R
RedSoxFan
Guest
I like that my wife came out of the Southern Baptist religion. I like how well most protestants know the bible. Now if they can only get the right interpretation of the bible we’ll be better off.
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C
Cat
Guest
I’m guessing that one reason why so many people in our parish are friends with each other is that a lot of their kids go to the parish school, and they get to know each other doing school activities. Then they all get old together and remain friends.
We’re starting a pre-school in the fall, and this will help even more people get to know each other and form friendships.
m134e5, most of the activities I mentioned happen weekly. I know that the youth group has several meetings each week; there are several “tiers” of involvement, and kids can either be super-involved several times a week, or just show up once in a while.
I agree, things have to happen weekly. People who work or have young children often miss monthly activities, and that means they might only be able to get involved a few times a year.
There are just so many opportunities for fellowship at our parish! We have a Book Discussion Group, a Gardening Club (they are responsible for making our church grounds look beautiful), a “Honey-Do Organization” for men, a Men’s Bible study, a “Dining Out Club” (All they do is go out to eat!), a Senior Citizens Group that takes all kinds of field trips, the choir, the singles group, etc.—there really is something for everyone.
And of course there are all the “Catholic” organizations to become involved with; e.g., Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary, etc.
And there is a very active Rosary Making group in our church; my husband attends this whenever he is free. He loves it.
And the Pro-Life group–they get together weekly at the local abortion clinic.
Anyway, I may be naive, but I honestly think that fellowship can happen in any church. Start small. Make sure’s there’s food. You’ll just have a few people at first for whatever you decide to do, but it will grow. And although I agree that some people want to get to know each other on neutral ground, I still think that most people would be pleased to accept an invitation for a simple dessert or meal after Mass.
We’re starting a pre-school in the fall, and this will help even more people get to know each other and form friendships.
m134e5, most of the activities I mentioned happen weekly. I know that the youth group has several meetings each week; there are several “tiers” of involvement, and kids can either be super-involved several times a week, or just show up once in a while.
I agree, things have to happen weekly. People who work or have young children often miss monthly activities, and that means they might only be able to get involved a few times a year.
There are just so many opportunities for fellowship at our parish! We have a Book Discussion Group, a Gardening Club (they are responsible for making our church grounds look beautiful), a “Honey-Do Organization” for men, a Men’s Bible study, a “Dining Out Club” (All they do is go out to eat!), a Senior Citizens Group that takes all kinds of field trips, the choir, the singles group, etc.—there really is something for everyone.
And of course there are all the “Catholic” organizations to become involved with; e.g., Knights of Columbus, Legion of Mary, etc.
And there is a very active Rosary Making group in our church; my husband attends this whenever he is free. He loves it.
And the Pro-Life group–they get together weekly at the local abortion clinic.
Anyway, I may be naive, but I honestly think that fellowship can happen in any church. Start small. Make sure’s there’s food. You’ll just have a few people at first for whatever you decide to do, but it will grow. And although I agree that some people want to get to know each other on neutral ground, I still think that most people would be pleased to accept an invitation for a simple dessert or meal after Mass.
T
TexCatholic4JMJ
Guest
I’m one who supports activities and groups at church as much as
I can. The protestant and evangelicals have smaller congregations
and can fit as part of their outreach the various activities to bring
in the “unsaved” (I know that is what I was called when I visited
my friend’s “sandwich Sunday evenings”) The Catholic numbers
thousands vs hundreds and with the necessary Masses it is difficult to plan or to have the space available–even parking is a
problem. When I served in a ministry where I was available by
phone to direct people who were having certain problems, I was
there for a lot longer than I should have been (burnout) because
no one wanted to take it over. Also one ministry reached out to
the divorced, widowed and separated. When many told us they
could not attend on weekday evenings that they needed to bring
their children we set up weekend meetings with babysitters to
watch the children during the business part and set up picnics
and games for the families after. None of the people whoa had
brought up the problem attended! Same people who had been
showing up were the only ones attending. (We had a good time
anyway.)
