Visiting services of other religions

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EphelDuath

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I am a devout Catholic, but I find religion itself to be a very fascinating subject. Is it wrong to attend services in Protestant churches, or Buddhist temples, or other religious services purely out of interest provided that I do not leave any donations?

What if said religion is also strongly anti-Catholic? Is even attending the service then doing a dishonor to the faith?

(Obviously, I’m looking for the perspective of a more traditional Catholic.)
 
Sure but you still need to attend Mass at your local Catholic Church each week 🙂
 
I’m glad you asked this question. I posted a question similar to this in the ‘ask an apologist’ section but it was not answered.
 
EphelDuath said:
I am a devout Catholic, but I find religion itself to be a very fascinating subject. Is it wrong to attend services in Protestant churches, or Buddhist temples, or other religious services purely out of interest provided that I do not leave any donations?

What if said religion is also strongly anti-Catholic? Is even attending the service then doing a dishonor to the faith?

(Obviously, I’m looking for the perspective of a more traditional Catholic.)
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I’ve been to Protestant services and Jewish services. I found them both interesting. The Jewish service included a number of Psalms which felt very comfortable to be praying. The Protestant church was a model in how to welcome guests.

I’m sure you know the rules about receiving communion in a Protestant church. In short, don’t do it even if they invite everyone to partake.

And, of course, you still need to attend Mass that Sunday.
 
I know that I still have to go to Mass every Sunday and that I shouldn’t take communion in Protestant churches, yes.
 
Did you see the question in ‘ask an apologist’ about going to an Anglican church?
The answer was if you go to an invalid Mass it is a mortal sin.

So I assume this pertains to all other churches? But I don’t know? And I also wonder if we are allowed to go to non-Christian services?
 
There is a new group that has taken up residence at our local highschool on Sundays that call themselves “Substance”. From the website it looks like they are an offshoot of an offshoot of some protestant thing. As I am coming back from Mass on Sunday I see the place is always packed. The parking lot is full and the streets around it are jammed. I have been tempted to stop in and see what all the fuss is about. I guess you can get coffee at anytime during the “service”. I would go with respect as I would hope that all these people are seeking the truth and I have no fear that they could in any way change what I believe. I certainly would not participate in something that is not the truth. Would it be ok ? If while I am there I pray for these people ( in silence of course ) to find the truth? I don’t know. Maybe I’ll just drive by.
 
Lisa44 said:
Did you see the question in ‘ask an apologist’ about going to an Anglican church?
The answer was if you go to an invalid Mass it is a mortal sin.
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Could you provide a link, please?
 
I would call it at the least a near occasion of sin. Traditionally a Catholic could only attend a non-Catholic religious service if there was a wedding or something, and even then you needed permission from your Bishop.

It is no longer seen as a sin to attend once in a while, but you should think about why the Church was once so strict- “visiting” can turn into “attending” if there is something there that sparks your interest, which can in the long run be dangerous for your soul.

Better to err on the side of caution.
 
Lisa44 said:
Did you see the question in ‘ask an apologist’ about going to an Anglican church?
The answer was if you go to an invalid Mass it is a mortal sin.

So I assume this pertains to all other churches? But I don’t know? And I also wonder if we are allowed to go to non-Christian services?
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That’s not what was said.

The thread is here. And the line you mention says: A Catholic who knowingly chooses to attend an invalid mass in place of a valid one commits a mortal sin. [My emphasis.]
 
My St. Joseph Missal, printed in 1957, has in the back a “Treasury of Prayers” and within that section is an examination of conscience. Under sins committed against the First Commandment, it says

“Have I taken part in services other than those of my religion?”

So I would say, traditionally, this would be a sin. A Mortal Sin even. Everything I’ve heard has said for Weddings and Funerals only, and even then only those where any Sacraments at the ceremony is valid (such as a Marriage with no previous marriages).
 
Current Canon Law allows participation in Orthodox services, including (if that particular Orthodox parish will let you) receiving the Eucharist, the anointing of the sick, and reconciliation.

It extends this to some others churches with valid sacraments.

Other groups, you can watch, but not participate.
 
There is absolutely nothing wrong in going to Protestant services for the purpose of research. In order to properly evangelize it can be of great help to witness the different forms of worship. Attending a Jehovah Witness meeting is eye-opening. As long as it is for research to be used as an evangelizing tool and you continue to fullfill your Sunday obligation by going to Mass, I don’t see the harm.
If someone can show me a Church document that says otherwise it would be appreciated.
 
There is no necessary commission of a mortal sin in such a circumstance, of course, unless one participates with the intention of abandoning the Catholic faith, and even then, the other conditions for a mortal sin would need to apply, such as sufficient awareness of gravity and freedom, etc.

To the contrary, the Church establishes the guidelines and permissions for participating or attending the religious services of other Churches and ecclesial communions rather clearly in the 1993 Directory on Ecumenism. A 1957 missal would not represent accurately the thinking of the Church on this matter.

Instead, see that directory at the Vatican website.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/p...rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_19930325_directory_en.html

See other pages of that Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity regarding relationships with the Jews and the pages of the Pontifical Council for Inter-religious Dialogue for matters related to other non Christian religious communities.

