Separated Brethren and insights God has given me about studying other faiths

[3DOCTORS]

Lately I had a dilemma about a non-Catholic guest of mine receiving the Eucharist (which has since been resolved. If you are curious, the original thread for that is this thread:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=548022

and my posts in the “dangers of scrupulosity” group also pertain to the issue.

But now I’m heading off in a new direction and realizing that the lesson in this experience has actually been a nudge from the Holy Spirit to me. Namely, the desire to continue to learn about other religions and what they believe. I’ll start with Protestant Christianity. Last night I remembered I had a copy of the book Separated Brethren by William Whalen that I had started and not finished.

Interestingly enough, when I got it out, what struck me a lot was how the Protestant scene has changed. This edition I have was 1957 - so that would have been right before Vatican II and the Civil Rights movement. The Catholic Mass was still the Latin Mass, and people of color were usually segregated (I even have learned discrimination against black and Hispanic people went on in some Catholic parishes which makes me feel really disillusioned but hopeful that things have greatly improved in that area).

Mr. Whalen’s book is also available in a newer revised edition within the last few years, so I’m going to get hold of a copy of that too as it will cover major developments that have happened since (such as the overall decline in belief and orthodoxy and church attendance in both Catholics and Protestants).

Anyway, this promises to be a fruitful effort in deepening my own understanding, and in being able to defend the Catholic Faith. I hope that I will learn much about what is good and perhaps not-so-good in other Christian traditions, and how things came to be where they are to this day.

The issue I originally had with how to explain to my non-Catholic friend about refraining to receive the Eucharist as a visitor at Mass has now opened up doorways in my spiritual growth. God works in amazing and mysterious ways. :yup:

 

[thirddec]

I’m a bit confused as to why you started this thread; maybe it may have been better to have started the thread after your research to compare notes with others.

I hope your research leads you to a better understanding of

He answering, said: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbour as thyself.
Luke 10:26-28

I would advise you pray regularly for the Holy Spirits guidance and protection in your studies ( I love the Rosary as a daily practice ) as Your Faith is a delicate plant and studies like this can either strengthen or weaken it.

I wish you sucess in your studies and that the be fruitfull and help in the dialogue of Unity with our Christian brothers and sisters.

 

[fred_conty]

Actually this site is a good one to learn what our Protestant brethern believe.
Very helpful. I knew some of the popular tenents of Catholics that were not
accepted, but I had no idea the number of churches with their holdings and
unholdings and the numerous ways these were explained. For example,
‘once save, always saved’ which is explained in about 3 different ways
depending on the church. I believe I had read about it at some point,
but I dismissed it. Then I saw it stated and defended on this site, in
various ways. There were other ideas just as new to me. And here I had
thought that for the most part, outside a two or three issues, that we were
pretty much the same. But because I have listened to so many express
their faith so differently than the Catholic, I’m rather floored. I don’t mean
this in a bad way, its just so suprising. And I’m thankful to everyone for
their honesty and presence here so we all may learn from one another.

When I was a boy, our family lived in a double which my parents rented.
For some reason, Protestant families always applied for it. They were super.
A Jewish family lived in the house on the other side of us, they were super.
My father had such a super Protestant working for him, He made him a
partner with the rest of the family.

Maybe the biblical phrase “God looks at the heart” isn’t a stretch at all.
Maybe God stole that from us. What do you think?