My Daughter's Muslim friend came to Church with us yesterday.

[StMarina303ad]

We are Greek Orthodox Christians. My daughter invited her Muslim friend to attend with her. Her parents allowed her to come. I was surprised since they are devote Muslims.

We are happy she was able to experience ancient Christianity. She says much of it was exactly how she imagined it would be…pews, a place where the priest would speak and stained glass windows. Though she says she did not expect the incense and all the Icons/Iconostasis.

To the Muslims on here, is this normal that a teenager would be given permission to attend an Orthodox Christian Church? Or is this unusual? I’m curious because I was surprised that permission was given.

 

[Sister_Amy]

Hmm… I don’t know what is “normal,” exactly, so let me answer a different way.

Several of my (Muslim) friends have attended various church services. I know many Muslims who actually attended Catholic schools. So it’s not unusual for parents to allow their children to be exposed to other faith traditions in this way.

Islamically, I’m not sure of anything that would be wrong with just watching a service, and it could serve a variety of educational purposes. However, participating would be something else entirely.

Hope that helps.

 

[StMarina303ad]

Hmm… I don’t know what is “normal,” exactly, so let me answer a different way.

Several of my (Muslim) friends have attended various church services. I know many Muslims who actually attended Catholic schools. So it’s not unusual for parents to allow their children to be exposed to other faith traditions in this way.

Islamically, I’m not sure of anything that would be wrong with just watching a service, and it could serve a variety of educational purposes. However, participating would be something else entirely.

Hope that helps.

Yes, thank you for your (name removed by moderator)ut.

She stood and sat when we stood and sat; however, during the Consecration of the Eucharist (when the Bread becomes the Body of Christ and the Wine becomes the Blood of Christ) when she knelt. I quickly told my daughter to tell her that she doesn’t have to kneel as I didn’t want her to feel that she was having to kneel (submit) to another God. She then quickly sat down.

Would it have been okay for her to kneel, you think, from a Muslim perspective?

 

[rossum]

I quickly told my daughter to tell her that she doesn’t have to kneel as I didn’t want her to feel that she was having to kneel (submit) to another God. She then quickly sat down.

Would it have been okay for her to kneel, you think, from a Muslim perspective?

From a Muslim perspective the Christian God is Allah. The God of Abraham is the same for all three religions. Muslims will not accept Jesus as God and are not Trinitarian but they accept that Christians are worshipping the correct God (although doing it in an incorrect way). Kneeling to Jesus would be wrong for her, but kneeling to God would not. You do not pray to prophets, just to God/Allah.

rossum

 

[Sister_Amy]

If she didn’t know what was going on, then she wouldn’t be accountable for it.

I myself am not familiar with what exactly is going on, but if you believe that you are actually kneeling before God… I don’t know if it would be permissible for her to knowingly do that. It might be, because Muslims believe that they worship the same God that Christians worship. But if kneeling is symbolic of belief in Christ being the Son of God, then it probably wouldn’t be.

I hope that makes sense…

 

[Charlie_Zeaiter]

… To the Muslims on here, is this normal that a teenager would be given permission to attend an Orthodox Christian Church? Or is this unusual? I’m curious because I was surprised that permission was given.

I’m not muslim, but I guess the reason why the muslim girl was given permission to attend Church is because you and your muslim friend live in a country that respects muslims and christians.

You have to understand, that in some countries around the world, the muslim girl would not be allowed to attend a Christian Church even though the Christian Church has her arms open to the girl.