Note however, that there are conditions about receiving the sacraments of Communion, Anointing of the Sick and Penance from non Catholic Churches with valid sacraments (chiefly the Orthodox) in canon 844: “§2. Whenever necessity requires it or true spiritual advantage suggests it, and provided that danger of error or of indifferentism is avoided, the Christian faithful for whom it is physically or morally impossible to approach a Catholic minister are permitted to receive the sacraments of penance, Eucharist, and anointing of the sick from non-Catholic ministers in whose Churches these sacraments are valid.”
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SuscipeMeDomine said:
That’s not what was said.

The thread is here. And the line you mention says: A Catholic who knowingly chooses to attend an invalid mass in place of a valid one commits a mortal sin. [My emphasis.]
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I apologize, I misinterpreted it. The correct understanding, you are saying is that its okay to attend an invalid mass, as long as one attends a valid one also.

For some reason that makes less sense to me than assuming that all invalid masses are a sin. But you are correct! That is not what was stated.
 
JuanCarlos said:
I would call it at the least a near occasion of sin. Traditionally a Catholic could only attend a non-Catholic religious service if there was a wedding or something, and even then you needed permission from your Bishop.

It is no longer seen as a sin to attend once in a while, but you should think about why the Church was once so strict- “visiting” can turn into “attending” if there is something there that sparks your interest, which can in the long run be dangerous for your soul.

Better to err on the side of caution.
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You raise an interesting topic. Should we be Catholic because we fully believe in the doctrine of our faith? Or should we encourage ignorance and promote the mushroom philosophy?

If something at another church “sparks our interest”, it should be an invitation to explore how that interest may or may not be consistient with our own faith, and why.
 
I think if you go out of interest (non-academic) and curiousity, you should be extremely careful.

No one intends to be sucked into a cult or a sect, but it happens.

The music in many evangelical Protestant churches is really REALLY good, and many of the people are so friendly, warm, and welcoming.

Many of them know their Bibles backwards and forwards, and they seem a lot more “awake” than many Catholics, both lay and clergy.

Plus there are so many fun ministries to get involved with. This is how it can start. You are invited to join in the pro-life organization, or the Food Pantry outreach, or the Jail Ministry, or the choir (really tempting if you like to sing good gospel and praise songs that are forbidden in a Mass and there is no other outlet for singing them in any Catholic Church where you live).

Everyone assures you that Catholics are welcome, and that you will be a good addition to their group because you can help them understand Catholicism better.

Flattered, you join in, and find that you really feel “alive” for the first time in years. People are calling you and you’re going out after the meetings (but no one drinks alcohol, and at first you find that oppressive, but then you see that these people are having a fantastic time WITHOUT alcohol, and you wonder what they have that you don’t have?!).

Then you join a Bible study or some other class, and you buy some books, and you sit down to really READ your Bible for the first time ever.

In the meantime, you are still attending Mass, but having a hard time connecting because it’s the same old thing that you have experienced since childhood. You wonder if ANYONE in the Catholic Church has a clue about Jesus. You start asking some questions, and the evangelical Protestants have answers, while the Catholics just tell you to obey the Pope.

You can see where this is going. I have heard hundreds of these kinds of testimonies in my evangelical Protestant churches over the years from former Catholics who joined our churches.

So be careful. If I were you, I would take a clipboard, paper, and pen, and take notes, and if anyone asks, tell them that you are doing research for a paper, a class, a novel, etc.

I would also make sure that for every hour I spent in the other religious houses, spend an hour in the Presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

Finally, READ all those apologetics books (or listen to the CDs) by the modern Catholic apologists, especially Tim Staples, Scott Hahn, Michael Cumbie, and Rosalyn Moss. There are others, too–this site is a good one to find the best material. After every non-Catholic religious experience, spend an hour reading one of these great Catholic books.

I apologize if I am insulting your intelligence and faith. I only speak these cautionary words because I have witnessed this happen so many times to Catholics.
 
Cat is right on with regard to what happens. One of my sons joined a local Baptist Church this way. At first he was only going there with his wife, but told me he wasn’t leaving the Catholic Church. Now he has become an instructor for one of their courses and fully joins in their Sunday and Wednesday services.

In addition many of our other parishioners, some good friends who were active in the parish, have left to join up with this Church and almost uniformly they say its because they teach the Bible, have good music, and the fellowship and feeling welcome is outstanding. While I disagree with the part about teaching scripture and Bible reading ( I have attended some functions there and was very disappointed in this.), but their fellowship, music, and sheer vitality is fantastic compared to our Parish.

I have been and am still very active in our parish which does have a lot to offer, but have found that participation in Bible Studies and such is mostly older grey headed women, very few men, and only a limited number of younger people. In the last two years we are making a real effort to offer things more attractive to the young folks from school age on up to young parents. However our music and fellowship, to put it mildly, is terrible.
 
ethelzguy said:
You raise an interesting topic. Should we be Catholic because we fully believe in the doctrine of our faith? Or should we encourage ignorance and promote the mushroom philosophy?

If something at another church “sparks our interest”, it should be an invitation to explore how that interest may or may not be consistient with our own faith, and why.
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Read Cat’s response, it was explained perfectly.
 
JuanCarlos said:
Read Cat’s response, it was explained perfectly.
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How unfortunate, that we should adopt a seperatist, avoidance philosophy with regard to other religions, in order to avoid losing some of our flock. :confused:
 
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