Wishing to be Protestant again...

[Loboto-Me]

I think it has to do with how Protestant view themselves, we are to be in the world and not of it. So you will find much fellowship, however it seems catholics don’t have the same concern

What does inviting strangers to lunch have to do with being in the world but not of it? From my experience, there are thousands of denominations that have everything to do with being of the world… gyrating in the isles, coffeeshops while worshipping, health and wealth gospel, you get my drift.

If you go into a Mass, you’ll see that full focus is on God rather than what He can do for us.

 

[Catholicnow]

What does inviting strangers to lunch have to do with being in the world but not of it? From my experience, there are thousands of denominations that have everything to do with being of the world… gyrating in the isles, coffee shops while worshiping, health and wealth gospel, you get my drift.

If you go into a Mass, you’ll see that full focus is on God rather than what He can do for us.

Catholics are known for being almost a part of the world, Christians aren’t. We witness to them but fellowship with each other. I think catholics are frightened of it

 

[crazzeto]

What does inviting strangers to lunch have to do with being in the world but not of it? From my experience, there are thousands of denominations that have everything to do with being of the world… gyrating in the isles, coffeeshops while worshipping, health and wealth gospel, you get my drift.

If you go into a Mass, you’ll see that full focus is on God rather than what He can do for us.

I was rather puzzled here too, particularly considering everything about the Mass is designed to remind you you’re no longer participating in the world, but for the Mass you are in fact participating in the Heavenly Liturgy. Right down to Church Architecture. Do protestants have anything that compares? I’d be inclined to say you’re going to find more participation in the world fellowshiping than you are attending mass

 

[Loboto-Me]

Catholics are known for being almost a part of the world, Christians aren’t. We witness to them but fellowship with each other. I think catholics are frightened of it

Huh? This has got to be a joke!

 

[Catholicnow]

Nope

 

[Jerry_Parker]

I would not want to be stuck back in Protestantism again, but at times I do miss the quality of the sermons (not necessarily the content per se, but the extended discourse on Scriptural passages of expository preaching). Catholic priests nowadays are not really well educated, in all too many cases, even if it is in the truth, and their little homilies are rather paltry compared to real sermons.

Still, the sacraments are what count for the most, and of those, the Protestants are deficient.

Pax, Jerry Parker

 

[gurneyhalleck1]

I sometimes wonder, though, about people who are well-grounded in Scripture, who come to know Jesus deeply through these sermons, prayer, and who do his will compared to someone who receives the Sacraments and yet doesn’t know the Scriptures well, doesn’t know Christ in a meaningful way, and becomes robotic about those sacraments, which one truly knows Christ?

I would not want to be stuck back in Protestantism again, but at times I do miss the quality of the sermons (not necessarily the content per se, but the extended discourse on Scriptural passages of expository preaching). Catholic priests nowadays are not really well educated, in all too many cases, even if it is in the truth, and their little homilies are rather paltry compared to real sermons.

Still, the sacraments are what count for the most, and of those, the Protestants are deficient.

Pax, Jerry Parker

 

[TriuneUnity]

I sometimes wonder, though, about people who are well-grounded in Scripture, who come to know Jesus deeply through these sermons, prayer, and who do his will compared to someone who receives the Sacraments and yet doesn’t know the Scriptures well, doesn’t know Christ in a meaningful way, and becomes robotic about those sacraments, which one truly knows Christ?

Whichever one is Lutheran

 

[agent_grey]

Assuming you experience the real presence of Christ in communion. If not you should get out.

What would you prefer; fellowship with pagans and the taking of the Lords name upon a vein slice bread. Or the real thing.

I would suggest you look into whether or not there is a Traditional Latin mass in your area offered by a Traditional priest whos lines of ordination are via the traditional rite of ordination. But again… if you do not experience the real presence of Christ then you must get out.

And by the way church is not about haveing an awesome time with buddies. Church is about offering to almighty God an acceptible offering and putting forth your hand to take and eat of the tree of life so you may live forever.

 

[Cat]

Catholics have to stop equating Protestant church services with “entertainment.”

This is offensive and just plain incorrect. Unless you have grown up Protestant and been a Protestant, you really aren’t qualified to make this kind of wrong judgement.

