Refusal to participate in "Youth Sunday"

[Harpazo]

**Forgive my ignorance, for I do not know where this should go. I thought this place was the most suited. Please move this, moderators, if it is in an improper spot.

1st post!! Anyways, I’m 16 and I have been raised Protestant (United Methodist to be exact). However, I think, pray, and reason like a Catholic. To make the story short, my youth group at my church is having a “Youth Sunday” where the youth group leads the service. We’ve done this before and I was fine with it, but that was before I started my whole ‘Journey to Catholicism.’ Now, I view all that they do as somewhat of a desecration.

For example, they want to play all of this contemporary music during the service. I am a fan of it, but just not during church. I believe that it isn’t necessary, and church isn’t a concert.

Another thing that they are doing, is trying to do a mock resurrection, by modernizing it severly. I just feel really uneasy about all of this. Am I doing the right thing, by choosing not to participate? All comments and suggestions are welcomed with open arms.

Andrew

 

[blessedstar]

If you don’t feel comfortable then follow your instincts and give the service a miss if that is what is in your heart to do. You can only be true to what you know** is** true.

 

[krokal]

Andrew, my father is a United Methodist pastor and I called that church my home for several years. I just started RCIA and have slowly finalized the withdraw from my church. However, I haven’t been real active in the past couple years outside of just attending a service itself.

I don’t see anything wrong with you refusing to participate in your church’s services. I, like you, am not a big fan of contemporary music.

I myself am only planning to attend my church once more (formally, anyway) and that is at Easter (with my family), but other than that, I’m done with the United Methodist Church.

What’s holding you back from leaving the church, your family?

 

[Liberian]

Andrew,

Hello and welcome to the Catholic Answers Forums! I hope you have a blessed and uplifting time here.

If you feel that something in the service is a desecration, then I think you should not participate in it. If people ask you why, give them your reasons quietly and politely; they are valid reasons for you now even if it turns out later that you are mistaken. (I’m not saying that you are mistaken; I am simply trying to cover all the possibilities.) After all, you are giving reasons why you are not participating in the service; you are not trying to keep everybody else from participating in the service.

I told my eighteen-year-old daughter once that she was simply standing her ground (she had asked about a disagreement she had had with somebody). I added that if she thought standing her ground was difficult, she would find it even more difficult to regain her ground after she had given it up.

• Liberian

 

[Harpazo]

Thanks again to everyone’s (name removed by moderator)ut. I really appreciate it. To answer Kaleb Kroger’s question, my mother is stopping me as well as some of my friends in the United Methodist Church. My mother has a strong anti-catholic bias, and I have been trying forever to explain things to her. The problem right now is that she has little idea of my plan to leave and ‘cross the Tiber.’ My dad was raised Catholic, and in the '80s was influence by the WWGC, and then became Methodist like my mom. I know for a fact that my father would not have a problem with my converting.

Again thanks, and keep the advice rolling!

In Christ,

Andrew

 

[I_A]

Well there is nothing wrong in and of itself to play music some people dont prefer, not everybody will like all music. (Although I personally dont think some music is very fitting for a liturgical setting.) What they proably want to do is get people more involved with the liturgy. (Or whatever word is used in protestant circles.)

It is only natureal to want to present the ressurection in a dramatic way. (Now attempting to “modernize it severly” worries me.) What they proably want to do is bring part of the message of the gospel close to heart.

Now could they be going about this in a tacky way? That is a possibility, but ultimately I would guess it comes from good intentions. Yes their worship isn’t necessarily mystical participation in Christ’s last supper, passion, and death, in the sense that mass is, but they don’t seem to be trying to mock mass, rather they seem to be wanting to worship Christ.

Which does God prefer more? Animal sacrifices offered at the appropriate times on all the right feast days, or the broken heart of a repentant sinner. (Look in the bible for the answer.)

It may not be the most dignified event, and I dont know what “modernizing it severely” means so I can’t really offer any advice. I just want to remind you, (cause this is a problem I have myself) is to treat everyone with charity. I doubt they mean disrespect, in fact they proably mean to glorify God. I would say to ask God what He wants you to do, He will lead you. If He doesn’t want you to go listen to Him, if He does want you to go listen to Him.

 

[BryPGuy89]

**Forgive my ignorance, for I do not know where this should go. I thought this place was the most suited. Please move this, moderators, if it is in an improper spot.

1st post!! Anyways, I’m 16 and I have been raised Protestant (United Methodist to be exact). However, I think, pray, and reason like a Catholic. To make the story short, my youth group at my church is having a “Youth Sunday” where the youth group leads the service. We’ve done this before and I was fine with it, but that was before I started my whole ‘Journey to Catholicism.’ Now, I view all that they do as somewhat of a desecration.

For example, they want to play all of this contemporary music during the service. I am a fan of it, but just not during church. I believe that it isn’t necessary, and church isn’t a concert.

Another thing that they are doing, is trying to do a mock resurrection, by modernizing it severly. I just feel really uneasy about all of this. Am I doing the right thing, by choosing not to participate? All comments and suggestions are welcomed with open arms.

Andrew

Someone else also had a post not to longago similar to yours. I told her about how my story was similar. Ours were more along the line of how parents are anti-catholics and how to tell them that we want to be. I can relate to yours too. My Dad and step-mom are protestant, I’ve been living with them for about three years now, they refuse to let me go to the few Catholic Churches in the area. I grew up going to mass with my grandparents when I used to live with my mom, who I lived with for 14yrs. I never was confirmed or anything, I just would go and be part of the Church, my grmpa was a deacon there and sometimes I would go to watch and help him provide certain services. Any way going off there I was, I prefere the Catholic Church and no other can replace it so I do kinda sinlently protest, I don’t do many of the protestant church activities and stuff, especially their communion. Right now my parents don’t make me go with them, for about a month now, but still wont let me go to Catholic, no church is better then Catholic kinda it seems like in their heads, but I’m still trying, found one near by, with my liscense all I have to do is convince them to let me go.

 

[tilis]

blessedstar:

If you don’t feel comfortable then follow your instincts and give the service a miss if that is what is in your heart to do. You can only be true to what you know** is** true.

No. One can only be true to what IS true.