That is one reason I attend what there is available. I take care of
my 92 year old mother so my free time is limited but I want to
encourage the organizers as much as I can because I know how
hard it is.
A long time ago a priest told me that having a parish school was
one of the best ways to bring a parish together. Since so many
have closed, that may contribute to the problem. My parish
recently opened a school and the teen group (Life Teen) has
sparked new life in our parish. One sees new people helping in
different ways so there’s hope.
I can. The protestant and evangelicals have smaller congregations
and can fit as part of their outreach the various activities to bring
in the “unsaved” (I know that is what I was called when I visited
my friend’s “sandwich Sunday evenings”) The Catholic numbers
thousands vs hundreds and with the necessary Masses it is difficult to plan or to have the space available–even parking is a
problem. When I served in a ministry where I was available by
phone to direct people who were having certain problems, I was
there for a lot longer than I should have been (burnout) because
no one wanted to take it over. Also one ministry reached out to
the divorced, widowed and separated. When many told us they
could not attend on weekday evenings that they needed to bring
their children we set up weekend meetings with babysitters to
watch the children during the business part and set up picnics
and games for the families after. None of the people whoa had
brought up the problem attended! Same people who had been
showing up were the only ones attending. (We had a good time
anyway.)
That is one reason I attend what there is available. I take care of
my 92 year old mother so my free time is limited but I want to
encourage the organizers as much as I can because I know how
hard it is.
A long time ago a priest told me that having a parish school was
one of the best ways to bring a parish together. Since so many
have closed, that may contribute to the problem. My parish
recently opened a school and the teen group (Life Teen) has
sparked new life in our parish. One sees new people helping in
different ways so there’s hope.
C
cascherman
Guest
In my personal opinion the Jehovah’s Witnesses are along the same lines at the Catholic faith in that they consider themselves a great big family. Everyone is brother or sister. When I first starting learning that the same thing is evident in the Catholic Church (because I actually learned about the JW’s first, apologetically.) it definitely excited me, and to be honest is one of the main reasons i feel so lovingly about the Catholic church.
A co-worker of mine is a JW and he is so proud of his brothers and sisters in other countries.
But, nothing can compare with the entirety that the Catholic Church fulfills the ‘family’. We have a Heavenly Father, a Heavenly Brother, a earthly Father, a ‘at one time’ earthly Mother, and earthly Brothers and Sisters.
As a raised my whole life protestant (and now participating in RCIA) I never felt the ‘family’ so much.
A co-worker of mine is a JW and he is so proud of his brothers and sisters in other countries.
But, nothing can compare with the entirety that the Catholic Church fulfills the ‘family’. We have a Heavenly Father, a Heavenly Brother, a earthly Father, a ‘at one time’ earthly Mother, and earthly Brothers and Sisters.
As a raised my whole life protestant (and now participating in RCIA) I never felt the ‘family’ so much.
U
udoc89
Guest
I admire the Quakers. I remember reading in a book about the Great Famine in Ireland that they were the only Protestant denomination who did not tie their much needed aid to apostasy!
Secondly, I admire my own ex-Episcopalian background.It taught me to seek the truth no matter the cost, which led me to Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church!
Secondly, I admire my own ex-Episcopalian background.It taught me to seek the truth no matter the cost, which led me to Christ’s One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church!
P
Poworker
Guest
Since everyone that has posted so far are Catholics, I thought I would say what a Protestant (Southern Baptist) likes about the Catholic Church.
- You have the Eucharist! You should rejoice.
- (This one I really like) You can actually confess your sins to a Priest and be absolved. How wonderful.
- As a Catholic you can move to a different town or city and automatically be a member of the local Church. Most Protestants want you to “join” their church before you can be a member. I’ve always thought that one to be a bit silly.
- Catholics seem to give, give, give to the poor. We ignore them as much as possible at least the local churches do. Of course there are outreaches for the homeless etc but they seem to have to raise their own monies etc.
