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There seems to be two questions here. First, "why are LDS temple ceremonies kept secret, seeing as how Old Testament temple ceremonies were not?"
The simple answer is that the Old Testament temples operated under the Law of Moses and were administered by the Levitical priesthood, whereas modern temples operate under the Law of the Gospel and are ...
18
You are correct that most Protestants do not see the bread and wine as anything more than symbols. There is no blessing that is ever attempted to transform the elements into the literal body and blood of Christ. Consequently, the bread and wine (or juice) that could be stored for long periods of time prior to the observance of the Eucharist (the Lord's ...
16
It is simply Greek that has been written in Roman letters.
The city of Rome was essentially bilingual from around the time of Caesar Augustus until at least the third or fourth century A.D.: the people spoke mostly vulgar Latin or common (Koine) Greek. Greek was the more common language among the poor, who formed the majority of the ranks of the Church at ...
15
Clear statements against the use of prerecorded music have been made by the National Association of Pastoral Musicians ("On the Use of Pre-Recorded Music in the Liturgy") and Paul S. Jones (Singing and Making Music). Both emphasize two arguments:
Authentic worship requires active participation
Recordings are static and inflexible
Authentic worship through ...
14
The Phrase "Holy catholic Church" does not refer to the Roman Catholic church, but to the "universal church", i.e. all true Christians, whatever earthly religious organization they belong to. The word 'catholic' just means universal. That and the "Communion of Saints" refers to a belief in the essential unity of all true Christians, whatever disagreements ...
13
This answer relates to the Church of Scotland.
Dancing has often been regarded with deep suspicion in the Presbyterian tradition. Originally, it was strongly associated with all kinds of bad behaviour, and would certainly not be permitted in church. Even after dancing became more socially acceptable, church was still meant to be a solemn and sober place. ...
13
[Answer from high-church Anglican/Catholic perspective.]
The deacon is not censed — or should not be censed — at the reading of the gospel. The thurifer should hand the thurible to the deacon, who censes the book. The thurifer generally remains while the gospel is read, and indeed the gospel may end up proclaimed from within the cloud.
Incense ...
13
Before the Gospel is read, a Catholic makes signs of the cross, with the thumb, on his or her
forehead,
mouth, and
heart,
which represents that the Catholic must
understand the Gospel,
proclaim it, and
"take it to heart," i.e., put it into practice, with charity.
Dom Prosper Guéranger's Explanation of the Prayers and Ceremonies of the Holy Mass (...
11
It's actually kind of a contradiction. Which isn't surprising as Christ was a sign which would be contradicted (see Luke 2:34). Purple is a kingly color, which is why they put it on Jesus to mock Him. Purple is also, or has become, the penitential color for the Church, it is also the color worn and used to decorate churches during Advent.
Purple is ...
11
It's not a choice between the two as the question seems to be asking. The temple is not actually a meetinghouse where ordinary worship services are held. (In fact, temples are closed on Sundays.) Latter-Day Saints regard the temple as the House of the Lord, a highly sacred place where, like the temple in the Old Testament, very special, sacred ordinances ...
10
Different communities adopted Arabic at various times. The earliest community to start using Arabic were the Greek Orthodox of Palestine, who started translating the liturgy and theological books into Arabic in the 8th century. For a more general history of Arab Christianity, I'd consult The Church in the Shadow of the Mosque by Sidney Griffith. For evidence ...
10
Yes and No
It is fair to say that Baptist services are liturgical, but I don't think I'd say that they have "a" liturgy (meaning that they generally adhere to a common liturgy).
Many Baptist churches I've been to don't quite follow the formula you described. Most follow it somewhat, but I think that to call it a common liturgy, it needs to be followed ...
10
There are a number of related questions here.
The Bishop of Rome
The Bishop of Rome (i.e., the Pope), being the universal pastor of the Catholic Church, may celebrate in any rite he wishes at any moment.
There is not a specific norm in the Canon Law (abbreviated CIC)—the law for the Western church—or the Code of Canons of Oriental churches (abbreviated ...
10
Why do Catholics sign themselves three (3) times just before the Gospel is read?
To understand the significance of this tradition, let us take a look into its origins.
Concerning the making the sign of the cross at the proclamation of the Holy Gospel, after the deacon or priest says, “A reading from the Holy Gospel according to ….,” he and the faithful ...