Much of the music in Protestant churches is gorgeous, but that does not mean that the purpose of Protestant worship is to be entertained. Surely you don’t think that music has to be plain and dull in Mass, do you? Or that the musicians have to be incompetent and tone-deaf?

There are Catholic churches in the U.S. where the music is gorgeous–are those Catholics seeking entertainment? Of course not.

We should strive to give God the very best in everything, and that includes music. I play the piano well, and I am not about to sit up at the piano bench during Mass and deliberately play softly and slowly and ignore the notes and miss the rhythm of the piece out of fear of sounding like an “entertainer.” I’m playing for the Lord Jesus Christ, and He deserives my very best effort. If He doesn’t like my style, well, He’s the One who created me, and He can change my style!

As for some of the other practices in Protestant worship services, again, this is NOT entertainment to Protestants. It really isn’t. It’s business as usual, routine worship. E.g., in some Protestant denominations, it is common to see people clapping. They are not seeking entertainment, or approaching their worship service as though it is piece of theater or a rock concert. Heavens no! They are merely doing what the Bible talks about in many of the Psalms–clapping their hands to the Lord.

For those who grow up in Protestant churches, all of these musical styles and bodily postures and practices are the "norm. It’s not entertaining to them, it’s worship.

Have I made myself clear?

As for emotions, I would ask if any of you have ever been brought to tears by something or someone in the Mass, and I’m not talking about when you were an adorable infant. How many of you have cried for joy after receiving Eucharist? Or how many of you have been touched to tears by your favorite hymn, or by an inspiring homily? Human beings are emotional creatures, and that comes from God, and there is nothing wrong or disrespectful about feeling and showing emotions in church, either in Mass or in a worship service.

Also, the desire for fellowship with Christians is NOT the same as a desire to be “entertained.” How on earth did some of you ever get this ridiculous and wrong idea?!

Jesus Himself told His disciples at the Last Supper that He had earnestly desired to eat the Passover with them. We are created with a need for human companionship and fellowship. I’m not talking about drinking buddies, or work acquaintances. I’m talking about the need for deep and satisfying friendships with others who share the same love for Jesus that you have.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this need, because God is the One who created us with the need to be in community. Jesus prays that believers might be one.

I agree that Mass is not the place for hand-slapping and discussions about the game or the swim meet or the picnic. But Mass is definitely a time of fellowship, a time when we gather around the cross and experience the Sacrifice of our Lord. It makes sense that many of us would like to hang onto someone or at least have company during this solemn time! I would not have wanted to be at Calvary alone. ** Even our Blessed Mother Mary had companions while she witnessed the cruel death of her Son.**

I think it would be best if everyone simply stopped equating Protestant worship services and the desire for Christian fellowship with entertainment. That’s just so offensive and wrong on so levels.

 

[Cat]

I was rather puzzled here too, particularly considering everything about the Mass is designed to remind you you’re no longer participating in the world, but for the Mass you are in fact participating in the Heavenly Liturgy. Right down to Church Architecture. Do protestants have anything that compares? I’d be inclined to say you’re going to find more participation in the world fellowshiping than you are attending mass

Of course nothing on this earth compares with the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. So I agree that nothing compares with Mass, especially the Miracle of the Transubstantiation.

However, I can honestly say that there are Protestant worship services and experiences that open a door or window into heaven and give a glimpse of the glory of God.

The Holy Spirit is there among the Protestants, and He is the Lord and brings peace and conviction, and sometimes a mighty wind and miracles.

Some of the musical Protestant worship services are so beautiful that I truly believe the angels join in and sing. For 65 years in my city, a group of Christians has performed Handel’s Messiah. I’ve sung in the chorus, and I’ve sat in the audience. Either way, I feel that several of the choruses are ethereal in their majesty, and truly give honor and glory the Lord Jesus Christ.

I was privileged to attend Keith Green’s last concert before he died in a plane crash. Perhaps the Lord gave Keith some kind of special ability in those last days of his earthly life, because that concert was amazing, a peek into heaven.

I’ve been part of small group prayer meetings where we wrestled for souls and pleaded with the Lord to do mighty things, and He was there among us, and it was awe-inspiring.

Many of charismatic Protestants, especially in the African-American churches, literally forget all about this world as they worship, and see only Jesus.

