Since you have been a Baptist, have you . . .

Losing a loved one, no matter what their religious persuasion is heart wrenching for all family members involved. Anyone who refuses to attend a direct relatives funeral for denominational reasons should be ashamed of themselves. This is the time we SHOW our love and respect for the remaining family members and especially at the loss of the deceased. It is a time of weeping and great sorrow and remembrance.

To this day, I still miss Mother, who loved me more than one could imagine. I can still see her standing on the front porch of our old home waving goodbye to me as I would leave the house. Oh, if I could only hug her once more and tell her how much I miss her and love her.Someday, someday, beyond the sunset I will.

 

Then I guess some of you would call me a heretic. For a while I belonged to a band (guitars,flute,vocals,and my hand drum) connected with a pro-life organization near me. All of the other band members were Catholic. In fact, most of the organization members were too. If you wanted to be involved as a prolifer in my area, that was the deal. We played and sang mostly general praise and prayer songs that the Catholics knew. Most of it was rather nice - scripture based. We also played some songs that I provided - "Baptist songs" they called them. We played at protests, usually outside of abortion mills. We also played at masses specially held to pray for the cause, and the mothers who were decieved. I remember the rehersals we had fondly. We all shared a deep commitment to Christ, and often debated, in love, many things. I feel I served the purpose of showing them that Protestants were people too, who loved Jesus, not some sort of monsters with three heads as they may have fantasized as children. We had a special bond. They were sad at the masses when I could not take communion, and held my hand when the Lord's Prayer was recited, knowing we had that in common.
So call me a heretic. I treasure that time with those brothers and sisters.

 

You do err not understanding the Scriptures. This man's father was not dead yet, but what he was telling Christ was that he wanted to go home to his father and take care of him before following Christ.

Christs response revealed that the man was not willing to trust Christ at that time.

 

I am appaled by some of the responses on this board. How can a Christian be so heartless and cold? If I had this attitude towards Catholics as a chruch planter in Argentina, I would offend many and have no ministry whatsoever.

I am sorry that brothers in Christ stand behind "conviction of the Holy Spirit" to mask the numbness of their hearts.

Again I would like to see Scritpure that actually forbids me from going to family members of friends funeral. Just saying Jesus didn't doesn't cut it since Jesus did a lot of things that aren't recorded. He went to a wedding- a Jewish wedding that no doubt was attended by mostly unregenerate people, why would we assume that he wouldn't go to a funeral?

 

Boy, ain't that the truth here in Eire!

 

I have not partaken in any Roman Catholic worship services whether funeral, wedding, or whatever. I have no interest in doing so and would feel extremely uncomfortable doing so. I have friends and relatives who are Roman Catholic and I will sit with them, hold their hand, cry with them at their loss. I will go to their house and they can come to mine. I will go to the funeral home the night before and comfort them as best I can but I will not sit in the audience when a Roman Catholic ceremony is taking place.

2 Jo 1:11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

Psa 50:18 When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers.

1Ti 5:22 Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men's sins: keep thyself pure.

 

Who is bidding godspeed, consenting with a thief, laying hands on anyone, partaking of sin, or being impure?

 

Of course, any Christian man would. But, of course, a man that is not a Christian may be so wicked and self righteous that he would not care enough to go.


</font>[/QUOTE]Why would you yoke yourself to such practices as those that are openly anti-Christ?

Now, although I have not been inside a Catholic church, I have been inside an Episcopal church. I do not participate in the kneeling, standing, bowing to the graven image, and all that malarky, but at least it is a Christian church. I would do the same in a Catholic church, if a close family member had died.

That being said, I do think we put too much emphasis on funerals. A dear friend of mine was able to visit his brother before he died, but could not attend the funeral even to support his mother. (It's not just a simple jaunt across town from up here.) This dear friend just died, and I was unable to attend his funeral for the same reason. However, I was able to support them while alive, and that's much more important.

 

My grandmother died a Mormon. I attended her funeral and wept as well with Mormon family members, one of which was my Dad. I even got the chance to pray with my Dad, and he eventually came to know the Lord. If I had been hardened and turned away in a time of need, I dont see how that could have honored the Lord.

 

I don't think anyone here is advocating that - I know I don't.

 

Amen, that is good advise for everyone.

Now show me where Christ forbids going to funerals except for "approved" churches.

Please hold to your own doctrine of not adding to the Bible.

 

Christ's response included 'Let the dead bury their dead'. Why would the man want to bury someone who was still alive? Scripture does not say the father was still alive.

the Greek word for dead is 'nekros'. it means dead.
the Greek word for bury is 'thapto'. it means inter.

Why would a man want to bury his father if he was still alive?

 

The context of his statement wasnt what we are discussing. Thats a far stretch.

 

The Christian is not dead.

And you hath He quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. It is quite obvious when Jesus said 'Let the dead bury their dead', He could not have been talking about an actually dead body burying a dead body. He was speaking of a spiritually dead people seeing to the funeral services of a physically dead person who was in life spiritually dead.

A christian attending the funeral of a christian who has passed is different, for that is not the dead burying the dead.

Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Luke 9:60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

 

You need to do more than just a word study. Look at the common practice of the time, and take a look at good conservative commentaries.

 

Christ is not the only redemptor according to the Catholic faith. Mary is also a Redemptrix. She also shares the power to redeem people from sin, thereby removing the faith in Christ alone.

They teach that relatives of dead people can say 'Hail Mary's' to gain favor from God to pray their loved one out of purgatory.