- You can say you are the one true church and can easily prove it. (Orthodoxy might refute this of course) All the rest of us “fell from grace” so to speak.
- And many more…
I was a Chaplain’s Assistant in the army for 22 years and learned much about the Catholic church. There is much to be admired.
And if (like one of the earlier writers mentioned) you were to go door to door like the JW’s or Mormons, as witnesses fo your church, you could change the world!!!
Fellowship in the Protestant church is good as has been mentioned. And yes, we do study the Bible and memorize scripture. Please remember though that even Satan knows scripture! Not that it is a bad thing to know.
Hopefully this won’t upset anyone.
T
TexCatholic4JMJ
Guest
Poworker, am I missing something? Come join us, we’d love to
have you as a Catholic. Seems you’re almost home…
have you as a Catholic. Seems you’re almost home…
L
lak611
Guest
S
sajeev
Guest
PATRIARCH OF ANTIOCH IS THE ACTUAL SUCCESSOR OF ST. PETER
From Bible We Know That Our Lord Has Given The Authority To
St.peter. Our Lord Says That He Will Build His Church On
Peter.
In The First Centuries, Bishop Of Antioch Was Superior To
All The Other Bishops In Rome And Alexandria. His Territory
Extended To All The Then Known Parts Of The World. Entire
Persia, India, Middle East, China Was Under The Control Of
Patriarch Of Antioch. If We Go Through The Historical
Documents He Was Regarded As The Succesor Of St. Peter. We
Can See Around 7 Letters Written By Ignatius, Bishop Of
Antioch To 7 Churches.
In The First Centuries There Was A Dispute Between Rome And
Antioch About The Successor Of Peter. If We Check The Bible,
There Is Nothing Said About The Authority Of Pope Or Rome.
Even You Check The Letter Of Paul To Romans. Nothing Is
Mentioned About The Primacy Of Roman Church.
There Is No Evidence That Peter Had Gone To Rome.
From Bible We Can Find That It Is Paul Who Had Founded The
Church Of Rome.
In The 4th And Fifth Centuries, Because Of The Influence Of
Byzantine Emperors, A New Patriarch Emerged At
Constantinople. Then The Emperor Tried To Destroy The Church
At Antioch. The Gave The Superiority To Patriarch Of
Constantinople.
In 1451, The Council Of Chalcedon Declared That The Pope Of
Rome Leo Is The Succesosr Of Peter And Head Of The Church.
After All These Events, In The 5th Century The Patriarch Of
Antioch Severus Was Deposed By The Byzantine Emperor. Those
Persons Who Accepted Pope Of Rome As The Head Were Appointed
As Bishops Of Antioch.
If We Check The Tradition And Liturgy Of Churches In India
And Middle East, We Can See That They Are Following
Antichene Tradition.
As A Result Proclaiming The Superiority Of Patriarch Of
Antioch, Jacob A Bishop Appointed Sergius Of Tella As The
Bishop Of Antioch. The Jacobite Patriarchs Then Came. They
Are The Actual Head Of The Christian Church.
We Must Know That These Europeans Are Actually Barbarians.
They Have No Culture. Now Also We Can See This. It Is Sure
That These Americans And Europeans Are Engahged In Sex With
Many People Even Before 13 Years Of Age. It Means That They
Have A Barbarian Tradition. But They Are Controllingt The
Economy Of The Whole World. They Are Propagating The Pope Of
Rome As Successor Of Peter. That Is Necessary For Their
Superiority And Existence Of Economic Power.
We Must Know The Fact That The Entire Middle East, Persia
Was Christian Before The 6 Th Century. They Were Under
Patriarch Of Antioch. Because Of Many Wars And Attack Of
Islam, Forceful Conversion By Islam Christianity In Middle
East, Persia Have Got Destroyed. The Patriarch Of Antioch
Was Under The Supervision Of Islamic Rulers.
The Colonial Invasion By British, Portugese , Dutch ,french
Resulted In The Forceful Conversion Of Those Who Were Under
The Control Of Patriarch Of Antioch To Roman Pope.
