WhyMe and others: Can you Be Catholic and LDS at the same time?

[why_me]

Obviously no one knows who really is a member or a non member, just like in a Catholic parish (though they may know who isn’t a parish member, but not a non-Catholic or non-LDS, unless they say so), so just like how no one will be turned away from Eucharist in a Catholic parish (unless the priest knows something, or if that person is a known non-Catholic), a person will not be denied the Sacrament in an LDS ward, since they don’t know who is non-LDS (unless they say so), even though it’s meant for members.

I don’t think that a priest will give the communion to someone he knows is not a catholic. But in the lds church, that non-member will not be stopped from taking the sacrament. This is a difference in attitude of the two churches.

 

[Religio71]

I don’t think that a priest will give the communion to someone he knows is not a catholic. But in the lds church, that non-member will not be stopped from taking the sacrament. This is a difference in attitude of the two churches.

Yes, as I already said.

From the LDS Church Handbook of Instructions (Book 1 for Stake Presidencies and Bishoprics), page 37:

“Although the sacrament is for Church members, the bishopric should not announce that it will be passed to members only, and nothing should be done to prevent nonmembers from partaking of it”.

 

[why_me]

You have repeatedly said that it is okay, because Catholics think Mormons are non-Christian, so it’s just like eating bread and water. Is that based in Church teaching, or feelings? Again, a Catholic would not partake in the prasad (blessed food) at a Hindu temple, and they shouldn’t partake in the Mormon Sacrament, or the sacraments of Protestant churches either. Whether or not we consider a group Christian is irrelevant. It is the religious context that is important.

.

According to Zaff, I have been encouraging catholics to take the mormon sacrament. That was not true. I have heard over and over again how the catholic church does not recognize the mormon baptism and how it does not consider the lds church christian. If that is the case, the mormon sacrament is nothing more but bread and water. But I understand the position and that is fine with me. But non-mormons can take the mormon sacrament if they wish to.

But as for me, I don’t see a problem. I think it is because I can’t see god caring about such things. To me these are small things in the eyes of god when one considers all the evil in this world. But that being said, I do think that noncatholics should not take the catholic communion out of respect for the catholic faith and for what the catholic church believes. And as for me, I see nothing wrong with me taking the mormon bread and water when I am with my children. I just don’t see it as a big deal even though you do. And I respect your position. And you have a right to have it. But I do what I do for my own personal reasons.

 

[Religio71]

According to Zaff, I have been encouraging catholics to take the mormon sacrament. That was not true. I have heard over and over again how the catholic church does not recognize the mormon baptism and how it does not consider the lds church christian. If that is the case, the mormon sacrament is nothing more but bread and water. But I understand the position and that is fine with me. But non-mormons can take the mormon sacrament if they wish to.

Should Catholics eat food (called “prasad”) offered to Shiva or Vishnu in a Hindu temple, since they are non-Christian? Is there a Biblical precedent of Jews and/or Christians partaking in the offerings of “other” religions? Whether we consider Mormons Christian is irrelevant. It is the religious context that is important, since eating bread and water (or any other food) in a religious ceremony (Christian or not) is not the same as eating at home or in a restaurant. So no, in the eyes of the Catholic Church, it is not okay.

And of course LDS don’t believe that the bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ, but that’s another issue.

But as for me, I don’t see a problem. I think it is because I can’t see god caring about such things. To me these are small things in the eyes of god when one considers all the evil in this world. But that being said, I do think that noncatholics should not take the catholic communion out of respect for the catholic faith and for what the catholic church believes. And as for me, I see nothing wrong with me taking the mormon bread and water when I am with my children. I just don’t see it as a big deal even though you do. And I respect your position. And you have a right to have it. But I do what I do for my own personal reasons.

Yes, out of respect for the Catholic Eucharist, non-Catholics should not partake. Likewise, out of respect for the Catholic Eucharist (and what “Communion” means, which is the whole reason why the Church has closed communion!), Catholics should not partake in the sacraments and Communion of any other religion, whether Christian or not.

What this comes down to is whether God authorized a Church to practice various sacraments/ordinances as well as set rules and guidelines for life. Therefore, it is not whether God cares about where you eat, but whether God cares if you go against the Divine authority that He implemented on earth, whether you believe that is LDS, Catholic, or whatever. That is what we believe.

So, if one does not care about the divine authority of the Catholic Church (or the LDS Church), they can go ahead and invent their own rules, partaking in the ordinances of other religions, etc, because it makes them feel good.

 

[why_me]

look at what a poor, hapless, innocent Mormon wrote over on MADB (on the “crazy almost ex-catholic…” thread):

(it’s always funny when someone drops in indulgences in an argument, and doesn’t even get what they are!)

Guess the mods are still at church, but case in point (and there are MANY others over there). Mormons are not any more innocent and clean than Catholics. He just chooses to ALWAYS make Mormons the victims and Catholics the Inquisitors rolleyes: ).

