How many people...

[Micheal5403]

[quote]I said no I never would, I didn't mean I'd never attend any other service because I have before, but I wouldn't attend with an aquiring heart. I found the fullness of Truth in the Catholic Church (dispite cradle catholic status, i found it for myself later on) Jesus IS present in the Eucharist, so I wouldn't leave that for ANYTHING. However, thays not to say that I don't think the other denominations and religions don't have Jesus present to them in other ways (even if they don't realize its Jesus who is present) and that the others don't have excellent aspects. I appreciate the good stuff about them, but the Ultimate Truth is present in the Eucharist.[/quote]

Thank you. that is where I stand also. my best friends are baptist and I've attended their church a few times and it really helped me understand what their beliefs and arguements were based on, which in turn prepared me for questions they might ask about the Catholic church and how I could answer them. Now what is the other 13 people's story.(maybe I wasn't clear enough in my question but I tried to fix that.)

[Micheal5403]

why are so many people close minded? I'm only asking if you would be open to [u][b]ATTENDING[/b][/u] another churches service... even if only just to gain some understanding of your fellow brothren.

[Benedict]

Lots of people are probably voting without looking through the thread to see all the changes you made to the question.

[Apotheoun]

I can only speak for myself, but as a former Protestant I have no interest whatsoever in attending non-Catholic worship services.

In addition, although I do not think that attending Protestant worship services is the best way to inform oneself about Protestant beliefs, I don't really have a problem with Catholics going to such services, so long as the dangers of apostasy and indifferentism are avoided.

God bless,
Todd

[crusader1234]

I enjoy Synagogue, how do you feel about that? My neighbour is a rabbi and tons of my friends are Jewish so I go to Shabbat dinners and stuff, is that alright?

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='crusader1234' date='Dec 30 2004, 01:33 PM'] I enjoy Synagogue, how do you feel about that? My neighbour is a rabbi and tons of my friends are Jewish so I go to Shabbat dinners and stuff, is that alright? [/quote]
Regular attendence at non-Catholic worship services could lead to apostasy and indifferentism; therefore, it would depend upon why you attend such services. If you attend them in order to render glory to God, that could be a problem, for the only true way to do that, is by uniting oneself with Christ in His one all holy oblation rendered present mystically in the Divine Liturgy.

God bless,
Todd

[crusader1234]

I do it not to render glory to God, but rather to udnerstand the fullness of Catholocism... Catholocism is Judaism in a sense, and I think its interesting to explore that base upon which our faith in Christ comes.

[Micheal5403]

[quote]Lots of people are probably voting without looking through the thread to see all the changes you made to the question.[/quote]

sorry , you're probably right. I was just in a bad mood last night.

[Micheal5403]

[quote]I do not think that attending Protestant worship services is the best way to inform oneself about Protestant beliefs[/quote]

What is then?

[Tink]

'yes- other'

I was born and raised Catholic. Technically, I've been Catholic the entire time.
I was lead astray by Satan's evil ways.
I was agnostic for the majority of my life.
I found Wicca, which, emotionally, made sense.
I finally found Catholicism, which, realistically, has always made sense. Always.

[Tink]

Additionally, I have since attended one non-denominational service at a local Christian church. I did this for apologetic reasons, to come to understand exactly what was manipulating so many of my friends to accept such a practice. As expected, the service in question thrived on emotions, which, as we all know, do not dictate or serve as indicators of faith.

[Apotheoun]

[quote name='Micheal5403' date='Dec 30 2004, 09:12 PM'] [quote name='Apotheoun' date='Dec 30 2004, 1:27 PM']I do not think that attending Protestant worship services is the best way to inform oneself about Protestant beliefs.[/quote]
What is then? [/quote]
It would be more informative to study the history of the Reformation, the various Protestant formularies and the Catholic responses to them (with particular emphasis on the Council of Trent), rather than go to a worship service without knowing the reasons why the group you're visiting worships the way it does. To think that attendance at a Protestant worship service is going to teach you about the nature of Protestant belief is somewhat naive, and I say this as a former Protestant. As I said in my earlier post, I am not opposed to Catholics knowing more about Protestant belief, but they should do it in a way that does not lead to a false irenicism or the heresy of indifferentism.

God bless,
Todd

[cathqat]

Was raised Episcopalian with Evangelical leanings. Became an idol-worshipping pagan in high school. Became a practicing Christian in college, and a hardcore double-predestinarian, supralapsarian Calvinist. Received into the Catholic Church on the Feast of the Assumption in 1995.

What made me become Catholic? A combination of factors, of course. My intense debates with Arminians led me to the conclusion that the common Protestant interpretation of [i]sola fide[/i] was irrational. Studying Calvinism and simultaneously reading Augustine slowly convinced me that Protestantism is intrinsically Gnostic due its implicit nominalist assumptions. As I read more and more ancient Christian writings, Protestantism became less and less tenable. I befriended more and more Catholic and Eastern Orthodox friends who were able to answer my questions.

I have no objections to visiting other Christians' worship services. I lived in a Serbian Orthodox rectory for several years, after all, and my family is still Episcopalian. But there is no question that I am home as a Catholic.