Participating in another's religious practice?

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holyrood

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Are there any guidelines on this?

I’m talking specifically about taking part in religious practices outside of Judaism or Christianity. I have a friend whose ‘faith’ is really a sort of self-created thing loosely based on Shintoism. He has a prayer cabinet with things that represent what’s important in his life, including pictures of his Jesuit uncle and a famous martial arts master; and a Rosary (he grew up Catholic).

He does believe in God, and spends time here every day praying. On the one hand, his conclusions about what God accepts are way, way out there. He has lived a very wild life that would perhaps rival or surpass St. Augstine’s early years. On the other hand, I have seen more genuine Christian virtues from him, as far as sacrificing his own wants for the good of another, charity, speaking kindly and gently, being peaceable–many things–than I have from a few ‘good Catholics’ I know. (and to be fair, I have been fortunate to know genuine saints among my Catholic friends, too, and my greatest desire is to live my Catholic faith better.) I have personally grown in Christian virtues, such as the ability to deeply, genuinely forgive and love and have compassion for others, through knowing him.

Would there be any problem with simply being there while he prays?

And as long as I’m here, I would love any thoughts or explanations on how it is that I could grown in Christian virtues through my friendship with someone who lives such a very un-Catholic life.
 
holyrood said:
Are there any guidelines on this?

I’m talking specifically about taking part in religious practices outside of Judaism or Christianity. I have a friend whose ‘faith’ is really a sort of self-created thing loosely based on Shintoism. He has a prayer cabinet with things that represent what’s important in his life, including pictures of his Jesuit uncle and a famous martial arts master; and a Rosary (he grew up Catholic).

He does believe in God, and spends time here every day praying. On the one hand, his conclusions about what God accepts are way, way out there. He has lived a very wild life that would perhaps rival or surpass St. Augstine’s early years. On the other hand, I have seen more genuine Christian virtues from him, as far as sacrificing his own wants for the good of another, charity, speaking kindly and gently, being peaceable–many things–than I have from a few ‘good Catholics’ I know. (and to be fair, I have been fortunate to know genuine saints among my Catholic friends, too, and my greatest desire is to live my Catholic faith better.) I have personally grown in Christian virtues, such as the ability to deeply, genuinely forgive and love and have compassion for others, through knowing him.

Would there be any problem with simply being there while he prays?

And as long as I’m here, I would love any thoughts or explanations on how it is that I could grown in Christian virtues through my friendship with someone who lives such a very un-Catholic life.
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It is our duty to tell all the gospel, if they reject it we do not fill our yoke with them. We cannot gift wrap the gospel, as conversion is an act of God. If he does not ever convert he was turned over to his sin. We cannot try to make peace with the idols of the world, we are at war with them.
 
What does your faith and belief mean to you? If you want a set of GRIMM or something to answer your specific question then you would have to abide by that. But if you want flexibilty in the answer then answer what does your faith and belief mean to you? That in time will help you answer your own question.

Does it constitiute as another god because if it does then remember that as Christian you shouldn’t have any other gods but the Lord your God…
If his practice is based on items then the items are gods per se like buddhists have idols etc ???

be careful and let the devil tempt you into the lure of friends. Even if his practice is an individual practice, it is another god to the Lord our God, a commandment that we shouldn’t break and gets overlooked in the eagerness to understand that we should not kill and honour our parents etc. God understand the tempetation of other gods but God is our best God as he doesn’t give us false promises.

Be very careful
 
englishredrose said:
What does your faith and belief mean to you? If you want a set of GRIMM or something to answer your specific question then you would have to abide by that. But if you want flexibilty in the answer then answer what does your faith and belief mean to you? That in time will help you answer your own question.

Does it constitiute as another god because if it does then remember that as Christian you shouldn’t have any other gods but the Lord your God…
If his practice is based on items then the items are gods per se like buddhists have idols etc ???

Even if his practice is an individual practice, it is another god to the Lord our God, a commandment that we shouldn’t break …
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Thank you for your response. What is GRIMM?

I have interpreted the items in his prayer cabinet as being similar to our Rosaries and statues, things that focus his attention on what’s important, on values he strives for, etc, not as gods or idols or anything he worships. As far as I understand from talking to him, he would say that he believes in the God of the Bible and that’s who he is talking to.
 
GRIMM whatever it is you Roman Catholics call the policies you point out at each other when things aren’t in order. May be GRIM but something like that. You’re the Catholic.

If I was you, I would ask your priest if it is okay to practice another religion because you need to be sure.

You presume them to be rosaries but are you sure they are? Or is it just safer for you to think as thus. Being Anglican I know God can use anything to reach us but Catholics may have a different take on this and I wouldn’t want you to get caught up in something so it would be best if you spoke with your priest first and ask him about it all.
 
Yes, it is a rosary he has. I saw it, he said it was, he values his integrity and doesn’t lie, and he has very positive memories of growing up Catholic. The prayer cabinet is really a small home ‘shrine’ or ‘altar,’ a place set aside for prayer, with items that remind him of who he is, where he came from, what’s important in life. I suppose it’s a cabinet rather than an actual altar or public display because he wants it private from people who come to his home. He might have a different answer from me, but I suspect it’s at least partly because his friends are typically not religious at all.

I have no intention of practicing his religion. The question was about merely being there while he prays.

What Catholics typically use for reference is the Cathechism of the Catholic Church.
 
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