Protestantism and Non-Christian Religions

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. A religious center which welcomes Protestants of all denominations in a specific community is known as a community church. Mainly a United States development, the community church offers religious services designed to satisfy the felt religious needs of all without contradicting the beliefs of any. Individual community churches may […]

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Common name for independent local congregations with no formal denominational affiliation. Their growing number and influence are a typical phenomenon of American democracy in the field of religion. While the term community church goes back to the 19th century, Systematic grouping of such bodies is a recent development. The […]

By Arthur B. Crabtree – Father John A. Hardon, S.J. PRECIS After discussing the Baptist terminology for Eucharist, Crabtree outlines Baptist Eucharistic tradition. Presbyterian influence led to a monthly celebration, while Zwinglian and Calvinistic influence led to an emphasis on the commemoration and communion aspects of the rite. In the U.S. until recently, the Lord’s […]

by Monsignor James B. Bray – Father John A. Hardon, S.J. EDITOR: Father John A. Hardon’s fine book, The Protestant Churches of America, [1] was reviewed in the March issue of this REVIEW. I should like respectfully to draw your attention to Chapter Eight. This chapter deals with the Methodist Church. Such source books as […]

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. A recent issue of The Lutheran weekly carries two unrelated news items. In Philadelphia the Protestant policemen and other law enforcement agents have organized the Legion of Cornelius, a religious group named for the pagan garrison commander who was converted to Christianity by Saint Peter. The legion was formed […]

By Father John A. Hardon, S.J. The holiness spirit in Protestantism stems from the teaching of John Wesley, who believed there were two stages in the process of justification: freedom from sin and sanctification or the second blessing. With the decline of strictly Wesleyan principles among American Methodists, groups of perfectionists were organized to preserve […]

Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Associate Professor of Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University To the Memory of Pope John XXIII whose charity embraced all peoples of every nation, and whose wisdom saw the grace of God active in all souls of every persuasion Imprimi potest: Joannes R. Connery, S.J. Praepositus Provincialis Provinciae Chicaglensis, S.J. […]

Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Associate Professor of Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University Comparative Religion in Perspective Never before were there more urgent reasons to learn about the religious faith and practices of other people, beyond the universal instinct to know all we can about our fellowman in order better to know ourselves. Translations […]

Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. Associate Professor of Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University Primitive Religions It is only a concession to common usage that we may speak of primitive peoples or of a primitive religion. Strictly speaking there are no genuine primitives anywhere on earth today. Evidently we have no direct knowledge of the […]

Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Associate Professor of Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University Hinduism can better be described than defined. It is less a religion than a religious culture, and less creedal than ethical or racial, which historically identified the people living in a particular region, namely, beyond the Indus River, which runs in […]

Father John A. Hardon, S.J.Associate Professor of Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University Apologists of Buddhism describe it as the richest, broadest and most lasting of Aryan religions. Yet the name itself is of recent origin and refers to the vast system of teachings that trace their ancestry to the Indian sage, Gautama or the […]

Father John A. Hardon, S.J. Associate Professor of Comparative Religion at Western Michigan University Jainism Jainism is a sectarian offshoot of Hinduism, whose origins are traditionally dated with the lifetime of Vardhamana Mahavira (599-527 B.C.), a contemporary of Buddha. The name itself is derived Jina (conqueror), which his followers applied to Mahavira in much the […]