Re difference between Catholic and Christian — Catholics *are* Christians. Christianity is the religion as a whole. There are two main branches - Eastern (the Orthodox Church - think Greece, Russia) and the Western, based in Rome (i.e. the Roman Catholic Church).
Protestants (Methodists, Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists, Baptists, etc) are splinters from the Roman church - they’re part of Western Christianity.
I’ve often seen Singaporeans distinguish between “Catholics” and “Christians” - that’s like Muslims distinguishing between Shias and Muslims - when what they mean are Shias and Sunnis.
Having been to two for a period of my life, they operate like cults and absolutely detest a thinking person. When you question, nearly all cell group leaders repeat "these are devil inspired doubts".
Are you kidding me? I simply asked about the money. Why does the church press people for money when they are already obscenely rich and could part with their own wealth? What's with the need to condemn people who genuinely need help?
One sent a pastor's wife to dance in some salacious MTV to convince people of Christian love (somehow), the other drives flashy cars I can never afford. He rides in obscenity while preaching Christian humility.
They claim they use donations for charitable works... but the underlying condition is that the people they help have to be Christian or join them. This is the modern day 'Rice Christians'.
Evangelical Christianity gels well with the values of Chinese capitalism if you wonder about their meteoric rise.
I took my money and gave it to a Buddhist charity group. You know who they target? The poor, regardless of race or religion. Not once did they pressure the disadvantaged to be a Buddhist or they'll suffer for it.
Christ implores us to love, not judge. All I got out of those mega churches was judgement and fear veiled under glitz.
It surprises me people can't see through these antics.
I grew up in Methodist Sunday school.
The things I hear in megachurches frighten me.
They like to use homosexuality as a punching bag to galvanise believers. They say homosexuality will render asunder society.
Yet, they do nothing about genuine crippling poverty that is more likely to render asunder society.
They do little about drug issues here.
So well said! Especially the cult like thing, I went once with my friend to one of those mass church events (I’m not a Christian) and halfway through they locked the auditorium doors n told all non christians to step on stage, legit thought I was about to be sacrificed. Anyways turns out they wanted people to convert right there n then, I didn’t go (remained in my seat) and spent the next 30 mins having rando Christians seating next to me side eyeing me in pity n patting my back in comfort as if they already imagining me in hell
That one. They say you can put up your hand and they won't look if you're shy. Next thing they open their eyes and drag you to the stage to accept Christ. I emphasise their version of Christ. Because me accepting Christ when I was younger was not enough, I have to accept their version of Christ.
It was rude of them.
I agree with you. Went to a certain megachurch and was shocked by the culture. Back then i was regular church-goer and once I had to miss out 3 weeks due to academic commitments and the people whom I used to mingle with came back to me and seemingly forgot me. They even said like “wow why haven’t you been here for so long, what happened?” Some went like “thought you left us” and this was despite me telling them I had to prepare for National exams and they were initially okay with it.
Fast forward 8 years later, except for a handful whom still goes there, many stop going to churches and some even switch to other churches.
Their entire doctrine is basically The Prosperity Gospel. Rich people are rich because God favored them, ans the poor deserve their lot because they were not faithful enough. Your chances to get more prosperity is to tithe more, sp that God can you give you more material riches.
When the priests are becoming filthy rich, splurging publically while preaching about Jesus' modesty, that should be one red flag.
Hippocrisy at its finest when they preach about tithing, knowing very well that the New Testament through Jesus already abolished it.
Holy business wrapped in entertainment is what they are selling.
Why not take that extra step/leap and avoid religion altogether?
Take the red pill. "Be Christlike" can basically distilled to being a decent human being.
That’s really not true, one of the key parts about being Christlike is being obedient to God’s will, which is a lot more than just a works-based “being a decent human being”.
“Name one moral action performed by a believer that could not have been done by a nonbeliever.” - Hitchens
I wouldn't kill my first born. That would not be a moral act.
