Reply to How would you compare the a Episcopalian Church with Presbyterian in terms of beliefs?

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[quote=Anonymous]I was raised as a Presbyterian.  It's a fairly austere Calvinist denomination that arose as a reaction to excesses in the Church of England.  Churches tend to be less ornamented or done in Danish modern style.  The services have less liturgy than a Catholic or Episcopalian church. A standard Sunday service might consist of a prayer done by a member of the congregation, a hymn or two, time for silent prayer, reciting the Lord's Prayer, and some congregational announcements.  The minister giving the sermon selects two passages: one from the Old Testament, and one from the New.  These are read, and then a 20-30 minute sermon ensues.  Communion is not taken at most services, but it is done a few times per year (the PCUSA requires 5 times, I think). As a PP noted, Protestants generally do not believe in transubstantiation.  Presbyterians do technically believe in predestination, but I suspect few harbor that belief today

It's a fairly liberal denomination, with a belief in a right to choose for women.  They go back and forth on gay participation in congregational life, but at last have recently agreed to allow gay marriage.

It's a democratic denomination, with no hierarchy (no bishops etc.).  Instead, there are representative bodies.  Each church belongs to a presbytery, and each presbytery belongs to a synod.  The presbyteries and synods send representatives to the General Assembly, which meets annually to discuss matters of policy.  In practice, the GA can't agree on most resolutions, so they table them.  This gives individual congregations a lot of freedom, so you can generally find a Presbyterian Church you like.    When kids are confirmed, they become voting members of the Church, and can vote for the Elders and Deacons who are the governing bodies of the individual churches.   As in most churches, the wealthy donors tend to have outsized influence behind the scenes.   [/quote]

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