Should I be Anglican or Roman Catholic

[wcknight]

Percentage-wise there are more pedofiles among other ministers than among Catholic priests (1 percent versus about 10 percent.)

Why is that ? think about it, priests have to give up a heck of a lot and have to study much longer than other ministers in other denominations.

While it is dreadful for any “man of God” to prey on kids, it is particularly horrific when a priest does so. It gets a lot more press than other denominations so rumors are more virulent and more vicious. Parishes and the Church suffers more because parishes are connected to a diocese or arch diocese and folks can sue not just one church or parish but the entire diocese.

It is a horrible crime and some bishops have made huge mistakes in not dealing with this properly, so instead of correcting the problems, they made things much worse. Hopefully that has changed.

As to the question of which to go with, which would you rather go with, a cheap imitition or with the real deal ?

On the one hand you have a CHurch that was started because some over sexed monach could not get a divorce from the Church and decided to start his own Church. On the other, we have the Church started by Jesus Himself, with a continous succession of popes as successors to St. Peter… I think I would rather go for the real thing. But that’s just me…

 

[liturgyluver]

Percentage-wise there are more pedofiles among other ministers than among Catholic priests (1 percent versus about 10 percent.)

The official church statistics on child abuse say that between 1.5% and 5% of Catholic clergy have been involved in child sex abuse, and that these figures were comparable with other denominations.

 

[Contarini]

Hello everyone. I’m currently having issues deciding whether my beliefs are more Roman Catholic or Anglican.
-In the past I’ve been pro choice, but I’m now starting to see that even unborn babies are still alive, as the soul is created at the time of conception. Therefore, I only believe in abortion if it would be dangerous for the mother to have the baby. (i.e. she might die)

Catholic teaching is that directly killing the unborn child is always wrong, without exception. However, there are difficult cases that may be covered by the “principle of double effect”–if your purpose is to save the mother, then it may be legitimate to do something that you know will kill the child, but only under very narrowly defined circumstances.

-I believe that we need to confess our sins to someone

In Anglicanism we all confess our sins publicly during the Liturgy. Private confession to a priest is encouraged (more actively by some priests than by others) but not required.

-I feel that a Church needs a figurehead/leader to rally behind

I don’t think that’s the most important aspect of the Pope’s office. Another way of putting it is that the Papacy makes union with the Church personal–it is about being in communion with a person who bears the covenant promise of God.

-I think that frequent holidays and frequent rituals are important for us to renew our faith

Common to both, although on the whole Catholics have more.

-I believe we should pray to saints as well as Jesus

You can get away with doing this privately in all but the most low-church Anglican jurisdictions (in other words, no one is going to call you a heretic), and of course there is much honoring of saints that goes on in Anglicanism, but only very Anglo-Catholic parishes/dioceses will do it publicly.

-This is a tad bit superficial, but I really like the look of Roman Catholic churches and priests.

More than Anglican ones? I can’t see that priests look differently, and while I agree that it’s not the most important consideration, I think our (Anglican) architecture is much better on the whole.

-I’m against homosexual marriage, and I think it is wrong to be in a homosexual relationship, but I’m not going to walk up to homosexuals and start preaching to them as that is not my place.

No one is going to say that you should “walk up to homosexuals and preach to them.” Your views are of course in keeping with Catholic teaching, and with the majority of Anglicans worldwide. In the U.S. these views are becoming an embattled (though still protected) minority within the Episcopal Church. General Convention just approved a provisional liturgy for blessing same-sex unions. My own bishop (in Northern Indiana) has signed a protest against this and will not approve such unions in his diocese (GC’s resolution allows bishops to make this decision), but allows priests to make arrangements with neighboring bishops to perform the ceremony in their dioceses. Of course, there are more conservative Anglican bodies in North America (the largest is the ACNA, but there are also the “Continuing Churches” such as the one the poster GKC belongs to, and some others as well) that strongly oppose homosexual relationships. These are not at present part of the Anglican Communion in union with Canterbury, though the ACNA would very much like to be.

-I feel that divorce is wrong, as when you get married you take those vows for life

The Episcopal Church has taken an increasingly lax stance on divorce, though officially we still disapprove of it and the precise details of our discipline vary from diocese to diocese.

-I am against premarital sex.

The Episcopal Church does not officially differ from this, but we’re pretty vague about it and obviously the whole same-sex union issue complicates it.

That falls in between the two positions. The RCC holds that artificial means are wrong no matter what (natural family planning is legitimate under the circumstances you describe). The Episcopal Church (and I think most forms of Anglicanism) really has no problem with contraception, though procreation is still in principle spoken of as a purpose of marriage. In my experience if you express any issues with contraception you’ll be looked at funny.

So, with all of these, do you think the Roman Catholic or Anglican Communion is right for me?