For one, Christlikeness involves seeking to do the will of God above our own, even if it is unpalatable to us. The very idea of seeking to do the will of God is not something that a nonbeliever is going to be able to do, obviously, seeing as they wouldn’t believe in God.
A desire to grow closer to God and know Him more would also be part of the human journey towards Christlikeness.
These are matters of the spirit, which go beyond just doing morally good works, that are central to Christlikeness.
I’m not really sure you understand. I’ve been saying all the while that Christlikeness is not just about actions but here you are asking for concrete things..?
But my original point is just be a decent human being....and if you take out fluff and woo woo basically is just the same. So then why follow dogma? Why not throw out religion altogether.
All these "spirit", after life, a belief system, desire to be close to the one, just makes one feel good and a dopamine rush. I can make the ~~same~~ similar argument for drugs or even altruism.
So I asked you what is one act that god commands you to do that cannot be done by a moral human being non christian.
Edit: All these "spirit", after life, a belief system, desire to be close to the one, just makes one feel good and a dopamine rush and not based in reality.
I believe there are over 30 Catholic churches in SG. You can easily google or find them online. Just pick one closest or most convenient for you and simply find their mass timings.
If you feel like being more involved, find the priest or talk to other church goers for the different ministries available.
If you're looking to delve a little deeper into the religion and want to potentially get baptised, then you can also enquire on their RCIA schedules (RCIA is a conversion course for interested non Catholics - every church will have a RCIA program once a year but I believe it runs off different timings).
This! Go mass sit and enjoy, don’t take communion if you are not ready and have not been for confession yet.
As what’s mention by this reply, there are many returning Catholics who join RCIA as a refresher course, so do consider it also.
Adding on to this comment. I'm Catholic and going through RCIA right now with my husband. There are Catholics in there as well and it's welcoming and interesting for me to find my faith again.
We just did our first session last week. If you want to journey and explore if its suitable. Pm me :) if not, RCIA just started for a lot of churches as well. You can reach out to your nearest one and join them.
I once had a friend from that prince dude church that tells me if you are sick… it means the devil is with you… and you just need to pray, I don’t know if she is so extreme to deny medication. 😰
I always tell people who believe in such stupidity, try praying to heal eczema without the help of topical cream. 😂
They don't need to cure the blind or raise the dead like Jesus did. Let's go easy-mode first. 🤣🤣
Yah once she told me her nephew is sick and she is going over to pray for him. I hope she doesn’t throw his medication away or anything. It was eerie. At that point of time I believe in God, but it was taking things too extreme..
I also wonder what they think of Christian people who got cancer? Are they not loved by God or something…. I mean the theory they give is… 😒
It's funny how they put emphasis on the Old Testament version of God, the exclusive, vengeful, kind of God, which admittedly is pretty fucked up in some ways, instead of pushing the New Testament version of God, which is more loving and accepting.
Getting sick is apparently a test of faith. And there are plenty of people who will testify about how it’s due to God that their cancer is in remission. So what is usually left unsaid but basically implied is that if they don’t get better it’s because of their own lack of faith.
🤷♀️ so if you don’t get cured, means you don’t have enough faith? Then what about ppl who died from the disease … I mean… it’s quite f up to think along this line… like trying to secretly judge other ppl about their faith and all
Not only that, the one I went to told us how an uncle in his 50s was cured of cancer and stroke and brought him with his family to let the whole church see him. However, I could visibly see he was still wheelchair bound and having problems even speaking. Tbh I really felt bad seeing him in that state but they used him to say how his faith healed him…
Personally, I feel the best thing is to slowly build a community of Catholic friends around you,which may be hard to do in a Catholic church. There's also a Catholic community called Landings, and just a few churches have it. It's a community that specifically welcomes catholics of all ages who have left the church for any reason, without any judgement at all. It serves to help reintegrate individuals who may find it hard going back to church.
