if i wanted to become a catholic

Well no one is going to ask you if your Catholic no one is barred from the Church or would ever kick you out even if they knew you were not Catholic they would still welcome you .Its not a question your asked at the door. But as a non Catholic it should be known not to participate in communion because its a sacrament - that's it.It would be disrespectful if you don't believe but you won't be asked about that either you can take communion its not policed. Why would you if you don't believe.Other than that you are free to do as you please come and go at your own will.

I know several non Catholics that attend Mass every week I thought they were then I notice they don't go to communion. I work with one guy and he said yes he comes with his wife every week but he's not a Catholic so he does not take communion he just never went through with it but he respects the faith.

The only one I know that's guarded is the LDS you will never make it into the inner chamber without becoming a full believer.

PGS11 said:

Well no one is going to ask you if your Catholic ….

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The priest and deacons did.

PGS11 said:

… no one is barred from the Church or would ever kick you out even if they knew you were not Catholic they would still welcome you .

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That’s true. I’ve done it often in the past and I’m sure I’ll do it again in the near future.

PGS11 said:

Its not a question your asked at the door.

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That’s right. In my own case, they’ve known I’m not since 1981. I’m very well-known to the local Catholic churches. (I live in an area where the population is roughly 80 percent Catholic.)

PGS11 said:

But as a non Catholic it should be known not to participate in communion because its a sacrament - that's it.

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That’s right.

PGS11 said:

It would be disrespectful if you don't believe but you won't be asked about that either you can take communion its not policed.

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They usually make that announcement in churches here just before people begin lining up. I’ve seen some non-Catholics participate and they were not questioned or denied. I personally wouldn’t participate.

PGS11 said:

Why would you if you don't believe.

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I‘m a Jewish monotheist who believes that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, Son of the living God. I participate in communion elsewhere.

PGS11 said:

Other than that you are free to do as you please come and go at your own will.

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I‘m certain that’s true for most people. I’m in a unique position (which I won’t go into here.) They watch me like a hawk whenever I’m there.

If you go to an Anglican service your going to see about the same thing you would see at a Catholic service except the ideas behind it are different.I went to a Lutheran service is was not quite the same but it was very similar vespers were said.

PGS11 said:

The only way to find out is go there and see for yourself rather than listen to hatred.My father was a Protestant his mother constantly spewed the hatred on Catholics he was groomed not to be Catholic..So my father went to see what was true and what was not he had to find the truth and he converted to a Catholic after he found out what was true and what was not.He made his own decision.She drove him into the Catholic Church by her lies.If you want the truth you have to search for it yourself not sit there and believe everything your told only a idiot does that.
Find out for yourself investigate make your own choice.

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This is pretty much what I've done.
I do believe that communion is more than just something we do in a community type of way.
Jesus was very specific about HIM being the flesh that is to be eaten and HIS blood to be drunk.

When a lot of the disciples left because IT IS A DIFFICULT SAYING (eating and drinking Jesus' body and blood)
Jesus did not correct them.
He let them walk away.

Still working on this...if you have anything to add, it would be appreciated.

PGS11 said:

If you go to an Anglican service your going to see about the same thing you would see at a Catholic service except the ideas behind it are different.I went to a Lutheran service is was not quite the same but it was very similar vespers were said.

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I went to a Lutheran service many years ago.
The Pastor did notice I was new and did ask if I believed in Jesus before giving me communion.
I replied yes and it was OK.

This is not done in the CC.
The priest has to assume you know what you're doing.
He could deny communion to someone but it would have to be a very rare case.

quietthinker said:

'The flesh'..he was just referring to is not his literal flesh but rather his reality. It is his grace which sustains us. Another metaphor is 'bread' ie, he is the bread of life.

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Please see my post 205.
I've been through all of this QT.
I don't think I can hear anything new....
(but you could try).

Unkoowning said:

How Different is Catholicism From Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestantism.

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Protestantism is founded on the core beliefs of the Catholic church. They just eliminated the more extreme beliefs adopted from the pagan world over time. What they retained was belief in a trinity, belief in an immortal soul and hellfire….none of which are taught in the Bible or believed by the original Jews to whom God’s law was given.
Jesus was Jewish, not Catholic. He also warned that ”Christianity” itself would become corrupted just as the Jewish faith was corrupted by men who substituted man made doctrines for biblical truth. (Matt 15:7-9)

JW’s reject all the teachings of Christendom and simply concentrate on what the Bible, as a whole teaches. This is what Jesus taught….for the whole body of Scripture is God’s word and not man’s.

Do your homework first….the devil loves to play on ignorance.
Christianity is a lifestyle, not something you do weekly (weakly) or ritualistically, at church.

Unkoowning said:

how would you suggest i do that

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You would spend eternity in hell if you joined the catholic cult....

Episkopos said:

PS: Always watch out for the men in pointy hats...

