Question for Protestants(Mainly Methodists)

[TAB19]

I have mentioned this in the past and was told by a fellow Catholic on this site to get over it. Well I guess I can’t.
I was away from the Church for a while, attending Methodist services, and all the while I heard about how bad Catholics are, not how great Methodists are. ( I came back Ash Wednesday 2006) Anyway my questions (actually 2)to you are… Are you taught somewhere that Catholicism is just wrong? Do you think any progress for Christianity is slowed by Catholicism? The reason for my asking is due the fact that I have attended “Sunday School” at a local Methodist church and regardless of the topic of study the members of the class somehow get to “well the Catholics this and the Catholics that”.
You profess the Creed but I want to know are Catholics included in the one holy catholic and apostolic church? (I guess I have 3)
For the Catholics who are ready to say “why are going to their Sunday School?” I don’t want to hear, “just quit going” as I am trying to understand. I still go to Mass and confess and try to be a good Catholic, it just bothers me and I can’t seem to get over it.

 

[wardrandolph]

You can do a mini-study on Methodists on Wikipedia on the web.I am a Catholic so I wont give personal views.I humbly suggest that you study our churches history.Peace

 

[FaithofAbraham]

Most Protestants I know say the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon of Revelation. That is a source of much Protestant hostility toward Catholics.

However, it can be seen that only unbelieving Jews were called harlots in the Old Testament, and they were taken to Babylon due to their disobedience. So it follows that such Jews are the Whore of Babylon of Revelation, in a coalition with a great Gentile power of the Beast.

 

[Syele]

Most Protestants I know say the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon of Revelation. That is a source of much Protestant hostility toward Catholics.
.

Wow I have never met a protestant in person that believed that. (seen their websites online though) what sort of protestants do you know?

 

[FaithofAbraham]

Wow I have never met a protestant in person that believed that. (seen their websites online though) what sort of protestants do you know?

Well, yeah, who is going to say it to your face? One of my best friends is Jewish, I don’t tell her she is antichrist because she rejects Jesus. I figure people can come willingly to forums like this to hear proselytizing, I don’t like forcing it on anyone in person. Most people these days are probably like that too, except for maybe JWs and Mormons.

 

[O.S.Luke]

Wikipedia has some incorrect info on Methodism (I notice from time to time that there is some incorrect info on Catholicism too). I would never trust Wikipedia as a source for anything.

Methodism and Catholicism have been in dialogue for many years. In fact, the World Methodist Council gave its affirmation of Jesus Christ as the one savior of the world made by the Vatican in Dominus Iesus. Hardly a statement a church would make if they thought the Catholic Church was “wrong.”

No official church resource says any of the things mentioned here, nor have I ever heard any. Most Methodist and Catholic churches in areas where I have served (there aren’t many Catholic parishes in this part of the U.S.) have joint Holy Week, Thanksgiving, and Easter services, since they are often the only liturgical traditions in rural Southern areas.

 

[dawgfan]

Most Protestants I know say the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon of Revelation. That is a source of much Protestant hostility toward Catholics.

However, it can be seen that only unbelieving Jews were called harlots in the Old Testament, and they were taken to Babylon due to their disobedience. So it follows that such Jews are the Whore of Babylon of Revelation, in a coalition with a great Gentile power of the Beast.

Oh please! What does your generalization have to do with the OP (regarding Methodists)?

umc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=1752969&ct=4156141

“Our dialogues have taught United Methodists and Catholics to realize that by baptism and faith in Christ, United Methodists enjoy a communion, although imperfect, with the Catholic Church,” the commission’s statement declared.

 

[O.S.Luke]

Oh please! What does your generalization have to do with the OP (regarding Methodists)?

The original post said, “I was away from the Church for a while, attending Methodist services, and all the while I heard about how bad Catholics are, not how great Methodists are.”

Bad behavior and Christian bigotry is never excusable. Regardless who it comes from. But it isn’t sanctioned by my church. That was the reason I posted such.

 

[dawgfan]

The original post said, “I was away from the Church for a while, attending Methodist services, and all the while I heard about how bad Catholics are, not how great Methodists are.”

Bad behavior and Christian bigotry is never excusable. Regardless who it comes from. But it isn’t sanctioned by my church. That was the reason I posted such.

I agree. My post wasn’t quoting you.

 

[O.S.Luke]

I agree. My post wasn’t quoting you.

Oops. My bad. Post deleted.

