Looking for a denomination

[ottiall]

Somebody told me a couple days ago that if you hold contempt before investigation that you will forever be ignorant. So I started investigating the different denominations. I have always been non-denominational myself.

This morning I went to a Catholic mass for the first time in my life, and as per my investigation, I have a couple questions...

During one of the prayers, the prayer seemed to be directed toward mary and the saints asking them to pray for us. I had never experienced this before and I didnt even know if it was actually what happened. I could have misheard them, but it seemed like they were praying to mary. Does this (or did it) happen? If so, why?

Second, the profession of faith in the pamphlet I was handed indicated that only the catholic church is recognized as legitimate, something about only recognizing the catholic and apostic church. Is it doctrine within the catholic church that all protestant denominations are illegitimate?

I would appreciate any answer to either of these questions as I have been researching all the different denominations in an attempt to find which one most adheres to the Holy Bible.

Respectfully,
ottiall

[FightingFat]

Originally Posted by ottiall

During one of the prayers, the prayer seemed to be directed toward mary and the saints asking them to pray for us. I had never experienced this before and I didnt even know if it was actually what happened. I could have misheard them, but it seemed like they were praying to mary. Does this (or did it) happen? If so, why?

It's biblical & historically Christian, just since the Reformation, some have decided it's not legitimate.

http://www.catholic.com/library/Pray...the_Saints.asp

Originally Posted by ottiall

Second, the profession of faith in the pamphlet I was handed

This is the Nicene Creed, you know that right?

Originally Posted by ottiall

indicated that only the catholic church is recognized as legitimate, something about only recognizing the catholic and apostic church. Is it doctrine within the catholic church that all protestant denominations are illegitimate?

They are all fractures from the Catholic Church.

[KarenElissa]

Originally Posted by ottiall

This morning I went to a Catholic mass for the first time in my life, and as per my investigation, I have a couple questions...

Wonderful, Mass is one of the best ways to learn about the faith.

During one of the prayers, the prayer seemed to be directed toward mary and the saints asking them to pray for us. I had never experienced this before and I didnt even know if it was actually what happened. I could have misheard them, but it seemed like they were praying to mary. Does this (or did it) happen? If so, why?

Yes, you heard that correctly, we do ask Mary and the other Saints to pray for us. Mary and the Saints are very much alive in heaven, so we speak to them as we would speak to other people who are alive on earth. Just as you might ask a friend to pray for you, we also ask them to pray for us. We also believe that since they are holy and very close to God in heaven, that their prayers are especially "powerful," just like if you ask a friend to pray for you, it will most likely be the one who is an active Christian, not the one who rarely goes to church and never prays outside of church.

[quote]Second, the profession of faith in the pamphlet I was handed indicated that only the catholic church is recognized as legitimate, something about only recognizing the catholic and apostic church. Is it doctrine within the catholic church that all protestant denominations are illegitimate?[quote]
I'm guessing what you are referring to is the Nicene Creed (something most Christians hold in common, just with some different interpretations of what the words mean). It says we believe in "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church." Catholics believe that the "fullness of truth" is found within the Catholic Church, that the doctrines and teachings of the Church are the ones that Jesus gave to the apostles and have been handed down through the ages. We believe that other types of Christians have many things right (we share MUCH) in common, but they are missing bits and pieces that are important.

I would appreciate any answer to either of these questions as I have been researching all the different denominations in an attempt to find which one most adheres to the Holy Bible.

Respectfully,
ottiall

Hope that helps a bit. I know there is much in the Catholic Church that can be a bit confusing and overwhelming at first (we do have 2000 years of teaching and traditions!), but it really is amazing the more you learn.

[Carlan]

Originally Posted by ottiall

...

During one of the prayers, the prayer seemed to be directed toward mary and the saints asking them to pray for us. I had never experienced this before and I didnt even know if it was actually what happened. I could have misheard them, but it seemed like they were praying to mary. Does this (or did it) happen? If so, why?

