I attended a Catholic mass

[Pygoscelis]

In my visits to various places of worship (Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh) I've only found hardcore hate being preached in particular protestant churches. I did not know what to expect in a Catholic church.

 

[glo]

In Islam we are encouraged to keep our sins to ourselves and to not share them with people. We ask God directly for forgiveness and we ask others who we have offended or injured to forgive us as well.

I am aware of that and think it quite interesting.
I completely agree that we can (and should ) ask God directly for forgiveness.

I am assuming that "we ask others who we have offended or injured to forgive us as well" means that you should speak to those you have wronged and ask their forgiveness directly from them? So it is encouraged to confess your sin to those you have harm with it? But discouraged to talk about your sins to third parties?
Am I understanding correctly?

 

[glo]

In September 2010 I travelled 6 hours to the church I grew up in to hear a seminar 'Revealing the Truth about Islam' where an Egyptian Christian, Usama Dakdok, spent 2 hours speaking hatefully about Islam, Muhammad and Muslims. I learned about this seminar by chance after reconnecting with a high school classmate who was the associate pastor at this church.

In my visits to various places of worship (Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh) I've only found hardcore hate being preached in particular protestant churches. I did not know what to expect in a Catholic church.

I feel really saddened when I hear such accounts. imsad

I don't think (or perhaps I just hope) that such things are very common here in the UK.

I attended a free evangelical church for a while. And they sometimes preached quite clearly that (for example) homosexuality was wrong or other religions were wrong. So not the most tolerant of churches.
But even then there was never a message of hate attached. The message was always to love people regardless of their faults and mistakes, and to keep being friends and praying for them.

So stories of hate preachers (other than what I see in the media and mostly seems to come from the US) are very alien to me, and simply not part of my own experience ...

My apologies to any of you who have been at the receiving end of such people! :embarrass

 

[IbnAbdulHakim]

In my visits to various places of worship (Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh) I've only found hardcore hate being preached in particular protestant churches. I did not know what to expect in a Catholic church.

I see, sorry for not understanding that.

Even some muslims fall into hate preaching, may Allah grant us understanding and compassion.

such things benefit no one, and harm many...

 

[dusk]

However, there can be something profound and even healing in sharing one's mistakes with another person one trusts. A bit like sharing and off-loading a burden ...

Sure but unfortunately that is not how they did things when I was young. Mostly surrounded by really liberal Catholics but still they had their weird ideas. When I was in 2nd grade, 8 years I think, they dragged us once a year to the priest. They did it twice, later I think we'd have to much self-confidence to go involuntarily. Young children who did know their religion teacher but didn't know that priest at all. I remember I didn't like him at all.
So they wanted us to confess some sins. We ended up sharing possible ideas and next told some made up story to satisfy him. What has an 8 year old really to confess and if he had why would he tell some stranger he just met and doesn't like.

I suppose they only wanted to show us how the process works but it is still dumb and they did a bad job. The Methodist in the US have been much smarter. They keep the children in some kindergarden until they are old enough to want to attend church by themselves. No frightening stuff of sending children into a dark room together with some old man they don't know very well.
He was probably a nice enough priest, but I was not a trusting 8 year old and I greatly disliked the 1-2 lessons in religion class that he held.

I think Austrian Catholics are far ahead theologically than some of the fundi US Christians but in traditions Catholics are a bit stupid.

 

[GuestFellow]

In my visits to various places of worship (Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh) I've only found hardcore hate being preached in particular protestant churches. I did not know what to expect in a Catholic church.

Hardcore hate preaching occurs in Canada protestant churches? O_O That's news to me. Can you give me an example of this hardcore hate preaching?

 

[MustafaMc]

I am assuming that "we ask others who we have offended or injured to forgive us as well" means that you should speak to those you have wronged and ask their forgiveness directly from them? So it is encouraged to confess your sin to those you have harm with it? But discouraged to talk about your sins to third parties?

Peaceful greetings, glo. Yes, sins can be against other people such as talking badly about them to other people (backbiting), acting toward them in a condescending manner, a husband being abusive to his wife, a wife being disrespectful to her husband, etc. For these offenses we should go to them directly and try to make amends. Other sins are against his own soul by being disobedient to God with no harm to other people such as a man looking lustfully at pictures of women, drinking alcohol, neglecting prayer, etc. For these sins we confess them privately to God and ask directly for His forgiveness.

 

[MustafaMc]

In my visits to various places of worship (Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh) I've only found hardcore hate being preached in particular protestant churches.

The southern US states, a.k.a the 'Bible Belt', is the absolute worst for this intolerance with Qur'an burning, Masjid burning and vandalism, protests against Masjid buidling, anti-Sharia laws, and hate mongering in churches. These same people also unquestionable support Zionist Israel and the 'War on Terror'.

 

[Ramadhan]

I'd agree with that. Nobody should be required or even entitled to absolve another of their sins and mistakes. Either God forgives or he doesn't ...
..

I thought christians believe that Jesus (p) absolves human's sins and mistakes and give carte blanche to paradise?

 

[Pygoscelis]

Hardcore hate preaching occurs in Canada protestant churches? O_O That's news to me. Can you give me an example of this hardcore hate preaching?