Also, many Protestants have personally witnessed miracles, both physical and spiritual. Hard-core alcoholics have been wondrously converted and totally cured of any desire for alcohol. (The norm, though, is for the Lord to allow alcoholics to go through all kinds of struggles as they seek sobriety.) I’ve seen divorced couples re-united in marriage. I’ve seen children healed of diseases.

Finally, many Protestants experience martyrdom for their faith. The pastor of our Christian and Missionary Alliance church was a missionary in Viet Nam from the mid 1950s until 1972–that’s right, during the Viet Nam war. He and his wife had four children while they in Viet Nam–the children were born in the most primitive of conditions. He and his family were taken out of Viet Nam by American soldiers two weeks before the fall of Saigon. They made it out safely, but many of their fellow missionaries and the Vietnamese Christians died gruesome deaths at the hands of the Communists. One Protestant pastor was hung in a tree, and the Communists started at his feet and chopped them off with machetes. They worked their way up, chopping parts of his body away until there was nothing left.

I think that for these Protestant Christians, this “experience” of being martyred must surely rival the glories of the Catholic Mass, in which we encounter Jesus personally. I dare anyone to say that these Protestant martyrs are turned away from heaven by Jesus.

Yes, I will agree that the Mass is the epitome of our earthly experiences with Jesus. But Protestants come close once in a while.

 

[BettyM]

Of course nothing on this earth compares with the beauty of our Lord Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. So I agree that nothing compares with Mass, especially the Miracle of the Transubstantiation.

However, I can honestly say that there are Protestant worship services and experiences that open a door or window into heaven and give a glimpse of the glory of God.

The Holy Spirit is there among the Protestants, and He is the Lord and brings peace and conviction, and sometimes a mighty wind and miracles.

Some of the musical Protestant worship services are so beautiful that I truly believe the angels join in and sing. For 65 years in my city, a group of Christians has performed Handel’s Messiah. I’ve sung in the chorus, and I’ve sat in the audience. Either way, I feel that several of the choruses are ethereal in their majesty, and truly give honor and glory the Lord Jesus Christ.

I was privileged to attend Keith Green’s last concert before he died in a plane crash. Perhaps the Lord gave Keith some kind of special ability in those last days of his earthly life, because that concert was amazing, a peek into heaven.

I’ve been part of small group prayer meetings where we wrestled for souls and pleaded with the Lord to do mighty things, and He was there among us, and it was awe-inspiring.

Many of charismatic Protestants, especially in the African-American churches, literally forget all about this world as they worship, and see only Jesus.

Also, many Protestants have personally witnessed miracles, both physical and spiritual. Hard-core alcoholics have been wondrously converted and totally cured of any desire for alcohol. (The norm, though, is for the Lord to allow alcoholics to go through all kinds of struggles as they seek sobriety.) I’ve seen divorced couples re-united in marriage. I’ve seen children healed of diseases.

Finally, many Protestants experience martyrdom for their faith. The pastor of our Christian and Missionary Alliance church was a missionary in Viet Nam from the mid 1950s until 1972–that’s right, during the Viet Nam war. He and his wife had four children while they in Viet Nam–the children were born in the most primitive of conditions. He and his family were taken out of Viet Nam by American soldiers two weeks before the fall of Saigon. They made it out safely, but many of their fellow missionaries and the Vietnamese Christians died gruesome deaths at the hands of the Communists. One Protestant pastor was hung in a tree, and the Communists started at his feet and chopped them off with machetes. They worked their way up, chopping parts of his body away until there was nothing left.

I think that for these Protestant Christians, this “experience” of being martyred must surely rival the glories of the Catholic Mass, in which we encounter Jesus personally. I dare anyone to say that these Protestant martyrs are turned away from heaven by Jesus.

Yes, I will agree that the Mass is the epitome of our earthly experiences with Jesus. But Protestants come close once in a while.

You are very right in alot of what you say. Protestant christians are christians, too and have healings and miracles and many are also martyred for their faith in Christ. I have been to many protestant services and again you are right to them they are worshipping God.

