As a child, I was quite confused about the concept of
was believing in God and praying- nothing more,
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nothing less. As I grew older I realized
the reason of my state of confusion- I was practicing
was raised a Catholic while my father had been raised
a Protestant in the United Methodist
Church. I was christened in the Catholic church and I
attended a Catholic institute for my
first year of school. I studied and took part in the
Catholic teachings at school as well as
attended mass with my family on Saturday nights.
The
church with my family in a completely different
building- the United Methodist Church. I
never really questioned this religious lifestyle but I
between the two customs of worship. A couple of years
Protestant and I have been a member of the United
that I am older, I can significantly see the
differences between Protestantism and
Whenever I step into a Catholic church, the first
the building and the artwork that adorns the ceilings
spacious and contains rows and rows of seats that
accommodate a large crowd.
I noticed
that in behind each row of seats were padded bars on
parts of the service. In contrast to the United
Methodist Church, there are a number of
statues that surround the church including a statue of
crucifix with Jesus on it is positioned in the center
of the front wall- the focal point within
the church. Throughout the church, a number of
windows allow the light from outside to enter. The
lighting in the church is quite dim.
From this, a solemn and humble setting is felt.
I’ve been to a lot of Catholic masses and it seems as
as identical as the next one. The people seem to
simultaneously say and perform gestures
(the sign of the cross) without even thinking. I
noticed how concentrated the older people
were as they participated in the worship. The service
choir situated in the back of the church began the
songs and the people would repeat the
verse. I thought the choir sang very harmoniously. I
service when the choir would sing.
I believe that the most important part of the worship
The people who took part in the Eucharist looked very
receiving the blood and body of Christ, these people
prayed intensely on their knees. I did
not participate in this part of the service because I
didn’t feel comfortable for the United
Methodist beliefs about Communion are quite different
It was not hard for me to follow the sequence of the
to other churches before and I pretty much knew what
as I could in the service. I sang and I prayed but I
was not able to recite the short phrases
and make the gestures within the service. I did not
feel lost nor confused but I did feel as
if other people knew that I wasn’t Catholic because I
didn’t fully participate in the service.
Unfamiliar surroundings can never really be
welcome as I thought I would be. It seemed as if the
God and didn’t exactly acknowledge anyone else. I
participate, instead I felt I should try to
participate. I didn’t receive the warm reception
that I see at my church. In some ways, I felt out of
place but I didn’t let that feeling get in
Between the Catholic church and the United Methodist
differences than similarities. The structure of
worship is quite similar but the manner at
which it was performed is very different. The only
“Our Father.” The arrangement of the building is also
similar as well as the music played.
Another similarity is the Priest of the church and the
however I have been a member of a church where the
After understanding both worship services, I am able
Nowadays it seems as if people go to church for the
go at all. For me, church is a very important factor
in my life. I go to church not only to
talk with God, that can be done basically anywhere. I
and friends- to be a part of a community of people. I
strengthened when I see my family praying together.
In addition, experiencing a different
religion enables me to learn about the different
personally enlightening my spirituality.