Me at the mosque

[Twilight]

Originally Posted By: Twilight

I for one, find it very difficult to be in a Catholic Church.

All that idolatry really pushes me out of the door.

You mean, icons? Which Catholics don't worship?

Are you absolutely sure about that?

[SivartM]

Are you absolutely sure about that?

Pretty sure. I think it's called "intercession of the saints".

[Bravus]

There are a few other photos on my student's site, Liz, but not sure whether you'll be able to see them. I'll PM you her name and you can check on Facebook.

[Twilight]

Originally Posted By: Twilight

Are you absolutely sure about that?

Pretty sure. I think it's called "intercession of the saints".

So what was it that Israel where condemned for in the Old Testament Sivart?

Surely they were just "praying to what the statue represented"?

Yet God condemned them.

Unless you have another explanation for what is different about the Israelites practice that was condemned by God and what the Catholics do?

[teresaq]

I don't know Bravus' motivation for being there, but I am interested, and would like to know.

[Gail]

I have known people to have done that- attend other churches as well as ours.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

I make it a practice to go to COS seances once a month.. I find it so uplifting. I learn a lot.

[Woody]

Originally Posted By: Richard Holbrook

I don't know Bravus' motivation for being there, but I am interested, and would like to know.

did you know, richard, that ellen white encouraged us to attend other churches and "ask questions"...

ahhh, what do you know, i found it quickly, thank You, Lord.

Quote:

Let some of the workers attend religious gatherings in other churches and, as there is opportunity, take part in them. Jesus when only twelve years old went into the school of the priests and rabbis at the temple and asked questions. In this temple school, studies were conducted daily, somewhat as we conduct Bible studies. Jesus asked questions as a learner, but His questions furnished new matter for those learned priests to think upon. Similar work might be done today. Judicious young men should be encouraged to attend the meetings of the Young Men’s Christian Association, not for the sake of contention, but to search the Scriptures with them and suggest helpful questions. {6T 74.4}

Thanks you teresa. This is very good. Quite instructive.

if we werent so unstable in our spiritual walk she also thought it would be good if we attended colleges and universities other than our own for the same reasons. just like the waldensians did.

[John317]

ellen white encouraged us to attend other churches and "ask questions"...

"Let some of the workers attend religious gatherings in other churches and, as there is opportunity, take part in them. Jesus when only twelve years old went into the school of the priests and rabbis at the temple and asked questions. In this temple school, studies were conducted daily, somewhat as we conduct Bible studies. Jesus asked questions as a learner, but His questions furnished new matter for those learned priests to think upon. Similar work might be done today. Judicious young men should be encouraged to attend the meetings of the Young Men’s Christian Association, not for the sake of contention, but to search the Scriptures with them and suggest helpful questions." {6T 74.4}

Notice carefully, "Let SOME of the workers..." Significantly, she does not say, "Let SDAs..."

Ellen White never advocated that SDAs in general go to non-SDA churches or where false doctrines are being taught. In fact, she spoke against it. This is another case where it's important to read everything she had to say on the topic.

[Woody]

Quote:

This is another case where it's important to read everything she had to say on the topic.

Yes. But that just means she said something for everybody. And we can pick and choose what we want. I would say that some means ANYbody.

[teresaq]

im not sure what your issue is, john. that point was already made.

[Neil D]

I would like to point out that today is

Happy 42 Binary Day.....

also known as 10-10-10

Now that I have said that, I would like to ask a question....

Why is it ok to condemn going to someone else's church, but not to be evangelized into another church?

As for the comments about going to places of idol worship, let me point out that if you are invited or directed by God to go, why do we fear going there? If God desires us to go, what is going to harm us? Are we afraid of going where God has directed us to go??? Though there may be 20,000 earthly enemys arrayed against us, we have an overwhelming heavenly army around us to protect us where ever He directs us to go...and one of them is able to take care of 100 solders...

How can you consider yourself to be an adventist, and not remember where this story came from???

[Woody]

Just don't go to a theater. Our angels stop at the door and don't go in. lol

[Neil D]

...except for one angel...aka "the recording angel"...

[John317]

My point is that Ellen White didn't indicate that just anyone should go to non-SDA meetings or churches. She's speaking of "some of our workers." In your post, you said, "ellen white encouraged us to attend other churches and 'ask questions'..."

When it is put that way, it makes it sound as if you are saying Ellen White encourages any SDA to attend other churches. The context and her others statements on the topic prove otherwise.

[John317]

Ellen White does say that the angels don't go where Christ is not wanted.

[Woody]

Are you suggesting that those who go to a theater don't want Christ?

[John317]

But that just means she said something for everybody. And we can pick and choose what we want. I would say that some means ANYbody.

To believe Ellen White meant that anybody should go to other churches where false doctrines are regularly taught would contradict many other things she said on the topic. Clearly, "some workers" is not "anyone."

[Woody]

Clealy 'some' does not restrict ANYbody.

[Woody]

The dictionay indicates that 'some' means an undetermined number. It could be ANY number in fact it could be ALL or infinity:

some Show Spelled

[suhm; unstressed suhm] Show IPA

–adjective

1. being an undetermined or unspecified one: Some person may object.

2. (used with plural nouns) certain: Some days I stay home.

3. of a certain unspecified number, amount, degree, etc.: to some extent.

4. unspecified but considerable in number, amount, degree, etc.: We talked for some time. He was here some weeks.

[teresaq]

My point is that Ellen White didn't indicate that just anyone should go to non-SDA meetings or churches. She's speaking of "some of our workers." In your post, you said, "ellen white encouraged us to attend other churches and 'ask questions'..."

When it is put that way, it makes it sound as if you are saying Ellen White encourages any SDA to attend other churches. The context and her others statements on the topic prove otherwise.

[John317]

"I have beheld angels grieved as the most precious jewels of truth have been brought before men utterly incapable of appreciating the evidences in favor of the truth." 3 T 425

Angels are grieved when the jewels of truth are given to men incapable of appreciating them.

[Dr. Shane]

I can certainly understand how some would feel more comfortable in a mosque than a Catholic church. Well... except for the pew thing. The first thing Martin Luther would do when a church left Catholicism was to tear out all the images.

[Bravus]

I realise the discussion has moved on many miles from its original stimulus.

But if I heard any error I didn't understand it, 'cos it was in Arabic.

And for me, it would have been far more harmful to refuse the wedding invitation than to accept it. Building rather than harming relationships with people...

(I did also realise that Islam is not for me: among many other reasons, the fact that the mosque is divided into a male and a female section, which meant I was separated from Sue throughout the service, wasn't acceptable to me. I also found the fact that the bride did not get to say 'I do' herself but had to deputise a male relative to consent on her behalf somewhat confronting. Having said all that, if I had these reactions to some feature of Christianity I'd just be told I was a decadent secularist, so...)

[teresaq]

rotfl!!

you went to a wedding?...oh me, oh my...