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SuscipeMeDomine
Guest
If it’s good enough for the Pope when he visited the Blue Mosque…
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:...todPuc1FGwrbuOt-R-49MdtIQDdI-7mZGconS7t_dknOQ
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http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:...todPuc1FGwrbuOt-R-49MdtIQDdI-7mZGconS7t_dknOQ
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Luvtosew
Guest
Were they holding him captive I hope. Now I can seeing meeting with Muslins but praying with them, I am disillusioned. Now why can’t Catholics participate in communion with the Lutherans and Methodist?
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LoyalChristian
Guest
How do you know he’s not being forced. It doesn’t look like he likes it.
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LoyalChristian
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This is why I am Christian First. God in the Trinity comes first above ANYONE and ANYTHING ELSE. If you want to drive God’s flock from Jesus Christ the saviour that’s your choice, but you will have to answer to him in the end.
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FabiusMaximus
Guest
It’s exactly because of actions like this that people question whether the Catholic Church has been all there since Vatican II.
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GaryTaylor
Guest
What happened at Assisi? Everyone who thought the church wasn’t all their since V-II showed up for the event RIGHT? 
Geez I think Patriarch Bartholomew spends more time in Rome than Greece these days, Archbishop of Canterbury another “regular” at these events.
Must be a Christian conspiracy
Geez I think Patriarch Bartholomew spends more time in Rome than Greece these days, Archbishop of Canterbury another “regular” at these events.
Must be a Christian conspiracy
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Luvtosew
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He certaintly doesn’t look too happy about it. He is a very humble man, but still should not of put himself in this position. I wonder who took the pic, a Muslin I"m sure.
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Mickey
Guest
No. It’s called Ecumenism. So sad.
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hn160
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The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is dead set against any type of joint prayer with non-Christians.
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Mickey
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LoyalChristian
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israelcatholic
Guest
thanks for everyone’s thoughts and advice.
Bottom line though: no one was able to quote any magisterial document or official instruction on the part of the Church. Too bad.
I also think it was a serious mistake for JPII to kiss the Quran - the book that explicitly denies that God has a Son, or that Jesus is divine, or that He even died on the cross, and that calls for holy war against unbelievers (i.e. non-Muslims).
This is why I am wary of Christian communities engaging in official prayers with Muslims… But if the Magisterium has not said anything specific in this regard, I guess there’s not much that one can do against it…
Ariel
Catholics for Israel
catholicsforisrael.com/
catholicsforisrael.blogspot.com/
Bottom line though: no one was able to quote any magisterial document or official instruction on the part of the Church. Too bad.
I also think it was a serious mistake for JPII to kiss the Quran - the book that explicitly denies that God has a Son, or that Jesus is divine, or that He even died on the cross, and that calls for holy war against unbelievers (i.e. non-Muslims).
This is why I am wary of Christian communities engaging in official prayers with Muslims… But if the Magisterium has not said anything specific in this regard, I guess there’s not much that one can do against it…
Ariel
Catholics for Israel
catholicsforisrael.com/
catholicsforisrael.blogspot.com/
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Mickey
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LoyalChristian
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Sorry I can’t answer that. But how did Chrislam start. Is it another religion. Is it a religion where a muslim and Christian pray together. Who am I to say which religion is bad or good, or if we need religion. To me it gets more and more confusing.I’m quite sure they prayed in separate rooms when he was there kissing their Quran.
Isn’t this called Christlam, there are Christlam Churches in the US now.
I would only pray with other Christians.
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rinnie
Guest
Could you show me where their God is one other then the God of Abraham. Their God is the God of Abraham to the best of my knowledge as is ours. So if we both believe in the God of Abraham now could they not believe in our Lord.
I personally can not see that because they do no recognize Christ as God changes that they recognize the God of Abraham as God the same as us.
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Luvtosew
Guest
Yes Christians and Muslins pray together, you can google. I’m not sure who started it.
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LoyalChristian
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Exactly this where it gets confusing and dangerous. One doesn’t know what the truth is esp. for a youngsters or athiests starting their journey to the Truth.Yes Christians and Muslins pray together, you can google. I’m not sure who started it.
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Luvtosew
Guest
Yes I agree. Nothing personally against Muslins of course, but us Christians do have to stay true to our faith.
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LoyalChristian
Guest
Actually I have no problem with a chuch and mossque being side by side on a street, but why merge to form another religion.Yes I agree. Nothing personally against Muslins of course, but us Christians do have to stay true to our faith.
