Posted on 12/30/2008 4:47:26 PM PST by SeekAndFind
While Catholics and Protestants both fall under the broad umbrella of Christianity, they practice their faith in different ways.
A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of regular churchgoers found that 25% of Evangelical Christians read the Bible on a daily basis along with 20% of other Protestants. Just seven percent (7%) of Catholics do the same. At the other extreme, 44% of Catholics rarely or never read the Bible along with only seven percent (7%) of Evangelical Christians and 13% of other Protestants.
Consider the divergence among the faiths in other areas, too. (All the figures that follow are based upon those who attend church at least twice a month.)
Ninety-one percent (91%) of Evangelical Christians consider themselves to be born again. Sixty-three percent (63%) of other Protestants have been born again along with 25% of Catholics.
Forty-four percent (44%) of Evangelical Christians reflect at least daily on the meaning of Scripture in their lives. Thirty-six percent (36%) of other Protestants and 22% of Catholics do the same.
Fifty-two percent (52%) of Evangelical Christians have had a meaningful discussion about their faith with a non-Christian during the past month. Twenty-eight percent (28%) of other Protestants and 18% of Catholics also have held such a discussion.
Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Evangelical Christians attend a regular Bible Study or participate in some other small-group activity. Forty-seven percent (47%) of other Protestants take part in small groups related to their faith, along with 24% of Catholics.
Seventy-one percent (71%) of Evangelical Christians say their Church does an excellent job helping them understand the Bible. Fifty-seven percent (57%) of other Protestants and 52% of Catholics say the same.
Despite these differences, the overwhelming majority of all Christians believe that the God of the Bible is the one true God. Ninety-eight percent (98%) of churchgoing Evangelical Christians hold that view along with 94% of other Protestants and 92% of Catholics.
Forty-four percent (44%) of American adults attend Christian church services at least twice a month, and 92% of these regular churchgoers believe the God of the Bible is the one true God.
Sixty-one percent (61%) of adults also say life in the United States would be better if more Americans lived as Christians.
How many times would it be acceptable to “repeat stuff”? Say in a day. A loved one is very ill, perhaps. You wish them peace. How many times could that prayer be repeated in, say a day?
You wrote:
“Ah, dear vlad, who says your point is the right one?”
Well, since neither history, God’s Word, nor God Himself agree with you, I see no reason to think otherwise. Can you present any reason?
No, you can’t - or at least you said you wouldn’t.
Case closed.
“Real Christianity? How would you describe it?”
You ask good questions. They may yet lead you to (The Way) The Truth (and The Life)!
Well, to begin with, it consists of being consciously born again and so sold out to Christ that we are hidden in Him and therefore can go directly into the Throne Room through Jesus Christ and no other intermediary. “ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16) and “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Tomothy 2:5).
Then, Christianity is to honor God’s word above the word of man (Popes included) because God honors it above even His name! (”for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name” - Psalm 138:2) It was Catholics who thought up the term “Sola Scriptura”, as they have always called the Christians names (Petrobrusian, Paulician, Lollard, Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Holy Roller and dozens of other epithets.
Understand?
I’m talking here about repeating written words over and over again. Some things are just that, words. Pray from your heart. Pray them often or as often as you wish. Just praying words by rote is vain repetition.
Yes.
Let’s take another example that I think will finish the parameters.
Say there’s a lady in a dire critical experience. She is filled with fear, so much so that her mind can hardly work. All she can think of is the Lord’s prayer, “Our Father, who art in heaven...” and she repeats it over and over.
Her friend next to her is ever worse off, the best she can manage is “Lord, help us. Lord help us..” over and over.
If you were there, would you caution them about repeating “written” words over and over? Would you try to stop them, or try to get them to add some variety to their prayers?
There is something to be said for all forms of prayer and all should be practiced by each of us.
Deep spontaneous personal prayer to God is important. No one is saying it isn’t. Before you disparage what you call “rote” prayer, I ask you to consider these points:
1) No one ever gets tired of hearing “I love you” and God doesn’t either. Repeating classic prayers is a way of simply saying “I love you” to God and is helpful when you don’t have the inspiration or energy to compose something on your own. You can rely on the wisdom, faith and clarity of the classic prayers. Christ Himself gave us a classic: the Our Father. Some people haven’t been given the gift of spiritual eloquence and, for them, these classic prayers are a blessing.
2) The angelic host in heaven is continually praising God. I imagine they repeat their praise and hosannas quite often. Apparently, God never tires of it.
3) Christ asked us to come to Him in faith as little children do. Children don’t do too much deep bible study, or fancy praying. They offer short, sincere prayers. They also don’t spend much time judging each others’ prayers or spiritual development.
4) Jesus was a Jew. He spent His whole life praying the “rote” prayers of a Jew. He did nothing by chance and He doesn’t make errors. Apparently He found value in the routine, vain repetition. He does, however, have harsh words for those who judge everyone else’s spirituality to be beneath theirs.
These threads make me sad. So many people hate Catholics because of what they think we believe, not what we REALLY believe. If all you know about Catholicism is what your Protestant pastor told you, I invite you to do a thorough study on your own. Read Scott Hahn or Tim Staples. Just read one of their books before you feel you are expert enough to criticize Catholics.
For those of you who used to be Catholic, what you felt, thought, or experienced as a child may be colored by your childish perceptions. I ask you to forgive the hurts which are so obviously painful for you. I invite you to explore, with an adult’s objectivity, what the Catholic Church really teaches and believes. You may have misunderstood or have received bad instruction.
It is up to every Catholic to continue to grow and learn in his faith. It’s up to every Christian to learn more about his brother. Former Catholics, I invite you to read Scott Hahn’s books also. He examines Catholicism by taking each Protestant objection to it and doing historical, scriptural research.
matthew
Protestants receive the sacraments much less frequently than Catholics, and rarely, if ever attend Mass. Protestants are more likely to use terms like “saved”, “slain in the spirit” and “born again” than Catholics. Catholics are much more likely to own a RSV or Douey Rheims bible and Protestants are more likely to own an NIV.
Good point.
Thank you, Melian, for your point of view. I appreciate it.
As is yours:
Pray from your heart.
Prayer is opening our heart towards God. And whatever is on our lips, or even with nothing on our lips, this is what makes it prayer.
To know whether an erudite Protestant minister or an old lady praying her rosary is "praying properly" we have to know their heart. Which only God can do.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.