 

[BrianH]

I have mentioned this in the past and was told by a fellow Catholic on this site to get over it. Well I guess I can’t.
I was away from the Church for a while, attending Methodist services, and all the while I heard about how bad Catholics are, not how great Methodists are. ( I came back Ash Wednesday 2006) Anyway my questions (actually 2)to you are… Are you taught somewhere that Catholicism is just wrong? Do you think any progress for Christianity is slowed by Catholicism? The reason for my asking is due the fact that I have attended “Sunday School” at a local Methodist church and regardless of the topic of study the members of the class somehow get to “well the Catholics this and the Catholics that”.
You profess the Creed but I want to know are Catholics included in the one holy catholic and apostolic church? (I guess I have 3)
For the Catholics who are ready to say “why are going to their Sunday School?” I don’t want to hear, “just quit going” as I am trying to understand. I still go to Mass and confess and try to be a good Catholic, it just bothers me and I can’t seem to get over it.

I am not sure which denomination of Methodist you are attending. No one ever discusses Catholics in my church, my interest in debating Catholics is highly unusual. As a matter of note, we take the confirmation classes to the Catholic Church every year and speak with their priest, we must not be too anti-Catholic.
You can hear anything about anything depending upon the flavor or your church.
I have three brothers, all Catholic, one brother says the priest in his parish is obsessed with talking about the need for women priests and married clergy, is that normal or an exception? Of course it is an exception, on any church, on any day, you can have exceptions to about any normal way of doing things. Which denomination is this Methodist church and if it is United Methodist, which conference?
BH

 

[BrianH]

Most Protestants I know say the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon of Revelation. That is a source of much Protestant hostility toward Catholics.

However, it can be seen that only unbelieving Jews were called harlots in the Old Testament, and they were taken to Babylon due to their disobedience. So it follows that such Jews are the Whore of Babylon of Revelation, in a coalition with a great Gentile power of the Beast.

Your theology is pretty messed up but that is another story.
I would say you need to meet more Protestants as well. I have never heard a Protestant, except on the internet or TV, call the Catholic church such. Oh I am sure they do, but once again, “most” is a complete joke and reflects a person who has a limited scope of reference.

 

[bpbasilphx]

Most Protestants I know say the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon of Revelation. That is a source of much Protestant hostility toward Catholics.

If the Roman Catholic Church is the Great Whore, what does that make her Protestant daughters?

Deut. 23:2

 

[episcogirl]

Most Protestants I know say the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon of Revelation. That is a source of much Protestant hostility toward Catholics.

If the Roman Catholic Church is the Great Whore, what does that make her Protestant daughters?

Deut. 23:2

I guess that makes us whores too.

Thanks for all the love, guys.

 

[FaithofAbraham]

Your theology is pretty messed up but that is another story.
I would say you need to meet more Protestants as well. I have never heard a Protestant, except on the internet or TV, call the Catholic church such. Oh I am sure they do, but once again, “most” is a complete joke and reflects a person who has a limited scope of reference.

Well you said it, how exactly is my theology messed up? Who do most Protestants you know say the Whore of Babylon is, if not the RCC?

 

[FaithofAbraham]

Most Protestants I know say the Catholic Church is the Whore of Babylon of Revelation. That is a source of much Protestant hostility toward Catholics.

If the Roman Catholic Church is the Great Whore, what does that make her Protestant daughters?

Deut. 23:2

I think I said it is not RCC.

Ezekiel 23:2 Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother:

Ezekiel 23:3 And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; they committed whoredoms in their youth: there were their breasts pressed, and there they bruised the teats of their virginity.

Ezekiel 23:4 And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah.

Ezekiel 23:17 And the Babylonians came to her into the bed of love, and they defiled her with their whoredom, and she was polluted with them, and her mind was alienated from them.

 

[FaithofAbraham]

Oh please! What does your generalization have to do with the OP (regarding Methodists)?

It’s to do with Protestants in general, most view what they perceive to be Pope and Mary worship and other Church traditions to be pagan and representative of the Whore of Babylon. Thus badmouthing. That was the question asked, right, if anyone was ever taught that RCC is wrong?

 

[dawgfan]

It’s to do with Protestants in general, most view what they perceive to be Pope and Mary worship and other Church traditions to be pagan and representative of the Whore of Babylon. Thus badmouthing. That was the question asked, right, if anyone was ever taught that RCC is wrong?

Since, the title of the thread was “Question for Protestants(Mainly Methodists)” and OP was relating his experience to sunday school in a Methodist church, one would easily come to the conclusion that he was asking in regards to Methodist belief and teaching.

But what do I know?

 

[Publisher]

From my own experience, the only “Protestants” who typically call the CC the “Whore of Babylon” are conservative Evangelicals or Fundamentalists…but then they look at most religious groups who do not share their conservativism as heretical, anit-christ, satanic etc.

I have participated in First Day School discussions at my Meeting. When the teachings of the Catholic church are mentioned, it’s not stated in a disrespectful way, but merely as a point of reference to show contrast between our understanding of the Eternal Presence and how the Light Within is expressed in human language and concepts.

