Sign of the Cross

[MonaLisaVito]

Originally Posted by tvdxer

Say you're on a date with somebody you've recently met. You don't know much about this person, not much about their religion, etc. You're at a restaurant with them, waiting for your food, and you notice they make the sign of the cross, briefly pray (not out loud), and then make another sign of the cross.

What would you think?

I would think they were saying a prayer before their meal.

Why, what did you think they were doing?

[JustJulia]

Originally Posted by Public_Newsense

Interesting that many would consider this a reason to not date the person anymore. I've heard people get in a huff over Christians saying they won't date outside their faith but I never thought to ask a non-believer if they'd date or marry a Christian.

I'm Episcopalian and could not comfortably date a devout Catholic. There are some big differences between us--not just about the pope, but about baptism and communion. Communion is breaking bread together, our primary symbol of sharing and love for one another, and most Episcopalians welcome anyone to break bread with them and receive a blessing if they want to. Catholics deny the sacrament to anyone who is not a baptized Catholic. In other words, they are welcome to receive communion at my church, but I am not welcome at theirs. I have a real problem with this, among other things. They can believe whatever they wish, but I will not be a part of it.

Simply saying grace is fine. We say grace, although not as much as we used to. Crossing oneself doesn't mean much by itself, which is why I would ask. It could be a habit or a reflection of any one of a whole array of beliefs. I probably wouldn't care if he was a lapsed Catholic or was not very devout. However, if he thought I wasn't a real Christian because I was baptized Episcopalian, that would be our last date. It would be for our mutual benefit anyway.