Efrem

No, I didn't. I said I don't, and that I wouldn't even if it was OK (as it was at my ex-GF's Episcopal church) because of how it would be perceived. I think if you'll re-read my second paragraph you'll see that, though I probably could have written it more clearly.

I have never gone to the communion rail at any church and don't plan to.

rkt10

Oh I absolutely misunderstood (here's the part of your post that confused me: If I kneel at a Catholic service, or go up to the altar rail at Communion time, I may know in my heart that I'm only showing respect - but those around me will probably perceive it as indicating concurrence with their beliefs.)

Apologies.

R.

Analise

I'm quite surprised by that only because my particular parish has a significant number of Catholic members and I know they take communion because I see them do so. Our worship captures the essense of pre-Vatican II particularly our masses which are completely in Latin. These parishioners haven't been officially "received" by the Episcopal church only because they choose not to do so. We have the services they grew up knowing. And a solid bloc of these Catholic parishioners are gay. They don't go to Catholic services because they found them to be too modern and less holy, or so they say. In particular, they want to kneel at the altar to take communion from priests, not stand on a line and take communion standing from lay parishioners. Our priests face the altar, not the congregation, when saying corporate prayers. A good number of our services are in Latin. Apparently, my parish is a destination for many Catholics yearning for traditional worship.

Efrem

Apologies gladly accepted, and please accept mine for any confusion I may have inadvertently caused. The point I was trying to make is that I wouldn't do anything in another religion's place of worship that might be perceived by others as agreeing with its tenets, even if it doesn't necessarily have to mean that and I don't intend it that way.

Lionflyer

One of the first things Catholics do when they come to church is dip their right hand in water and make the sign of the cross.

As a non Catholic attending Mass, I am supposed to do this too?

rkt10

I don't know an answer to that. I believe it is okay. Here is some info I found online:

Holy water
Holy water is a sacramental — a religious object or action created by the Catholic Church as opposed to those instituted by Jesus himself. Helpful and beneficial but totally optional, sacramentals are inferior and subordinate to the seven sacraments, which are necessary in order to live a life made holy by the gift of grace from God. Sacraments give the recipient a special grace necessary to fulfill the mission of that particular sacrament, but sacramentals offer a different and subordinate grace depending on the spiritual demeanor of the recipient.

Sacraments are like food for the soul, and sacramentals are like supplemental vitamins.


Holy water, which is water blessed by a priest, bishop, or deacon, is the most widely used sacramental. Non-Catholics may think of holy water as the stuff that burned the face of the possessed 12-year-old in the movie The Exorcist. Holy water can be used to drive out demons; so on rare occasions the Church uses it for that purpose. But more regularly, holy water is used as a symbolic reminder of Baptism. On entering or leaving a church, Catholics dip their right hand, usually with two fingers, into a font, a cup of holy water that's on a wall near the doors of the church. Then they make the sign of the cross, wetting their forehead, breast, and shoulders. They're visibly reminding themselves that they're entering the House of God, the Holy of Holies, and blessing with holy water is good preparation for worship.

And about the sign of the cross:
Most importantly, the sign of the cross symbolically reaffirms for Catholics two essential Christian doctrines: The Holy Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — and humankind's salvation through the cross of Christ.

So, I guess you might choose not to make the sign of the cross if you don't believe the doctrine of the Holy Trinity and the salvation of mankind through Christ...

And if you aren't going to make the sign of the cross, then dipping your fingers into holy water is unnecessary.

Rita

pbz

No. A lot of Catholics don't even do so.

All you have to do is stand when the others stand, and sit when the others sit. If you don't have a problem with it, kneel when everyone kneels. (Otherwise, sit.) When it comes time for communion, just sit in the pew instead of walking up front.

You don't have to make the sign of the cross or say anything at all at any time. But, be a neighbor and extend to others a handshake and say "peace be with you" when everyone else does the same.

/pbz

anonplz

This has probably already been mentioned, but there are places where non-muslims are prohibited from entering mosques. Fez is famous for its mosques and the spectacular tilework you can find within some of them (in fact, the city itself is on the UNESCO list of World Heritage sites), so I was extremely disappointed when - my first and probably last time there - my guide in Fez indicated that I could peer inside if the doors were open, but that I could not enter. On the plus side, there's so much to see there and beautiful tilework is literally everywhere, that I did get to see a lot, so I was grateful for that.

Just bear that in mind if you are headed to North Africa.

sanFF

I as a Lutheran believe in the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist just as
Episcopals do I think the only difference is that Catholics go one step furthur and profess a chemical change ,thus transsubstancian occurs when the bells ring. Protestants believe that the Eucharist is only a memorial meal to remember the sacrifice made by Christ. I wish we Lutherans had kept more of the traditions of the church from whence she came such as private confession
a centralised form of government (diocese) and leadership (Bishop) to help the churches through strife and growth. I would probably be a RC if I did not have trouble with a couple of church doctrines.

rkt10

sanFF,
I'm a pretty conservative Roman Catholic (my mother was a nun before she married) and I've never heard of a chemical change the the bread and wine. Rather, we were taught that the bread and wine maintain the properties of bread and wine but that they are still, truly and absolutely the body and blood of Christ.

I know that's a mighty and incredible concept to be faced with believing, and that's where the notion of faith comes in. Logic will never explain it. Only faith will accept it.

I do think the moment of consecration is actually sensible. Otherwise, at what point would the bread and wine stop being bread and wine and start being something greater. It is also a moment of great reverence for the recollection of the Last Supper and the great gift that Christ made of himself then and now. I can't imagine any other way of doing it.

Rita

thunderbirdfan

Hi Dovster.

I am a Protestant & I think your actions are appropriate.

***Although your offering is much appreciated, please don't think badly of yourself if you don't put anything in the plate. Usually only members of that congregation are expected to contribute.

Shalom.

thunderbirdfan

I have only visited one Non-Christian place of worship.

It was in the rabbinical tunnels under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

There is a certain place where Jewish women pray, I think it's called the Weeping Wall? Anyway, it is located very near to where the Holy of Holies is believed to be.

I tried to be very quiet & respectful while passing these ladies, but unfortunately I was part of a tour herd...(70 people). It kind of gave the reference of Jerusalem being trampled by the gentiles a new meaning.

The looks that the Jewish ladies were giving us were similar to the ones my mother gave me as a child when I would be noisy in church.

thunderbirdfan

Which they still do.

Some of the ladies in my group wore sleeveless tops & a young lady offered them large scarves to cover their shoulders.

Duhey2

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Duhey2

What an interesting topic. I haven't had time to read all the posts but I found very interesting those I did.

To answer the thread's topic, my answer would be "with respect." My family is in the funeral business and I have been on funerals for those of numerous faiths. As you can imagine, in this profession it's imperative to familiarize oneself with the rites of a particular religion so far as the funeral is concerned. I don't take sides when it comes to religion....I have my beliefs and ask that you respect them as I respect yours. To me, there's no right or wrong, it's what you believe in.

Further, I've gone to Catholic schools from kindergarten through college and I spent as much time studying Judaism and the Protestant Reformation as we did the Catholic Church. I even had a priest my senior year in high school begin each class with a prayer in Hebrew.

To SanFF....you and Martin Luther have at least one thing in common.