I would appreciate any answer to either of these questions as I have been researching all the different denominations in an attempt to find which one most adheres to the Holy Bible.

Respectfully,
ottiall

Welcome Ottiall,
We in the Church on earth are in communion with all the Saints in heaven.
The Church's ultimate goal is heaven, so all those who have gone before us and are in heaven intercede to the Father for our hope here in the Church who are in communion with them on earth. Hope that helps, Peace, Carlan

[Claire from DE]

You state you are trying to find the church that most adheres to the bible. Since the bible was written by Catholics, and the determination of which writings were inspired and should be in the bible was made by the Catholic church before the Protestant churches broke off from it, it makes sense that the Catholic church is the one that best interprets and adheres to the bible.

[fermat]

Originally Posted by Claire from DE

You state you are trying to find the church that most adheres to the bible. Since the bible was written by Catholics, and the determination of which writings were inspired and should be in the bible was made by the Catholic church before the Protestant churches broke off from it, it makes sense that the Catholic church is the one that best interprets and adheres to the bible.

Welcome ottiall!

Piggybacking on this post, I would recommend that you read Where We Got The Bible (hyperlinked). Most folks never dive much into the question of how the Bible was compiled. This book does a great job of breaking the process down and answering some key questions about the validity of the process.

[Cat Herder]

Originally Posted by ottiall

During one of the prayers, the prayer seemed to be directed toward mary and the saints asking them to pray for us. I had never experienced this before and I didnt even know if it was actually what happened. I could have misheard them, but it seemed like they were praying to mary. Does this (or did it) happen? If so, why?

This is what they are doing:

See also The Communion of Saints: Prayer and Veneration

Second, the profession of faith in the pamphlet I was handed indicated that only the catholic church is recognized as legitimate, something about only recognizing the catholic and apostic church. Is it doctrine within the catholic church that all protestant denominations are illegitimate?

Yes and no. Yes, only the Catholic Church is the legitimate apostolic church BUT all Protestant churches with Trinitarian baptism are partially joined to the Catholic Church.

[Waiting]

You've received some good responses, but I think one point was missed. In the Nicene Creed, where we say we believe in "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church," the word catholic here is spelled with a small c because catholic means universal. The Catholic (capital C) Church is everywhere in the world. While we respect the churches who have broken away from the Catholic Church, we hold that they do not have the fullness of faith, and so the Catholic Church is the only true Church -- the one that Jesus began while He was still among us.

[JRKH]

Originally Posted by ottiall

Somebody told me a couple days ago that if you hold contempt before investigation that you will forever be ignorant. So I started investigating the different denominations. I have always been non-denominational myself.

this is very good advice...thank you for your openness.

This morning I went to a Catholic mass for the first time in my life, and as per my investigation, I have a couple questions...

During one of the prayers, the prayer seemed to be directed toward mary and the saints asking them to pray for us. I had never experienced this before and I didnt even know if it was actually what happened. I could have misheard them, but it seemed like they were praying to mary. Does this (or did it) happen? If so, why?

You did not hear wrong. We do ask Mary and the Saints in heaven to pray for us, just as we ask those next to us in the pew to pray for us.
The Catholic Church recognizes the communion of saints as including those who have passed on and are now in heaven. These are refered to as the "Church triunphant". These members of the Church triumphant can and do pray for us before the throne of God.

Second, the profession of faith in the pamphlet I was handed indicated that only the catholic church is recognized as legitimate, something about only recognizing the catholic and apostic church. Is it doctrine within the catholic church that all protestant denominations are illegitimate?

This gets a bit tricky. Anyone who is baptized is considered a member of the Body of Christ or of the church. Those who are members of "protestant" communities are seen as not being in "full communion" with The Church. To get a fuller understanding I recommend reading THIS section of the Catholic Church Catechism dealing with the "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I would appreciate any answer to either of these questions as I have been researching all the different denominations in an attempt to find which one most adheres to the Holy Bible.