When I lived in Clearlake, California, I attended a Methodist church as there was no Friend’s Meeting close by…I would drive to Napa or Santa Rosa once in a while to attend Meeting when the Spirit moved me, but for the most part I enjoyed the Methodist church expereience.

Again, in the adult Sunday School class when the Catholic church was discussed it was for the purpose of similarity and contrast…never to speak disparigingly toward the CC.

One thing I’ve stated on this forum before is we tend to speak past one another. We tend to take our own beliefs and understanding and impose it onto the framework of another belief tradition…it doesn’t work. Each faith tradition must be seen and understood in it’s own context so that we don’t “talk past one another” and make false claims as to what others believe.

I have a very different understanding as to what the “Church” is…in my tradition it is not an organization which Jesus started in 33AD, but a community of men and women brought together from every nation, kindred, tongue and people to be the People of God…new creations through the Spirit which changes us, empowers us, redeems us, sanctifies us to be a Holy People. Church organization is not “divinely ordained”, it was developed using many of the models of Roman political structure, which worked quite well. In my understanding, there was no central structure for decades, when the then emerging “catholic church” banded together a central core understanding of belief. There were other groups doing the same thing…with different beliefs and structures but those structures simply were not as rigid as the emerging church…eventually the emerging church leaders(the ECF’s) called any who did not agree with them “heretic”, and by the time of Constantine the “orthodox” faction, which was the largest, organized into a single entity.

We see the church differently…we see it’s purpose and structure differently, but “different” isn’t wrong…just…“different.”…at least among Friends and the Methodists I have had the privelege of worshiping with.

We need to understand each other to better grasp each other’s beliefs…that is one of the reasons I am here…to understand the Catholic church better and dispell some of my own misconceptions…and to be quite honest…many…if not most of the Catholics who post on this board, at least from what I have read have very similar “misconceptions” about most Protestants.

 

[Publisher]

From my own experience, the only “Protestants” who typically call the CC the “Whore of Babylon” are conservative Evangelicals or Fundamentalists…but then they look at most religious groups who do not share their conservativism as heretical, anit-christ, satanic etc.

I have participated in First Day School discussions at my Meeting. When the teachings of the Catholic church are mentioned, it’s not stated in a disrespectful way, but merely as a point of reference to show contrast between our understanding of the Eternal Presence and how the Light Within is expressed in human language and concepts.

When I lived in Clearlake, California, I attended a Methodist church as there was no Friend’s Meeting close by…I would drive to Napa or Santa Rosa once in a while to attend Meeting when the Spirit moved me, but for the most part I enjoyed the Methodist church expereience.

Again, in the adult Sunday School class when the Catholic church was discussed it was for the purpose of similarity and contrast…never to speak disparigingly toward the CC.

One thing I’ve stated on this forum before is we tend to speak past one another. We tend to take our own beliefs and understanding and impose it onto the framework of another belief tradition…it doesn’t work. Each faith tradition must be seen and understood in it’s own context so that we don’t “talk past one another” and make false claims as to what others believe.

I have a very different understanding as to what the “Church” is…in my tradition it is not an organization which Jesus started in 33AD, but a community of men and women brought together from every nation, kindred, tongue and people to be the People of God…new creations through the Spirit which changes us, empowers us, redeems us, sanctifies us to be a Holy People. Church organization is not “divinely ordained”, it was developed using many of the models of Roman political structure, which worked quite well. In my understanding, there was no central structure for decades, when the then emerging “catholic church” banded together a central core understanding of belief. There were other groups doing the same thing…with different beliefs and structures but those structures simply were not as rigid as the emerging church…eventually the emerging church leaders(the ECF’s) called any who did not agree with them “heretic”, and by the time of Constantine the “orthodox” faction, which was the largest, organized into a single entity. Councils were convened, calling all with similar beliefs to come together in a central unified group. This group eventually “canonized” those writings which the church as a whole, not only those writings of “catholic” understanding, but some of the writings which the Marcionites, Arians, Ebionites etc. all used into a single body of literature which we call the Bible. Many of the writings were rejected as they did not conform to “orthodox” belief, but the rejected writings were used as scripture in those other groups for quite a while…the writings were not “universal” , but many times “local”.

We see the church differently…we see it’s purpose and structure differently, but “different” isn’t wrong…just…“different.”…at least among Friends and the Methodists I have had the privelege of worshiping with.

We need to understand each other to better grasp each other’s beliefs…that is one of the reasons I am here…to understand the Catholic church better and dispell some of my own misconceptions…and to be quite honest…many…if not most of the Catholics who post on this board, at least from what I have read have very similar “misconceptions” about most Protestants.