What do you admire in other faiths that are lacking in your own???

[ihypnotise]

I live in Utah and have witnessed some of the positive aspects of the Mormon Church. Tithing, Family, Organization, No Debt…etc but one thing for sure, their theology is completly off the wall. I moved here from California and Oregon. It has taken me 10 years to get used to the religion permeating life but it has been a wonderful place to live and great for my kids…

 

[CJE]

There is nothing lacking in the Catholic faith.

 

[The_Black_Knight]

Nothing really.

 

[Lilyofthevalley]

I like The Mormons idea of the afterlife and that everyone had a spiritual life before life on this earth. Also, they believe animals share in the life after.
The only problem is they don’t allow coffee.​

The thing I liked about THe United Pentecostal Church is they did a lot of things as a church, bar-b-q’s, parties, etc. I am still a bit bummed that pastor left and the new one has changed things so dramatically.

 

[Barbara_Ann]

I really don’t think there is anything lacking in The Catholic Church. After all, all the truths are here. But because we have all the truths and other faiths have some of the truths but not all, I think they can sometimes become better at those truths. Whereas we have so many to concentrate on some get kind of forgotten. I really admire the Buddhists for their respect for life. However I think the truth in the Catholic Church respecting life is stronger than the Buddhists. We just don’t have the courage (and I don’t mean all Catholics) and energy to fight hard for that.

 

[BJ_Colbert]

Reading all of these posts, and also attending my husband’s parish I started thinking you all were missing something, but the parish we go to just got rid of a really dull priest and hired a new person to do the weekly news bulletin. And what a difference!
There are a lot of things going on that Catholics don’t know about, because they don’t publicize it to the faithful. Today’s paper had the following anouncements of activities for Catholics. Family Fun Run and Picnic, games barbeque, pie eating contest, balloon toss and more. Fun for the whole family in a local park. Parish Tea Party and Luncheon for the women’s council and school, Catholics returning home meetings to learn about your faith. Summer Camp for girls and boys age 6-16 and a family camp later in the summer. A golf tournament, Single Men and Single women retreats(not together) Newly married classes on dating and communicating. A rummage sale to benefit a maternity home, and Single Catholic Adults-Meet and Mingle at a local restaurant. Bereavement ministry needs help of parishners to offer receptions for funerals. Welcoming ministry needs help to shake hands at the door and welcome people at every mass, Someone needs a senior companion for their Aunt in a retirement home. The Church school is putting on a play which combines Sherlock Holmes and the Pirates of Penzance. and the Choral and Guitar ensembles will perform. All are invited . I think what the Catholic Church needs is just more participation in the things they are offering and better advertising of their activities. This is a big eye opener to me and I am sure all parishes or dioceses are offering the same things, just jump up and ask what’s going on and volunteer to help. God can’t do everything, He depends on you to help, you are His hands. BJ

 

[Chris-WA]

I admire the Mormons for the way they organize and teach their faithful. We don’t educate Catholics nearly as well. If only Catholics knew their faith the way Mormons know theirs–that would solve so many problems within our church.

 

[TheGarg]

WhiteDove:

This will be only a POSITIVE THREAD.(with probably a early death… ) What can we learn from one another???

What do you admire about another religion that seems to be lacking in your own, to one degree or another?

I’ll start.
I think Evangelicals have better outreaches to youth. They more often will have vacation Bible schools, youth groups and the like. They also have more Bible studies and support groups generally.

Mormons are totally family centered. They have a family night as part of their religion which is very cool. They have a social welfare system within the church itself. They are very organized.

I’ll try and think of more. Hopefully, this thread won’t totally die because it’s too positive.

Nothing.

 

[snowgarden]

Chris-WA:

I admire the Mormons for the way they organize and teach their faithful. We don’t educate Catholics nearly as well. If only Catholics knew their faith the way Mormons know theirs–that would solve so many problems within our church.

I so agree. I used to like going with my Mormon friends to their Sunday school (which included all ages from young to old) after morning services. They offered several subjects and were so well versed in their beliefs. It wasn’t just a small study group like most of our parishes offer…but most of our facilities aren’t set up like theirs are with this in mind. Everyone got to participate by either teaching the lesson or participating. Last night on EWTN Father Groeschel said that he’d like to see greater participation of the laity to help the clergy run the parish and I thought of how studying Church teachings would give us an opportunity to share our talents and knowledge.

 

[Ignatius]

What do you admire in other faiths that are lacking in your own??? Nothing is lacking in the Church which Jesus Christ founded.

