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Original poster

I'm catholic can I go to a Christian church?

71 replies

Grassgreendashhabi · 01/08/2016 07:18

Really stupid question

I'm Catholic I don't go to church but really to believe in God.

Now my local church is a Christian church. Is it wrong for me to attend

I want to take my little baby there as they hold brilliant mums and baby groups

But I'm wondering being Catholic is it appropriate

I have heard people say that Catholic are Christians so I'm totally confused ... If Catholic is a Christian why do they have different churches ??

So confused.

OP posts:

BertrandRussell · 01/08/2016 08:47

I went to a church playgroup with mine- and I am an atheist. It was fine. I did try another one attached to the local Catholic Church, but it was too religious for me.

Give it a try. And if you don't feel comfortable there, try another one.

BertrandRussell · 01/08/2016 08:49

Once upon a time, Catholics werenMt allowed to even go into other denomination's churches- but that all changed with (I think) Pope John XX111

JaWellNoFine · 01/08/2016 08:49

Well weren't all the churches in England Catholic until Henry the 8th. If I remember (my history... I'm not THAT old!) correctly the Church of England was created so that he could get a divorce? So the doctrine cannot be too different.

JaWellNoFine · 01/08/2016 08:57

Grass, you can be whatever you want to be and go to whatever Christian church you want to.

And you do not have to attend church to go to the mum and baby group.

reallyanotherone · 01/08/2016 08:58

I'm catholic.

It wouldn't even occur to me not to attend any other church or religious event. I went to c of e baby groups, i've been to christingle services, sikh weddings, bar mitzvah's, all sorts.

I lived in scotland for a while and regularly went to a church of scotland mass as i couldn't get to the catholic church.

The only difference being in a non catholic service i don't take part, i sit at the back and listen, but don't take communion or any other significant ceremonies.

Most churches these days would rather you went than didn't, there aren't enough people who want to attend for them to be getting picky. If you're not there they can't share their beliefs.

woodhill · 01/08/2016 09:09

There are differences in doctrine outlined by an earlier poster but this does not matter, to me it is you as an individual. Give this church a try, what have you got to lose?

Xbblcjr · 11/08/2016 06:53

No, I don't think it would be appropriate to attend.
It would be easy to spot a non-Christian and it might make everyone uncomfortable.

Ragwort · 11/08/2016 08:30

What an odd comment - a Catholic is not a non-Christian. and the vast majority of CofE Churches will welcome non-Christians anyway.

MyBreadIsEggy · 11/08/2016 08:39

Go!!
I was raised Catholic and have my Dd baptised catholic too, I regularly attend 2 great toddler groups - one is at the Methodist church in my village and the other is at the Gospel Hall in town - no one has ever asked about my religious beliefs before. There is a woman who goes to the gospel hall group who is clearly a Muslim (wears a hijab) and she is still just as welcome as anybody else despite not being a Christian.
I highly doubt which flavour of Christianity you prefer will even come into question at a toddler play group!

MrsJayy · 11/08/2016 08:40

It sounds like you are lapsed RC it is absolutley fine to attend church go to baby groups. My aunt and uncle moved to England joined the anglican church and uncle is now a lay vicar, I have been baptised twice once as a baby as Roman catholic and christened at 16 in a church of Scotland church .i have since lapsed So go to church if you want they will do thngs slightly differently than you are used to but go anyway and see how it goes.

MrsJayy · 11/08/2016 08:42

Catholic is Christian just a different denominatiion thats all.

Sleepybeanbump · 11/08/2016 08:43

Surely you know you're a Christian?!

Of course you can go.

ErrolTheDragon · 11/08/2016 08:47

CofE is a 'catholic' church (with a small c) to be really confusing. As it's also the established state church anyone can go if they want, it's not a private club. They're supposed to serve their parishioners of all faiths or none.

sooperdooper · 11/08/2016 08:48

Yes, as others have said go, it's fine but I'm confused how you define yourself as catholic but don't know that's Christian?

Despite being confirmed I'm not allowed to take communion in a Catholic mass for example as an Anglican

Off topic, sorry.... But I understand not wanting to take communion in a different church but how are you not allowed? I'm not being argumentative but I'm not religious at all and intrigued to understand - do you have to register to take communion?

gonetoseeamanaboutadog · 11/08/2016 08:49

Yes, it's appropriate for you to go. You would be welcome even if you didn't believe.

There's a great book called Dangerous Wonder by Yaconelli that you would find helpful. Available cheaply on amazon.

gonetoseeamanaboutadog · 11/08/2016 08:53

sooper The leaders of a church decide who can take communion because everyone is welcome to attend church, the Bible says that communion must be taken in remembrance of Jesus' death and what it meant so churches have different ways of ensuring that people taking communion will be able to do that.

MrsJayy · 11/08/2016 08:55

I think there is different ceremonys (sp) to take communion do anglicans have first communion?i couldnt walk into an R C and take communion because i didnt have a first communion as my parents divorced by then and it was my dad who was RC and he used to take me to church not mum.

alltouchedout · 11/08/2016 08:56

Dh is Polish. His uncle came to visit us once and we took him to various places including the church in our town which dates from pre 1000. He asked us "is this a Christian church or a Protestant one?" Which confused me a lot! DH explained to me that the Catholicism they'd been raised in didn't really regard anything other than RC as genuinely Christian. His uncle is pretty old though so things might have changed now.
I would have thought the vast majority of churches would be happy for someone who share their belief in God and Jesus and comes because of that belief, to be there. To be honest my friend who is a CofE minister says she is happy for anyone who wants to attend church and behaves with respect to be there, regardless of what their beliefs are.

MrsJayy · 11/08/2016 08:59

Christian or Prodestant 😂

Trills · 11/08/2016 08:59

You would absolutely be welcome.

Something else you might want to consider is how much you "are" Catholic.

Do you just mean that you were raised that way, or is it something that you have chosen?

You don't have to automatically count yourself as being one if you don't want to, or if you don't entirely know what it means.

Trills · 11/08/2016 09:02

MrsJsayy but you could walk into a church of any denomination and take communion if you knew how to act and where to go because they wouldn't know.

|It would be a bit disrespectful, but again they'd never know.

goose1964 · 11/08/2016 09:08

to be really controversial Roman Catholicism & C of E are both catholic just with different heads (not the small c)

MrsJayy · 11/08/2016 09:13

I spose i could take a sneaky communion if i wanted yeah . C o S only do communion on certain dates not every week .

MrsJayy · 11/08/2016 09:14

Yeah Anglican is a form of catholisism

Shadowracer · 11/08/2016 09:14

I am a confirmed Christian. I take communion in C of E, Methodist, and Catholic Churches. C of E and Methodists have open door policy on communion. According to the Catholic Church you should be confirmed Catholic to receive communion. However I once had a very enlightened conversation with a lovely Benedictine Monk who said if I was a Christian then God was not going to worry about me taking communion whilst visiting another church....he went on to say all Christianity grew from Catholisim (sp?) and therefore it would be very hypocritical not to be allowed to take communion (he was lovely....and a real rebel I bet ) anyway since then I've taken communion in any church I have been in, regardless of denomination, and haven't been struck down ... yet!

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