For Example, Portugese Forcefully Converted Christians Under
Antioch In India To Rome. French Forcefully Converted
Christians In Iraq Under Antioch To Roman Pope.
Through These 2000 Years It Is The Patriarch Of Antioch Who
Suffered Most. He Was In Caves Or Forests For Many Centuries
In Fear Of European Powers, Muslims, Byzantines.
If We Look At The History Of Roman Popes , Many Had
Children, Many Had Married, Many Had Children Before
Marriage, Many Became Popes At The Age Of 12 Or 13.
The Documents Now Qwe Have Proclaiming The Authority Of
Rome, Are All Fake. They Are False Documents Created During
The Reign Of Charlemagne, The 8 Th Century Roman Emperor Who
Saved Rome From Muslims.
The Reason Why All Are Proclaiming The Roman Pope Is Money
Only. The Roman Catholics Are Getting A Large Amount Money
From Europe. The Patriarch Of Anticoh Has Nothing.
In Short , The Patriarch Of Antioch Is The Successsor Of St.
Peter And Head Of The Church.
Now The Roman Pope Is Benedict 16. He Is One Of The Great
Persons Living In This World. He Is One Of The Great
Scholars In This Century. He Knows The Fact That Anticoh
Patriarch Is The Actual Head. From His Moves, We Have Got
The Perception That Something Will Take Place Soon. All The
Bishops And Historians In This World Know The Fact That
Patriarch Of Antioch Is The Peter’s Successor.
But Money Can Make A False True.
From Bible We Know That Our Lord Has Given The Authority To
St.peter. Our Lord Says That He Will Build His Church On
Peter.
In The First Centuries, Bishop Of Antioch Was Superior To
All The Other Bishops In Rome And Alexandria. His Territory
Extended To All The Then Known Parts Of The World. Entire
Persia, India, Middle East, China Was Under The Control Of
Patriarch Of Antioch. If We Go Through The Historical
Documents He Was Regarded As The Succesor Of St. Peter. We
Can See Around 7 Letters Written By Ignatius, Bishop Of
Antioch To 7 Churches.
In The First Centuries There Was A Dispute Between Rome And
Antioch About The Successor Of Peter. If We Check The Bible,
There Is Nothing Said About The Authority Of Pope Or Rome.
Even You Check The Letter Of Paul To Romans. Nothing Is
Mentioned About The Primacy Of Roman Church.
There Is No Evidence That Peter Had Gone To Rome.
From Bible We Can Find That It Is Paul Who Had Founded The
Church Of Rome.
In The 4th And Fifth Centuries, Because Of The Influence Of
Byzantine Emperors, A New Patriarch Emerged At
Constantinople. Then The Emperor Tried To Destroy The Church
At Antioch. The Gave The Superiority To Patriarch Of
Constantinople.
In 1451, The Council Of Chalcedon Declared That The Pope Of
Rome Leo Is The Succesosr Of Peter And Head Of The Church.
After All These Events, In The 5th Century The Patriarch Of
Antioch Severus Was Deposed By The Byzantine Emperor. Those
Persons Who Accepted Pope Of Rome As The Head Were Appointed
As Bishops Of Antioch.
If We Check The Tradition And Liturgy Of Churches In India
And Middle East, We Can See That They Are Following
Antichene Tradition.
As A Result Proclaiming The Superiority Of Patriarch Of
Antioch, Jacob A Bishop Appointed Sergius Of Tella As The
Bishop Of Antioch. The Jacobite Patriarchs Then Came. They
Are The Actual Head Of The Christian Church.
We Must Know That These Europeans Are Actually Barbarians.
They Have No Culture. Now Also We Can See This. It Is Sure
That These Americans And Europeans Are Engahged In Sex With
Many People Even Before 13 Years Of Age. It Means That They
Have A Barbarian Tradition. But They Are Controllingt The
Economy Of The Whole World. They Are Propagating The Pope Of
Rome As Successor Of Peter. That Is Necessary For Their
Superiority And Existence Of Economic Power.