Respectfully,
ottiall

I hope that the above helps.
I'd like to point out that I returned home to the Catholic Church sveral years ago because I discovered that it IS the one that adheres most closely to the Bible. Coming from a non-denominational background, this may not be readily apparent, but it is quite so.

Peace
James

[Rolltide]

Originally Posted by ottiall

During one of the prayers, the prayer seemed to be directed toward mary and the saints asking them to pray for us. I had never experienced this before and I didnt even know if it was actually what happened. I could have misheard them, but it seemed like they were praying to mary. Does this (or did it) happen? If so, why?

When I teach this concept in my college Western Civilization classes, I phrase it something like this.

1) If you are a Christian, have you ever asked your congregation to pray for an intention, like a sick relative? The answer is that most likely, you have. Your whole congregation, together, prays aloud for the person to get better (or whatever the intention is). Is this problematic?

2) As a Christian, do you believe in eternal life, whether it be in heaven or hell? For MOST Christian denominations, this is a *key* element of the faith. It is critical that we understand that when we die, we do not simply cease to exist, but continue on, thanks to the saving power of Christ. Death no longer has any power over us.

3) So... if people do not cease to exist, and it's ok to ask for a group of living people to pray together, why wouldn't it be ok to ask both the living AND the dead to pray for our intentions?

Here's the actual text of what you heard, which is called the Penitential Rite:

"And I ask Blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
All the angels and saints,
and you, my brothers and sisters,
to pray FOR me to the Lord our God."

Catholics consider prayer so important, that here, we are actually asking the whole of creation to join us in prayer, including both the living, the dead, and even the angels and saints! This serves as a reminder that we are a part of a larger creation, and helps foster Christian unity.

I hope that helps!

[Skeptic92]

Originally Posted by ottiall

Somebody told me a couple days ago that if you hold contempt before investigation that you will forever be ignorant. So I started investigating the different denominations. I have always been non-denominational myself.

This morning I went to a Catholic mass for the first time in my life, and as per my investigation, I have a couple questions...

During one of the prayers, the prayer seemed to be directed toward mary and the saints asking them to pray for us. I had never experienced this before and I didnt even know if it was actually what happened. I could have misheard them, but it seemed like they were praying to mary. Does this (or did it) happen? If so, why?

Second, the profession of faith in the pamphlet I was handed indicated that only the catholic church is recognized as legitimate, something about only recognizing the catholic and apostic church. Is it doctrine within the catholic church that all protestant denominations are illegitimate?

I would appreciate any answer to either of these questions as I have been researching all the different denominations in an attempt to find which one most adheres to the Holy Bible.

Respectfully,
ottiall

1) That was the Confiteor (the I Confess), this happens at the beginning of every Mass, although different formulas can be used, perfectly legitimate dont worry, theres biblical support for it, plus prayers to Saints are only disallowed by denominations founded since the reformation (so past 500 years) while both the Catholic, EO, OO and Assyrian Orthodox (all founded around the same time) all encourage it, as we are not just the Church Millitant (the Church on Earth) we are also the Church Triumphant (those in Heaven).

2) I'm guessing you mean "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church" then yes, but Catholic doesn't mean exactly what you think, Catholic means universal, it's Apostolic most Protestant denominations lack, this simply means there Priesthood and Bishops are not traceable back to the Apostles, therefore they can't administer the Sacraments (save for Baptism, and Marriage (which is actually conveyed by the Bride and Groom, and witnessed by the Church, not administered by it))

In your research to find what Church most follows the traditions of the early church (remember the Bible came from the Catholic Church when it was one, when there wasn't a split of East and West), read the Early Church Fathers and this website helps for scripture references http://www.scripturecatholic.com/.


May God Bless you and lead you into the splendor truth

[ottiall]

Thank you all for your answers. Now I have some direction for my research.

Respectfully,
ottiall