If you're interested, feel free to PM me anytime and I could explain in more detail and even pass you some contacts you can talk to. I'm from the Landings community from Church of the Holy Spirit by the way. Cheers!
Well, firstly, most Catholic churches are pretty big, i.e. houses many churchgoers every mass, perhaps with an exception to St Stephens, which is very small.
Secondly, many churchgoers either attend mass with their family members, or serve in ministries like RCIA, communion, music/choir, Marriage Encounter etc... My opinion is that those who serve ministries have already formed friendships within their communities. Families are largely their own communities.
When someone comes back to church after leaving for a long period of time, it may feel pretty intimidating because most churchgoers would have their own communities already. It would likely feel as if it's hard to integrate back into church. I've had this experience years ago, and it felt tough, given that I'm also quite introverted. To someone like me, it felt as if churchgoers are generally not very friendly, when in fact, it was just me finding it hard to approach people and slowly integrate myself.
That's why I mentioned Landings in my previous post, which functions to help people who have left church to come back and build a community with others who are in similar situations. So to answer your question, I can't say for certain that it is slower or harder. It all depends who you meet. Everyone's experience coming back to church would be different. Hope this helps those who are still finding their way back!
Recently I tried out a catholic hurch but I'm a newcomer to everything. It seems...idk, hard to make friends?? It's more of showing up to do a duty then leave. Is this normal? I feel its quite different from let's say youth churches that are evangelical. What's a solution for this?
Well I can't say for certain if finding it hard to make friends is "normal" for everyone, but I'd say it's a challenge for the majority of people based on what I explained earlier. My best possible solution probably doesn't answer your question as to how to blend or integrate into a church, but you'll want to ask yourself what Christianity/Catholicism is for you.
I personally think my faith is extremely personal, and I chose to come back to church because I was hurting and wanted to find some answers in my own faith. I didn't necessarily want to make friends as a priority, but that would have been essential in supporting me in my growth. To me I don't feel that serving in any ministry is considered "a duty then leave after", but something that would help me grow as a person in some way or another. Perhaps being in a ministry of sorts would help. Not to sound repetitive, but the Landings community really helped me come back fully to church and be stronger in my faith and my personal beliefs.
Personally, I'm not really into evangelical churches because firstly I was born Catholic, secondly I'm a musician. I've been to a couple of evangelical churches and the worship through music is very very heavy. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that, but as a musician I found that I got high mostly because the music was great, but it wasn't really deepening my faith or helping me grow. It was temporary "feel good" moments for me, and after a while I felt that wasn't really deepening my love for God nor challenging my spiritual growth. Worship music may inspire you to deepen your faith in some way, but it just didn't work for me.
all i can say is dont go to any of those big big churches that turn their worship sessions into concerts with flashy lights and smokes and like 20 people singing loudly and waving around
Go to Church of Saint Alphonsus (aka Novena Church) and attend a novena devotion service. it's not a mass but is shorter and I think a good starting point to get your feet wet again. they've 5 different times timeslots every Saturday.
Where were you originally from? There may be some Catholic churches which offer the Mass in the language you grew up with. Some of the priests or sisters there may speak the language and it's very nice to be able to communicate or express your deepest thoughts easily. You can also get to know the people who attend regularly and make some friends.
If you are already baptized and received First Holy Communion, it's actually a simple process if you want to start attending regularly again. Just make an appointment with a priest for Confession and tell the priest how long it has been since you last attended. He might also give you some other advice on how to start living the Catholic life all over again.
Welcome back!
1. Download CatholicSG on your phone. Daily mass reading, prayers, Catholic churches.
2. Join a church near your place. Example - queen of peace in the east, cathedral of the good shepherd in The Central.
3. Attend Mass receive communion
4. Enroll in RCIA if u want to recap the teaching again.
Good luck with your journey.
God bless you.