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They cannot be trusted... those with collar and those wearing skinny jeans can't be trusted either... or those that proudly tell you they went to seminary or bible college... those folks can't be trusted either

Dan Clarkston said:

They cannot be trusted... those with collar and those wearing skinny jeans can't be trusted either... or those that proudly tell you they went to seminary or bible college... those folks can't be trusted either View attachment 60513

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I guess those who blame others about their trust gradient can be trusted?

Aunty Jane said:

Protestantism is founded on the core beliefs of the Catholic church. They just eliminated the more extreme beliefs adopted from the pagan world over time. What they retained was belief in a trinity, belief in an immortal soul and hellfire….none of which are taught in the Bible or believed by the original Jews to whom God’s law was given.
Jesus was Jewish, not Catholic. He also warned that ”Christianity” itself would become corrupted just as the Jewish faith was corrupted by men who substituted man made doctrines for biblical truth. (Matt 15:7-9)

JW’s reject all the teachings of Christendom and simply concentrate on what the Bible, as a whole teaches. This is what Jesus taught….for the whole body of Scripture is God’s word and not man’s.

Do your homework first….the devil loves to play on ignorance.
Christianity is a lifestyle, not something you do weekly (weakly) or ritualistically, at church.

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See Auntie Jane....
You know that I believe YOU should not have the title CHRISTIAN under your avatar.

And I thank you for confirming this and agreeing with me...
You stated above:
JW'S REJECT ALL THE TEACHINGS OF CHRISTENDOM.

So then WHY do you insist on being called a CHRISTIAN...whose doctrines you yourself say you REJECT??

quietthinker said:

I guess those who blame others about their trust gradient can be trusted?

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According to @Dan Clarkston ....
NOBODY can be trusted.

We're on our own folks!

Dan Clarkston said:

You would spend eternity in hell if you joined the catholic cult....

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Are we in the CATHOLIC FORUM?
No. I checked.

Do you know what a cult is Dan Clarkson?
Apparently not.

If it were not for the CC, YOU would not be on this forum because Christianity would not exist.

Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail over His church.
Do you THINK Protestants were around when He said that?
Or in the first 1,500 years after He said it?

No. Dan Clarkson. It's the CC that was formed in the beginning and, if you check, it's still around 2 thousand years later
and it's Protestantism that seems to be unstable and does not have a firm base with all its denominations.

You should stop speaking supidity, because that's what it is.

What denomination do YOU belong to?
Maybe we could make a list of the doctrine IT has wrong.

What hate I see from some Protestants.
It's shameful.

Is THIS what YOUR denomination teaches you?

Unkoowning said:

How Different is Catholicism From Jehovah's Witnesses and Protestantism.

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First of all, JWs are not Christian because they don't believe in the Trinity/Godhead and they don't believe in the hypostatic union.

As to Catholicism vs Protestantism there are some very basic differences:

1. Catholics believe the communion host turns into the body and blood of Jesus.
2. They believe that sins must be confessed to a Priest.
3. Artificial birth control is not acceptable.
4. They teach something called Indulgences....these get you out of purgatory faster.
5. They believe in Purgatory.
6. They believe that those in heaven can actually see us and hear us, or our prayers to them.

There is also a problem with Protestantism:
1. There are too many denominations and they cannot agree among themselves what some teachings of the NT are.
2. For example: Some churches believe in OSAS,,,some do not.
3. Some churches teach that faith alone not only saves initually, but throughout one's life. The NT teaches faith and works.
4. They believe communion is just to remember and honor Jesus.

I'd say the biggest problem is that they cannot agree on important doctrine.

GodsGrace said:

See Auntie Jane....
You know that I believe YOU should not have the title CHRISTIAN under your avatar.

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What does it mean to be a “Christian”? It was not the Catholic church who invented the word, nor can it be applied to those who teach what Christ never did. Every Catholic doctrine is an invention or adoption from pagan sources. Not hard to research for those who are not blinded. (2 Cor 4:3-4)

It does not require much effort to identify what a true Christian should believe……nothing can come from paganism and be dressed up to look like the opposite. (2 Cor 6:14-18)

GodsGrace said:

And I thank you for confirming this and agreeing with me...
You stated above:
JW'S REJECT ALL THE TEACHINGS OF CHRISTENDOM.

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What is Christendom? I am so grateful that someone bothered to come to my door and teach me the Bible rather than church “theology”…..and anyone can pick their theology because Christendom is full of man made doctrines that Christ never taught….all have their roots in the apostate church that Jesus and his apostles warned was coming. The Jews fell into the same trap, (Matt 15:7-9) baited by the same rebel who uses lies dressed up as truth to ensnare his slaves.

