Should I Return?

[FaithT]

Thank you!

It doesn’t help that hubby doesn’t go to church except on Christmas and Easter with me, wherever I’m going.
Our married daughter became a Catholic about 5 or 6 years ago, so there’s that.

 

[chevyontheriver]

It doesn’t help that hubby doesn’t go to church except on Christmas and Easter with me, wherever I’m going.
Our married daughter became a Catholic about 5 or 6 years ago, so there’s that.

Was hubby a Catholic?

 

[FaithT]

Was hubby a Catholic?

No. Baptist.

 

[joymercy]

try doing adoration on your knees and close up front to the Monstrance

 

[FaithT]

try doing adoration on your knees and close up front to the Monstrance

Ok. What if I do this and I feel that the Lutheran church is where God is leading me?

 

[fhansen]

I’m a former Catholic who has been chec king out other churches for the past five or so years, finally settling on the Lutheran LCMS. Lately I’ve been missing the Catholic “extras” like my rosary, wearing my Miraculous Medal, going to Confession, and of course the Catholic Eucharist (though the LCMS strongly believe their Holy Communion is Jesus). Give me reasons for why I should return to Catholicism, because while I miss some things I also do like my LCMS church, especially the music. We have a praise band that rivals music on a Contemporary Christian radio station.

Because Lutheranism is based on and contains half-truths, not possessing the fullness of truth as the CC does. Any other reason is rather peripheral anyway.

 

[WarriorAngel]

Ok. What if I do this and I feel that the Lutheran church is where God is leading me?

But why do you ask? Why do you feel pulled back?
If you were truly content you wouldn't be seeking to know more about why to return... because the Lord above is pulling you back.
He will continue to do so til you relent. IMHO.

 

[FaithT]

But why do you ask? Why do you feel pulled back?
If you were truly content you wouldn't be seeking to know more about why to return... because the Lord above is pulling you back.
He will continue to do so til you relent. IMHO.

Do you agree with fhansen?

 

[boughtwithaprice]

Ok. What if I do this and I feel that the Lutheran church is where God is leading me?

There is only One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. To attend any other is to be in rebellion to her.
Choice of music and saying that you are bored are poor reasons for leaving the Church. It is Jesus' body and blood, soul and divinity on that altar at Mass. If you don't see that, then you lack faith, you should ask God in prayer until you do.
When is that last time you were at confession? If you haven't been since leaving the Church, then you are in a state of mortal sin, and its no wonder you have a aversion to Mass. You are not properly disposed to receive the Eucharist and would be heaping condemnation on yourself if you did. Go to confession and return to your Lord.
The Catholic Church is the only one founded by Christ Himself; the others were founded by men that would not endure sound doctrine and heaped up teachers to tell them what their itching ears wanted to hear. There is no freedom of religion in heaven. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one forgiveness of sins. Where do you want to be, and where are you going?

 

[FaithT]

There is only One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. To attend any other is to be in rebellion to her.
Choice of music and saying that you are bored are poor reasons for leaving the Church. It is Jesus' body and blood, soul and divinity on that altar at Mass. If you don't see that, then you lack faith, you should ask God in prayer until you do.
When is that last time you were at confession? If you haven't been since leaving the Church, then you are in a state of mortal sin, and its no wonder you have a aversion to Mass. You are not properly disposed to receive the Eucharist and would be heaping condemnation on yourself if you did. Go to confession and return to your Lord.
The Catholic Church is the only one founded by Christ Himself; the others were founded by men that would not endure sound doctrine and heaped up teachers to tell them what their itching ears wanted to hear. There is no freedom of religion in heaven. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one forgiveness of sins. Where do you want to be, and where are you going?

I was at Confession this past Sunday morning before I went to Mass, which is where I went rather than going to the Lutheran church.

I’d feel kind of badly though because the Lutheran Pastor has been so helpful to me. We’ve had very long discussions on person and in email about Christianity and the Lutheran church as well. I’d feel like leaving would make him feel like our conversations were all for nothing.