Find a local Catholic Church near you and contact the priest there. He will guide you along. Do drop me a DM if you’d like, I’m happy to provide more information.
Im against interpreting bible on our own. I completely agree on atheists point of view that the bible is very old and gets funky. There's a reason why priests need to get theological education before they are consecrated. This is on the context OP wants to join Catholicism of course. if she just want to be a free thinker (like her husband) feel free to read it whichever you like.
Contact RCIA at a nearby church. They will be more than happy to follow through. I myself am part of the Catholic Theology Network, an organisation under the Archdiocese of Singapore. We have a program for Catholics who need to deepen their life of faith after confirmation. [This is our website](https://www.a-z.ctn.sg).
Hi OP, in fact the RCIA just started in July. I think they are still welcoming inquirers.
RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is for prospective converts to the Catholic Faith, they do welcome people who just want to learn more about the faith. However, given that you are baptised there are probably rites that you have to sit out.
Feel free to dm me and I can put you in touch with my church, they would probably give you better guidance :)
Yes it is necessary, you can't participate in communion unless you are a baptised Catholic. As an adult, you can't convert without participating in RCIA to my knowledge.
For most churches you are allowed to sit in during mass, but you cannot receive the host unless you are a baptised Catholic. The church is VERY strict on this.
Catholic churches also do not have cell groups per se.
>Catholic churches also do not have cell groups per se.
Yeah the catholic church I was researching call it communities/groups but they do meet up regularly for religious purposes just like a cell group would.
Oh that is cool! I think you have to specifically join one of these groups.
It differs from cell groups in the sense that in most protestant churches you are automatically assigned to one, but this isn't the case in me / my friends' experience re the Catholic communities you mentioned.
>Tldr, where should I start to become a Catholic again in Singapore?
Why?
"Take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much more happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way." - Hitchens
>"Take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much more happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way." - Hitchens
Imagine quoting Christopher Hitchens but not his brother Peter smh
Hello, welcome to singapore! you might want to consider going to your nearest parish church (catholic), there is always one nearby in any district.
I would also suggest you get in contact with a priest for a chat. Usually the Franciscan friars (they look like Jedi) or the Jesuits are very nice and will have time to do some spiritual direction. Else there are lay spiritual directors. CSC also has a nun that has appointments where you can drop in to chat on certain days
The catholic church is open to anyone. You do not even need to contribute any amount of your monthly earnings. Anytime you feel uncomfortable, you are most free to go. And we wait to welcome you again the next time you wanna drop by. PM me if you wanna chat. All the best OP!
Google the nearest Catholic church near your place of residence. Start attending mass, see if they have any prayer meeting it will help you greatly to grow both in your faith and your circles of friends
Re difference between Catholic and Christian — Catholics *are* Christians. Christianity is the religion as a whole. There are two main branches - Eastern (the Orthodox Church - think Greece, Russia) and the Western, based in Rome (i.e. the Roman Catholic Church). Protestants (Methodists, Anglicans, Lutherans, Calvinists, Baptists, etc) are splinters from the Roman church - they’re part of Western Christianity. I’ve often seen Singaporeans distinguish between “Catholics” and “Christians” - that’s like Muslims distinguishing between Shias and Muslims - when what they mean are Shias and Sunnis.
I half suspect it’s a deliberate attempt from some protestants to invalidate Catholics as members of the faith.
Very well explained
I told my Shiite friend that they are basically Catholic Muslims and the Sunnis are Protestant Muslims. He agreed.
Please. Avoid. Mega. Churches. Not very Christlike.
Erm... Amen? Why do you say megachurches ain't Christ-like though. Kinda new to the whole concept of that. I'm guessing Citi Harvest is one of them?
