A call to sincere, charitable dialogue between all of us here, and between our leaders seeking unity.
Jon
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Jon
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Patti_M
Guest
I was sitting in a nondenominational church waiting to attend a friend’s wedding and several people were sitting at the back drinking coffee. The service had not started, I was pretty shocked but there it was.
J
JustaServant
Guest
What’s “the back”? In the foyer? Obviously they were not drinking coffee in the pews. And it certainly isn’t universal among Protestant denominations.
Besides, I don’t the article was about drinking coffee in church.
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FollowChrist34
Guest
Better than grape juiceWhat’s “the back”? In the foyer? Obviously they were not drinking coffee in the pews. And it certainly isn’t universal among Protestant denominations.
Besides, I don’t the article was about drinking coffee in church.
. Years ago I took “communion” or whatever they call it with the Methodists - the little fish shaped bread wafer was ok but what a jolt I got when I drank the grape juice. 
Oh well, the people were genuinely friendly and welcoming - beautiful Church as well. I enjoyed it and was glad I went. A good memory.
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Patti_M
Guest
Yes, it was in the pews, maybe they shouldn’t have been but they were. Someone asked me to clarify so I responded. I don’t know if it is universal, I don’t attend noncatholic services that often, just weddings and funerals.What’s “the back”? In the foyer? Obviously they were not drinking coffee in the pews. And it certainly isn’t universal among Protestant denominations.
Besides, I don’t the article was about drinking coffee in church.
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3_Dog_Night
Guest
Maybe coffee is a mid Ohio thing. There are a number of protestant and nondenominational churches in my community that are into the coffee experience. Yes it is in the foyer or gathering area, and not in the pews. I bet I could rate churches based on the quality of their coffee. (That’s a joke.). For us Catholics, the coffee is in the kitchen in the undercroft.
M
Michael68
Guest
We have coffee and donuts ,coffee cake and cookies after Mass. Its always a great time for fellowship with our priests and each other.
LaughingBoy1503
Well-known member
I guess my first question would be this
Who is anyone to judge anyone else’s relationship with Christ? Unless someone specifically tells me that they do not have a relationship with Christ, or if they claim that they do but also engage in un-Christian behavior and are un-repentant about it, who am I to say that a whole group of people seem to lack a personal relationship with Christ? I think the difference between someone who is Catholic by Baptism and someone who is a Practicing Catholic needs to always be pointed out.
With that said, I agree that the people of Catholic parishes tend to not be as friendly and welcoming as evangelicals. I do not know exactly why this is. However, I have noticed that it only seems like this at Mass. However, if you seek participation in groups and so forth outside of Mass like Bible studies and ministries, the people are just as friendly and welcoming as any evangelical Bible study or ministry I have ever attended.
C
ComplineSanFran
Guest
Actually, I have been to a number of non-denominational church services (and a couple of mainline church services) where people brought in their Starbucks coffee with them into the seating area. It’s not my favorite thing but it happens, especially where the parishioners are 20 and 30-somethings. It didn’t seem to disrupt the worshipping.What’s “the back”? In the foyer? Obviously they were not drinking coffee in the pews. And it certainly isn’t universal among Protestant denominations.
Besides, I don’t the article was about drinking coffee in church.
G
Graceful_Lamb
Guest
Patti M, this is what you originally said:
Years ago we were taught to be quiet and reverent when going to mass. Don’t turn around and look at other people, say your prayers and be quiet. Why is this so hard for protestants to understand? I know that they talk loudly and drink coffee inside their churches but we (maybe I should say, I was) were taught to be respectful in the presense of our Lord. Now after mass, out in the the foyer, it is pure pandemonium, lots of talking and excitement, imho.
So, the service didn’t start yet, even though in your original message you imply that the coffee drinking and loud talking took place during the service. How do you know that the people drinking the coffee in the “back” of the church were Protestant? Did you ask them if they were? Besides, you say this was a nondenominational church, so how did you ascertain it was a Protestant church? Because it wasn’t a Catholic church? Sounds like you may not have all the facts as it really happened. Also seems like you are going out of your way to judge Protestants.
Your question, “Why is this so hard for protestants to understand?,” came across as very condescending. Besides, God isn’t present just in church. God is present everywhere.
Now that I have all of that out of the way, what did your original post about Protestants allegedly drinking coffee in church and talking loudly have to do with the original post and the article?
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Graceful_Lamb
Guest
The churches that I attended growing up always had coffee and donuts afterwards in the parish hall. In the RC church that I attend, they have coffee and donuts after each service, too.
