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Then how about the men at your church (hypothetically) who have met every Wed morning at 6am to pray and read scripture? What about your (hypothetical) daily bible study or quite time with the Lord? What about Baptist churches that meet every Wed in addition to Sunday services? Does the second sentence apply to those "ritual" observances as well? Or is it only if the Catholics decide to do something as a group that it becomes a "work"?

I just deleted a page of answers to you when I realized it had a common denominator, and that is, all the above are matters of free will and free choice, and not church doctrine or policy that you as a member, you have to agree to when you join.

I don't know of any church that takes something like Bible study or prayer meetings, and then tell you that you are sinning if you don’t attend them.

All is between man and God, and since Christ is the head of the Church, he is the only one I have to account to.

I just deleted a page of answers to you when I realized it had a common denominator, and that is, all the above are matters of free will and free choice, and not church doctrine or policy that you as a member, you have to agree to when you join.

I don't know of any church that takes something like Bible study or prayer meetings, and then tell you that you are sinning if you don’t attend them.

OK, so your Church doesn't claim to have the power to bind and loose. Mine does. That doesn't change the point that you implicated all Catholics in "vain repetition" when your co-religionists also engage in (freely willed) repetition.

SD

I didn't even have to type a whole page response. But if I did, the theme would be amazement that you would believe "obey the authority that is placed over as that authority comes from God" must refer only to temporal human authorities and assume that there can be no authority within any church. And whether you admit it or not, most non-Catholic churches do set up authorities (the missions board determines who gets money, the Pastor determines the message, the music director determines the order and type of worship) it's just that the individual is on his own in matters of Faith, interpretation (and even determination of the canon for some). Of course the Spirit guides this process, but He appears to be guiding you in all diferent directions (methinks He has a sense of humor?)