P
Patrick0510
Guest
Hi all,
I just returned from a Protestant service with a friend of mine. I am a devout Catholic and attended out of curiosity. I was very interested to know what a “modern” Protestant service is like. The theology of the church is fairly strong but obviously not Catholic and therefore missing the fullness of the truth. I had an interesting discussion/debate with my Protestant friend afterwards.
He love the church because it makes him feel “filled.” I would describe the service as a mix of a concert and a Tony Robbins seminar with some Bible sprinkled in. The church was absent of any crosses, images of Jesus or anything else to differentiate it from a secular auditorium. This was a small mega-church. My friend has been to Catholic churches before and says that Catholic mass teaches him less and is less entertaining. I responded by saying teaching and entertainment are secondary to receiving Jesus in the Eucharist and that the Catholic Church utilizes reverence as opposed to entertainment. I feel okay about how I responded.
What I would like to get some advice and thoughts on is: where do I start with someone who thinks the purpose of Sunday service/mass is to feel entertained? My conscience did not like how the service was more about the people and the preacher than it was the sacrifice of Jesus. Anyway, where do I start with someone who evaluates a religion by how interesting and entertaining their service is? My friend is very intelligent and studies his religion constantly (he’s non-denominational, formerly Presbyterian.) I can respond to the objections he brings about Catholicism and challenge his own beliefs and often he says: “I’ll get back to you on that” and doesn’t. He’s not an arrogant person; however, he’s a good friend, and I want to show him the truth of Catholicism. I’d love to hear from anyone with a similar experience or with ideas on how to approach trying to persuade him. Thanks everybody.
I just returned from a Protestant service with a friend of mine. I am a devout Catholic and attended out of curiosity. I was very interested to know what a “modern” Protestant service is like. The theology of the church is fairly strong but obviously not Catholic and therefore missing the fullness of the truth. I had an interesting discussion/debate with my Protestant friend afterwards.
He love the church because it makes him feel “filled.” I would describe the service as a mix of a concert and a Tony Robbins seminar with some Bible sprinkled in. The church was absent of any crosses, images of Jesus or anything else to differentiate it from a secular auditorium. This was a small mega-church. My friend has been to Catholic churches before and says that Catholic mass teaches him less and is less entertaining. I responded by saying teaching and entertainment are secondary to receiving Jesus in the Eucharist and that the Catholic Church utilizes reverence as opposed to entertainment. I feel okay about how I responded.
What I would like to get some advice and thoughts on is: where do I start with someone who thinks the purpose of Sunday service/mass is to feel entertained? My conscience did not like how the service was more about the people and the preacher than it was the sacrifice of Jesus. Anyway, where do I start with someone who evaluates a religion by how interesting and entertaining their service is? My friend is very intelligent and studies his religion constantly (he’s non-denominational, formerly Presbyterian.) I can respond to the objections he brings about Catholicism and challenge his own beliefs and often he says: “I’ll get back to you on that” and doesn’t. He’s not an arrogant person; however, he’s a good friend, and I want to show him the truth of Catholicism. I’d love to hear from anyone with a similar experience or with ideas on how to approach trying to persuade him. Thanks everybody.