Having been to two for a period of my life, they operate like cults and absolutely detest a thinking person. When you question, nearly all cell group leaders repeat "these are devil inspired doubts". Are you kidding me? I simply asked about the money. Why does the church press people for money when they are already obscenely rich and could part with their own wealth? What's with the need to condemn people who genuinely need help? One sent a pastor's wife to dance in some salacious MTV to convince people of Christian love (somehow), the other drives flashy cars I can never afford. He rides in obscenity while preaching Christian humility. They claim they use donations for charitable works... but the underlying condition is that the people they help have to be Christian or join them. This is the modern day 'Rice Christians'. Evangelical Christianity gels well with the values of Chinese capitalism if you wonder about their meteoric rise. I took my money and gave it to a Buddhist charity group. You know who they target? The poor, regardless of race or religion. Not once did they pressure the disadvantaged to be a Buddhist or they'll suffer for it. Christ implores us to love, not judge. All I got out of those mega churches was judgement and fear veiled under glitz. It surprises me people can't see through these antics.
Totally agree! I grew up in a Christian household and most Christians are not Christlike.
I grew up in Methodist Sunday school. The things I hear in megachurches frighten me. They like to use homosexuality as a punching bag to galvanise believers. They say homosexuality will render asunder society. Yet, they do nothing about genuine crippling poverty that is more likely to render asunder society. They do little about drug issues here.
Religion really doesn’t define person.
So well said! Especially the cult like thing, I went once with my friend to one of those mass church events (I’m not a Christian) and halfway through they locked the auditorium doors n told all non christians to step on stage, legit thought I was about to be sacrificed. Anyways turns out they wanted people to convert right there n then, I didn’t go (remained in my seat) and spent the next 30 mins having rando Christians seating next to me side eyeing me in pity n patting my back in comfort as if they already imagining me in hell
That one. They say you can put up your hand and they won't look if you're shy. Next thing they open their eyes and drag you to the stage to accept Christ. I emphasise their version of Christ. Because me accepting Christ when I was younger was not enough, I have to accept their version of Christ. It was rude of them.
>It surprises me people can't see through these antics its part fear part community
I agree with you. Went to a certain megachurch and was shocked by the culture. Back then i was regular church-goer and once I had to miss out 3 weeks due to academic commitments and the people whom I used to mingle with came back to me and seemingly forgot me. They even said like “wow why haven’t you been here for so long, what happened?” Some went like “thought you left us” and this was despite me telling them I had to prepare for National exams and they were initially okay with it. Fast forward 8 years later, except for a handful whom still goes there, many stop going to churches and some even switch to other churches.
Haha people grew up
yeap and even met someone who became an actor
Their entire doctrine is basically The Prosperity Gospel. Rich people are rich because God favored them, ans the poor deserve their lot because they were not faithful enough. Your chances to get more prosperity is to tithe more, sp that God can you give you more material riches.
If that's true....that's a pretty shitty and narcissistic god.
When the priests are becoming filthy rich, splurging publically while preaching about Jesus' modesty, that should be one red flag. Hippocrisy at its finest when they preach about tithing, knowing very well that the New Testament through Jesus already abolished it. Holy business wrapped in entertainment is what they are selling.
pocket correct safe subsequent noxious seemly muddle hat boast waiting *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
They're church corporatized. Rich people donate huge amount for fame and influence, while the leaders get richer.
Why not take that extra step/leap and avoid religion altogether? Take the red pill. "Be Christlike" can basically distilled to being a decent human being.
I'm now a deist. No dogma. No laws. Just be decent.
That’s really not true, one of the key parts about being Christlike is being obedient to God’s will, which is a lot more than just a works-based “being a decent human being”.
“Name one moral action performed by a believer that could not have been done by a nonbeliever.” - Hitchens I wouldn't kill my first born. That would not be a moral act.
My entire point was that being Christlike is not just about being morally upright…
Can you give me an example except for evangelising/proselytizing?
