DOTSIE..i rember earlier that you explained how and why you came around to changing religions, sometimes it reads as if you still manage a little of both (in the last post heer on god it sounded like you weer refrincing the creed).....If i am not mistaken how do you manage to practice both religions?...Is it a juggling match or do you split your time eaquillie between them?...Or dose it come down to what is being celibrated as to which you attend...

celtic

Celtic, I don't know. I think all Christian religions observe communion whether its once a week or once a month...

I haven't found too many fundamental differences in the denominations of Christianity. We all seem to be on the same page regarding the Holy Trinity, the ordinance of Baptism (whether sprinkling as an infant or the adult decision to be baptized after accepting Christ), the observance of Easter, Christmas, etc.

I would feel comfortable in any protestant or Catholic church. As a matter of fact, I've regularly attended all sorts of flavors of Christianity. Catholicism seems to be very ritualistic and more concerned about legalism, but with a refreshing devotion to their belief system, and from that end of the spectrum you can go all the way through to the other end and everything in between to Episcopal or Methodist which seem to have accepted just about anything to keep their denomination afloat. (personal observation) I have a cousin who is a Methodist pastor and he and his wife are trying to bring their denomination back to a more traditional belief system.

Then there are some who claim to be Christian religions which, in fact, are not at all. I won't name those but they come door to door more often than most and are mostly works based. They think only a few people are going to Heaven and they want to make sure its them by going door to door and working real hard.

Mostly I think it just depends on the individual, how they were raised, what their level of relationship to Christ is, how close they are to Him, their tastes in music, worship, and other factors but all good.

yea in NI the troubles or fighting and terrorist activitie have been based in one of two broad camps but both christion based. The religion is what is generallie used to assine one or the other to one of the camps. In realitie one religion was descriminated agenst in terms of power housing, voteing etc. It reallie dosent come down to the diffrences within the christion religion....but at first glances that is how it can appear and what soom people stick to the "rightness" within their own strand, which is a bit sad. Unfortunitly (dependiing how you look at things)very few people go or will regulary go to diffrent strands that are avalible to them out off all the christian. Maybee it's diffrent in the usa or diffrent parts of the uk than heer.

When i was younger i moved about about , so going to a place of worshop in a new town turned out to be one of the other formes of christianity. All the way through i keept thinking well thats not how it usulie been done (something strange heer but did not leave) but it seemed familure enough, untill it came to communion, which was so diffrent their was no mistaking i was not in my typical practice. Thats when i twigged.

So yea i gess for all to be classed as "christin" then their has to be fundamental similarities between all the diffrent strands, as you weer saying. (trinity, holie spirite etc.)and perhapps less diffrences....

I am still waiting for CASY to say more about the christion church that dosen't think christ diead for humankinds sin..I would like to hear their interpritasion of things.

I also learned that that church only gave communion onnce a mounth....so if i had have been their any other Sunday i wouldn't have witnessed any form of communion. Which at the time i wouldn't have understood at all. So yea i agree their a lot of similarities between the diffrent strands, The number is about 15 differn't forms of christianity if i rember right....then their is those other forms of christianity that you talked about. I know their based around christ but their holie book was devined in a diffrent way....(by your description i can think of 2 such diffent orginasasions that fit that descripsion, that work from within NI )I still thought that they weer generallie classed as christion. Even by other christion religions, even in a lose way.

Methodist over in this part of the world are quite strickt, from what i rember, maybee their is a geographical diffrence...

The vatican should have a unifiying effect throught catholisisum but their still diffrences amounst uk and say spain....in terms of belife or attitude (in small ways).

Within a protestant religion say, (as what you would know best) Baptist is their some type of similare bodie that serves to regulate the belifes on a global level, or throught the whole of the usa or just state wide?

celtic

Newleaf: You made me smile with your reference to cannibalism. It is not the first time that our celebration of the Eucharist has been referred to as such and Catholics have grown accustomed to it. The Doctrine of Transubstantiation and the mystery of faith attached to it is exclusive to Catholics. As much as I would like to discuss this more broadly here, the nature of forums restrict that, apart from the fact that our doctrines and dogmas require imprimaturs in order that those we would wish to discuss with non-Catholics require to bear "nihil obstat" i.e. without error. I can however, in the simplest way, offer the following:

1215 (4th Lateran Council): The body and blood (of Jesus Christ) are in the sacrament of the altar truly contained under the species of bread and wine; the bread having been transubstantiated into the body and the wine into the blood by divine power (potestate divina).

There are many fundamental differences between the Catholic Church and other denominations of Christianity. The former rests on the amalgamation of scriptures and sacred traditions: the Sacraments, the Virgin Mary, praying to the Saints, Purgatory, the Papacy and its infallibility, the Code of Canon Law, etc. Other Christian groups are more sola scriptura (scripture alone) and scriptura prima (scriptures firstly). It is on this basis that the schism from the Catholic Church have occurred.

I believe that there are differences between the Catholic and Protestant faiths. I cannot pretend there are not as I feel it would not be ecumenical. Personally, for me to grasp true ecumenism is to understand others as they really are, their beliefs as they really are so that I can appreciate what is truly ecumenical, which is, to get around the differences to see what commonality there is and to cooperate based on that commonality. And there are layers upon layers of these. I hope and trust that all of us can continue to learn from each other. There is much room for honest and good-natured discussion of our differences. How appropriate it is and the better it serves the Lenten season and Easter to discuss these.

Hi, Celtic: Non-attendance at Easter Mass would go against the Fourth Precept of the Church i.e. attendance and participation at Mass on Holy Days of Obligation. I do not think non-attendance would suffice for excommunication, unless of course conduct is heretical or perhaps grave in that manner. I also do not think that the Church would impose a moral and spiritual burden on the faithful if one's circumstances make it impossible to attend Easter Mass. Perhaps, whereas before, the sick and infirm would obviously be excused, geographical locations, amongst a few others, can also be treated as posing impossibility. There are fewer priests now and in some areas, it would take to hike miles to just get to the closest Church.

ouch LOLA

you are such a joy and a welth of information. I certinly trust your knowlage base...you are a true tresure and put stuff accross so well. I think you one of the people i luckie enough to know that trulie lives your spirituality.

in relastion to easter attendances of mass i may of picked it up wrongly due to my age (young) and intrpritasion, If you rember when we weer younger also prist had a graver or more sterner way off putting informasion across. I may of gotten it from their. In any resepects thats something i belived in all this time and for that reason always had a sence of deeper sadness that i didn't attend at that time.
So thanks for that bit of info. As well as the rest its good to discuss generallie and clear up misunderstanding or promote a better awarness of "the others" or "anyother religion"

thanks celtic

Lola, wow, seems you have read and intend to adhere to the strict teachings and Pharasaical leanings of the law pertaining to the Old Testament. The Catholic church in order to propigate itself (which requires money to put it bluntly) requires that its constituency not have access to the pure interpersonal interpretation of the Bible, but instead have the constituent dependent and wholly in need of interpretation by the priest or other ordained head of the Catholic Church whereas, protestantism demotes and thus irradicates the necessity for a priest or ordained minister of the faith as having any more authority than the believer to change the bread and wine into flesh and blood or any other metaphysical metamorphasis.

Protestantism allows and encourages the individual to come boldly before the throne of grace to accept all authority given to Christ as their own as ascribed by God. When CHrist was crucified and the curtain in the Holy of Holies was rent, that was the symbol that no longer would mankind be shackled to the priesthood. Now mankind can decide for himself whether or not he will accept Christ and can without aide of priest come before the lap of God and ask forgiveness of sin and believe without any doubt that forgiveness has been accepted and forgotten. Total acceptance is the reward of the post crucifiction Cristian. No longer under the law.

And, Celtic, God looks on the heart of an individual. He examines your heart, not your activity to see if you are one of His or not. In other words, He loves you and doesn't want you to perish.

i know about the love and also agree god dosne't want anyone to perish this life or the next, theirs no argument their and becomes the point or message of all religions.

Regarding the hart, intension to hurt or not to hurt can be a big considersion in wrongdoing. God will know the intensions of people before the people do in some instancies.

However I also belive in the action of people as of being importances to the devine. In some respcts it has to matter as your bound by a faith that requires a lot of do's and don'ts. Indicating that action is also of importances. It depends what do's and don't you accept and theas may varie in accordances to ones religion.

In the end all religons and worship of god is to be celibtated regardless of religion, in church out of church, in doors out doors etc. Perhapps its just a matter of faith and belife how you choise to worship and if one belongs to a religion or not....None of us actulie know what the end result of life will be but those within a religion belive as the religion dictates, more ofton or not (some acept the bible as "thee" sacred text some don't. In the end we can arguee one way or another and it says no more than "this is what i belive"....the rest remains to be descovered.

I agree Newleaf. God wants only the best for his children and is there always to forgive and to love us unconditionally. Knowledge of that keeps me sane when the world seems to have gone mad around me.
Since I quit that stinking phone job and gave my life totally and without reservation, over to Jesus Christ, I have never been happier, been busier or earned more money of which a percentage is offered to God right off the top...As Celtic says we all believe in our own way, I say thats fine, so long as we believe. God Bless!