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Does watching Mass on TV count as your weekend obligation?

 

Anybody remember drive-in mass @ St.Williams (now St.John XXII) on Harlem between Mineral Springs & Indian Church?

 

Mass was drive-in, outdoor.  In 1970s we would take my grandfather there.  He was an amputee.  He could sit in car like drive-in theater, priest would deliver Mass via loudspeaker.  

 

Edited by ExiledInIllinois
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17 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Does watching Mass on TV count as your weekend obligation?

 

Anybody remember drive-in mass @ St.Williams (now St.John XXII) on Harlem between Mineral Springs & Indian Church?

 

Mass was drive-in, outdoor.  In 1970s we would take my grandfather there.  He was an amputee.  He could sit in car like drive-in theater, priest would deliver Mass via loudspeaker.  

 

I don't remember that church,however we went to outdoor mass next to the ECC  North campus a few times..I forgot the name of the parrish.

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11 hours ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

I was raised very strict Roman Catholic.  Mass every Sunday, and bible school before mass.  Bible camp every summer, and sometimes during school breaks.  After I made my confirmation I decided I didn’t want to go back.  My mother was very upset by this, and still today my lack of faith is a bone of contention.  Imagine my mother’s response when I told her I wouldn’t have my children baptized or make them go to church.

 

I have noticed that “old school” carholicism seems to have diminished, but there is still a presence in the small town where I live.  What I am noticing is an increase in these “pop up” churches appearing in town.  Most of them lease vacant stores in the mall, or occupy other buildings that are not churches.  From what I can gather they practice Christianity, but it is a lot different than the church I knew growing up.  They have a live band at their masses.  They dance and sing to progressive music.  The pastors, or whatever they call themselves, wear slacks and a polo shirt.  Not the ornate gowns that I remember Catholic priests wearing.  Seems like a good thing.  Perhaps if church were like this when I was growing up I might still be involved.

 

This sounds a lot like the church I attend.  It is a non-denominational Christian church which meets in a middle school auditorium.  There is a stage where a live band (electric guitars, drums, bass, keyboard, and vocalists) performs worship music for the first 15 minutes, followed by a few minutes of brief announcements, then 40 or so minutes of a relevant sermon which addresses real life issues and how God fits in to your everyday life.  In my opinion, this type of church is gaining in popularity since it actually teaches something and opens your eyes to what you weren't seeing.  It's casual (the pastors are everyday guys who are easy to relate to) and non judgmental, which resonates with a lot of folks.  I look forward to church on Sundays now.

 

I was raised Catholic, went to church every Sunday growing up, made the Sacraments, but never really understood the meaning behind faith.  I became a bit disillusioned with the Catholic Church and attended sporadically as an adult.  I didn't see the point of a redundant hour long ceremony each week where I didn't feel like I got something out of it.  To this day, I still haven't mentioned this to my mom, who is an old school Catholic - don't question the Catholic Church and follow what they say - since my grandparents immigrated from Italy and were strict Catholics who brought my mom and her siblings up the same way.  Asking 'why', thinking for myself, and acting on an urge to grow is one of the best things I've done in life.  I encourage others to do the same.

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3 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Does watching Mass on TV count as your weekend obligation?

 

Anybody remember drive-in mass @ St.Williams (now St.John XXII) on Harlem between Mineral Springs & Indian Church?

 

Mass was drive-in, outdoor.  In 1970s we would take my grandfather there.  He was an amputee.  He could sit in car like drive-in theater, priest would deliver Mass via loudspeaker.  

 

I did that one time when I was in high school to get out of going on Easter (Good Friday I think) so I could go with a group from school to a Sabres game against the Canadiens

My mom didn't think I would do it  and I did and got to go to the game

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9 hours ago, GETTOTHE50 said:

 

To be a Christian is to suffer.

 

 

That’s Buddhism. 

 

Christian’s foundational belied is that Jesus, the son of God, loved us so much that he died for our sins and to give us the possibility of eternal life in God’s love/heaven. 

Edited by BeginnersMind
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16 hours ago, sherpa said:

 

Your post seems to indicate an all or nothing vis a vis the Catholic church and faith.

Nothing could b e further from the truth.

There are plenty of options away from the stuff of Catholic Church doctrine.

Thus, the Protestant view.

  There are plenty of options within the Catholic Church.  I just did not see it as a younger man.  The priest we had until I stopped going around age 17 pretty much did the fire and brimstone routine but not quite to the drama level of a Southern Baptist preacher.  At the time I thought that was mandatory by the Church.  The priest does have latitude in delivery the Homily.  The guy we have who is latter middle age talks like Gabe Kaplan's Mr. Kotter in terms of making the Gospel reading analogous with somebody from his life and usually a family member.   The priest who proceeded him liked to talk about historical figures even if it was somebody obscure.  More than once I found myself looking up that figure to get the full story.  Further, this same priest was a bit of an intellectual so you had to listen closely but there was a payoff in doing so.  

