Q
Quaere_Verum
Guest
If you are at a non-Catholic service and the preacher begins to say the “sinner’s prayer” and none of the words he says are offensive to the Catholic faith, is it wrong to pray along?
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M
Montalban
Guest
Wouldn’t it be just as offensive, or not regarding the rest of the service?
L
lak611
Guest
I do not understand your question. Are you asking if the rest of the service is offensive or not?
M
Montalban
Guest
That’s what I’m asking. Why’s the OP just concerned about whether a particular part is offensive? Might not other parts of the service be offensive? (If they are, why aren’t these also of concern to Quaere Verum?)
Q
Quaere_Verum
Guest
It was a funeral service we attended with mainly friends of the deceased talking about all the wonderful things he’d meant to them. There was nothing offensive about that. At the end of all the eulogies, however, a preacher stood up and asked everyone to join him in prayer. It turned out to be a “salvation” type of prayer.
Sorry, I didn’t make it clear at first.
Sorry, I didn’t make it clear at first.
M
Montalban
Guest
I don’t know how it works with Catholics at non-Catholic funerals, but when my late step-sister passed away a few years ago the Catholic priest placed all sorts of restrictions on my brother-in-law - who wanted to play a selection of music that she liked.
It seems that they’re getting more strict (which is NOT a criticism). The reason being is that many people wanted music that the RC Church felt was inappropriate in a Catholic church.
I can imagine from this that they’d frown against you participating in a number of non-Catholic things.
Have you any more information about what was said in the prayer?
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Nan_S
Guest
To say “I commit my life to the Lord” is not a problem. I’ve already done that, and I re-commit it frequently. If afterwards the prayer leader says the prayer meant “once saved, always saved” you are correct to feel mis-lead, especially if the regular followers knew ahead of time and you were ignorant of the leader’s intent. But it does not invalidate your personal re-commitment in the prayer
To actually conclude the prayer with words that mean “once saved, always saved” would be a problem. Likewise, to answer the altar call would be a problem, knowing that their intent is to get you to join their ministry.
I will admit that when I was in low spirits I have felt tempted to answer the altar call just to get someone to pray personally with me. I’ve never actually done it, because knowing their purpose I felt I would be both mis-leading them and setting a bad example for others in the group who did know me and my church.
W
Wisdom
Guest
Agreed ther is nothing wrong with the sinners prayer itself. Its the theolgical baggage that accompanies it most of the time. like this prayer makes you born again and not baptism and that now your once saved and always saved. TO say your sorry for your sins and want to repent there is nothing wrong with that.
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