I question the premise. Where do we get the idea that we’re supposed to set out with a “shopping list” of beliefs and find the church that “matches” those beliefs?

Obviously you can’t belong to a church whose premises you fundamentally reject. But insofar as the Church is infallible you should submit to it, and insofar as it is fallible you may be a means of reforming it.

The basic question I think you need to ask is not which church lines up with certain specific beliefs, but what the Church is in the first place.

Edwin

 

[englishredrose]

[QUO[COLOR=“Blue”]TE=504Katrin;9555176]yeah, and what kindof confession is dat? Full blown Sacrament of Confession where the priest cannot reveal anything we have said in confession and be excommunicated if he does. Just like your priests…Hey Haldren21, don’t let this guy lure you in!



Just playing with you guys. I can see the fight over your soul, Haldren21, has just begun

Seriously though, everything evolves around the Eucharist in the end. If you long for the Eucharist, everything is already said and done. Cause if the Eucharist is most important in your life, everything else will come easily to you, may it be opinions you will abondon, or may it be growing so close to the Catholic church that you will NEVER ever want to leave it again. You wouldn’t want to live without it, trust me

Oh, and what others already said about Protestantism is true. They’re cherry picking.Come now- that is what you are told rather than what you know. I wish this bashing of protestism gets stopped because its lowering the tone of a Catholic Board by the way As I’ve already mentioned above though, live ain’t easier as a Protestant, as a matter of fact, what seems to make Catholicism difficult to them is what you will LOVE the most

All the best you way, and may the L0rd and Mary be with you

 

[CopticChristian]

Last I checked, Matthew 16:18 Jesus claimed it is His church. So, while certain men have been given temporary charge of it, Christ is still the head. Just saying…

New International Version (©1984)
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

New Living Translation (©2007)
Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

English Standard Version (©2001)
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

International Standard Version (©2008)
I tell you that you are Peter, and it is on this rock that I will build my congregation, and the powers of hell will not conquer it.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English (©2010)
“Also I say to you, that you are Kaypha, and upon this stone I shall build my church, and the gates of Sheol will not withstand it.”

GOD’S WORD® Translation (©1995)
You are Peter, and I can guarantee that on this rock I will build my church. And the gates of hell will not overpower it.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
And I say also unto you, That you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it.

American King James Version
And I say also to you, That you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

American Standard Version
And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Darby Bible Translation
And I also, I say unto thee that thou art Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and hades’ gates shall not prevail against it.

English Revised Version
And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Webster’s Bible Translation
And I say also to thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Weymouth New Testament
And I declare to you that you are Peter, and that upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the might of Hades shall not triumph over it.

World English Bible
I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Young’s Literal Translation
'And I also say to thee, that thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it;

Steve,

The OP is 14 years old. Are you taking all this into consideration? Are you helping this 14 year old with this post?

 

[Contarini]

Seriously though, everything evolves around the Eucharist in the end. If you long for the Eucharist, everything is already said and done.

No, because Anglicans appear to have the Eucharist and claim to have it.

Perhaps we really don’t have it.

But the “just seek the Eucharist” argument won’t help someone divided between Catholicism and Anglicanism–unless you are arguing that one can tell experientially the difference between a valid and invalid Eucharist.

(In support of your contention, I know a Lutheran who converted to Catholicism and says that it’s all about the Eucharist–but I know that some Lutherans don’t practice frequent communion, so perhaps his experience was different from mine).

Edwin

 

[englishredrose]

somehow you have mis quoted me . I didn’t say that at all and not my words someone else said it. no offence but really isn’t how I talk: D

 

[Contarini]

somehow you have mis quoted me . I didn’t say that at all and not my words someone else said it. no offence but really isn’t how I talk: D

Sorry–it appears to have been Katrin.

You have to be careful with the “Quote” function on this forum, or you wind up muddling who said what. We all goof up occasionally–you appear to have done so in this instance, so that Katrin’s words appeared as if they were yours.

It’s best to use the Quote function instead of trying to distinguish your words by color, as you did.

Edwin

 

[Lucky7]

I think what is important is to research churches and find out which one has the authority given to it by Christ/which Church teaches the fullness of the Truth. Then regardless of how you feel about certain things, you will know the Truth. You then make a decision based on that knowledge. Ultimately, that is what I found I needed to do.

 

[SteveLy]

Steve,

The OP is 14 years old. Are you taking all this into consideration? Are you helping this 14 year old with this post?

It was actually a response at the comment of pablope. But as a point of education I hear this a lot, and it is generally a sign someone has been indoctrinated into a belief system rather than educated about Christianity. If they would take the time to open their Bible and actually read what Christ said, in context, they would see the important point. I listed each version to show almost many English translation clearly point out Christ is claiming headship. But that is not heard in the translation of the average Roman Catholic. Not to leave the Protestants out, they tend to point out Ephesians 2:8-9 and forget Ephesians 2:10. (look it up…) We hear what we want to hear and repeat it as necessary, without really understanding the concept.

