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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Is this a mortal sin	Lisa	Monday, August 12, 2013
Question: Is it a mortal sin to attend another church service of another denomination if you are Catholic? My 18 year old daughter is now worried she did the wrong thing attending her Mormon friend's church. My daughter is a practicing Catholic, receives the sacraments, and is just now becoming serious about her prayer life. We pray the scriptural rosary together at her request, praise GOD. I did NOT know she had actually gone to the service, and would have advised her to not go, and that if she did it out of "friendship", then there are other ways to express friendship. I told her all she did was leave herself open to more proselytizing. She regretfully agrees. She says that she knows our Catholic Faith has the fullness of truth. By the way , I suspect she went because she did not want to offend her friend. I told her, Then invite her to mass, and see if she offends you." My other question is did I seriously sin in telling her to receive communion later that Sunday when we went to mass? I advised her to receive Jesus because she did not intend to inquire into another religion because she doubted her faith, but because she is naiive. I told her not to worry that it would be my sin if she did wrong. Brother, considering my oldest daughter couldn't give a hoot about ANY religion including our Catholic Faith, this is a "nice" quandary. She insists on going to confession now. I just feel blest that she is a here to give an example to my 7 year old daughter. Thank you, and God bless you!
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), CCL, LTh, DD, LNDC Dear Lisa: Visiting another Church is not a sin unless one misses Mass to do so. Missing Mass without a legitimate reason is grave sin. It should be noted, however, that the Mormon's are not Christian. While it is not a sin to attend a friend's church as long as Sunday Mass is attended before or after, we do need to be careful about giving the impression that the "other church" is okay. Since the Mormons are not Christian this seemingly endorsement by attending their service can cause problems. The situation has to be discerned by your daughter as to whether or not going to her friend's Mormon service is needed to maintain friendship as to hopefully invite the friend to Mass. Such evangelizing should not be attempted unless one is firmly grounded and mature in the Catholic Faith. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Is this a mortal sin

Lisa

Monday, August 12, 2013

Question:

Is it a mortal sin to attend another church service of another denomination if you are Catholic? My 18 year old daughter is now worried she did the wrong thing attending her Mormon friend's church. My daughter is a practicing Catholic, receives the sacraments, and is just now becoming serious about her prayer life. We pray the scriptural rosary together at her request, praise GOD.

I did NOT know she had actually gone to the service, and would have advised her to not go, and that if she did it out of "friendship", then there are other ways to express friendship. I told her all she did was leave herself open to more proselytizing. She regretfully agrees. She says that she knows our Catholic Faith has the fullness of truth.

By the way , I suspect she went because she did not want to offend her friend. I told her, Then invite her to mass, and see if she offends you."

My other question is did I seriously sin in telling her to receive communion later that Sunday when we went to mass? I advised her to receive Jesus because she did not intend
to inquire into another religion because she doubted her faith, but because she is naiive. I told her not to worry that it would be my sin if she did wrong.

Brother, considering my oldest daughter couldn't give a hoot about ANY religion including our Catholic Faith, this is a "nice" quandary. She insists on going to confession now. I just feel blest that she is a here to give an example to my 7 year old daughter.
Thank you, and God bless you!

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r), CCL, LTh, DD, LNDC

Dear Lisa:

Visiting another Church is not a sin unless one misses Mass to do so. Missing Mass without a legitimate reason is grave sin.

It should be noted, however, that the Mormon's are not Christian. While it is not a sin to attend a friend's church as long as Sunday Mass is attended before or after, we do need to be careful about giving the impression that the "other church" is okay. Since the Mormons are not Christian this seemingly endorsement by attending their service can cause problems. The situation has to be discerned by your daughter as to whether or not going to her friend's Mormon service is needed to maintain friendship as to hopefully invite the friend to Mass.

Such evangelizing should not be attempted unless one is firmly grounded and mature in the Catholic Faith.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum