Catholic Church – Kanisa la Christadelphian huko Anderlecht

Why were Catholics not allowed to take communion during baptismal service

Mai 9, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans ??? Questions asked, Christadelphian, Faith, Jesus Christ - son of God, Questions & Answers

Church community - ecclesia - church service - communion - sharing of the bread — Photo by Pavel Danilyuk on Pexels.com

Sharing bread and wine only for baptized brothers and sisters

After the baptismal service I received a question from a young lady who was sad because she and others who were baptised were not allowed to share in the bread and wine.

By those other baptised people she meant Catholics. I tried to make it clear to her that there were two main reasons.

Infant baptism

In the Catholic faith, most are baptised as babies. This infant baptism is usually administered in the first days or weeks of a child’s life and it is assumed that this pouring with some water would wash off original sin, according to the church father Augustine. It is assumed that, according to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, babies can be secured in such a way that they would die prematurely that they would not be doomed to have to burn in hell forever. (Children’s) baptism means (according to Catholic teaching) that one receives salvation and is incorporated into the church.

In the past, the Papal Church went so far that in the time of persecution and inquisition one had to choose either death or baptism.

However, during infant baptism, the child has never made the choice for God himself, but the parents or others have made that choice for the child.

However, it is important that everyone, when they have reached an age of consciousness, makes a conscious choice to want to be a child of God in Jesus’ name and to move in that direction of faith for this.

Adult baptism

Later in life, a person can decide for himself which way he wants to go.

The first Christians were always about an act of surrender to God, which could only be performed at an age of reason. Catholics and Reformants had the doom idea of hell in their heads and wanted to save the child from this. As a basis for infant baptism, they point out the covenant and God’s promise.

In our region, more Anabaptists and Baptists also emerged during the time of the Reformation, preaching an Only God and an adult baptism. The Baptist movement rejected infant baptism and advocated baptism after making a confession of faith. In the Netherlands, this idea was adhered to, among others, by Menno Simons, a Frisian ex-priest who became a Mennonite.

The Baptists prefer to call their baptism ceremony baptism of faith because young people who are not yet adults, but already have sufficient insight into the Biblical Truth, can also be baptised on the basis of their faith. The Brothers in Christ or Christadelphians also assume that once a person can make a conscious choice and prove that he has sufficient insight into God’s Word and Teaching, he can surrender to God by allowing himself to be immersed in water, as a symbolic act of purification of past sins.

Participation in the memory of the Lord’s Supper

In most churches of the Christian faith one can only take communion if one has recognized and signed the confession of faith of that community.

In the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Church, the Last Supper is commemorated in the Eucharist, of which Holy Communion is a part.

In the Latin rite of the Catholic Church, only the consecrated host or Sacramental bread is awarded at communion, drinking from the chalice is usually reserved for the priest. On special occasions, believers may also take communion under two guises (host and wine from the chalice). The idea here is that one becomes one with Christ.

Also among the Christadelphians there is a memory with a « sacrificial meal » in which bread is broken and this is distributed as a symbol of Jesus’ body to all believers who have been baptized according to the Biblical conditions, namely complete immersions with a testimony of faith in only one God (Jehovah) and in His sent Saviour, Jesus Christ. The wine then symbolizes the shed blood of Christ, which may be consumed by the baptized believers, as a sign of forgiveness of sins through Jesus’ blood.

Why only limited participation

It may be strange for Christians from the Trinitarian faith communities that they are not allowed to sit down at the sacrificial table in the services of Christadelphians.

This is because the Christ the Christadelphians believe in is a different Christ from the one the Trinitarian Christians, such as Catholics, Anglicans, Reformed, et al, believe in. For those who believe in the Trinity, Jesus Christ is God who came to earth to redeem us.

For Christadelphians and other True Christians, such as Yeshuaists (or Jeshuaists) and members of The Abrahamic faith, the Church of God, Nazarene Friends, Witnesses of Jehovah, one can only be a participant at the table if one belongs among those who are part of the approved by God, or those who worship only Jehovah as the Only True God.

There is no middle ground for God. He only accepts true worship.

If you still like to join the table

During the baptism ceremony it was noticed that several attendees were convinced that Jesus is the son of God. But bad enough, they were convinced that their Catholic Church thought the same way and did not see Jesus as God. I encouraged them to ask their pastor or some priests from that church questions about this, so that they would gain a better understanding of the teachings of the Catholic Church.

If they are really convinced that Jesus is the son of God and not a god the son, they would be happy to erase whether they are in the right community of faith and whether it is not better to go outside and to God, wouldn’t it be better to join a church community that adheres to Biblical teachings?

Preceding

Additional reading

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Infant baptism versus baptism as an adult #1 Infant baptism

mars 2, 2024février 26, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Faith, History & news feed, Questions & Answers

baby baptism — Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Baptism was certainly not an event that people adhered to in the centuries BC or the first centuries CE.

Infant baptism did not become fashionable until quite some time after the death of the apostles. It was in the late second century that the church father Tertullian argued:

„Let [children] become Christians when it has become possible for them to know Christ.”

In this way, that church father also expected that the children had to be in their right mind to make a choice for Christ.

By the fifth century, people began to believe that man was damned by ‘original sin‘. According to the Catholic Church, there was the personal sin of Adam and Eve, which in other people became a natural sin, a sin, which is linked to their human nature and passes from person to person. According to the Catholic Church, all who are born are charged with original sin and a state of enmity with God. Everyone is saddled with it.
Thus, infants were also considered damned as long as they were not baptised. The ’original sin’ became as established an aspect of Catholicism as confession. That Catholic Church considered any unbaptised being a damned person and therefore insisted that every child be baptised from an early age so that it could ‘come into heaven‘. According to the Catholic view, one can only be freed from that original sin through Christ.

According to the Catholic Church, it is the common grace of God that takes up man, which can then cause forgiveness of sin to a child who has no current faith:

especially where it has acquired this sin beyond its will, through the generation, and it also falls under the redemption of Christ.

Any baby who died before being baptised was considered a cursed child who could not be buried in pastured ground. People were often forced to have their children baptised so that they could be saved from the ’hell fire’. Where that ‘hell fire‘ would be the fire of a place where the soul of the condemned deceased would go, namely hell, in which sinners would burn forever.

Infant baptism changed from a popular custom to an official instrument of salvation, one that would carry Protestantism as an inheritance.

Although there is no Scripture data that expressly mentions a child baptismal practice, the Church nevertheless finds in the fact of this praxis, as being of apostolic tradition, the norm and the concretisation of a revelation data, as also stated in Scripture in a more general sense is formulated. {Catholicism encyclopedia on infant baptism}

However, it is wrong to think that God would make innocent children suffer forever under a terrible torture of eternal fire. Babies can’t have done anything wrong yet, so why would they be punished for the mistakes of others?

In 1951, Pope Pius XII gave a speech to a group of midwives confirming his beliefs

„the state of grace at the moment of death is absolutely necessary for salvation.”

It was clear to him that grace could only come over that newborn child if it had been kept above the baptismal font. He even went so far that no priest had to perform for that baptism ritual, because it had to take place as quickly as possible after birth. He encouraged the midwives to perform the baptismal rite themselves if it seemed likely that a newborn baby would die.

„Do not fail to provide this merciful service”,

he urged them to heart. Along the same lines, in 1958 the Vatican warned in pithy terms that

„ infants should be baptised as soon as possible.

Nevertheless, the battle ignited again after the famous Second Vatican Council, also known as Vatican II, held from October 11, 1962, to December 8, 1965. The church made a surprising attempt to get a handle on both the conservative and liberal positions.

’Baptism is absolutely necessary for rescue’,

the council said. But curiously, rescue was also possible for them

„who, through no fault of their own, do not know the gospel of Christ”.

Following this, the church then revised the rite for infant baptism. Among other things, the priests now had the choice to refuse baptism if the child’s parents did not promise to raise the child as a Catholic. Even if one of the partners was not Catholic, it was difficult to baptise their baby. That would mean that the Catholic Church stopped the rescue of a newborn. Especially if one took into account what the Vatican further issued concerns the „Instruction for the infant baptism”, which stated:

„The Church. . . has no means outside baptism to ensure children access to eternal happiness.”

The bishops were commissioned

„al who . . . has deviated from traditional use, to reduce this use”.

Later, the Catholic Church began to admit that babies who die unbaptised the Church can only entrust them to God’s grace.

In any case, one should know that infant baptism is not an assurance that that baby would grow up as a worthy Christian. Baptising a small child does not help him develop his faith. Even if the parents are well-believing people, this does not mean that their children will be very well-believing, nor continue on their way on the right path.

Baptême, doop — The baptism of Christ by Library of Congress is licensed under CC-CC0 1.0

In our opinion, infant baptism is not at all according to Biblical teaching. In the Holy Scriptures we read about adults who are baptised. Jesus was also baptised by John the Baptist later in life. The same Jesus who was baptised in the Jordan River asked his disciples to go out and continue to make disciples and baptise them. (Matthew 28:19).

A baby cannot choose God and knows nothing about God and commandment. By the way, it still has to learn everything. At birth, there is virgin innocence and no awareness at all of what faith actually means.

People who say that they have already been baptised as babies must realise that such infant baptism is actually meaningless and cannot be accepted as a dignified baptism. They themselves have never confessed to choosing the Only True God. Moreover, they have been baptised in a church community that does not live according to Biblical norms and values and does not even worship the God of Christ, which is a minimum requirement.

Preceding

Additional reading

Necessary formalities for the trek

février 11, 2024février 5, 2024 par jeshuaist, publié dans Faith, Thought for today

plannen van een reis of trektocht - planning of a voyage or trekking - passport on map, paspoort op landkaart - photo camera on map - fototoestel op landkaart — Foto door Element5 Digital op Pexels.com

Forming an ecclesia is, as it were, like going on a trek or pilgrimage Before an ecclesia can be formed, a lot has to be done, first and foremost, people must be found who want to go out together on a kind of great voyage of discovery or expedition, which can be compared to a great pilgrimage, first and foremost, where people have resolved to use their minds to achieve a certain spiritual attitude in order to come closer to the Divine creator.

For such a pilgrimage to succeed, a lot of preparatory work is necessary. For example, everything must be planned carefully in advance and ensure that one has the right formalities to cross the various countries (or zones).

One of the necessities of being able to enter countries is a valid ID, so one may also put it for the pilgrimage that candidates for an ecclesia must be able to present, one cannot be in it, or not a full member without having registered as a member of the community or of the country to be ‘stayed’.

paspoorten - passports — Foto door Tima Miroshnichenko op Pexels.com

When choosing a passport, it is important that one can present the right nationality. Likewise, if one wants to become a member of a religious community, one must have selected the right religious group.

Also, one must have the right plunge or proper attire for the trek, the hole is not to just put on a grey Maoist suit, and uniform sausage may be preferred in the world, but this does not hold true for this important assignment.

Vaticaan - basiliek - Vatican cathedral — Foto door Kai Pilger op Pexels.com

One can call oneself « Christian », but that covers such a great charge that it may be better to specify more For the church community of Brothers in Christ one certainly cannot be a follower of that church that has a large majority in front when they say « Christians » When one hears talk about « Christians » on television or on popular media channels one usually talks about a Catholic church, and even usually the Roman Catholic Church affiliated with the Vatican.

Participants in our trek are expected to distance themselves precisely from those doctrines of this Roman Catholic Church, for there is no place in the Brethren in Christ for a worship of a three-headed god or the so-called Holy Trinity.

pilgrimage - pelgrimstocht - rondgang rond de zwarte steen in Mecca - Islam — Foto door Yasir Gu00fcrbu00fcz op Pexels.com

The pilgrimage we think of is not a pilgrimage to Mecca either The Islamists may worship the True God, but their system of God-experience is not what we seek.

The purpose of the pilgrimage is that all participants look for The One True God, who is above all gods, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, the God of Hosts, and that they also look for the extent to which they can use the One True God can best serve.

Preceding

January 6, 2024 official opening of the Anderlecht ecclesia

janvier 9, 2024janvier 9, 2024 par Marcus Ampe, publié dans Announcement, Christadelphian, History & news feed, News, Questions & Answers

Saturday January 6 was the time. It could be said that the Christadelphian ecclesiae have had a new brother or sister in Belgium.

Méthode Belanwa and his wife have expressed their willingness to provide their living space to build a house church. With their still unbaptised friends, they followed preparations every Sunday evening every Sunday evening to start a baptism soon.

Together they want to form a community of brothers and sisters in Christ and this was the official starting shot this Saturday.

After the welcome and opening prayer, Brother Marcus Ampe gave the youth and Bible reading and discussion of the Creation of the world and the first commission God gave to mankind. Reference was therefore made to the important task that we as Christadelphians should fulfil, showing respect for every living being, be it plant, animal or human.

