Receiving the Sacrament in another church


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There generally would not be a problem in participating (except for what @DoctorLemon noted).  However, just as someone who takes the sacrament at our church without being baptized does so with no benefit, there would be no spiritual advantage to take the sacrament with another religious institution.  When we partake of the sacrament we renew the covenant we make at baptism to follow Christ.  Those who bless it have authority to do so.  From a doctrinal perspective (no offense intended), the sacrament at any other institution would just be plain bread and water as those who prepared and prayed over it would not have the proper authority to do so.

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3 hours ago, dahlia said:

Are Mormons allowed to 'take Communion' at a non-LDS church? For example, if you go to a Methodist church with a friend, can you have Communion? 

 

13 minutes ago, Maureen said:

Wouldn't that be something each church would decided; if visitors are allowed to take communion.

M.

Maureen makes a good point about the wording here, Dahlia.  Do you mean do the Methodists allow it?  Or is there any LDS prohibition on taking communion elsewhere?

If you mean the former, you'd have to ask the Methodists.  If you mean the latter, then listen to Dr. Lemon and Person 0.

1) Don't drink wine.
2) By participating it is NOT a substitute for taking the sacrament in and LDS church because of the authority thing.

Apart from that, no problem.  Have a field day.

Edited by Guest
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7 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

 

Maureen makes a good point about the wording here, Dahlia.  Do you mean do the Methodists allow it?  Or is there any LDS prohibition on taking communion elsewhere?

If you mean the former, you'd have to ask the Methodists.  If you mean the latter, then listen to Dr. Lemon and Person 0.

1) Don't drink wine.
2) By participating it is NOT a substitute for taking the sacrament in and LDS church because of the authority thing.

Apart from that, no problem.  Have a field day.

My thinking is that, if a Mormon wishes to partake of another church's communion, he/she would need to know first if that church would allow him/her to partake. Once he/she knows the rules, then the next decision becomes a little easier.

M.

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I disagree with the common wisdom so far displayed. I think a Latter-day Saint has no business partaking of the sacred emblems of a false priesthood -- sacred to those who believe and follow that false priesthood, that is. It is the rough equivalent of offering a sacrifice on the altar of another religion.

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53 minutes ago, Maureen said:

My thinking is that, if a Mormon wishes to partake of another church's communion, he/she would need to know first if that church would allow him/her to partake. Once he/she knows the rules, then the next decision becomes a little easier.

M.

I thought that's what I said.

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15 minutes ago, Vort said:

I disagree with the common wisdom so far displayed. I think a Latter-day Saint has no business partaking of the sacred emblems of a false priesthood -- sacred to those who believe and follow that false priesthood, that is. It is the rough equivalent of offering a sacrifice on the altar of another religion.

I guess I never thought of it that way.  I'll have to give it some thought.

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1 hour ago, Carborendum said:

Maureen makes a good point about the wording here, Dahlia.  Do you mean do the Methodists allow it?  Or is there any LDS prohibition on taking communion elsewhere?

If you mean the former, you'd have to ask the Methodists.

Methodist communion is open to "all who accept Christ as their savior" and I believe one of the (few) things you'll find is pretty universal among at least United Methodist congregations is that the invitation should state something very similar to that.

As for wine, I've never seen it used in a normal (i.e. Sunday morning regular service) communion, though you might ask at the door just in case.  If they use the sealed packs, those are sterile grape juice, (for hospital and nursing home use) while the regular cup is (or used to be - haven't fished through their kitchens in over a decade) almost always Welch's.

http://www.umc.org/who-we-are/methodist-history-controversy-communion-and-welchs-grape-juice

EDIT: Looks like the official wording has changed since I last checked: “We are instructed to use the invitation as it appears in our ritual to make clear whom Christ does invite to his table. It is those who ‘love him, earnestly repent of their sin, and seek to be at peace with one another.’ While we serve all who present themselves, not questioning their integrity in response to the invitation, these are actual conditions.”

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18 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

I thought that's what I said.

Quote

Do you mean do the Methodists allow it?  Or is there any LDS prohibition on taking communion elsewhere?

I wasn't thinking of it as an "Or" situation. Find out the rules first and then the decision to partake is easier.

M.

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3 minutes ago, Vort said:

I disagree with the common wisdom so far displayed. I think a Latter-day Saint has no business partaking of the sacred emblems of a false priesthood -- sacred to those who believe and follow that false priesthood, that is. It is the rough equivalent of offering a sacrifice on the altar of another religion.

I agree with you, but there is no rule explicitly to not do it.

