Differences in Worship

I thought it was very interesting the way the catholics worship in such a way that they would emphasize the phrases considered important and it was very beautiful. While the protestants encouraged participation from their church members. There are very different forms of worship and the way that the  protestants stripped apart all those elements that seemed distracting to them, in order to worship, and worshipped together kind of makes me think of the community of christ where everyone comes together no matter how different they are but they worship together. It is very hard to go choose which one is better though because the catholics might not encourage participation but they do worship with the help of all the things that God has created and the outcome is spiritual and beautiful. It just goes to show how many people can have different worship styles but in the end they get the same outcome.

P.s. I commented on Becca's post

Actions

Today in class I posed the question of whether or not simply changing the word 'choose' to 'accept' in Calvin's question of if faith is something you choose. Changing the word to 'accept' takes the assertive action to a passive action, and while Dr. Brekke countered the question by stating that it was still an action, I would like to take that though a step further. It's like recieving a present; you cannot choose what you are given, just whether or not you will accept it. Accepting God's grace has to be a passive action becasue in order to acknowlede it you have to be willing to humble yourself. While you cannot choose the gift that is grace, you can take down the figurative wall between allowing yourself to accept it.

Happy Medium

I recently started studying the idea of predestination on my own. I asked myself many of the same questions Dr. Brekke brought up in class today that opposed Calvinism, and I struggled with the answers I got. God is a just God, so why would he choose people to be damned to Hell for all eternity while other people are chosen to live life abundant in Heaven. Christ died for the sins of all not only the elect. I can see that Calvin is coming from the point of view that faith is appointed to mankind and we can’t rely on self to be our own “co-savior,” but I believe he may have explored the polar opposite option which is that of predestination and no free will.

I commented on Jamie’s

Calvinism

Well I wasn’t in class today, but I heard that we talked about Calvinism. So I did a little research on that topic for my blog. By definition, Calvinism is “the Protestant theological system of John Calvin, which emphasizes the irresistibility of grace and the doctrine of predestination.” A branch of Western Christianity, Calvinism was founded sometime in the 1500s by John Calvin. There are five points to Calvinism: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, and perseverance of the saints. Each point means something specific. Calvinists believe in predestination. In other words, they believe that God pre-picked certain people to go to Heaven and to be a believer.

I commented on Jasmines.

Worship

I actually enjoyed the Catholic worship better than the Reformed. the Catholic worship kept my attention better and it was more relaxing. it seems like protastant worship music is almost a mix between both types of worship. it was interesting to hear the different types of worship, especially when it was taking place in the same era. i really enjoy music and it is fun to get to hear music from other cultures and time periods.

ps. i commented on Jamie Kilpatrick's

A Tough Pill

I think Christians in our day can all agree that Calvinism and the doctrine of predestination are quite the tough pill to swallow. As for myself, I am not quite sure that I believe one side or the other of the debate is completely true. However, there are certain doctrinal ideas in Calvinism that I definitely agree with. We claim that it would be unjust of God to create people with the foreknowledge that they would go to Hell after dying. Now please don't misunderstand me. I am not saying that I agree with Calvin on this point, but this particular example helps to talk about a certain concept. This concept is the fact that God is just in whatever He does. This is a scriptural fact. He is perfection, thus having a wholly perfect will. Still, I have no idea whether or not God creates people simply to send them to Hell. The point is, that if He did, how could we possibly stand to judge His action from our incredibly limited standard? How can the pot question the potter?

An interesting thing I heard from a friend of mine this summer was this, that God has a righteous duty unto Himself, to glorify Himself. This blew my mind, yet it is so true. God, being utter perfection, is the highest possible good that exists. If He were to allow us to pursue any other objective in life but Him, it would really be a disservice to us. I am nowhere near smart or biblically literate enough to understand Calvinism or Arminianism very well, but like I said, whether we like it or not, God is infinitely above and beyond reproach. He is perfection and what He does He does perfectly.

P.S. I commented on Susan Berner's "Calvinism"

Worship Euphoria

Worship Euphoria

Today as we discussed the different types of worship in honors today,and as we listened to both types of worship,I was struck by a thought: Worship can be dangerous to one's soul.  I realized why a person would prefer a simple type of worship over a complex hymn sung in multiple parts. As I listened,I started to become lost in the beauty of it, and focused less and less on the words and meaning behind them. This can be dangerous because if one loses focus on truly worshiping, they begin to either glorify themselves (enjoying the sound of your voice) or they begin to praise the performer, not The Creator. The music played was beautiful,it truly was. But too much of a good thing can be harmful. Now, do not misunderstand me. I believe you can worship in all that you do, all types of music, and even without music. Music does bring people together though, and there is nothing like the sound of devoted Christians lifting a song of praise to their Creator. So yes, we should enjoy beautiful music, but we should never let ourselves be overtaken by the beauty of it. I believe that you must find a form of worship that you truly can worship through. For some, hymns and psalms allow them to truly embrace worship. For others, a contemporary worship service accomplishes the same effect. To each his own,as they say.

P.S. commented here