Then we discussed how we would build our ecclesia in the future and hold services to serve God.

Two courageous women dared to ask some important questions, such as who conducts or dictates to us what and how we should do everything, this compared to the administrative body of the Witnesses of Jehovah (the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses) or the Watchtower (Bible and Tract Society), and the role of the Pope in the Catholic Church.

It was made clear that there are many different Christadelphian groups, such as the Amended, Unamended, CBM, Carelinks, Berean, Xanga, Logos, Old Path, Restoration, Living Hope, Williamsburg Christadelphans as well as the Thomasites and other Christadelphian groups, each with their own organisation and ways of church conduct.

It was made clear that we do not have a worldly governing body or governing body, as the Christian Congregation of Witnesses have their Faithful Slave, and that we are completely independent here in Belgium. We are fortunate to be able to count on the patronage of the English ecclesia in Newbury, which has expressed its willingness to support us further. By the way, they have already done a lot of preparatory work, for the baptisms, when Marcus Ampe had been eliminated for a while for health reasons. Their support is therefore greatly appreciated.

Our independence means that we are also open to anyone from the Christadelphian communities and beyond. By the way, one does not have to be baptised to celebrate services with us. Only are not baptised people, not allowed to participate in the symbols, but they may be present.

A selection of Bibles presented for the ecclesia – Een selectie van bijbels gepresenteerd voor de ecclesia – Une sélection de Bibles présentées pour l’ecclésia – Uchaguzi wa Biblia uliowasilishwa kwa ajili ya eklesia

Everyone is also invited to read together from the « Sainte Bible Gros Caractères Segond -NEG », which we took as the standard Bible for the service. In addition to this French-language Bible of the « Société Biblique de Genève » (Genfer Bibelgesellschaft), many Bibles were proposed, under which the members of the ecclesia can choose to use for Bible studies. In doing so, we indicated that everyone is free to use any Bible translation for those study moments or beyond.

For the children’s service, the choice was made for « La Bible pour les enfants » published by Mame. But the question was also asked whether a Dutch-language Children’s Bible could also be provided. Brother Marcus had already searched for this before, but had not yet found a solid version that always kept a clear difference between God and Jesus.

Singing at Leeds Grammar School in 2001 — The Northern Christadelphian Choir singing at Leeds Grammar School in 2001

The question arose among the women about songs, hymns or anthems, cantiques and gospels in our services. The African men also came forward with their wishes that they like lively music, in which dance also plays a role. Brother Marcus who was a dancer by profession and previously was able to attend services full of dance and lively music in the non-trinitarian Baptist community, had ear for this and assured that if good African and European music could be found, never testifying to the wrong person, we could also use it in the service.
Brother Marcus and Steve Robinson assured those present, that in our services we would also use the excellent source of music produced at the Williamsburg Organisation, Christadelphian music organisation, The Northern Christadelphian Choir, and many Australian Christadelphian music groups owned by Brother Marcus al Cd’s. For the music recorded by brother Peter Clausen from Ohio, on mp3 system for the Christadelphian Hymns, we have yet to find a French version.

In any case, I now also have the music of Joel Lwaga of which we will use his « You are the Way » at our next meeting.

It was also quoted that, as in the other ecclesiae that Brother Marcus is going for, he will also regularly open the service with some Psalm, as there.

Furthermore, it was indicated that in our independence how to perform the service, and without a fixed order, our services will not always run the same, but different sequences may be followed. By the way, that variation keeps the whole thing fresh and makes it adaptable to the events of the day.

Subsequently, it was discussed how to work towards the upcoming baptisms and where and how we would let them take place. It was agreed to check whether we could use the church of the Philadelphia faith community or the Free Protestant Church in Anderlecht on a Saturday afternoon in February. That would be the most ideal if we could use a baptismal basin in such a church building without idols. In case this would not work, it was proposed to have baptism in a public swimming pool or in a bath, provided it will still be too cold for a pond or water outside.

We were able to conclude that everyone was very enthusiastic about the start of the ecclesia, as well as the good prospects of soon welcoming several members and baptised people into our community.

Steve Robinson then gave the prayer for the evening meal, after which everyone could chat with the tasty food that the women had foreseen.

Preceding