G
Graceful_Lamb
Guest
I think that no matter what denomination/religion someone is, I think that one needs to demonstrate their faith. Going to church, etc. is great, but it doesn’t stop there. I think one needs to actually live their faith. Being charitable, helping out the less fortunate by volunteering/donating money/food, etc., and being a good person who is loving, considerate of others. To try to their best to act like Jesus did.
A
Adamski
Guest
The exact opposite happened to me at my evangelical church it seemed like I was treated as a financial asset the pastor never had time because he was to busy writing self help books or as a celebrity preacher. The first week at my parish 5 years ago I was called the following week by the priest if I needed any thing and we met for lunch a number of times with my faith questions and questions on how to be a better husband and father. I have been a catholic as an adult for 5 years and it is so much better than being an evangelical I am doing something with people from the parish all the time, bible studies, volentering, next week a group of us are going deer hunting
C
commenter
Guest
Quote:
A church that lives according to the Gospel must always have its doors open and be a welcoming community, not “an exclusive, closed sect”, Pope Francis has said.
“Churches, parishes, institutions with closed doors must not call themselves a church; they must call themselves museums,” he said to applause during his general audience in St Peter’s Square."
We need both popes, Francis and Benedict. Francis warns us against turning churches into museums, where we admire our own past, where there’s a subtle discouragement for anyone new to join, let alone someone with a background or family situation different from our own. Open the church doors! There are many parishes where I live that need to hear this message. Including me. Let the people come as they are.
But Benedict helped restore the whole idea of why church exists at all. In recent decades many parishes and institutions had an “open door” but it became a revolving door. Many churches and schools had no doctrine at all, and no sense of connecting to the larger Catholic Church, past or present. Many parishes had the message, “come as you are, stay as you are”. With no sense of conversion, just “we are here to make you comfortable and find community”, people would stay for awhile, then they would find they could be even more comfortable at the non denominational church. If the parish message was “Be spiritual in your own way”, eventually young people find the best way to do that is stay home.
We forget that many evangelicals report coming to the Catholic Faith first, through reading doctrine. The content of the Faith does make sense, the need for the Magisterium is more evident, due to what happened to Protestant churches that lack it.
Pope Francis of course also emphasizes the need for Truth, and conversion from sin. But that tends to get omitted by the media. We don’t want the church with a closed door, but also don’t want a revolving door either.
A church that lives according to the Gospel must always have its doors open and be a welcoming community, not “an exclusive, closed sect”, Pope Francis has said.
“Churches, parishes, institutions with closed doors must not call themselves a church; they must call themselves museums,” he said to applause during his general audience in St Peter’s Square."
We need both popes, Francis and Benedict. Francis warns us against turning churches into museums, where we admire our own past, where there’s a subtle discouragement for anyone new to join, let alone someone with a background or family situation different from our own. Open the church doors! There are many parishes where I live that need to hear this message. Including me. Let the people come as they are.
But Benedict helped restore the whole idea of why church exists at all. In recent decades many parishes and institutions had an “open door” but it became a revolving door. Many churches and schools had no doctrine at all, and no sense of connecting to the larger Catholic Church, past or present. Many parishes had the message, “come as you are, stay as you are”. With no sense of conversion, just “we are here to make you comfortable and find community”, people would stay for awhile, then they would find they could be even more comfortable at the non denominational church. If the parish message was “Be spiritual in your own way”, eventually young people find the best way to do that is stay home.
We forget that many evangelicals report coming to the Catholic Faith first, through reading doctrine. The content of the Faith does make sense, the need for the Magisterium is more evident, due to what happened to Protestant churches that lack it.
Pope Francis of course also emphasizes the need for Truth, and conversion from sin. But that tends to get omitted by the media. We don’t want the church with a closed door, but also don’t want a revolving door either.
E
EIF5A
Guest
It would be nice if Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict released a joint statement.
As a reminder that Pope Francis is not “changing” doctrines and breaking from the traditional Church teaching.
And as a reminder that Pope Emeritus is still around and the media should pay attention to his words, too.
And for the sake of solidarity between the “conservative” and “liberals” in the Church.
P
Peter_J
Guest
I won’t rule out that happening.
Because it had been so, so, very, very many many years since the previous time that a pope had retired, I believe that Pope Emeritus Benedict really went out of his way to avoid any misunderstanding (not that misunderstandings are still common, now that we have the internet
) e.g. a two-Popes-at-the-same-time misunderstanding. But if people have gotten over the popes-don’t-retire-they-die-in-office mindset, perhaps he will shall-we-say come out of hiding a bit more. 