Look what he has Catholics believing…..Mary is “the mother of God”, (as if God can have a mother)…..she was preserved from original sim (who said?)….the “saints” have to wait to be approved by the church as if it can lobby God to make someone a saint! (They are of God’s choosing and no miracles were required)

We see a pope who is supposedly Christ’s representative on earth….his title “Pontiff” (Pontiex Maximus is a pagan Roman title) proves that he is nothing more than a puppet of the ancient Roman church, who dominated a people kept in ignorance for many centuries…….paganism is so obvious in plain sight in the Vatican, yet people can’t see it.

We see churches full of images when God’s law forbade the “making” of them to be used in worship. (Exodus 20:4) Excuses are offered for their presence, but will God accept them?

We see men masquerading as priests on earth, when they were not promised a priesthood until they were resurrected to heaven. Priests could only officiate at the Temple, but it was destroyed in the first century, as Jesus warned, (Matt 24:1-2) indicating that the old Jewish system had been abandoned. It was incorrigibly corrupt.

There was no earthly priesthood in original Christianity….all bothers were equal and some were appointed as teachers in the congregations, as they qualified “spiritually”, not after attending a seminary where all are indoctrinated with the same false beliefs about death and the scare tactics of hellfire. Were the apostles educated men? Why did Jesus choose men who were not educated by the Jewish rabbis?

GodsGrace said:

So then WHY do you insist on being called a CHRISTIAN...whose doctrines you yourself say you REJECT??

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Being no part of Christendom, does not disqualify me from being a Christian because Christendom is meeting all the descriptors of the “weeds“ of Jesus’ parable. It is a totally disunited and bickering mess masquerading as something it is not. Jesus has never set foot in it. (Matt 7:21-23)

God’s spirit leads to unity as Paul stated….
”Now I urge you, brothers, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you should all speak in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you may be completely united in the same mind and in the same line of thought.” (1 Cor 1:10)

By what stretch of whose imagination does Christendom fit that description? No one can agree with anyone except on those foundational beliefs that originated in the RCC…..the trinity, immortality of the soul, and hellfire. Yet all false religion teaches those things too with slight variations….yet none are taught in Scripture….

You will find out one day exactly why you have put your faith in the wrong institutions….many things are now coming to light, and once trusted institutions are proving that they never were trustworthy in the first place.
Who’s world are we living in? (1 John 5:19)

The whole Church system fails to represent the teachings of the Christ….but the warning to get out of it are largely ignored. (Rev 18:4-5) “Few” will be found on the road to life because fallen human nature doesn’t change, (Matt 7:13-14) so the devil’s tactics don’t need to either. They work as well today as they ever did….

GodsGrace said:

If it were not for the CC, YOU would not be on this forum because Christianity would not exist

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I would like to recommend to you a book that has changed my worldview almost as much as scripture. It's history. From the first century to the 19th. Some of it isn't pretty. Most of it is controversial. Much of it is unknown to most. But all of it is hugely edifying, encouraging, revelatory, and verifiably true.

Truth Triumphant
The Church in the Wilderness

B G Wilkinson.

You will find it everywhere online, both digital and hard copy. Don't pay $80 as advertised in places. $20 at most for a hard copy. PDF available for free. Kindle also has it. Great read.

Brakelite said:

I would like to recommend to you a book that has changed my worldview almost as much as scripture. It's history. From the first century to the 19th. Some of it isn't pretty. Most of it is controversial. Much of it is unknown to most. But all of it is hugely edifying, encouraging, revelatory, and verifiably true.

Truth Triumphant
The Church in the Wilderness

B G Wilkinson.

You will find it everywhere online, both digital and hard copy. Don't pay $80 as advertised in places. $20 at most for a hard copy. PDF available for free. Kindle also has it. Great read.

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I read that book over 30 years ago. Couldn't put it down 'til I was finished.

GodsGrace said:

Are we in the CATHOLIC FORUM?
No. I checked.

Do you know what a cult is Dan Clarkson?
Apparently not.

If it were not for the CC, YOU would not be on this forum because Christianity would not exist.

Jesus said the gates of hell would not prevail over His church.
Do you THINK Protestants were around when He said that?
Or in the first 1,500 years after He said it?

No. Dan Clarkson. It's the CC that was formed in the beginning and, if you check, it's still around 2 thousand years later
and it's Protestantism that seems to be unstable and does not have a firm base with all its denominations.

You should stop speaking supidity, because that's what it is.

What denomination do YOU belong to?
Maybe we could make a list of the doctrine IT has wrong.

What hate I see from some Protestants.
It's shameful.

Is THIS what YOUR denomination teaches you?

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I wouldn't get too exercised over DC's ravings. He's a denomination unto himself. And he's here primarily to vex everyone. We've got the receipts.

BarneyFife said:

I read that book over 30 years ago. Couldn't put it down 'til I was finished.

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I think I may have read it 3 or 4 times, possibly more if I take into account revision of particular chapters.
It was the first book I read at becoming an Adventist 28 years ago. Loaned to me from a friend who got it back probably somewhat late. I've bought a couple of copies of my own since, the last one because I moved here.