I did not witness it in Ontario and doubt it happens much here. I saw it in the US bible belt and then again in Alberta (Canada's version of the bible belt). In Alberta (which really surprised me) the preacher gave a long speech about how those who refuse to follow Jesus and who close their ears to his message are doomed to hell and deserve eternal suffering and separation from God (there was no sense of sorrow for them, more a sense of vengeance) and that we should not associate with them or they will drag us down. He then went into a long homophobic speech about how vile homosexuals are.

 

[dusk]

I thought christians believe that Jesus (p) absolves human's sins and mistakes and give carte blanche to paradise?

No you got the wrong timeline.
Christians think that there is some kind of inherited sin all the way since adam & eve. Jesus fixed that and absolves those that join him on his way but that still means future sins aren't preabsolved.

 

[glo]

I thought christians believe that Jesus (p) absolves human's sins and mistakes and give carte blanche to paradise?

No you got the wrong timeline.
Christians think that there is some kind of inherited sin all the way since adam & eve. Jesus fixed that and absolves those that join him on his way but that still means future sins aren't preabsolved.

There are some Christians who believe those things, but this one (and most other Christians I know) doesn't.

Very briefly (I am not into lengthy theological debates. I have had too many of them in this forum and it is not why I am here. If anybody wants to ask further questions, you can do so via PM - but forum rules limit me to what I can say and explain about my faith)

Yes, Christians believe that our human sinfulness is a barrier between us and God, and that Jesus came to restore our relationship with God. By overcoming death and raising from the dead himself, he has given us all the opportunity for eternal life. And yes, he absolves our sins if we ask for forgiveness.

Ramadhan, those who believe that all you have to do is say 'I believe' and you are guaranteed entry into paradise, may be in for a nasty shock!
There are plenty of Bible verses (by Jesus himself), which indicate that our behaviour and attitude and conduct in life matter. And that we will be judged accordingly!
We are called to build God's kingdom here in earth and we do that by loving God and loving our neighbours.

 

[glo]

I'd agree with that. Nobody should be required or even entitled to absolve another of their sins and mistakes. Either God forgives or he doesn't ...

However, there can be something profound and even healing in sharing one's mistakes with another person one trusts. A bit like sharing and off-loading a burden ...

I thought christians believe that Jesus (p) absolves human's sins and mistakes and give carte blanche to paradise?

Brother Ramadhan, whilst I was cooking the evening meal and pondering your comment, it suddenly occured to me that you might think that Christians don't feel the need to ask for forgiveness or repent of their sins?
(If I am mistaken and I have misunderstood your comment, then please forgive me and ignore this post.)

It is common practice in many churches to pray a communal prayer of repentance during the service. Usually with words something like this:

Almighty God,
we have gone our own way,
not loving you as we ought,
nor loving our neighbours as ourselves.
We have sinned against you
in thought, word and deed
and in what we have failed to do.
We deserve your condemnation.
Father, forgive us.
Help us to love you and our neighbours,
and to live for your honour and glory. Amen.

I hope that you can understand from that that repentance and asking for God's forgiveness is very much part of any Christian's daily practice.

If you have been led to believe otherwise, then you really are misinformed.

 

[sister herb]

Sometimes I go to Catholic mass, I tell priest I just wanna sit and listen even my religion is different.

:statisfie

 

[Pygoscelis]

I do that with lots of religions, but I never tell them why I'm there. I just try to blend in as one of them.

 

[sister herb]

To me, with islamic hijab is quite difficult to look as Christian.

Maybe.

;D

 

[Ramadhan]

No you got the wrong timeline.
Christians think that there is some kind of inherited sin all the way since adam & eve. Jesus fixed that and absolves those that join him on his way but that still means future sins aren't preabsolved.

Care to provide evidence?

Because as I understand it, christians believe that Jesus' spilt blood only absolves the sins of those who proclaimed He is God, therefore non-christians cannot go to paradise because our inherited sins are not absolved.

 

[Ramadhan]

Brother Ramadhan, whilst I was cooking the evening meal and pondering your comment, it suddenly occured to me that you might think that Christians don't feel the need to ask for forgiveness or repent of their sins?
(If I am mistaken and I have misunderstood your comment, then please forgive me and ignore this post.)

It is common practice in many churches to pray a communal prayer of repentance during the service. Usually with words something like this:

I hope that you can understand from that that repentance and asking for God's forgiveness is very much part of any Christian's daily practice.

If you have been led to believe otherwise, then you really are misinformed.

The one difference between muslims and christians is that christians believe Jesus (p) was God who came down to earth and died to absolve human's inherited sins. While muslims do not believe Jesus (p) was God, and thus christians believe muslims can never go to paradise because God's spilt blood only cover/absolved the sins of christians.

Am I correct in my understanding?

 

[MustafaMc]

Almighty God,
we have gone our own way,
not loving you as we ought,
nor loving our neighbours as ourselves.
We have sinned against you
in thought, word and deed
and in what we have failed to do.
We deserve your condemnation.
Father, forgive us.
Help us to love you and our neighbours,
and to live for your honour and glory. Amen.

That was a nice prayer and one that I can relate to; however, it strikes me as odd in not mentioning Jesus or the cross. It seems that your Christian faith may be quite different from the Protestant one I grew up with. The concept of atonement versus forgiveness has often puzzled me.

 

[Logikon]

Third, I noticed the priest mix two cups of liquid into a third, dip a cracker in it, sing to the cracker, and eat it. He then fed other crackers to the parishioners for the eucharist.

It is a good thing there are no blasphmey laws in your country. You have insulted religious practise.