Episcopal is really Catholic lite?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We left the Roman Catholic Church for Episcopal and haven't looked back. We always felt like we had to pick and choose what we would believe/follow in RC and it felt very ingenuous*

*disingenuous

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My impression of catholics is that it is a religion on its own. Everyone else reading the same book are protestant

PP, not sure I understand your post, but don't forget Eastern Orthodox. The Episcopal church and worldwide counterparts are have some theological influences coming from the orthodox church.

[Anonymous]

Let's see women can play active roles in church leadership at all levels, communion is open to all Christians and we believe birth control is ok. The liturgy and the look of the service/church are more more akin to RC. There are high churches, which are much more formal, but I'd be surprised if one had a "charismatic" feel.

[Anonymous]

OP- I guess you've gotten your answer (somewhere in this thread) but I might as well add my two cents.

I was born and raised Episcopalian and have never experienced anything like you describe. In fact it was make me extremely uncomfortable.

I attend the National Cathedral which is exactly right for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What a ridiculous statement!

The Catholic Church protected pedophiles for years! There were worldwide pedophilia rings, for Christ's sake! The church is made up of people who blindly follow ridiculous doctrine like sheeple - and then there are people like you who pick and choose. So you're basically a hypocrite, no?

You either believe in that mess, or you abandon it.

There is no in between, hon.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah that makes it ok.

You know, this tired debate gets really old, especially when people resort to these silly, stale, junior high schoolyard retorts. My entire family is Catholic and no one is homophobic. We have gay family members and friends. The church is the people; we are not going to abandon our faith because the powers that be have it wrong.

Thankfully for me, you don't get to say - hon. Your condescension is really misplaced and unnecessary, by the way.

No one is defending what was done. But once again the Catholic bashing comes out in force. Never mind that the actual percentage of Catholics who knew about and participated in these activities was very, very small and that many lay Catholics have pushed mercilessly for more honesty and transparency so that it never happens again. Do you feel the need to lecture every other religious denomination that has ever done something wrong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So....it was too....much fun?

Eh, I don't know. I'm Catholic and I really don't like the arm-waving, praise music kind of thing. It feels so disingenuous and forced to me. Not saying that it is those things, but that's how it feels to me and it makes me uncomfortable. I like the ritual of mass, and depending on the parish and the priest, the homily and music choices can bring levity or a celebratory feel without feeling too touchy feely for my taste.

This from a person practicing a religion where people prostrate themselves before relics such as St. Catherine's preserved HEAD (yes, ma'am, ever been to Sienna?), self-flagellate, crawl up steps on their knees (google Scala Sanctum), not to mention practice EXORCISMS.

So I suppose Catholics should know some "disingenuous and forced" when they see it then?

Oh yes, American Catholics are engaged in all of these practices.

If you think it makes you sound intelligent to pick out the fringe practices of a religion to insult the whole, it doesn't. Just FYI.

The point is you priggishly distinguish yourself as a Catholic separate in some way from religious practices (singing and swaying, the horror) you deride as "disingenuous and forced," when there are plenty of Catholic practices (whether you participate in them or not) that strike many people as more out there than singing and waving ones hands.

And oh the irony; just because American Catholics don't commonly practice ROMAN Catholicism as those in, for instance, ROME do (relics, scala sanctum, etc) doesn't make those any less Catholic practices! They really aren't all that fringe if you're familiar with Catholic practice world wide.

You are picking and choosing which of my words to focus your vitriol on for reasons I don't know. I plainly stated it was a personal preference/feeling and never used the word horror, for pity's sake. You have a Catholic-bashing agenda, plain and simple.

[Anonymous]

Probably what's missing is your full inclusion. No Church really measures up as long as we are measuring it. If were evaluation we feel evaluated. Just take what's offered ( and in the Episcopal church it should be a significant amount of scripture, a reasonable meditation on the scripture in the context of your place and time, and a timeless celebration in music and joy (ancient or modern) to lift us beyond the worldly and into our places in heaven which is already our home beyond space and time, even though the way we live in space and time creates our eternity. (from Rev GF
Kohn, El Camino Real

[Anonymous]

Episcopalian = Apostasy