 

  The big issue for any person is their emotional and intellectual growth and if they are ready to absorb what is coming from the pulpit.  Some people just will not get anything out of a service because they are not ready inside but that does not mean as time progresses that they will not grow as people.  Having said that if you are sitting there and your mind is open to what is being said but it is not resonating with you then maybe it is time to try a different parish or maybe a different branch of Christianity.

 

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32 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

  

 

   The big issue for any person is their emotional and intellectual growth and if they are ready to absorb what is coming from the pulpit.  Some people just will not get anything out of a service because they are not ready inside but that does not mean as time progresses that they will not grow as people.  

 

 

Been staying out of this thread, but to say if someone does not get anything out of a sermon and/ or organized religion they are not ready to grow as a person to me is the epitome of someone who is not ready to grow as a person. They see things only in black and white, and are not open to other possibilities and ideas.

Edited by plenzmd1
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2 hours ago, Foxx said:

ah religion. more control measures for the masses. anyone know when the third testament arrives?

  Last I checked you did not have to go to church at gun point.  Try ducking out of the "great leader's" rally in North Korea, China, or Russia and see where it gets you.  Guys such as George Soros would love to have a chance to convert you over to their way of thinking.

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2 hours ago, Foxx said:

ah religion. more control measures for the masses. anyone know when the third testament arrives?

 

And society is swimming right along without control measures.  Years ago it was societal structure control by religion.  Tear that down, guess where the burden of control rests with?

 

 

You guessed it. Cold hearted gov't.  And people don't like that either.  How well is that working.

 

Can't win.  Something is going to have to control the masses.  And it looks like we are doing a hell of a job through "osmosis."  Yeah, right...

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4 hours ago, BeginnersMind said:

 

That’s Buddhism. 

 

Christian’s foundational belied is that Jesus, the son of God, loved us so much that he died for our sins and to give us the possibility of eternal life in God’s love/heaven. 

What is eternal life?  What is eternity?  What is love?  None of these questions are limited to easy, univocal answers.  Differences in Christian theology give profoundly different responses to the matter of suffering, for instance.  In some Protestant versions of soteriology, justification is forensic and God's heaven a reward extrinsic to a metaphysical state of being.  The Cross is suffering taken on by Christ so that the believer does not suffer.  (In vulgar terms, this is categorized as "cheap grace.")  It is likely a caricature of many forms of Reformation-inspired theology.  Regardless, for much of the Christian tradition, the Cross is not extrinsic, not part of a purely individualist understanding of salvation, and not separable from Resurrected life.  Hence, suffering is indeed central to Christian praxis for much of the tradition.

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12 minutes ago, RochesterRob said:

  Last I checked you did not have to go to church at gun point.  Try ducking out of the "great leader's" rally in North Korea, China, or Russia and see where it gets you.  Guys such as George Soros would love to have a chance to convert you over to their way of thinking.

See my post above.

 

Everybody wants to be an individual with the anti-religion crowd. They'll all square things away by themselves.  I agree to a certain point, yet am a more realist.  A million people will think like a million different people.  Something can be said for the strength of the groups... Within reason!

Edited by ExiledInIllinois
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11 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

What is eternal life?  What is eternity?  What is love?  None of these questions are limited to easy, univocal answers.  Differences in Christian theology give profoundly different responses to the matter of suffering, for instance.  In some Protestant versions of soteriology, justification is forensic and God's heaven a reward extrinsic to a metaphysical state of being.  The Cross is suffering taken on by Christ so that the believer does not suffer.  (In vulgar terms, this is categorized as "cheap grace.")  It is likely a caricature of many forms of Reformation-inspired theology.  Regardless, for much of the Christian tradition, the Cross is not extrinsic, not part of a purely individualist understanding of salvation, and not separable from Resurrected life.  Hence, suffering is indeed central to Christian praxis for much of the tradition.

hmm, gotta say I usually think I am a pretty smart guy..but I am lost here:lol:

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Just now, plenzmd1 said:

hmm, gotta say I usually think I am a pretty smart guy..but I am lost here:lol:

Sorry, philosophical theology and Christian theology are in my wheelhouse.  I actually write articles on this stuff on a theoblog.

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Just now, plenzmd1 said:

hmm, gotta say I usually think I am a pretty smart guy..but I am lost here:lol:

See what Martin Luther started 500 years ago.

 

All he wanted to do was fix a few problems with The Church, tack up a little advice.

 

Now we have individual salvation... Eveybody is an individual Snowflake that needs to be saved from their ownself.

 

Thanks ML...

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