Anecdotally, we all participate in false priesthood 'ceremonies' all the time; have you read Leaders to Managers: The Fatal Shift by Hugh Nibley?  :D

Hey, I just looked it up. . . I always though that other church's did communion just as a thing they do, not really a big deal, because I went to a service once and that's basically how it seemed to me, and because of how rarely they did it.  Also, I imagined someone being passed the tray and taking it just to be polite (which is still not the best course of action).  Just found the Methodist communion FAQ page.  Looks like if a member of the Church were to participate they would be going out of their way to engage in said activity:

Quote

. . .We have no tradition of refusing any who present themselves desiring to receive. (Methodist Communion FAQ)

If one must go out of their way and present themselves to participate in a false ordinance and do so, then they are doing something inappropriate, if not flat out wrong.

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14 minutes ago, Maureen said:

I wasn't thinking of it as an "Or" situation. Find out the rules first and then the decision to partake is easier.

M.

I didn't say it was either.  You misread my points.

You ASSUMED that she meant whether a Methodist church (per example) would "allow" it.  You didn't even consider that her question was something different.

Because you asked your question which was quite a different take than all of us did, I actually complimented you in bringing a different perspective.  I recognized that it may actually be a valid meaning of her question.  So I was ASKING Dahlia which one she meant for clarification on the intent of her question.  And based on which meaning, I gave her two different answers to two different questions.

But then you had to go blow it and decide we were disagreeing because you simply couldn't see a different interpretation than the one you shoved onto the thread.

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32 minutes ago, Carborendum said:

I didn't say it was either.  You misread my points.

You ASSUMED that she meant whether a Methodist church (per example) would "allow" it.  You didn't even consider that her question was something different.

Because you asked your question which was quite a different take than all of us did, I actually complimented you in bringing a different perspective.  I recognized that it may actually be a valid meaning of her question.  So I was ASKING Dahlia which one she meant for clarification on the intent of her question.  And based on which meaning, I gave her two different answers to two different questions.

But then you had to go blow it and decide we were disagreeing because you simply couldn't see a different interpretation than the one you shoved onto the thread.

First of all you're over reacting.

Dahlia asked if an LDS member went to a Methodist service, can he have communion. My focus on answering this question was to first consider if this church allows those who are not members to partake of their communion. You commented on my post and I just wanted to add clarification on what I was thinking. I did not see this as a Do the Methodists allow this OR Do the Mormons prohibit that type situation, and that is all. I did not see your post as a disagreement, and I thank you for the compliment, but you need to take a chill pill and not read "drama" into my post, because if was not there.

M.

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5 minutes ago, Maureen said:

I can read and your words are an over reaction. I know exactly what I meant with my posts and your interpretation of my one post is wrong.

M.

You're right.  It's always my fault.  Heaven forbid should Maureen ever make any mistakes herself.

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2 hours ago, Vort said:

I disagree with the common wisdom so far displayed. I think a Latter-day Saint has no business partaking of the sacred emblems of a false priesthood -- sacred to those who believe and follow that false priesthood, that is. It is the rough equivalent of offering a sacrifice on the altar of another religion.

I agree.  But I also believe in being polite when the situation warrants it.

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1 hour ago, Maureen said:

You're over reacting again @Carborendum.

No he's not; it is his fault.  He's an engineer, and everything outside of music and Sacrament Meeting talks is their fault.  (Within music, it's shared roughly equally between engineers, bassists and praise band leaders.  In Sacrament Meeting, we all know whose fault it is.)

Think about it; hammers were designed by stone age savages, tend to be very reliable and still work pretty much the same today, while engineers designed the St Francis Dam, Tacoma Narrows Bridge and Chernobyl.

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When I've visited other churches, I've usually asked how the congregation I'm visiting would like me to act. 

Once, when attending an Eagle court of honor at a Jewish synagogue, the Eagle's mother approached me with a basket of head coverings and timidly asked if I would wear one in their holy space. I told her that I was visiting her place of worship, and would do the action that caused the least offense to her community. She replied, "Oh, I dont care. But my father is very orthodox." So I put on the head covering.

When I've visited an Episcopal church, the minister told us we were free to choose, and understanding our beliefs, said he felt no offense if we chose not to take Communion. In all cases, I've observed that my willingness to acknowledge the sensitivities of the congregation has earned me favor and flexibility.

For those who are desiring to participate, but are concerned about the use of wine, most congregations I've encountered will instruct you to cross your arms over your chest to indicate that you are declining the wine, but still wish to receive the wafer. It is common for children to do this, not uncommon for adults, and I believe is a fairly well recognized signal. (Maureen might be better informed)

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Guest MormonGator

It depends on the church. Catholics generally (key word, generally. There are exceptions)  forbid anyone from taking the eucharist unless you are catholic. Protestant churches are more liberal about it. 

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6 hours ago, MarginOfError said:

...For those who are desiring to participate, but are concerned about the use of wine, most congregations I've encountered will instruct you to cross your arms over your chest to indicate that you are declining the wine, but still wish to receive the wafer. It is common for children to do this, not uncommon for adults, and I believe is a fairly well recognized signal. (Maureen might be better informed)

I've not personally heard of partaking of one element of communion and declining the other. Most churches will give information on communion days of who is welcome to partake.

M.

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