Alot of them do not know any other way. That is how they were brought up. Clapping at church, pop music plays and skits. Many love the Lord very, very much and seek to obey God and do to the best of their ability. The thing is alot of times it is entertainment. I was protestant for 12+ years and it was entertainment the churches tried to provide. This is their purpose, to provide teaching by entertaining, interesting ways. To list a few examples of what I saw was: Elvis Presly, clowns, Family feud played on Christmas,other game shows, popcorn, candy sold, tootsie roll pops handed out at the door to adults, very, very silly plays and skits created to make one laugh, many more but the worst was old movies of Jesus where they redid the words and gave Jesus a lisp and feminine qualities. All this in the name of worship. Little by little they run out of ideas and it just gets worse and worse.

Someone who grew up in a protestant church would probably not have experienced this type of worship in past years but this is becoming the norm. Maybe it is all they know but then in that case that is sad because the fullness of Christianity is found in the Catholic church and unless they know there is more to it than that they are missing out on the closeness to Jesus we experience every Sunday at Mass. Someone needs to let them know about the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

I know alot of very good protestants who live for Christ, but I also know they are hungry for more than what their services offer. I know. I was there. I heard it. I experienced it. They are Christians but they are not experiencing the fullness of Christianity. It not an either, or situation or a right and wrong. It is about fullness. I’ve heard alot of protestant Christians begging for more. I am very serious, they are begging for more but do not know where to go. A very famous phrase is “I am not being fed.” They move around from church to church looking for nourishment. They need our prayers and our witness of where the true food is.

Also, alot of people in protestant churches are ex-catholics who need prayed home.

I agree with alot of what you say but not all. From my experience there I say pray for our protestant brothers and sisters alot of them are very hungry for more.

 

[Bluegoat]

Catholics have to stop equating Protestant church services with “entertainment.”

This is offensive and just plain incorrect. Unless you have grown up Protestant and been a Protestant, you really aren’t qualified to make this kind of wrong judgement.

Much of the music in Protestant churches is gorgeous, but that does not mean that the purpose of Protestant worship is to be entertained. Surely you don’t think that music has to be plain and dull in Mass, do you? Or that the musicians have to be incompetent and tone-deaf?

There are Catholic churches in the U.S. where the music is gorgeous–are those Catholics seeking entertainment? Of course not.

We should strive to give God the very best in everything, and that includes music. I play the piano well, and I am not about to sit up at the piano bench during Mass and deliberately play softly and slowly and ignore the notes and miss the rhythm of the piece out of fear of sounding like an “entertainer.” I’m playing for the Lord Jesus Christ, and He deserives my very best effort. If He doesn’t like my style, well, He’s the One who created me, and He can change my style!

As for some of the other practices in Protestant worship services, again, this is NOT entertainment to Protestants. It really isn’t. It’s business as usual, routine worship. E.g., in some Protestant denominations, it is common to see people clapping. They are not seeking entertainment, or approaching their worship service as though it is piece of theater or a rock concert. Heavens no! They are merely doing what the Bible talks about in many of the Psalms–clapping their hands to the Lord.

For those who grow up in Protestant churches, all of these musical styles and bodily postures and practices are the "norm. It’s not entertaining to them, it’s worship.

Have I made myself clear?

As for emotions, I would ask if any of you have ever been brought to tears by something or someone in the Mass, and I’m not talking about when you were an adorable infant. How many of you have cried for joy after receiving Eucharist? Or how many of you have been touched to tears by your favorite hymn, or by an inspiring homily? Human beings are emotional creatures, and that comes from God, and there is nothing wrong or disrespectful about feeling and showing emotions in church, either in Mass or in a worship service.

Also, the desire for fellowship with Christians is NOT the same as a desire to be “entertained.” How on earth did some of you ever get this ridiculous and wrong idea?!

Jesus Himself told His disciples at the Last Supper that He had earnestly desired to eat the Passover with them. We are created with a need for human companionship and fellowship. I’m not talking about drinking buddies, or work acquaintances. I’m talking about the need for deep and satisfying friendships with others who share the same love for Jesus that you have.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this need, because God is the One who created us with the need to be in community. Jesus prays that believers might be one.

I agree that Mass is not the place for hand-slapping and discussions about the game or the swim meet or the picnic. But Mass is definitely a time of fellowship, a time when we gather around the cross and experience the Sacrifice of our Lord. It makes sense that many of us would like to hang onto someone or at least have company during this solemn time! I would not have wanted to be at Calvary alone. ** Even our Blessed Mother Mary had companions while she witnessed the cruel death of her Son.**

I think it would be best if everyone simply stopped equating Protestant worship services and the desire for Christian fellowship with entertainment. That’s just so offensive and wrong on so levels.

