Protestant churches

[Jesusrocks]

Would it be a sin to go to a worship service at another church? I might go with a friend, and I know not to accept the bread or anything, but is going itself a sin?

 

[Veritas41]

If you’re going on a Sunday, it won’t fulfill your Sunday obligation to attend Mass, so be sure to attend Mass the Saturday before or at a different time on Sunday. There’s no sin in attending another church otherwise, as long as you don’t partake of their communion if it’s offered

 

[Trevelyan]

No, it would not be a sin to simply go, and to pray with them. As long as you remain firm in your Catholic faith, and don’t receive communion (because you are not in communion with that faith and their beliefs).

And maybe you could invite your friend to come to Mass with you some time!

 

[Andruschak]

No, it would not be a sin to simply go, and to pray with them. As long as you remain firm in your Catholic faith, and don’t receive communion (because you are not in communion with that faith and their beliefs).

And maybe you could invite your friend to come to Mass with you some time!

And don’t forget to inform your friend that the “Our Father” (which he will know better as “The Lord’s Prayer”) ends at the words, “…and deliver us from evil.”

 

[demerzel85]

And don’t forget to inform your friend that the “Our Father” (which he will know better as “The Lord’s Prayer”) ends at the words, “…and deliver us from evil.”

Nah just do it in Latin, and they’ll think you can speak in tongues

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Would it be a sin to go to a worship service at another church? I might go with a friend, and I know not to accept the bread or anything, but is going itself a sin?

No, it’s not sinful unless there is a danger to your Catholic faith. As long as you are comfortable and can defend your beliefs.

 

[Jesusrocks]

Thank you for all the replys (i love demerzel85’s idea!!! )! I am fine with my faith, but I am a bit shaky about defening my faith. And about the Our Father, why does it have to end with ‘deliver us from evil’? Would it be a problem if I said it too?

 

[Marian_Carroll]

Quote from Karl Keating in the Pro Multis thread:

And thirdly, do away with “For the kingdom, the power…”

Where did that come from anyway? Oh! the Protestants, I forgot,

No, it comes from the ancient Catholic Mass. Centuries later it was (erroneously) added to the Protestant version of the Bible.

---

Karl

 

[Jennifer_G]

And don’t forget to inform your friend that the “Our Father” (which he will know better as “The Lord’s Prayer”) ends at the words, “…and deliver us from evil.”

I’ve heard only one Catholic Priest say the extra part during a baptism service.

 

[AJV]

Nah just do it in Latin, and they’ll think you can speak in tongues

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Thank you for all the replys (i love demerzel85’s idea!!! )! I am fine with my faith, but I am a bit shaky about defening my faith. And about the Our Father, why does it have to end with ‘deliver us from evil’? Would it be a problem if I said it too?

What many people do not realize is that what is usually called the “Protestant ending” to the Our Father was really added by the Catholic Church in the early centuries.

 

[JohnCWalker]

Would it be a sin to go to a worship service at another church? I might go with a friend, and I know not to accept the bread or anything, but is going itself a sin?

It should be noted that Canon 1366 seems to indicate that it would be a sin if you brought your children to the service. A Protestant church service is very teaching focused and the Canon states “Parents…who hand offer their children to be…educated in a non Catholic religion are to be punished with a censure or other just penalty.”

 

[DJgang]

For the most part, in my experience, the “Our Father” is not prayed in a Protestant Church…with the exception of Episcopal, Lutheran (probably, I never attended) or Presbyterian.

 

[Tonks40]

For the most part, in my experience, the “Our Father” is not prayed in a Protestant Church…with the exception of Episcopal, Lutheran (probably, I never attended) or Presbyterian.

I believe the Lutheran services include the Our Father (as I recall).

 

[DJgang]

I believe the Lutheran services include the Our Father (as I recall).

That’s what I figured. And come to think of it, the United Methodists may also include it.

I’ve attended Baptist (Southern), Baptist mega churches, Methodist (united), Methodist (fundy type?), Non-denom, Presbyterian (USA) Presbyterian (PCA) Evanglical Protestant, and Episcopalian…wow…didn’t realize how many different churches that I’ve visited…(want to mention, I did NOT become a member in them all, ha!)

 

[cameron_lansing]

It should be noted that Canon 1366 seems to indicate that it would be a sin if you brought your children to the service. A Protestant church service is very teaching focused and the Canon states “Parents…who hand offer their children to be…educated in a non Catholic religion are to be punished with a censure or other just penalty.”

John, we want to be careful with canons involving penal law of the Church since they require strict (i.e., narrow) interpretation, and cannot be expanded beyond their scope.

To cite canon 1366 fully in English translation, “Parents or those who take the place of parents who hand over their children to be baptized or educated in a non-Catholic religion are to be punished with a censure or other just penalty.”

The mere attendance of children with their parents at a worship service would be insufficient to invoke canon 1366. This is permitted under the conditions of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism, 1993 (e.g., see n. 63, “Therefore, sharing prayer and participating in some form of public worship or in devotional acts of other Christians can have a formative value when in accord with existing directives.”). Of course, due attention would be needed by the parents lest that prayer and participation be seen as a substitute for Catholic worship, or the fulfillment of any day of obligation, such as that of Sunday worship. As noted, “intercommunion” would not be possible. The directory would need to be consulted to expose the afore mentioned “existing directives” in greater detail.

What the canon envisions by the term “education” is something far more intensive and limited than that kind of prayer or participation. To hand over for education (educandos tradunt) means surrendering the children to be raised and reared as non Catholics. It requires positive action which is intended by the parents to effect the child’s entry into that non Catholic religion and abandonment of the Catholic religion. Bad faith is required on the part of the parents.

Parents might even send their children to a non Catholic Christian religious school when no Catholic school is available, but with due and diligent safeguards to preserve and foster the Catholic faith and practice of the children.

 

[Gamera]

I’ve been to my share of Protestant services. They’ve been very nice. They just aren’t Masses.

 

[palmas85]

Since there are literally thousands of Protestant denominations all preaching things slightly different from all the others, I can’t really see any benefit to you in going at all, except as a courtesy to a friend. Even then I would be cautious. But I will tell you this, if the friend invited you, he or she is probably hoping that you will come around and see the light as they say, shake off the chains of Romanism and enter fully into the true faith that that particular church knows and practices.

I would be very, no extremely careful if I were you. Protestant churches can be extremely seductive because they appear in many cases to more perfectly reflect the primitive church that the Catholic Church has tried to aspire to during the last forty or so years. And you need to know that Protestant churches by and large, set a high, a very high priority on bringing Catholics around to the true faith and out of wilderness and into the light…

Oh and not all of them offer communion and those that do don’t always offer it every week.

 

[jmb100]

thank you cameron for your reply…my heart dropped when i read the other poster’s comment…

i am going on retreat this weekend with a bunch of ladies from our parish and my husband has the girls to himself…he talked about sleeping over my inlaws place…i reminded him that he has to take the girls to mass (my oldest is receiving first holy communion in may)…my inlaws are protestant, which means they would be going to ‘service’ with them…it is highly doubtful my husband will bring the girls to a catholic church this weekend as well. i explained to my 2nd grader that if they have communion at granma’s church, it is not jesus, it is just bread, and of couse, she can not have it anyway.

i am not happy about it but, in the big sheme of things, at least they will hear the word of god, be with their grandparents and hopefully i can stop obsessing about this and try to get everything out of this retreat that god wants me to!

 

[DB_AND_ALI]

No, it would not be a sin to simply go, and to pray with them. As long as you remain firm in your Catholic faith, and don’t receive communion (because you are not in communion with that faith and their beliefs).

And maybe you could invite your friend to come to Mass with you some time!

AN EXCELLENT RESPONSE…I HAVE NOTED THAT MANY PROTESTANTS , ESP. CHARISMATICS , HAVE A HABIT OF INVITING US TO THEIR CHURCHES. I USED TO THINK THAT I WOULD BE SHOWING DISRESPECT IF I INVITED THEM TO WORSHIP IN OUR CATHOLIC CHURCH…BUT NOT ANYMORE !
PEACE AND BLESSINGS…IN JESUS’ NAME.