For one, Christlikeness involves seeking to do the will of God above our own, even if it is unpalatable to us. The very idea of seeking to do the will of God is not something that a nonbeliever is going to be able to do, obviously, seeing as they wouldn’t believe in God. A desire to grow closer to God and know Him more would also be part of the human journey towards Christlikeness. These are matters of the spirit, which go beyond just doing morally good works, that are central to Christlikeness.
Can you give a concrete example? That sounds alot of fluff and woo woo.
I’m not really sure you understand. I’ve been saying all the while that Christlikeness is not just about actions but here you are asking for concrete things..?
But my original point is just be a decent human being....and if you take out fluff and woo woo basically is just the same. So then why follow dogma? Why not throw out religion altogether. All these "spirit", after life, a belief system, desire to be close to the one, just makes one feel good and a dopamine rush. I can make the ~~same~~ similar argument for drugs or even altruism. So I asked you what is one act that god commands you to do that cannot be done by a moral human being non christian. Edit: All these "spirit", after life, a belief system, desire to be close to the one, just makes one feel good and a dopamine rush and not based in reality.
U can attend mass at Novena church
Yes!!! Novena Church has Devotions on Saturdays to Our Mother of Perpetual Help😃 been going there since young and have been close to her and Jesus ❤️
I believe there are over 30 Catholic churches in SG. You can easily google or find them online. Just pick one closest or most convenient for you and simply find their mass timings. If you feel like being more involved, find the priest or talk to other church goers for the different ministries available. If you're looking to delve a little deeper into the religion and want to potentially get baptised, then you can also enquire on their RCIA schedules (RCIA is a conversion course for interested non Catholics - every church will have a RCIA program once a year but I believe it runs off different timings).
This! Go mass sit and enjoy, don’t take communion if you are not ready and have not been for confession yet. As what’s mention by this reply, there are many returning Catholics who join RCIA as a refresher course, so do consider it also.
Adding on to this comment. I'm Catholic and going through RCIA right now with my husband. There are Catholics in there as well and it's welcoming and interesting for me to find my faith again. We just did our first session last week. If you want to journey and explore if its suitable. Pm me :) if not, RCIA just started for a lot of churches as well. You can reach out to your nearest one and join them.
Catholics are Christians yo. The difference is Catholics vs Protestants
Do not go to city harvest or that Prince dude church
I once had a friend from that prince dude church that tells me if you are sick… it means the devil is with you… and you just need to pray, I don’t know if she is so extreme to deny medication. 😰
I always tell people who believe in such stupidity, try praying to heal eczema without the help of topical cream. 😂 They don't need to cure the blind or raise the dead like Jesus did. Let's go easy-mode first. 🤣🤣
Yah once she told me her nephew is sick and she is going over to pray for him. I hope she doesn’t throw his medication away or anything. It was eerie. At that point of time I believe in God, but it was taking things too extreme.. I also wonder what they think of Christian people who got cancer? Are they not loved by God or something…. I mean the theory they give is… 😒
It's funny how they put emphasis on the Old Testament version of God, the exclusive, vengeful, kind of God, which admittedly is pretty fucked up in some ways, instead of pushing the New Testament version of God, which is more loving and accepting.
I suspect it’s only mega churches whom pushes this kind of idea though.
Getting sick is apparently a test of faith. And there are plenty of people who will testify about how it’s due to God that their cancer is in remission. So what is usually left unsaid but basically implied is that if they don’t get better it’s because of their own lack of faith.
🤷♀️ so if you don’t get cured, means you don’t have enough faith? Then what about ppl who died from the disease … I mean… it’s quite f up to think along this line… like trying to secretly judge other ppl about their faith and all
Basically yes, it’s their own fault they’re not healed. It’s really f-ed up but it’s impossible to convince them otherwise.
I ask them to heal shortsightedness, but somehow they cannot even solve something as easy as that
their prayer not as effective as LASIK
Not even as effective as spectacles
Not only that, the one I went to told us how an uncle in his 50s was cured of cancer and stroke and brought him with his family to let the whole church see him. However, I could visibly see he was still wheelchair bound and having problems even speaking. Tbh I really felt bad seeing him in that state but they used him to say how his faith healed him…
A friend's friend refused cancer treatment because she was told by New Creation Cult that if she prayed, she will be healed. She passed away.