I think you have summed up much of the frustration I feel with these threads, Cat. On the one hand, there are some Protestant groups that have far too much emphasis on attracting new people, and will do whatever it takes to do so, without offering much to deepen the spiritual life of those who are already there.

But most of the time, Protestant communities are doing very much the same thing the Catholic ones are.

I find the Catholic responses to these things to be very defensive - “well, we have the real Sacraments, nah nah nah nah nah”. In my parish, people put a lot of time and effort into the liturgy and the music, not to be “entertaining” but top glorify God. And at the best Catholic efforts, the same thing happens, and it is beautiful, and people are emotionally moved.

And as far as “fellowship” what that is about is a community. A pot-luck supper, or a bible study, are a way to be together as a community, to share our journey with others, to find strength and companionship. And it is harder than ever to really find these things, with people living far away from their families, and the large numbers of non-Christians. People really do need opportunities for Christian friendships, especially between the ages of 12 and 25. In fact, I think that is part of the reason forums like this are so popular.

It continually boggles me that some Catholics insist that they do not need these things, and that because some Protestants have them they must be inferior. A Catholic friend of mine thinks that many unhealthy Catholic practices come from the “magic cookie effect”. That is more to life than the Eucharist, strange as it is to find myself saying it.

 

[tweetymom]

Thank you Cat for your most wonderfulposts. And all the things you mentioned are the thing I miss most. When I go to Mass I raise my arms and worship God when the Holy Spirit encourages me to. I want to go back to where I was and feel the joy of the Lord.

But I can’t at this time so I just worship the Lord in my heart and praise His Holy name whereever I am at, be it at Mass or home.

 

[Jerry_Parker]

Gurney Halleck 1,

**You wrote: ** *I sometimes wonder, though, about people who are well-grounded in Scripture, who come to know Jesus deeply through these sermons, prayer, and who do his will compared to someone who receives the Sacraments and yet doesn’t know the Scriptures well, doesn’t know Christ in a meaningful way, and becomes robotic about those sacraments, which one truly knows Christ? *​

Well, the Catholic sacraments ARE more important than preaching, even good preaching. It is God Himself Who does His perfect work through them, whereas even good and orthodox preachers offer what is human and imperfect. Ideally there should be a good balance of sacraments and preaching, but at least, in these difficult times for the Catholic Church when disobedience and deviation runs amok in clergy ranks, there is an advantage in homilies tending to be so short: bad and careless preaching doled out in such small doses tends to have little effect on the laity, who still hear a LOT of the very words of Holy Scripture in the Lectionary and elsewhere in the liturgy. God works through his word (as objectively truly as in His sacraments), and that is something that does not get interfered with much in a less than satisfactory brief homily of erratic quality.

Given the choice, I’d go for the sacraments with no sermon or homily at all than for a sermon-dominated service that even has too great likelihood of introducing error.

Pax, Jerry Parker

 

[Hiskid1973]

Thank you Cat for your most wonderfulposts. And all the things you mentioned are the thing I miss most. When I go to Mass I raise my arms and worship God when the Holy Spirit encourages me to. I want to go back to where I was and feel the joy of the Lord.

But I can’t at this time so I just worship the Lord in my heart and praise His Holy name whereever I am at, be it at Mass or home.

Yes Tweetymom, I’ve had some incredible times at home during intercession and praise with a worship cd on…Hands up tears flowing and God wraps me in His sweet presence…The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows

 

[eucharisteo]

Yea, I hear you brother. I miss the disfellowshiping, divisiveness, backstabbing, the truly saved because we showed up on Wednesday night or Sunday nights. Lord help us if we missed anything, we’d never hear the end of it. Yep, fellowship with a gun to your head. No thank you. After floating around from city to city and congregation to congregation listening to them complain about the liberal congregations on the North Elmore Church across town. I can do without those piercing hateful looks and remarks because my wife’s dress was not far enough below the knee and I asked the bible instructor uncomfortable questions he did not know the answers to, or because we disagreed that door knocking to convert the lost Catholics living in Apartments - poor people condemned and didn’t even know it.