9
If by “Tridentine Mass” the O.P. means the Mass promulgated by Pope Pius V in 1570 (probably better termed the “traditional Roman Rite”), which was used widely in that form until the liturgical reforms after Vatican II (and is still used to varying degrees today), then the answer is that it is basically only used in Latin, with a small number of exceptions ...
9
Contrary to what you say about missals, the rubrics in my missal (The CTS New Daily Missal) say that before the reading of the gospel, "He [the deacon/priest] makes the Sign of the Cross on the book and, together with the people, on his forehead, lips, and breast." (emphasis added)
8
"New" in this sense, is as in, "New covenant (or new testament, if you're going by a literal translation of the word covenant)." It is "new" as in it only 1200 (Aquinas wrote it), as opposed to the 4000(?) year old covenant of Abraham and the 2500 year old covenant of Moses.
It means that the believer is able to relate directly to the Godhead through the ...
8
I am a member of the United Methodist Church, so my answer will be from that perspective.
In the United Methodist Church, preachers preach from the Lectionary.
According to Wikipedia:
The Revised Common Lectionary was the product of a collaboration between the North American Consultation on Common Texts (CCT) and the International English Language ...
8
The Oriental Orthodox churches are somewhat divided on this, many still celebrate the Divine Liturgy in Syriac (which is a later dialect of Middle Aramaic). One of the biggest reasons is that many Oriental Orthodox consider the Syriac Peshitta to be the authoritative scriptures, some even insisting on New Testament Aramaic primacy (such as the Nestorians/...
8
How can one characterize (a rite)?
A rite represents tradition about how sacraments (not just Mass) are celebrated. As the early Church grew and spread, it celebrated the sacraments as would be best understood and received in the context of individual cultures, without ever changing their essential form and matter.
Which forms of Mass (rites) are ...
answered Sep 18 '13 at 11:47
Jayarathina Madharasan
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8
The practice is entirely biblical. At the Last Supper, Christ took a single cup at the end of the meal and handed it round the apostles:
Mt 26:27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”
The ...
8
The simplifying or outright dismantling of liturgies has been in train since the beginning of the Reformation, particularly as it started to unfold in Switzerland under Huldrych Zwingli. From the linked Wikipedia article:
Shortly before Easter (1525), Zwingli and his closest associates requested the council to cancel the mass and to introduce the new ...
8
By way of answer, I refer you to this article on the history of Christian meetings. I'll summarize some sections.
In the first century, Christians generally met in homes, especially the homes of more prominent members.
The Acts of the Apostles portrays the first Christian community in Jerusalem as gathering in the temple colonnades and “breaking bread in ...
8
First, a point of terminology. Do you live near a Mormon temple (a large and spectacular building, recognizable by a distinctive golden statue of an angel with a trumpet on top) or a Mormon church (an ordinary church building, usually with a spire)?
Temples are very special and sacred places that are only available to members of the church in good standing....
8
It is directly pulled from the Bible.
Based on my answer to this question: As far as scripture goes, the salutation is from Ruth 2:4 and 2 Chronicles 15:2 in the Vulgate.
In Ruth, the phrase appears in the sentence, "Et ecce ipse veniebat de Bethlehem dixitque messoribus: 'Dominus vobiscum'. Qui responderunt ei: 'Benedicat tibi Dominus'." ("[Boaz himself] ...
7
Christian liturgy is closely tied to the Christian calendar. The Urban Ministry Institute, which produces a lovely calendar each year, notes:
Since our earliest records, the Church has made it a point to remember and celebrate the events of the life of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. The ancient Church centered its worship and witness on the person and ...
7
It's cultural.
This is a Catholic answer, but not based on Catholic Dogma or even the Bible. It's just common sense. In the Western Hemisphere, and western Europe (commonly and ruefully [here at least] referred to as the West) we don't need dance to communicate. Furthermore, we can't even interpret dance as language.
In African (and other) cultures ...
7
Episcopalians: The ushers count the congregation and count the wafers to match. If they miscounted the Priest in charge reserves the wafers in a "tabernacle" on the altar. They drink all of the wine/water. If a wafer is dropped it is retrieved quickly and consumed by the Priest. Whether or not individuals believe the wafer is the actual body of Christ is ...
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