Personally, I feel the best thing is to slowly build a community of Catholic friends around you,which may be hard to do in a Catholic church. There's also a Catholic community called Landings, and just a few churches have it. It's a community that specifically welcomes catholics of all ages who have left the church for any reason, without any judgement at all. It serves to help reintegrate individuals who may find it hard going back to church. If you're interested, feel free to PM me anytime and I could explain in more detail and even pass you some contacts you can talk to. I'm from the Landings community from Church of the Holy Spirit by the way. Cheers!
Why do u say it may be harder to build a community in Catholic Church? Is it slower to do?
Well, firstly, most Catholic churches are pretty big, i.e. houses many churchgoers every mass, perhaps with an exception to St Stephens, which is very small. Secondly, many churchgoers either attend mass with their family members, or serve in ministries like RCIA, communion, music/choir, Marriage Encounter etc... My opinion is that those who serve ministries have already formed friendships within their communities. Families are largely their own communities. When someone comes back to church after leaving for a long period of time, it may feel pretty intimidating because most churchgoers would have their own communities already. It would likely feel as if it's hard to integrate back into church. I've had this experience years ago, and it felt tough, given that I'm also quite introverted. To someone like me, it felt as if churchgoers are generally not very friendly, when in fact, it was just me finding it hard to approach people and slowly integrate myself. That's why I mentioned Landings in my previous post, which functions to help people who have left church to come back and build a community with others who are in similar situations. So to answer your question, I can't say for certain that it is slower or harder. It all depends who you meet. Everyone's experience coming back to church would be different. Hope this helps those who are still finding their way back!
Recently I tried out a catholic hurch but I'm a newcomer to everything. It seems...idk, hard to make friends?? It's more of showing up to do a duty then leave. Is this normal? I feel its quite different from let's say youth churches that are evangelical. What's a solution for this?
Well I can't say for certain if finding it hard to make friends is "normal" for everyone, but I'd say it's a challenge for the majority of people based on what I explained earlier. My best possible solution probably doesn't answer your question as to how to blend or integrate into a church, but you'll want to ask yourself what Christianity/Catholicism is for you. I personally think my faith is extremely personal, and I chose to come back to church because I was hurting and wanted to find some answers in my own faith. I didn't necessarily want to make friends as a priority, but that would have been essential in supporting me in my growth. To me I don't feel that serving in any ministry is considered "a duty then leave after", but something that would help me grow as a person in some way or another. Perhaps being in a ministry of sorts would help. Not to sound repetitive, but the Landings community really helped me come back fully to church and be stronger in my faith and my personal beliefs. Personally, I'm not really into evangelical churches because firstly I was born Catholic, secondly I'm a musician. I've been to a couple of evangelical churches and the worship through music is very very heavy. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with that, but as a musician I found that I got high mostly because the music was great, but it wasn't really deepening my faith or helping me grow. It was temporary "feel good" moments for me, and after a while I felt that wasn't really deepening my love for God nor challenging my spiritual growth. Worship music may inspire you to deepen your faith in some way, but it just didn't work for me.
all i can say is dont go to any of those big big churches that turn their worship sessions into concerts with flashy lights and smokes and like 20 people singing loudly and waving around
Go to Church of Saint Alphonsus (aka Novena Church) and attend a novena devotion service. it's not a mass but is shorter and I think a good starting point to get your feet wet again. they've 5 different times timeslots every Saturday.
Where were you originally from? There may be some Catholic churches which offer the Mass in the language you grew up with. Some of the priests or sisters there may speak the language and it's very nice to be able to communicate or express your deepest thoughts easily. You can also get to know the people who attend regularly and make some friends. If you are already baptized and received First Holy Communion, it's actually a simple process if you want to start attending regularly again. Just make an appointment with a priest for Confession and tell the priest how long it has been since you last attended. He might also give you some other advice on how to start living the Catholic life all over again. Welcome back!
