Posted on 04/20/2011 12:07:28 PM PDT by AnalogReigns
Another really big factor is that it’s not socially acceptable to be Catholic these days and that has a whole lot more more bearing on many folks who leave than they’re going to ever admit.
Haha, me too!
Both groups also had almost equal numbers (82 percent evangelicals, 80 percent mainline) saying they joined their new church because they enjoyed the worship service. But compared to those who became mainline Protestants, a higher percentage of those becoming evangelicals said they left because their spiritual needs were not being met (78 percent versus 57 percent) and that they had stopped believing in Catholic teaching (62 percent versus 20 percent).
I don't expect most RC's would understand this "enjoyed the worship service". Having attended RC services and Evangelical services the difference is night and day. The Evangelical services involve opening Scripture and reading it, studying it, praying about it and the sermon, or message, is usually about 45 minutes to an hour long. You leave the service knowing more than you did going in.
My experience in attending RC services is Scripture is read without any serious consideration of it's meaning and the 15 minute message, or sermon, is a vague reference to social responsibility. You don't leave the service knowing more than when you went in.
Christians want to know Jesus.
It hasn’t been socially acceptable to be Catholic for a long time. I think there’s a lesson in that...
Have you ever seen a hush go over a group of non-Catholic friends when you say something like “omg, look at the time...I’m late for confession”?
RC services...15 minute message, or sermon
Christians want to know Jesus.
That's right. I want to know Jesus. Not the pastor.
Can you please supply the Scripture for that? What chapter and verse tells us that we need to answer questions to get into Heaven?
What is your name?
What is your quest?
What is the velocity of an unladen swallow?
GMTA
What would you say?
I thought those were the Netflix questions...
Show me the Scripture for it, first.
I've had several family members become Born Again Christians. All I had to do was get them to decide to come to church with me. What happened in every case was they learned more about Christianity than they had ever known before and the pursuit of Truth grabbed hold of them.
I attended RC services with these family members and it was lifeless and stifling. My first time attending I was shocked I was the only one that brought a Bible. I understand that there are pamphlets with Scripture to read in the pews and there are prayers that require a specific response, but it was so ritualistic there was no life to it.
Are you talking about worship, or a college classroom?
Everything you're saying amounts to touting evangelical services as an intellectual growth experience for MEEEE, not an encounter with the living God. I don't go to church to "learn about Christianity"; I have access to plenty of books and the ability to read them to do that. I go to church to be at the threshold of heaven, in the presence of God, at the foot of the Cross.
This is why Evangelical Christians are so good at evangelizing and the RC's/EO aren't.
It's not a trick question. It's THE QUESTION non-believers seeking the Lord want to know the answer to. What would you tell them, join my church eat wafers, drink wine, do lots of good works and maybe Mary will snatch you out of purgatory on a Saturday?
It's a shame that you believe you need to go to church to have that.
Let’s stay on track here. It was posited that we must answer a question to God to get into Heaven. I am still awaiting Bible for that. Thank you.
Catholics evangelized all of Western Europe, and then all of Latin America, and we're currently doing pretty well in sub-saharan Africa.
Not bad, considering we're no good at it.
It's THE QUESTION non-believers seeking the Lord want to know the answer to.
What, how to justify themselves before the Almighty?
The Pharisee in the parable thought he knew the answer to that question.
I didn't say I needed to go to church for that; I said that that's why I went to church.
I think it's a shame that y'all reduce Christianity to an intellectual exercise instead of an encounter with a real Person.
If this is an exchange of anecdotes, I'll add mine.
I've been to a number of Protestant services, at non-denom, independent Bible churches, Wesleyan, Baptist, and Lutheran. For obvious reasons, I liked the Lutheran the best. The rest left me dry, dry, dry. Fellowship isn't worship. At least not of God.
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