S
Starwarsfan2
Guest
Differences in theology, discipline , definition of Catholicism , etc .
C
Cassianus
Guest
Look, protestantism is a gnostic heresy. That’s why believing protestants get absolutely shocked when they encounter christianity as it has manifested in history in the Catholic & Orthodox Church.
But protestantism is an easily proven demonic deception that teaches good deeds are unnecessary for salvation & that a Catholic Collection of Jewish Writings is the rule of faith, although said collection of writings doesnt contain any such doctrine & was gathered together & deemed inspired by the authority of the Catholic Church.
Protestants in america feel closer affinity to muslims than they do to some orthodox & catholic christians. For example, there’s a movement within evangelicalism to “convert” muslims by telling them they can stay muslims as long as they read the gospels. Although all islamic countries have a Church, these churches, who are in continuity with history, can be traced back to the beginnings - & this is just too much for protestants to deal with; the incense, the iconography / statues, the formal liturgy, the real precence, confession & penance etc. All these things undermine the demonic concept of protestantism; that all you need to do is to convince yourself that a particular historical event is has paid compensation for all past, present & future sins & that this conviction is all that’s needed.
To come out of this bubble can probably be abit scary. Imagine if you had been taught all your life that you dont need to do good, you just need to accept what the preacher says & “believe” to secure salvation. What would be your reaction if you found out the historical church taught you must do penance after confessing your sins to a priest?
Or that your own soul must become pure to enter Heaven? Protestants have been told that humanity is completely corrupted, wretched beyond repair. Even demonic - there’s no good left in man at all. Luther said a human is a pile of excrements & justification happens because God “covers” this pile of excrements with a thin layer of His own righteousness because we believe - there’s no point to anything at all in matters of religion & spiritual life. No one can accept such a doctrine that contradicts the human experience, common sense & our own impulse for spiritual life.
As we see, the protestant cults multiply exponentially & now number more than 40 000 - all convinced they’ve read the catholic collection of jewish writings in “just the right way” & that everybody else is wrong. They have no authority to stand on & that’s why so many protestant cults now bless homosexuality as a godly act, ordain women priestesses & bishopesses although these things contradict scripture & are opposed to christianity & in line with paganism.
I’m nominally protestant but I take my religion from the catholic teaching only because a catholic priest told me there was no need for me to convert.
But protestantism is an easily proven demonic deception that teaches good deeds are unnecessary for salvation & that a Catholic Collection of Jewish Writings is the rule of faith, although said collection of writings doesnt contain any such doctrine & was gathered together & deemed inspired by the authority of the Catholic Church.
Protestants in america feel closer affinity to muslims than they do to some orthodox & catholic christians. For example, there’s a movement within evangelicalism to “convert” muslims by telling them they can stay muslims as long as they read the gospels. Although all islamic countries have a Church, these churches, who are in continuity with history, can be traced back to the beginnings - & this is just too much for protestants to deal with; the incense, the iconography / statues, the formal liturgy, the real precence, confession & penance etc. All these things undermine the demonic concept of protestantism; that all you need to do is to convince yourself that a particular historical event is has paid compensation for all past, present & future sins & that this conviction is all that’s needed.
To come out of this bubble can probably be abit scary. Imagine if you had been taught all your life that you dont need to do good, you just need to accept what the preacher says & “believe” to secure salvation. What would be your reaction if you found out the historical church taught you must do penance after confessing your sins to a priest?
Or that your own soul must become pure to enter Heaven? Protestants have been told that humanity is completely corrupted, wretched beyond repair. Even demonic - there’s no good left in man at all. Luther said a human is a pile of excrements & justification happens because God “covers” this pile of excrements with a thin layer of His own righteousness because we believe - there’s no point to anything at all in matters of religion & spiritual life. No one can accept such a doctrine that contradicts the human experience, common sense & our own impulse for spiritual life.
As we see, the protestant cults multiply exponentially & now number more than 40 000 - all convinced they’ve read the catholic collection of jewish writings in “just the right way” & that everybody else is wrong. They have no authority to stand on & that’s why so many protestant cults now bless homosexuality as a godly act, ordain women priestesses & bishopesses although these things contradict scripture & are opposed to christianity & in line with paganism.
I’m nominally protestant but I take my religion from the catholic teaching only because a catholic priest told me there was no need for me to convert.
S
Starwarsfan2
Guest
All lies , we reject dualism , antinomianism, and believe that one must be born again by faith alone , and we are called separated brethren ( means we are Christians not cultist ) , so slander again , and I will report you for flamethrowing.
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