We Must Know The Fact That The Entire Middle East, Persia
Was Christian Before The 6 Th Century. They Were Under
Patriarch Of Antioch. Because Of Many Wars And Attack Of
Islam, Forceful Conversion By Islam Christianity In Middle
East, Persia Have Got Destroyed. The Patriarch Of Antioch
Was Under The Supervision Of Islamic Rulers.
The Colonial Invasion By British, Portugese , Dutch ,french
Resulted In The Forceful Conversion Of Those Who Were Under
The Control Of Patriarch Of Antioch To Roman Pope.
For Example, Portugese Forcefully Converted Christians Under
Antioch In India To Rome. French Forcefully Converted
Christians In Iraq Under Antioch To Roman Pope.
Through These 2000 Years It Is The Patriarch Of Antioch Who
Suffered Most. He Was In Caves Or Forests For Many Centuries
In Fear Of European Powers, Muslims, Byzantines.
If We Look At The History Of Roman Popes , Many Had
Children, Many Had Married, Many Had Children Before
Marriage, Many Became Popes At The Age Of 12 Or 13.
The Documents Now Qwe Have Proclaiming The Authority Of
Rome, Are All Fake. They Are False Documents Created During
The Reign Of Charlemagne, The 8 Th Century Roman Emperor Who
Saved Rome From Muslims.
The Reason Why All Are Proclaiming The Roman Pope Is Money
Only. The Roman Catholics Are Getting A Large Amount Money
From Europe. The Patriarch Of Anticoh Has Nothing.
In Short , The Patriarch Of Antioch Is The Successsor Of St.
Peter And Head Of The Church.
Now The Roman Pope Is Benedict 16. He Is One Of The Great
Persons Living In This World. He Is One Of The Great
Scholars In This Century. He Knows The Fact That Anticoh
Patriarch Is The Actual Head. From His Moves, We Have Got
The Perception That Something Will Take Place Soon. All The
Bishops And Historians In This World Know The Fact That
Patriarch Of Antioch Is The Peter’s Successor.
But Money Can Make A False True.
A
Afterburned6387
Guest
I admire in the catholic church their dedication to teaching the youth about the faith from an academic standpoint.
The biggest thing we baptists lack is an educational system for teaching the doctrines of the faith…which is why we have the largest percentage of people who join the church but do not stay in the church…we rely too much on Eternal Security
The biggest thing we baptists lack is an educational system for teaching the doctrines of the faith…which is why we have the largest percentage of people who join the church but do not stay in the church…we rely too much on Eternal Security
M
mikeledes
Guest
Thank you for your candor! I admire Calvinism’s strong intellectual tradition. If I didn’t believe in the truth of Catholicism, I’d probably be a Calvinist or a Lutheran, a conservative one, of course.
God Bless,
Michael
D
djrakowski
Guest
Interesting comments, Afterburned! And, thanks for offering praise to our religious education systems!
I used to worship as a member of an independent Baptist church. In my opinion, my former church’s strongest point was, and remains, its education program (but perhaps I only think that way because I was once a teacher over there
)Like mikeledes, I admire the intellectual tradition of Reformed/Calvinist churches. I’m particularly impressed by the sermons of R.C. Sproul.
T
tomarin
Guest
it seems all the episcopal churches that i encounter have a special hard-to-define “english country” charm or coziness that i really like. i understand that their liturgy incorporates a lot of traditional things that liturgical modernization has eliminated from ours.
i like eastern orthodox icons and the mysterious air that seems to cling to the eastern orthodox churches with their onion domes.
i like eastern orthodox icons and the mysterious air that seems to cling to the eastern orthodox churches with their onion domes.
A
Athanasiy
Guest
The Evangelical Pastor or Seminary teacher , the Evangelical missionary or church preacher , who enrich his knowledge from the Catholic Mind - is worthy to be admired .
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