Sunday, October 17, 2004
At RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) tomorrow night. We're covering chapters 8 (The Church: One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic) and 9 (Ecumenism: The Church and Other Religions). These were interesting chapters, going into Church history and talking about why different divisions started and the ongoing effort to return to One Christian Church. The book did say that Baptists are part of the Protestant faiths... I don't believe that is true, but there seems to be many opinions:
Baptist History, Then and Now
A Brief History of the Baptists
Interesting reading
Also interesting was this paragraph:
The Church also esteems the Moslems who worship the one and merciful God. Moslems do not acknowledge the divinity of Jesus Christ, but they do revere him as a great prophet, and they honor his mother, Mary. With Christians they await judgment day and resurrection, prize the moral life, and worship God through prayer, almsgiving and fasting. The Council recognizes that the history of Christians and Moslems has seen conflicts and hostilities, but the church now calls for cooperation. All are urged to forget the past and to strive sincerely for mutual understanding. The Council urges Moslems and Christians to work in common for social justice, moral values and the causes of peace and freedom.
Do Moslems, Christians and Jews believe in the same God?
Why do Jews and Muslims hate each other?
I find the kind of reading we're doing for RCIA to be a credit for the Catholic Church. The Catholic Catechism is a broad document that covers 2000 years of the Christian Faith and touches on nearly every aspect of the world and humanity. I realize this isn't everyone's cup of tea, this kind of history, psychology, political investigation. Some just want to belong and be part of the church without the long RCIA process. But I'm drawn to it.
Baptist History, Then and Now
A Brief History of the Baptists
Interesting reading
Also interesting was this paragraph:
The Church also esteems the Moslems who worship the one and merciful God. Moslems do not acknowledge the divinity of Jesus Christ, but they do revere him as a great prophet, and they honor his mother, Mary. With Christians they await judgment day and resurrection, prize the moral life, and worship God through prayer, almsgiving and fasting. The Council recognizes that the history of Christians and Moslems has seen conflicts and hostilities, but the church now calls for cooperation. All are urged to forget the past and to strive sincerely for mutual understanding. The Council urges Moslems and Christians to work in common for social justice, moral values and the causes of peace and freedom.
Do Moslems, Christians and Jews believe in the same God?
Why do Jews and Muslims hate each other?
I find the kind of reading we're doing for RCIA to be a credit for the Catholic Church. The Catholic Catechism is a broad document that covers 2000 years of the Christian Faith and touches on nearly every aspect of the world and humanity. I realize this isn't everyone's cup of tea, this kind of history, psychology, political investigation. Some just want to belong and be part of the church without the long RCIA process. But I'm drawn to it.
