I thought that this was kind of interesting. The Lutherans, it seems, though having a different theology still cannot detach themselves from their Catholic roots.

http://www.elca.org/co/rosary.html

"Prayer Labyrinth: Another historic example of prayer is triggered from the "stations of the Cross." A prayer labyrinth is a path or maze with created sacred spaces along the way for prayer. Myriads of possibilities exist in creating a temporary or permanent prayer journey. Each corner of a room in your apartment can be created by the thematic pieces of art you employ in that space. (For example, corner 1 could have an icon or picture of Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane.

"Below the picture set a small stand which holds a candle or incense. Corner 2 could have a crucifix and a small vial of scented olive oil to anoint oneself and reflect on Jesus who died and whose body was anointed for our sake. Corner 3 may have a small table on which is laid some white material to remember his resurrection; a candle, because he is the light of the world, and a small dish of water, to make the sign of the cross and recall one's own baptism. Corner 4 could include an icon of the ascension, and the words of the Great Commission.

"A map of the 10 x 40 window (countries falling between the 10' S. and 40' N - the primary area of non-Christian peoples) could stimulate prayers for needed mission work in select nations of the world. Prayer Labyrinths can be located in or out of doors, contained in a fellowship hall or in various rooms in the church building, and may be set up for a special time of prayer or established as a permanent sacred space.

"The idea is to stimulate a sense of prayerfulness by providing both space and creative themes for reflection and prayer. (For more information on a prayer labyrinth, check out the November 1999 edition of The Lutheran magazine. Your can read about it online at www.thelutheran.org"

-- Scott (papasquat10@hotmail.com), December 05, 2003

Answers

1st of all! That comes from ELCA. They aren't Christians nevermind Lutherans! Why wouldn't they join the COM(Cult of Mary)!? They already did in their Joint Declaration on Jusfication.

2nd! The prayers they quote for the most part come directly from Luther's Small Catachism written in 1520 which we still use today even doing the sign of the Holy Cross. Even I do that and I am not a member of the COM. We consider it to be "adiaphoria", something neither comanded nor forbidden in the Bible, something we do in "Christian liberty".

-- Jeanie (mary_kissmiss@hotmail.com), December 05, 2003.

Why isn't the ELCA Christian or Lutheran? They are refered to on www.Lutheran.org. You might just not like them because you don't agree with them. And imagine that, a split in the Lutheran church. WOW!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

-- Scott (papasquat10@hotmail.com), December 05, 2003.

Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie

Why so testy! Just live out your faith as you see fit and God will love you. If perhaps, it appears to be a little bit Catholic, I'm sure God will understand.

This Lutheran / Catholic thing really is starting to bug you isn't it?!!!

-- Leon (vol@weblink2000.net), December 06, 2003.

Jmj

"And imagine that, a split in the Lutheran church."

Actually, Scott, there is no "Lutheran church."

First, there is something that we can call a "lutheran" family of denominations -- separate, not believing the same things, but more-or-less descended from the 16th-century heresy. Since they are not exactly like the original (which would properly be called Lutheran), I'll call them "lutheranish."
Second, the only thing that Catholics can accurately call a "church" is an entity that has apostolicity (validly ordained bishops, successors of the Apostles). The lutheranish denominations lack apostolicity (and they don't even claim to have it, even though some have men with the title "bishop").

Some immigrants to America brought over several lutheranish denominational fragments. I don't know how many there were, and I don't know if further fragments have formed with the word "lutheran" in the name in more recent decades.

What is sad, though, is what has happened with the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church [sic] in America). It only began to exist in 1988 -- as a merger of three lutheranish denominations (the Lutheran Church [sic] in America, the American Lutheran Church [sic], and the Evangelical Lutheran Church [sic]), the first two of which were themselves products of mergers of splinter groups in the 1960s. But in 1988, other lutheranish denominations (such as the LCMS [Missouri] and the WELS [Wisconsin]) would not merge with the ELCA, which was considered too "liberal" or even "heretical." [Try to ignore the irony of that last word.]

When I said that the ELCA was a "sad" situation, I was referring to the fact that it is willing to have ecumenical dialog with the Catholic Church, but it is pro-abortion and pro-women's-ordination. Meanwhile, the LCMS and WELS (and perhaps other small lutheranish denominations) -- while they are pro-life and anti-women's-ordination -- refuse to seek unity with Catholicism, and some members express great hostility toward the true Church (which supposedly is, or is led by, the "antichrist").

God bless you.
John

-- J. F. Gecik (jfgecik@hotmail.com), December 06, 2003.

Found this page by accident and I'm confused about your message. It appears that you are Lutheran and have rejected Catholicism as a church headed by the anti christ. Then why are you trying to have rosaries and stations of the cross just like Catholics? If you are trying to divorce yourselves from that which you feel is evil, why are you simultaneously copying it?

-- mary hammond (maryhammond@k-and-w-hammond.com), December 07, 2003.