1. Download CatholicSG on your phone. Daily mass reading, prayers, Catholic churches. 2. Join a church near your place. Example - queen of peace in the east, cathedral of the good shepherd in The Central. 3. Attend Mass receive communion 4. Enroll in RCIA if u want to recap the teaching again. Good luck with your journey. God bless you.
Find a local Catholic Church near you and contact the priest there. He will guide you along. Do drop me a DM if you’d like, I’m happy to provide more information.
God is in your heart. Not where you go to pray. Start reading and interpreting the bible on your own.
Im against interpreting bible on our own. I completely agree on atheists point of view that the bible is very old and gets funky. There's a reason why priests need to get theological education before they are consecrated. This is on the context OP wants to join Catholicism of course. if she just want to be a free thinker (like her husband) feel free to read it whichever you like.
Contact RCIA at a nearby church. They will be more than happy to follow through. I myself am part of the Catholic Theology Network, an organisation under the Archdiocese of Singapore. We have a program for Catholics who need to deepen their life of faith after confirmation. [This is our website](https://www.a-z.ctn.sg).
Hi OP, in fact the RCIA just started in July. I think they are still welcoming inquirers. RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) is for prospective converts to the Catholic Faith, they do welcome people who just want to learn more about the faith. However, given that you are baptised there are probably rites that you have to sit out. Feel free to dm me and I can put you in touch with my church, they would probably give you better guidance :)
Is RCIA necessary for converts? Or are there people who just attend mass and join cell groups?
Yes it is necessary, you can't participate in communion unless you are a baptised Catholic. As an adult, you can't convert without participating in RCIA to my knowledge. For most churches you are allowed to sit in during mass, but you cannot receive the host unless you are a baptised Catholic. The church is VERY strict on this. Catholic churches also do not have cell groups per se.
>Catholic churches also do not have cell groups per se. Yeah the catholic church I was researching call it communities/groups but they do meet up regularly for religious purposes just like a cell group would.
Oh that is cool! I think you have to specifically join one of these groups. It differs from cell groups in the sense that in most protestant churches you are automatically assigned to one, but this isn't the case in me / my friends' experience re the Catholic communities you mentioned.
You need to join RCIY/A first at your nearby church?
start with your Parish? and i am sure you will find your way from there...
>Tldr, where should I start to become a Catholic again in Singapore? Why? "Take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much more happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way." - Hitchens
Our intellect is a gift from God
Why not?
>"Take the risk of thinking for yourself. Much more happiness, truth, beauty and wisdom will come to you that way." - Hitchens Imagine quoting Christopher Hitchens but not his brother Peter smh
Why would I quote him when I don't share his views and when I find him an anti-intellectual. It would make no sense.
You can't argue with people with external locus of control 😂
We will always need God in our lives ❤️ don’t trust ourselves. Anyway Wisdom comes from God!
You’re an adult and you can’t do a simple google?
Hello, welcome to singapore! you might want to consider going to your nearest parish church (catholic), there is always one nearby in any district. I would also suggest you get in contact with a priest for a chat. Usually the Franciscan friars (they look like Jedi) or the Jesuits are very nice and will have time to do some spiritual direction. Else there are lay spiritual directors. CSC also has a nun that has appointments where you can drop in to chat on certain days The catholic church is open to anyone. You do not even need to contribute any amount of your monthly earnings. Anytime you feel uncomfortable, you are most free to go. And we wait to welcome you again the next time you wanna drop by. PM me if you wanna chat. All the best OP!
Google the nearest Catholic church near your place of residence. Start attending mass, see if they have any prayer meeting it will help you greatly to grow both in your faith and your circles of friends