The moderators have stepped in and admonished that mormon poster who claimed that the catholic church was the abominable church:

Even though other members of the board have already called you out on this, statements like yours are not welcome here.

Nemesis

 

[why_me]

So, if one does not care about the divine authority of the Catholic Church (or the LDS Church), they can go ahead and invent their own rules, partaking in the ordinances of other religions, etc, because it makes them feel good.

I like you. You are knowledgeable and very academic. You also love doctrine. You loved mormon doctrine and now you love catholic doctrine and there is definitely nothing wrong in that. It is your interest and I respect that.

But I am working through my own issues which life has brought me. I have to do what I have to do at this moment in my life. If it means taking the mormon bread and water when I am with my children, so be it. I have to do it because I want to do it. I see no reason to make my children sad or worrisome. And hopefully god understands it.

 

[zaffiroborant]

Zaff has stated that I have been encouraging catholics to take the mormon sacrament. Where in that post posted by Zaff am I encouraging catholics to take the mormon sacrament.

That post was in response to Religio about his statement that mormons do not allow nonmembers to take their sacrament. I disagreed with him by relating my own story. Nothing more. In other words, Zaff was wrong to imply that I was encouraging catholics to take the mormon sacrament.

Are you the catholic or the methodist? I think that you are the methodist.

The trouble is Religio did not post on that thread, as a matter of fact he wasn’t even a member when the last post was made on the thread.
You were not describing your own experience you were telling someone what to expect at a LDS church.

So again you are worming and squirming to avoid the truth. You did (and I am not implying I’m flat out stating) encourage taking the sacrament in an LDS church.

 

[Religio71]

I like you. You are knowledgeable and very academic. You also love doctrine. You loved mormon doctrine and now you love catholic doctrine and there is definitely nothing wrong in that. It is your interest and I respect that.

But I am working through my own issues which life has brought me. I have to do what I have to do at this moment in my life. If it means taking the mormon bread and water when I am with my children, so be it. I have to do it because I want to do it. I see no reason to make my children sad or worrisome. And hopefully god understands it.

Wonderful. My problem is when someone claims to be Catholic but denies doctrines that are Catholic. As you said, Nancy Pelosi should be excommunicated. Let’s try to be consistent here then. One cannot be a true believing Catholic and continuously eat food offered to Vishnu, or bread and water at a Mormon sacrament meeting, etc. It is simply not allowed. Our issue is when this is presented as “okay” for Catholics to do.

So as one that has extensively studied Catholic teachings and rules guiding it, I freely show how those that are claiming to be members of the Church are taking advantage of the privileges of the Church, and denying the Divine authority of it (that we all supposedly believe in) by thinking that it’s okay to partake in the sacraments and ordinances of non-Catholic and especially non-Christian religions (if one considers Mormonism to be non-Christian). So, God may not care where one eats, but He does care if one respects the Divine authority He placed on earth (and thus the rules that authority makes), if one acknowledges that authority. If one doesn’t know about it, then whatever. That’s clear if we know the criteria for mortal sins.

Good luck with your issues. Remember that you can sit next to your children and Sacrament Meeting as much as you want, hold hands with them if you want, sing the hymns, etc. However no one is forcing you to partake in the bread and water, and as a Catholic, you should not. Many of those that are in mixed families are fully aware that their children and parents are okay with this, and think it’s wonderful that they still go to those services with them, and won’t feel “sad or worrisome” if you don’t eat the bread and water.

 

[why_me]

The trouble is Religio did not post on that thread, as a matter of fact he wasn’t even a member when the last post was made on the thread.
You were not describing your own experience you were telling someone what to expect at a LDS church.

So again you are worming and squirming to avoid the truth. You did (and I am not implying I’m flat out stating) encourage taking the sacrament in an LDS church.

Now Zaff, I really think that you need to be happy go lucky. Have you heard of the Dean Martin roast from the 1970’s? The roast was extremely funny. Here is Foster Brooks roasting Don Rickles. I have watched it many times and I still can’t stop laughing. Let me know what you think of it:

youtube.com/watch?v=DYusPRre07k

 

[Religio71]

The trouble is Religio did not post on that thread, as a matter of fact he wasn’t even a member when the last post was made on the thread.
You were not describing your own experience you were telling someone what to expect at a LDS church.

So again you are worming and squirming to avoid the truth. You did (and I am not implying I’m flat out stating) encourage taking the sacrament in an LDS church.

Exactly. It’s quite clear what he said:

There is nothing wrong in the lds faith that would prevent you from taking the sacrament. And since some Catholics on this forum don’t believe that the lds church is christian it should be no problem for you to do so. Have a good moment observing difference.

That’s like saying, sure, go and eat the fruits offered to Shiva at the Hindu temple. Since Catholics don’t believe that Hindus are Christian, it should be no problem for you to do so.

 

[Religio71]

Also, it’s funny how “Catholics on this forum” are the standard for what he said, and not, you know, what the leader(s) of Catholic Church itself says on this matter.

