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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Born and raised Episcopalian here.  It's funny to hear it decribed as "loosey goosey" or all over the place.  Because there are actually "more" rules in Episcopalianism, IMO, than the evangelical churches that have become so popular.

I can't speak for all Episcopalians, but in my experience, most are devout.   The way Episcopalians worship and study the Bible are very different from Evangelical denominations, though.    The Episcopal church doctrine is centered on the Bible, the Catechism, the Book of Common Prayer, and the Creeds.   These give a different type of framework to belief and prayer than today's Evangelical Christianity, which often has no doctrine other than the Bible.

With a longer historical framework (doctrine) surrounding the Bible, Episcopalians don't take the Bible literally.  They take it "seriously."  And the supporting doctrine helps define and shape the way Episcopalians worship and study.  For example, the Bible is not the inerrant word of God, it is inspired by God.    Episcopalians believe that there are many contradictions and complexities in the Bible, but that the Gospel is the most important part, and that we should look at life and salvation through the examples of Jesus' life and teachings.  Episcopalians also believe that God gave us a brain, so use it.  In spiritual life as well.

And with that, you have people within the church who may think differently about different topics.  And that's OK.  And they are all still devout, even if they believe a bit differently from one another.[/quote]

^^ this is standard Episcopal rhetorical -- vague and loosey-goosey.  And i'm not criticizing, just describing it.  to say "Episcopalians don't take the Bible literally.  They take it 'seriously'" is supposed to sound sophisticated, I guess, but to me says that they have to figure out a way to keep the bible at the center of their faith while acknowledging that it is a book of stories and myths and philosophy.  It 's not holy, not the word of God and certainly not factual or scientific, but they are stuck with it -- can't repudiate it, so come up with a clever saying instead.

Frankly, I wish more Christians were like the Episcopalians and I wish more Episcopalians could be more straight with themselves and others about their beliefs.[/quote]

PP, respectfully disagree. I took an Episcopal course called "Education for Ministry." Four years of Bible study. We learned about the different authors of the Bible and how to identify them. We believe the Bible is divinely inspired, but it is obvious there are contradictions, they are often traceable to the different authors. We tend not to be literalists. [/quote]

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