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GelasianumVetus
Guest
First, a methodological note on the original post:
You started with the presumption that this practice is wrong and are looking to magisterial texts for support in this. I think this is not the best way to go about it. You assume from the outset that what you think is what the Church teaches. It would be better to say, well, I think this is wrong, but what is Church teaching on the matter? Are you seeking truth, or are you seeking to be confirmed in your opinions, and to show others that they are wrong? If you presumed your own view, it might be easy to find a magisterial document which seems to support your position, but wouldn’t in actuality if you hadn’t come to it with that particular lens.
Leaving aside the question of interfaith prayer being confusing, I want to tackle the issue of whether it matters whether everybody understands God correctly, and is therefore praying to the true God. Many Christians have an inadequate understanding of the Trinity (I was taught modalism, quite innocently, in CCD).
One quote I found in a magisterial document, though the authority of this particular statement is not very high, is from John Paul II in Redemptoris Missio 29:
"Excluding any mistaken interpretation, the interreligious meeting held in Assisi was meant to confirm my conviction that “every authentic prayer is prompted by the Holy Spirit, who is mysteriously present in every human heart.”
Whatever one thinks of Assisi, the truth that John Paul was trying to get across is quite valid. If all creation is groaning, does that not include the peoples of the earth, when they cry out for redemption?
Do prayers go unanswered if not directed correctly? All true prayer is directed to the True God, whether or not the person in question understands it, and all true prayer is the mysterious prompting of the Holy Spirit. However, Christian prayer is not the same as other prayers. The Christian’s relationship to God is fundamentally different. And thus, to pray publicly in common with others tends to discount the idea that the Christian access to God in Jesus through the Holy Spirit is fundamentally different than other experiences of prayer, because to outward appearances, they would seem the same.
For these last reasons, then, I don’t think interfaith prayer is an advisable practice. I think it would be truer to the situation if, when peoples of different religions encouter each other, the separate groups prayed separately, and then went on together to other things that they could rightly work together in, to be able to live their own identity fully. What does it help, to pray together, which praying separately would not accomplish, except to breed misunderstanding?.
But you probably won’t find magisterial documents on the matter, or else John Paul II probably wouldn’t have held the Assisi meetings at all. After all, he was surrounded by smart people, and even those who disagreed with him did not think it a matter of magisterial teaching, but rather of prudential practice. Still, even if it is not objectively wrong, it should not be entered into lightly, and it would make sense for groups doing this to consult their bishop on the matter.
You started with the presumption that this practice is wrong and are looking to magisterial texts for support in this. I think this is not the best way to go about it. You assume from the outset that what you think is what the Church teaches. It would be better to say, well, I think this is wrong, but what is Church teaching on the matter? Are you seeking truth, or are you seeking to be confirmed in your opinions, and to show others that they are wrong? If you presumed your own view, it might be easy to find a magisterial document which seems to support your position, but wouldn’t in actuality if you hadn’t come to it with that particular lens.
Leaving aside the question of interfaith prayer being confusing, I want to tackle the issue of whether it matters whether everybody understands God correctly, and is therefore praying to the true God. Many Christians have an inadequate understanding of the Trinity (I was taught modalism, quite innocently, in CCD).
One quote I found in a magisterial document, though the authority of this particular statement is not very high, is from John Paul II in Redemptoris Missio 29:
"Excluding any mistaken interpretation, the interreligious meeting held in Assisi was meant to confirm my conviction that “every authentic prayer is prompted by the Holy Spirit, who is mysteriously present in every human heart.”
Whatever one thinks of Assisi, the truth that John Paul was trying to get across is quite valid. If all creation is groaning, does that not include the peoples of the earth, when they cry out for redemption?
Do prayers go unanswered if not directed correctly? All true prayer is directed to the True God, whether or not the person in question understands it, and all true prayer is the mysterious prompting of the Holy Spirit. However, Christian prayer is not the same as other prayers. The Christian’s relationship to God is fundamentally different. And thus, to pray publicly in common with others tends to discount the idea that the Christian access to God in Jesus through the Holy Spirit is fundamentally different than other experiences of prayer, because to outward appearances, they would seem the same.
For these last reasons, then, I don’t think interfaith prayer is an advisable practice. I think it would be truer to the situation if, when peoples of different religions encouter each other, the separate groups prayed separately, and then went on together to other things that they could rightly work together in, to be able to live their own identity fully. What does it help, to pray together, which praying separately would not accomplish, except to breed misunderstanding?.
But you probably won’t find magisterial documents on the matter, or else John Paul II probably wouldn’t have held the Assisi meetings at all. After all, he was surrounded by smart people, and even those who disagreed with him did not think it a matter of magisterial teaching, but rather of prudential practice. Still, even if it is not objectively wrong, it should not be entered into lightly, and it would make sense for groups doing this to consult their bishop on the matter.
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