 

[PaulDupre]

Sounds like fun. The Olmecs and Atlantis and all that. After all, all humans originally came from Africa, anyway. Now don’t try to put it into KJE. That would be one mistake.

 

[AJTheMan]

I think that one could be a Catholic who believes in the words of the Book of Mormon. Like someone who attends mass and yet reads the bible but their bible also includes the Mormon scriptures. The only difference between a Catholic and an LDS-Catholic would be that the LDS-Catholic would have a few more books in their bible.

 

[PaulDupre]

From the LDS Church Handbook of Instructions (Book 1 for Stake Presidencies and Bishoprics), page 37:

“Although the sacrament is for Church members, the bishopric should not announce that it will be passed to members only, and nothing should be done to prevent nonmembers from partaking of it”.

Sure, because it is just bread and water. It is only special if you think it is special.

 

[Religio71]

I think that one could be a Catholic who believes in the words of the Book of Mormon. Like someone who attends mass and yet reads the bible but their bible also includes the Mormon scriptures. The only difference between a Catholic and an LDS-Catholic would be that the LDS-Catholic would have a few more books in their bible.

believing in the words of the Book of Mormon requires believing a number of things that are incompatible with Catholicism, including 1) Jesus went to America 2) Joseph Smith was a prophet that translated the Book of Mormon.

The Council of Trent confirmed the Canon of the Bible, and sorry, the Book of Mormon cannot be included in the Bible for Catholics.

 

[zaffiroborant]

Now Zaff, I really think that you need to be happy go lucky. Have you heard of the Dean Martin roast from the 1970’s? The roast was extremely funny. Here is Foster Brooks roasting Don Rickles. I have watched it many times and I still can’t stop laughing. Let me know what you think of it:

youtube.com/watch?v=DYusPRre07k

Sorry it doesn’t appeal to me:shrug: though I did col (chuckle out loud) occasionally. My DH usually comes up with videos and such that leave me laughing, though I can’t remember any off hand. If I do I’ll post links. Of course there is no guarantee that what makes me laugh will make you laugh, everybody has a different sense of humor.

 

[MelanieAnne]

I think that one could be a Catholic who believes in the words of the Book of Mormon. Like someone who attends mass and yet reads the bible but their bible also includes the Mormon scriptures. The only difference between a Catholic and an LDS-Catholic would be that the LDS-Catholic would have a few more books in their bible.

Anyone who believes that the Book of Mormon is scripture cannot be a Catholic. The faiths are utterly incompatible. If one chooses to read the Book of Mormon for recreation, considering it “fiction”, that may be something else. If one chooses to read the Book of Mormon for some entertainment purpose, or for whatever value the stories of the Book of Mormon has, fine.

But this idea that one can have a “testimony of the truthfulness” of the Book of Mormon and still be a Catholic is preposterous as the faiths are fundamentally different in a number of different areas. It’s not a matter of anyone’s opinion, it’s Catholic doctrine that would preclude such a situation.

 

[MelanieAnne]

Sorry it doesn’t appeal to me:shrug: though I did col (chuckle out loud) occasionally. My DH usually comes up with videos and such that leave me laughing, though I can’t remember any off hand. If I do I’ll post links. Of course there is no guarantee that what makes me laugh will make you laugh, everybody has a different sense of humor.

Zaff, for whatever its worth, I find the idea of griffins nesting in the eaves of your garage very appealing.

 

[jake23]

This is outside the scope of the current sub-threads, but I wanted to add it anyway:

One of my callings is/was Scoutmaster and being the father of five boys, it was not unexpected. I really enjoyed it. Along the way, I would frequently meet other (adult) scouters and the majority of them were from church sponsored scout troops. Many different churches. But it was interesting what a homogeneous group we were when it came to church, family and community. The district commisioner for the county was also a Mormon guy, in the same ward as I and we worked together frequently. He had the same observation too, that he felt that he was really part of both those groups and that they were very similar.

I know scouting is not as big a part of the Catholic church as it for the LDS but in some ways I feel it defines us a similar people. And not just Catholics but for everyone who “walks humbly before the Lord.”

All christians of all different religions should get together, however much one wants to pretend, it will remain the same that the Mormon beliefs are not christian and are infact that of an occult. If you know anything about the Bible and the Mormon beliefs you will see that there are huge and fundamental things that are contradicting so…you cannot compare LDS as a community along christian denominations or the holy Catholic church!
On another not over the mention of Scouting, the Catholic church is a bigger sponsor than any other church! remember there are 1.2 Billion catholics in the world and 60% of them are in the US.

You are important to God and I will pray that you will open your eyes to the truth! You deserve it and God wants it!

 

[jake23]

I agree that it sounds incorrect. How could the country hold that many catholics, whoever I saw the percentage of what catholics lived in america and it said 60% on EWTN. However I know defintelty that there are 1.2 Billion catholics and there is no uniqueness of the LDS church and Scouts outside of Utah!