “I’m doing everything I’m told to do. I read the bible, I pray, I go to church, I attend church functions… but I feel like something is missing. Why?” The person working with us, who was supposed to be answering our questions, brushed her aside and launched into an attack on the Catholic Church instead of addressing her deep spiritual problem.
I think both paths are difficult in their own unique ways but I would take physical difficulty over spiritual difficulty any day.
Not that being Catholic means you’ll never struggle spiritually but I do think the Church has a wonderful back bone that anyone can lean on when they start to feel lost.
Catholicism is easier spiritually. Because there is clear direction and when you have questions there is definitive doctrine to guide you. But Catholicism is harder in the physical realm - it’s not aimed to make you comfortable.
Protestantism is easier in the physical realm. Everything is geared towards pleasing you personally. The music, the sermons (good pastors with growing churches always have entertaining sermons and are very charismatic), the functions… it’s all geared towards your entertainment and your edification. But it’s harder spiritually because when you have those deep questions that scripture just doesn’t seem to answer adequately there’s no where (really) to turn except to yourself.
One of my last very vivid memories of being in the Protestant church is a lady who said; “I’m doing everything I’m told to do. I read the bible, I pray, I go to church, I attend church functions… but I feel like something is missing. Why?” The person working with us, who was supposed to be answering our questions, brushed her aside and launched into an attack on the Catholic Church instead of addressing her deep spiritual problem.
I think both paths are difficult in their own unique ways but I would take physical difficulty over spiritual difficulty any day.
Not that being Catholic means you’ll never struggle spiritually but I do think the Church has a wonderful back bone that anyone can lean on when they start to feel lost.
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hn160
Guest
You have never attended a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod church Divine Service. The Divine Service is basically the same as the Rom believe that an Mass without the un-bloody sacrifice. There is no entertainment here. The pastor preaches Law & Gospel sermons which points to us as sinners our sins and then towards Christ on the cross and what He did for us there. This is called the Theology of the Cross. What you said about churches with entertaining music and sermons is called Theology of Glory.
We believe that God comes to us in the Divine Service in Absolution, the Word read and preached and in the Sacrament of the altar and when there is a Baptism. We also say that when the pastor preaches, he is Viva vox Jesu.
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The_GreyPilgrim
Guest
Being a former evangelical, and afterwards becoming an atheist, in my spiritual search I cared litlle for what was easier.
I wanted that which was true. And if it wasn’t true I didn’t want it. What is true is hardly ever that which is the easiest.
In reality we should want that which is true no matter how easy or hard it is. If it is true we should desire it even if it gives us no help or benefit at all.
I wanted that which was true. And if it wasn’t true I didn’t want it. What is true is hardly ever that which is the easiest.
In reality we should want that which is true no matter how easy or hard it is. If it is true we should desire it even if it gives us no help or benefit at all.
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