 

[FaithT]

No. Baptist.

But he’s been going to whichever church I go to for Christmas and Easter. I told him that if he’d find a church I wouldn’t change my faith but that I’d go with him to his church sometimes. He still won’t go.

He has bad allergies and when he’s gone to Mass with me the incense really makes his allergies act up.

 

[fhansen]

Do you agree with fhansen?

If I may. Everyone needs to be satisfied in their own minds that they're doing the right thing-and we're all called to do the best we can with what we know and are given. In fact the Catholic church, for its part, teaches that a person must never go against their own conscience, especailly in religious matters, even though she also recogonizes that our consciences may well be mis- or under-informed. For myself, raised Catholic and leaving at a young age, I later came to believe as Luther did-until later yet I was to come to understand the error in his beliefs.

The main treasure, so to speak, of a church or denomination is their doctrine, their body of teachings regarding the will of God for man: what it means to be right in His eyes, for the purpose of our salvation. And the Reformers left much of that teaching behind, teachings that the Eastern churches also held and hold to this day. Luther taught that the crux of the difference between his and the Catholic position centered around justifaction: the doctrine of Sola Fide-and he was absolutely right. What I would come to understand, and to appreciate more and more, is that the ancient teachings, consistent with Scripture and the ECFs, is much more balanced and sound, and consistent with experience as well, compared with the Reformed teaching where Sola Fide has caused confusion regarding the role of faith and what, exactly, is required of us in general to be right in God's eyes.

None of this means that Protestantism is bad, or doesn't serve God and lead people to Him and can't produce good fruit in general. But it does mean that confusion has been introduced into Christianity, resulting in extreme differences in teachings in many cases, more so every day now, resulting primarily from another doctrine, that of Sola Scriptura, a doctrine which claims to be able to authoritatively ensure us of knowing God's will while ironically being the primary source of this confusion and disagreement. These forums, alone, testify to the confussion over its meaning, with many plausible interpretations presented that often disagre with each other on sigificant matters. And Luther, himself, was concerned about this potentiality.

Once authority to know the truth is removed from the church which received the teachings at the beginning, then the faith becomes a sort of free-for-all, because each reader of Scripture actually becomes their own authority. At the end of the day it's a matter of whether or not we want the fullest expression of the truth-and where we can find that.

 

[FaithT]

If I may. Everyone needs to be satisfied in their own minds that they're doing the right thing-and we're all called to to do the best we can with what we know. In fact the Catholic church, for its part, teaches that a person must never go against their own conscience, especailly in religious matters, even though she also recogonizes that our consciences may well be mis- or under-informed. For myself, raised Catholic and leaving at a young age, I later came to believe as Luther did-until later yet I was to come to understand the error in his beliefs.

The main treasure, so to speak, of a church or denomination is their doctrine, their body of teachings regarding the will of God for man: what it means to be right in His eyes, for the purpose of our salvation. And the Reformers left much of that teaching behind, teachings that the Eastern churches also held and hold to this day. Luther taught that the crux of the difference between his and the Catholic position centered around justifaction: the doctrine of Sola Fide-and he was absolutely right. What I would come to understand, and to appreciate more and more, is that the ancient teachings, consistent with Scripture and the ECFs, is much more balanced and sound, and consistent with experience as well, compared with the Reformed teaching where Sola Fide has caused confusion regarding the role of faith and what, exactly, is required of us in general to be right in God's eyes.

None of this means that Protestantism is bad, or doesn't serve God and lead people to Him and can't produce good fruit in general. But it does mean that confusion has been introduced into Christianity, resulting in extreme differences in teachings in many cases, more so every day now, resulting primarily from another doctrine, that of Sola Scriptura, a doctrine which claims to be able to authoritatively ensure us of knowing God's will while ironically been the primary source of this confusion and disagreement.

