What faith have you chosen?

[PrinceAlarming]

I voted other...

I guess I'm a believer of sorts, but I could never buy into the ritual of an organized church. I was raised Quaker, which is an incredible experience, and if I didn't work Sundays, I would attend a Quaker meeting now and again.

I have faith. I am spiritual... But I can pull life lessons and morals from a Spiderman comic as well as the Bible.

[Crucifer]

I voted other.
I am Christian, but not Catholic. I am an Anglican, and a line has in fact been drawn between us and 'other' protestants, so we don't consider ourselves Protestants, as such...

[solicitr]

I suppose I really 'chose' Episcopalianism, in college- but then I Poped when I married into a very Catholic Irish family. Not really that big a difference, except the vicar's wife doesn't host teas.......

[Primula Baggins]

Crucifer, there's less of a line in the United States. The U.S. Episcopal church has full intercommunion with at least my own "mainline" Protestant church, the ELCA Lutherans; we can attend each other's services, including taking communion/Eucharist, and Lutheran pastors and Episcopal priests can serve each other's congregations. (It took a lot of wrangling, because the Episcopal church does apostolic succession and the Lutheran church most firmly does not; now when a Lutheran bishop is consecrated we have an Episcopal bishop there to lay on hands, so he or she will be all right with the Episcopalians. )

[Túrin Turambar]

I've never heard of the Anglican church being considered anything other than Protestant, and I was baptised and educated Anglican.

[baby tuckoo]

One of the virtues of modern America, LM, is that the flavors of Christianity have blent into a cool frappe. Left alone, we'd drift into harmless Unitarianism.


Not.

[Primula Baggins]

Not. Yeah.

It does tend to look that way from outside, though, to people who do not perceive the tremendous! doctrinal! import! of some of these differences merely because (as is their perfect right) they don't know or care about them.

[solicitr]

There's no doubt that the Anglican Communion is absolutely Protestant. The 39 Articles make that abundantly clear. Thing is, I was a heterodox Episcopal then, just as I'm a heterodox Catholic now. (Sssh! Don't tell Pope Benedict!)

[Túrin Turambar]

It does tend to look that way from outside, though, to people who do not perceive the tremendous! doctrinal! import! of some of these differences merely because (as is their perfect right) they don't know or care about them.

I do know or care something about Anglicanism, however, as I was one (and probably still am as far as formalities go - ie. if I died today, an Anglican service would be read at my funeral). I don't know of any differences between Anglicanism and other forms of Protestant Christianity that would make them that radically different.

[Primula Baggins]

That post wasn't meant to call you an outsider, LM. It was just a general comment, rather amused because I know from inside my own church (ELCA Lutheran) how tiny the differences between denominations can be, and yet how large they loom if the issue of intercommunion or (gasp!) merger comes up.

[axordil]

and yet how large they loom if the issue of intercommunion or (gasp!) merger comes up.

Something other than defense of one's turf has to come up, if those standing to lose their perquisites are to avoid looking petty. Reminds me of the arguments we had every Christmas between the Baptist branch of the family and the non-denominational Evangelical branch...

"Follow the gourd!"

[Primula Baggins]

Whereas every right-thinking person follows the sandal, yes.

[Crucifer]

The 39 Articles make that abundantly clear.

They're mad. Just read number 14!!!

Anyhoo, in the C of I gazette, a line was drawn, because 'protestant' sort of means contesting the leadership of the pope, among other things. It's not that I contest the beliefs of Roman Catholicism, I just don't believe in them myself. You're perfectly free to believe that the pope is divinely selected, and I will only say "so how come it takes more than one vote?". I won't say "You're wrong"

Just call me 'doubting Crucifer'...

[Primula Baggins]

Crucifer, the divisive question is the authority of the Pope (or, as Lutherans still sometimes call him, "the Bishop of Rome"). Protestants don't recognize that authority or obey it, so the way he is elected is irrelevant to us.

[Voronwë the Faithful]

Friends, I split the discussion on Celibacy in the Priesthood, and Related Issues into a separate thread.

[Rodia]

Since the discussion has been split off, I'll restate: I 'voted' Catholic cause that's what I am. I was born into the faith, but when I was a child, I can't remember my parents ever stressing over it. I grew up with the idea of God being all around rather than the obligation to go to Church every Sunday. This has changed since, my family are now very avid churchgoers, but I don't remember ever being pressured when I was a child.

I think what taught me more about God than anything else were my dad's poems. He never talked about God, he just wrote hundreds and hundreds of poems that spoke of many many things...God was seldom named, but the poems were always full of faith in some deeper secret. They spoke of people who were wading ankle-deep in the filth of their own problems and sins, and even though they tried to keep their eyes down, something would always make them look to the skies. They would be afraid, embarrassed...they would not want the Light.

"Oh, Lord, this fish is too big, and this miracle too great
And they have fallen through our window by accident."

But the Light was there, whether they wanted it or not, and if they chose to turn towards it and climb out of the mud, it would be waiting.



edited for better translation

[Voronwë the Faithful]

That's really moving, Ro.

[baby tuckoo]

I agree, VtF.






And I'm not easily moved, except by the Salmon of Correction.