I’m happy being Catholic. Not all priests are that boring. Ours is truly gifted and gives his all. So we’re very lucky I’m sure. But I’ve been through the ringer on boring homilies before and also in the previous congregations we belonged to before converting. That is neither here nor there in my book. the message is what I’m looking for and if God is speaking to me through the preacher.

THANK GOD WE"RE CATHOLIC!!! We have the Eucharist and Confession. I see really holy people in the Church compared to some of the self-righteous we put up with in our previous faith. If you’ve ever been disfellowshiped before then you know what I mean. If not, then you have been very fortunate and must have toted the party line no matter what, even if it hurt people. At least that’s my opinion. Most of the Christians I know play the game at church but at home, away from family, pull out the wine glasses and dance the night away. You have to play along with it or be recipient of the hellfire and brimstone speeches that condemn you to hell. No thanks, I love Christ’s Church and the sacraments.

 

[lmc1]

Welcome home and welcome to the Forum.

It must be truly a transistion for you. How do you manage the changes from the outward and direct kind of worship of the Pentecostals to the devotional and the reverence worship of the Catholics in the Sacraments?

God bless you and thanks for sharing your conversion with us.

@ Reuben J,

PRAYER and focus on JESUS! I LOVE HIM first and the mass is where HE is at in a way I never had experienced before, and that fills my soul more than any type of worship or event or anything I had in my Pentecostal years. Now I am blessed with a Charismatic personality therefore I made it a point to meet MANY friends and get to know the priests very well. I worship to my charismatic prophetic worship at home and i am still Pentecostal. It’s who I was for 30yrs. So I feel blessed to be Catholic first Pentecostal second. There is nothing boring about the mass to me. The anti-social people don’t bother me. It’s where your focus is. It can be discouraging if I take my eyes off the bigger picture and purpose, “JESUS.” But I have a wonderful intimate relationship with Him and HE is what gets me through! The transition was hard when I was trying to fit in and do it and make myself comfortable and etc…But when you lay it ALL before HIS feet (no matter how small the issues are or large) HE is Abba Father! HE loves us! HE will never call us somewhere without equiping us! So that is how I am able to transition, it’s ALL through and because of HIM. I don’t and can;t rely on my own strength and opinions.

The tempature is definitely different!!! But GOD! And once I read on EVERYTHING about the mass, nothing matters. It is so beautiful! No matter what the homily sounds like, it’s ALL beautiful and such a gift to us who just complain and forget the gift HE left us in a such a sacrficial way that how can we ever call HIS gift and HIM boring or less than anything than what it is… Not saying feelings aren’t real. We can feel many emotions, and they may not be wrong…but we need to shift to only see HIM and what HE did for us and left for us, nothing more.

I still teach my children how to worship. We read devos out of fabulous life lesson protestant bibles in the morning everyday, and Catholic bible every night! I have it all… as far as teaching, worship, studies, social life etc… But it’s not because of me and who I am and how I thought to do things, it was all HIM and His leading and revealing.

That’s how… relying fully on the trinity!

 

[Lutheranteach]

I’m a former Protestant… and I know what you mean… but I wouldn’t trade the Eucharist for any amount of fellowship

that being said, maybe you could get more involved in your parish, or go on some retreats, etc, and meet people there? But I really think that Church is to grow closer to God, and the Catholic Church does this better than any other, imho you really can’t get closer to Him than the Eucharist.

Also… my old non denom church was really into fellowship… and they made us sign our names every Sunday, to keep in touch with us… but when I stopped going, no one contacted me. Some of my old acquaintances stopped talking to me once I became Catholic. I don’t know, but I think all this fellowship is mostly on the surface level and doesn’t progress to real friendship.

Honestly, I feel I have the best of both. I have great fellowship at my Lutheran Church, but I receive the Eucharist every week. Of course there are those Catholics who would tell me I’m only playing church since neither Lutheran clergy or Eucharist is valid, but that is another discussion. I will also say the fellowship is quite real with numerous offers for help, with no prompting, during some situations where it was very appreciated.

 

[lmc1]

Catholics have to stop equating Protestant church services with “entertainment.”

This is offensive and just plain incorrect. Unless you have grown up Protestant and been a Protestant, you really aren’t qualified to make this kind of wrong judgement.

