Why I'm Still Not Catholic

[Contarini]

So they say - although in practice, they cannot receive Holy Communion in each other’s churches. Once you commit to be Russian, you can only receive in Russian Orthodox Churches, and vice versa. If you were travelling, and could only find Orthodox churches that were not of the nationality that you had been Chrismated in, you would treated like an unbeliever; you could not treat it as a “home away from home” - unlike in the Catholic Church, where you can receive Holy Communion in absolutely any Catholic Church anywhere in the world, regardless of the language of the liturgy.

I’ve already pointed out that you are wrong here. You need to provide evidence for this claim or back down and admit that you are wrong. Simply repeating something that has already been refuted is slanderous and malicious.

It has nothing to do with being “Greek” or “Russian”–it has to do with local Eucharistic discipline. You are making this up in order to back up a dubious polemical point.

Frankly, I don’t think the fact that Catholics can just walk into any parish in the world and receive Communion is necessarily a good thing. One could argue that it results in local churches being treated as sacrament factories, providing a service for the faithful rather than instantiating the Body of Christ as they gather together all believers in a given place at one time.

Edwin

 

[jmcrae]

I’ve already pointed out that you are wrong here. You need to provide evidence for this claim or back down and admit that you are wrong. Simply repeating something that has already been refuted is slanderous and malicious.

It has nothing to do with being “Greek” or “Russian”–it has to do with local Eucharistic discipline. You are making this up in order to back up a dubious polemical point.

I am not “making it up.” It is a factual reality here in my city - although it may be that they are, in fact, different communions, as Ghosty above pointed out - the Orthodox are not united among themselves; there is the Oriental Communion and the Eastern Communion.

Frankly, I don’t think the fact that Catholics can just walk into any parish in the world and receive Communion is necessarily a good thing. One could argue that it results in local churches being treated as sacrament factories, providing a service for the faithful rather than instantiating the Body of Christ as they gather together all believers in a given place at one time.

Edwin

I always find it fascinating that people who refuse to be part of our church on the basis of “too many stupid rules” get so upset that we aren’t strict enough, and trust people to follow their consciences, for the most part …

 

[Contarini]

I am not “making it up.” It is a factual reality here in my city - although it may be that they are, in fact, different communions, as Ghosty above pointed out - the Orthodox are not united among themselves; there is the Oriental Communion and the Eastern Communion.

That makes no sense–it’s just like saying “Catholics are not united among themselves–there are Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Old Catholics.” The division between “Eastern” and “Oriental” Orthodox is far older than the division between the three Western communions I mentioned. In fact, it is one of the two oldest permanent splits in Christendom. You could make a very good case that rather than seeing “Eastern and Oriental Orthodox” on one hand and Western Christians on the other, we should see all Chalcedonian Christians (Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants) on the one hand and Oriental Orthodox on the other.

Your remark shows that you do not even begin to understand the history of Eastern Christianity or of the early Church in general.

I repeat: your remarks have repeatedly been shown to be ignorant and ill-informed, and you are morally obligated not to repeat them until you can back them up.

Give me the names of two canonical Orthodox parishes (you can find a list of canonical Orthodox jurisdictions here) whose members are not allowed to intercommune with each other. (Mentioning non-canonical Orthodox churches does not count, any more than mentioning the various schismatic or semi-schismatic Catholic groups–Old Catholics, Chinese Patriotic Church, SSPX, sedevacantists, etc., counts against Catholic unity.) Unless you can give me names and contact information, I am entirely justified in saying that you are making up malicious slander about your fellow Christians.

I always find it fascinating that people who refuse to be part of our church on the basis of “too many stupid rules” get so upset that we aren’t strict enough, and trust people to follow their consciences, for the most part …

Please point to the post in which I have used the phrase “too many stupid rules.” You seem to consider yourself justified in free invention when it comes to your separated brothers and sisters in Christ. This is not a good habit to develop.

My problem with Catholicism is not that they have “too many rules” (as if there were some magic number that must not be exceeded) but that Catholicism often takes an impersonal, juridical, uniform approach rather than one that fosters organic unity in Christ. That is exactly what I’m criticizing here. It’s not about how strict you are or aren’t–it’s about the nature of Eucharistic fellowship.

Edwin

 

[toothdigger]

Its not that we are his “favorite”. As God’s word says, he shows no partiality. The reason non-Catholics (and Catholics in mortal sin, those who have not gone to confession) cannot receive Communion is because, well, i think 1 Cor. 11:22 says it best…
And if the Catholic Church says you must be a member (w/o mortal sin on your soul) in order to receive, that’s the way it is & who r we humans to defy that? You either believe that God established one Church and that that Church is the Roman Catholic Church or you don’t. You don’t seem 2 believe because if you did, you would officially join the Church.
Sometimes Catholics can seem uppity but i don’t believe that deep inside, most of them think/feel they are better than anyone else. In fact, it could be that the ones who come across that way r actually overcompensating; Its a very humbling thing to be (or become) Catholic. When i came back to the Church, through the rosary yrs ago, i felt very humbled because i finally began to know the absolute purity & holiness of God, his angels & saints… & therefore, saw all 2 clearly my own lack thereof…

Guess what? I agree with you. I have been converted quite recently after an extended ‘battle’ with myself and my views of Catholicism while at the same time, searching for the truth of the whole matter… read some of my more recent posts and you will see what I mean… thanks…