Your advice?

Question

Right as my regulars to my questions know - I am Catholic. I havent been to Chapel yet. I have been invited to join an Evangelical group. I am just feeling that being a Catholic is quite a dreary and silent way to praise God. Obviously I pray to him but want to be in a community that worship God with open praise and singing you like you mean it etc. I havent been to Church in over 16 years but I remember it as quite depressing and dont remember feeling joy and praise? This is a big dilemma for me. So all answers welcomed unless you are Jehoviah, mormons. cult etc.

Answer 1

Go for it,honey.
lt's time to follow the promptings of God in your heart.
l'm also a Catholic but have no problems attending Evangelical groups.The ecumenical attitude of the late Pope should be practiced,not preached.
The Church is ONE.

Answer 2

Well I would say if you find the catholic church boring then go check the Evangelical group out. You should be in a church where you feel at home in and feel you can praise and worship god.
Personally I find even evangelical C of E Church's stuffy and boring compared to the free church, so I know what you mean. Remember that you should always let god guide you, so praying and talking to other Christians will help you make the right decision.

Answer 3

I have a few ideas:

1) Don't leave the Church.

2) Speak to your priest about your concerns.

3) Read "Why Do Catholics Do That?" by Kenneth Orlin Johnson. There's a real good chapter in that book about what happens at Mass, and why. It will completely change -- for the better -- your view and experience of the Mass.

4) Read "Catholicism and Fundamentalism" by Karl Keating. This book and the one by Johnson are both available on Amazon.com.

5) Read some of the great articles and tracts on the Catholic Answers web site. I don't remember the URL but you can Google "Catholic Answers."

6) It's understandable to want "open singing and praise" in worship as a community -- but remember that the focus of worship should be on God, not on us and what "makes us feel good."

Feel free to email me or PM me if you like.

Answer 4

In my own personal experience, I've found that while "praise music" really puts me in a worship-ful mood, the rest of the contemporary services are so devoid of any real content that I usually feel depressed and let-down after a service. (I guess that I'm just hooked on liturgy.)

I'm assuming that your Catholic identity is important to you (or else you would have no problerm). Therefore, I think I must recommend the following course of action.
Since you feel obligated to attend Roman Catholic Mass, I would recommend that you do so. As it's been quite a while since you've been to mass, I must also advise you to first go to Confession.
It may well be that the mass will not be nearly so dismal as you remember. And while they are relatively few, there are some R.C. parishes which have more contemporary worship music: it would definitely be worth the effort to find out if there's one in your area.

Secondly, begin praying daily (if you don't already). Finding God's will for your life is pretty much impossible without prayer.

Even if the R.C. mass available to you doesn't fulfil your expectations, I would still recommend that you attend regularly. There's nothing that says you can't attend other religious services as well (at least, as long as you do not receive Holy Communion outside the Catholic church - and few evangelical services are centered on Communion).

After you've been to mass for a few weeks, see how you feel. Does the mass still leave you feeling dissapointed? Speak with your priest. Be honest, but not accusing. Just tell him that the mass isn't empowering you the way you think it should. Ask him to pray that you would come to know God's will for your life.

Even if you do none of the above, I would still recommend that you ask your evangelical friend to pray with you (daily - if possible). You may even want to introduce your friend to a more liturgical style of daily devotions (see www.missionstclare.com).

After a few months, you may or may not feel that you are obligated to attend Catholic mass. But I do think that both you and I are obligated to seek God's will for our lives.


The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

Answer 5

In my opinion you should do what you feel comfortable with and appeals to you. If you feel the Catholic Church is dull and dreary then it sounds like its not right for you. By joining an Evagelical group you would still be a Christian just worshipping in a way you fell more comfortable with and happier about.

If you don't like the group you can always try a different church and continue doing this until you find the right one.

Good luck and God Bless!

Answer 6

I used to be a Catholic and someone invited me to go to a different church, I too was in a dilemma and did not know what to do. But I went and found the people were much nicer than those in the Rc church and they even spoke to me! Also the service was so different, no statues and icons, just flowers.
I had lots of questions to ask and people were very helpful and kind. It was also the first time I had ever read a Bible.
It changed my life totally. I now know that RC teaching is NOT Christian. Go to the church and enjoy, and ask questions.
But most of all read the Bible and enjoy the real Jesus.

Answer 7

As a Catholic myself, I would be quite happy to join in worship with other Christians and you do not need to compromise your beliefs to do so. I think it is a good thing to do.
I can understand how you think Catholic services can be dull and lifeless, but after 16 years I think if you looked around at nearby churches I'm sure you can find a Catholic community that worships in a way that you find more to your liking.
I consider myself to be quite a traditionalist and can be irritated when I go to mass and find its been taken over by the 'happy clappy' people. But as I said, I can always find a church where mass is to my liking.
At the end of the day its your beliefs that are important so if you wish to consider yourself a Catholic you must make the effort to attend mass. even if you also worship with other communities from time to time.

Answer 8

Going to church and having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ are two different things.

There are many different types of Christian churches with different styles of worship.

Although I am a Southern Baptist, I do enjoy the Presbyterian church style of worship. They are more traditional (feeling), usually have beautiful stained glass windows ...all which help me worship better.

It is very hard to pick a good church today. Each one varies so much. I'm definitely not a liberal, so if a church says, "A lot of the Bible was written for a different time as this.." I wouldn't go there.

Truth is truth and it doesn't change. Homosexuality and sex before marriage is wrong...it has always been wrong.

Anyways, I would suggest that you know your Bible and visit your local churches. Pick one that requires you to bring your Bible to church every time you come. If the people don't need to bring their Bibles to church, then I would say they don't teach scripture much.

Answer 9

My goodness! You are so narrow minded you don't deserve to call yourself a follower of god!

Not only that why do care so much about which building you worship god in? He doesn't!

If you want to have a happy clappy sing song, go ahead, if you want to be shamed into feeling like wicked person stay with the catholics. At the end of the day you are praying to the same God, so chill out!

Answer 10

Hello again, glad you are still asking and seeking.....I have never been Catholic and I have friends who are/were, I'm not going to knock them. But as an evangelical myself, I can tell you that it's a fun thing to do! God wants us to enjoy Him, and our lives, in true freedom, not by following a set of rules. Maybe you should take this invitation as a sign from God that He has left the door open to you, He wants you to get to know Him. By all means go to church with these friends of yours and let God show you Himself where you should be. He will make it clear, God won't leave you to figure it out alone. It doesn't say anywhere in the Bible that you will go to Hell if you don't stay catholic! Put your trust in God not in man.