I read somewhere about, from a Catholic perspective that the Bible needs to be interpreted. The Lutheran church I’ve been going to believes the Bible to be, for the most part literal. What are your thoughts on that?

 

[FaithT]

If I may. Everyone needs to be satisfied in their own minds that they're doing the right thing-and we're all called to to do the best we can with what we know. In fact the Catholic church, for its part, teaches that a person must never go against their own conscience, especailly in religious matters, even though she also recogonizes that our consciences may well be mis- or under-informed. For myself, raised Catholic and leaving at a young age, I later came to believe as Luther did-until later yet I was to come to understand the error in his beliefs.

The main treasure, so to speak, of a church or denomination is their doctrine, their body of teachings regarding the will of God for man: what it means to be right in His eyes, for the purpose of our salvation. And the Reformers left much of that teaching behind, teachings that the Eastern churches also held and hold to this day. Luther taught that the crux of the difference between his and the Catholic position centered around justifaction: the doctrine of Sola Fide-and he was absolutely right. What I would come to understand, and to appreciate more and more, is that the ancient teachings, consistent with Scripture and the ECFs, is much more balanced and sound, and consistent with experience as well, compared with the Reformed teaching where Sola Fide has caused confusion regarding the role of faith and what, exactly, is required of us in general to be right in God's eyes.

None of this means that Protestantism is bad, or doesn't serve God and lead people to Him and can't produce good fruit in general. But it does mean that confusion has been introduced into Christianity, resulting in extreme differences in teachings in many cases, more so every day now, resulting primarily from another doctrine, that of Sola Scriptura, a doctrine which claims to be able to authoritatively ensure us of knowing God's will while ironically been the primary source of this confusion and disagreement. And Luther, himself, was concerned about this potentiality. Once authority to know the truth is removed from the church which received the teachings at the beginning, then the faith becomes a sort of free-for-all, because each reader of Scripture actually becomes their own authority.

Can you elaborate on some of the errors of Luther’s beliefs?

 

[fhansen]

I read somewhere about, from a Catholic perspective that the Bible needs to be interpreted. The Lutheran church I’ve been going to believes the Bible to be, for the most part literal. What are your thoughts on that?

We all interpret, regardless of what we believe to be the case. Lutherans and Catholics both believe their understanding of Scripture to be correct.

 

[FaithT]

We all interpret, regardless of what we believe to be the case. Lutherans and Catholics both believe their understanding of Scripture to be correct.

Well, they believe Genesis to be completely literal without allowing, like the RCC, for the freedom to believe in theistic evolution.

 

[FaithT]

I was at Confession this past Sunday morning before I went to Mass, which is where I went rather than going to the Lutheran church.

I’d feel kind of badly though because the Lutheran Pastor has been so helpful to me. We’ve had very long discussions on person and in email about Christianity and the Lutheran church as well. I’d feel like leaving would make him feel like our conversations were all for nothing.

fhansen, what are your thoughts about this?

 

[fhansen]

Well, they believe Genesis to be completely literal without allowing, like the RCC, for the freedom to believe in theistic evolution.

I don't think there is a "they" that believes, for example, in a literal six 24-hour day creation. The Catholic Church teaches that some parts of the story of creation are figurative and some are literal, the most important literal part being the existence of an actual single pair of parents that all humans are descended from and who actually disobeyed God committing the first sin that set the stage for the rest of human history.

 

[fhansen]

fhansen, what are your thoughts about this?

Relationships with people are always important and should be appreciated for what they are but we would never want to let them interfere with obedience to God or adherence to truth.

Also, I'll respond to your second post when I can. I started to but it gets a little more involved

 

[FaithT]

I don't think there is a "they" that believes, for example, in a literal six 24-hour day creation. The Catholic Church teaches that some parts of the story of creation are figurative and some are literal, the most important literal part being the existence of an actual single pair of parents that all humans are descended from and who actually disobeyed God committing the first sin that set the stage for the rest of human history.

My LCMS believes in a literal six 24 hour day creation.