As for some of the other practices in Protestant worship services, again, this is NOT entertainment to Protestants. It really isn’t. It’s business as usual, routine worship. E.g., in some Protestant denominations, it is common to see people clapping. They are not seeking entertainment, or approaching their worship service as though it is piece of theater or a rock concert. Heavens no! They are merely doing what the Bible talks about in many of the Psalms–clapping their hands to the Lord.

For those who grow up in Protestant churches, all of these musical styles and bodily postures and practices are the "norm. It’s not entertaining to them, it’s worship.

Have I made myself clear?

As for emotions, I would ask if any of you have ever been brought to tears by something or someone in the Mass, and I’m not talking about when you were an adorable infant. How many of you have cried for joy after receiving Eucharist? Or how many of you have been touched to tears by your favorite hymn, or by an inspiring homily? Human beings are emotional creatures, and that comes from God, and there is nothing wrong or disrespectful about feeling and showing emotions in church, either in Mass or in a worship service.

I think it would be best if everyone simply stopped equating Protestant worship services and the desire for Christian fellowship with entertainment. That’s just so offensive and wrong on so levels.

@ Cat,

I guess according to your quote I am elgible to speak on behalf of the Protestants, since I just converted this Easter of being Pentecostal most my life. I have to be honest, I don’t feel or see these comments being offensive to the Protestant faith.My experience has been I have heard and seen more hate and rock throwing towards Catholics from Protestants. When i just recently converted, oh boy!! People have said the meanest and just unfair things towards the Catholic faith all based on assumption/misconceptions.

How can you speak on behalf of their hearts?? You can speak on how they do church/worship. Sorry, no offense please… but not every protestant worshiper/church goer is are all there to receive the holy spirit and be in “awe…” MANY MANY I know are there for entertainment, and that’s coming from my own conversations with many! I can’t judge their hearts, but I can base my opinion on their own words. I have been in pentecostal churches from california to michigan, all over… and my experience has been more of what these Catholic comments have been, sorry! I was in pastoral leadership and I was very active in a church recently for over 10yrs…and sorry, but it is not all what you are defending them to be. Many would worship at the altar to just nudge you in the hallway and treat you so cold and no different than a secular rock concert. How can they be in the throne of heaven one minute to wicked the next… yes, we are all sinners and fall short and make mistakes, agree. HOWEVER, my point is not speaking on perfection and short comings. My point is read the corinthian church. You can manifest in the gifts and APPEAR to be all in the holy spirit, but without “love” none of that matters! It doesn’t mean they have more of God’s favor or any of Gods favor, or maybe they do… but they are all gifts. Worship is a gift, tongues etc… but just because they are evident in the service doesn’t mean they are in right with the father.

None of us can attack them for only going there for entertainment and none of us can defend that that’s not true. We don’t know their hearts. But you will know them by their fruits… You can cry at an altar by the music, but what does that mean? what is your point? You know where someone’s focus is and their first love when you see where there money and time is…etc…

For me, my experience every single “protestant” church I was in from child up till this year… has been ALL about entertainment. Not saying that’s why they go, or that’s what they realize is in their hearts, or saying they don’t love Jesus or Jesus loves them less. Not saying any of that! But…, that’s the majority of what’s present. Events, excitement, and a 2 hour sermon based off one (if you’re lucky a paragraph) verse added with their bad or good week testimony. and the more motivating they are in their preaching style the more “powerful!” the word was!! Take away the music, what do you have?

There is good and bad in ALL churches/parishes. I can’t judge the hearts of Catholics. THey are not all nice, warm and fuzzy i admit. But I do know you walk in…, with your eyes, ears and all your senses, you will pick up reverence, peace, love, everything leads back to “christ”. No matter how many times I jumped, yelled, cried on my face in worship at church before…, I feel deceived. That wasn’t Christ centered…I thought. If you were to ask me or my friends I still have there, yes it is. But now that I know both worlds, it’s not.

Just because my husband says he loves me, if he is out all the time or cheated on me or sat in front of a tv all day etc…do I really believe his focus is on me and our marriage. Am I really going to walk away feeling our family was first…but he said it was…he had tears when he said it too…those are actions, those are fruits…(by the way my husband is amazing, just trying to make a point that just crying in an intimate way at an altar means nothing…). Where is Christ? Where’s the crucifixes in the church? Where’s the reverence?

However, I do think it’s imporant for fellowshiping.
-In His love