 

[JP2ImissU]

I wish our churches looked more like Orthodox churches. I love all the icons and wall to wall gold.

 

[radhika]

I love the mass, and I love going to church, but I do agree that as a community we lack in community feeling-I have a career that moves me from city to city every four to five years. I register in the parish to which my new home belongs, but even after four years I get to know no one, even the parish priest. With one exception. At present I am in a city called Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat, India. I was welcomed by the parish priest, introduced to some of the congregation, asked to join in in some of the church activities, made to feel one of a large beautiful family. It was the parish priest who made the difference. Gujarat by the way has a huge presence of jesuists. Does that make a difference?

 

[AdsoOfFunkstown]

Certainty.

 

[WhiteDove]

It seems as if a lot of folks agree that our Catholic Churches are often weak at promoting community. I’ve noticed the same. I think it’s a major factor in the lure of the Evangelical churches. I thinik we should learn from them.

 

[oat_soda]

I wish our churches looked more like Orthodox churches. I love all the icons and wall to wall gold

what you admire then is the “eastern lung” of our faith. we are part of the same church and their patrimony is ours as well. i agree with you about the icon screen and the liturgy.

It seems as if a lot of folks agree that our Catholic Churches are often weak at promoting community.

yes and no. outside of mass, i’m in total agreement but during mass the focus must be on God and not ourselves.

in gerneral, i admire mormon evangelism, protestant devotion to the scriptures, and muslim devotion to prayer.

 

[Geocacher]

It is gone now, but** I really liked the LDS Singles Ward in SE Michigan, there was alot of doing things together, and good support**, then when Bloomfield Hills Stake, kicked everybody out that was over the age of 30, I quit going to the LDS church. The LDS church is much stronger than others ive been to, due to good fellowship, and a 10 percent tithing. My local Parish "ST Agatha in the Detroit area, is failing really bad, and maybe closed soon. Lack of attendance and the school part of it was closed last year. My last church before ST Agatha was the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but they closed up the Detroit Congregation due to loss of membership. Now that RLDS church is called Community Of Christ.

I really like going to the Catholic church here in Detroit, but one thing that im not comfortable with, is the fact that Catholics say that there was no existance before birth, like what is taught in the Mormon Church. I have read a few hundred Near Death Experiences since the 1980’s, and many of them talk about the existance of your spirit without form, proir to our births here on planet Earth. I had gotten into reading the many NDE books because of an intense fear of Death, that no church answered for me. In all the NDE books say that Death is actually easier than we think, about casting off the mortal body, that is like taking off your coat.

The one thing I don’t like about the Mormon Church, is that they have a FIXED idea of what the Trinity is, and that is with actual bodies for both the Father and the Son(jesus), but in my way of thinking is that Jesus can appear in any form he wants, with his ressurected Body, or in spirit form in the shape of a body, or he can appear in spirit without form.

These are just my ideas about God and may not be true. I have learned alot in my parish, and even attended some RCIA.

 

[puzzleannie]

WhiteDove:

What do you admire about another religion that seems to be lacking in your own, to one degree or another?

I’ll start.
I .

there is nothing lacking in my Catholic Faith, we possess and protect the fulness of God’s Revelation in our head, Jesus Christ, and through the guidance of the Holy Spirit teach the Truth fully, completely and accurately.
there is a lot lacking in my personal faith, and I have great admiration and gratitude for those Catholics, non-Catholic Christians, and other believers who have shown me how to remedy my failings.

There is a lot lacking in the efforts of individual Catholic parish, pastors, bishops or dioceses in various outreaches and ministries, and we can learn from those congregations, pastors and leaders of other affiliations how to use the tools and leadership more effectively. Any general characterization of the success or failure of a particular denomination in using such tools and leadership will be inaccurate, although there are many examples of particular congregations or leaders doing good things we would do well to emulate.

two that come immediately to mind are tithing with an attitude of stewardship as giving first one’s duty to God in justice applied to all areas of life, including financial. The second is realization of the critical importance of youth ministry in building up the Church and handing on the faith. These are inherent demands due to our baptism and the fundamental requirement of parishes and dioceses. It used to be almost automatic when there was universal support for Catholic schools. Now it is often considered an unfair burden to parishes to educate children and youth in the faith and to minister to and acknowledge their spiritual needs.

 

[LoneRanger]

…if we could but remember that we are all in this together… that how we treat someone one is paramount… that you save/convert no one with your intollerance for their opinion. that it is ok to disagree… but, that the dialoge must continue…