The reality is ALL Christian denominations have found justification for their belief system in Holy Scripture, it just depends on how the person has been brought up in the faith as to what they know or emphasize. As your previous comment about “one more soul saved…” type of church.

What I realize is those types of churches serve a great purpose in the body of Christ. They connect people who have fallen away from the church, or never been connected an entry or re-entry point. But though full of people hearing the gospel, they are lambasted by “sophisticated Christians” who often know the common points of their churches doctrines, but little else and little interest in learning something else. The reality is, most people leave those churches after a year or two for various reasons and I’m glad churches with a deeper theological understanding are available. I don’t point out your comment to be critical, just an example of a common belief within liturgical churches.

I think if Christians would have a bit more grace, rather than criticism, in their beliefs we would have a stronger church.

Peace

 

[andrewstx]

with that list you can be either because Anglicans do have a figure head of the church

the only thing we don’t really do is pray to the Saints.

We have confession available

That may be true for some Anglicans/Episcopalains but not for others. Many Anglicans do pray to the saints. They have the Society of Mary, and the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is an Anglican shrine.

 

[GKC]

That may be true for some Anglicans/Episcopalains but not for others. Many Anglicans do pray to the saints. They have the Society of Mary, and the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham is an Anglican shrine.

My parish Mary Shrine is to OL of Walsingham.

GKC

 

[Contarini]

I think what is important is to research churches and find out which one has the authority given to it by Christ/which Church teaches the fullness of the Truth.

That stacks the deck.

First you need to establish that one church must have the fullness of the truth (which is itself a highly loaded and ambiguous term).

Edwin

 

[andrewstx]

My parish Mary Shrine is to OL of Walsingham.

GKC

GKC, would you happen to know of a place that sells medium sized like 12" statues of Ol of Walsingham? That are actualy affordable?

 

[GKC]

GKC, would you happen to know of a place that sells medium sized like 12" statues of Ol of Walsingham? That are actualy affordable?

Our statue is about 14-16 inches, polychrome resin, and came from Walsingham. Our assistant priest has a particular devotion to OL, and has made a couple of visits to the shrines. I don’t know what it cost.

Have you tried the two shops of the two shrines? The CoE shop, here, has one similar to ours but maybe 2/3s the size, slightly lesser quality, Not sure what the total price would be

shop.walsinghamanglican.org.uk/acatalog/e_Shop_Our_Lady_of_Walsingham_10.html

A similar one seems to be available from the RC Shrine shop.

walsingham.org.uk/romancatholic/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Bookshop-Catalogue-coloured3.pdf

A 12 inch one here:

cenacle.co.uk/products.asp?partno=s0119

Don’t know what shipping would be, but these statues seem to run around $50-$100+. There are smaller and cheaper ones listed.

GKC

 

[andrewstx]

Our statue is about 14-16 inches, polychrome resin, and came from Walsingham. Our assistant priest has a particular devotion to OL, and has made a couple of visits to the shrines. I don’t know what it cost.

Have you tried the two shops of the two shrines? The CoE shop, here, has one similar to ours but maybe 2/3s the size, slightly lesser quality, Not sure what the total price would be

shop.walsinghamanglican.org.uk/acatalog/e_Shop_Our_Lady_of_Walsingham_10.html

A similar one seems to be available from the RC Shrine shop.

walsingham.org.uk/romancatholic/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Bookshop-Catalogue-coloured3.pdf

A 12 inch one here:

cenacle.co.uk/products.asp?partno=s0119

Don’t know what shipping would be, but these statues seem to run around $50-$100+. There are smaller and cheaper ones listed.

GKC

I just wish there was an American source. That would solve the problem of pound or euro to dollar “translation” and the figuring out of shipping and handling costs.
It makes me nervous to hand over a credit card in effect, without knowing exactly the charges.

If you couldn’t tell bymy typing and spelling I had a stoke 8 years ago. needless to say my math skills really dropped too.

I am going to order from the /Anglican site, their statues just seem more attractive to me.

 

[GKC]

I just wish there was an American source. That would solve the problem of pound or euro to dollar “translation” and the figuring out of shipping and handling costs.
It makes me nervous to hand over a credit card in effect, without knowing exactly the charges.

If you couldn’t tell bymy typing and spelling I had a stoke 8 years ago. needless to say my math skills really dropped too.

I am going to order from the /Anglican site, their statues just seem more attractive to me.

There may be an American source, but I didn’t find one by googling. If there is a RC bookshop/gift shop in your area, they might be able to order one.

You might get some assistance with a phone call or email to the Walsingham shop, on currency conversion/postage/shipping.

I totally agree with worrying about credit card orders like this. I almost never do it.

And no, I didn’t suspect a stroke. I’m very familiar with that demon; it hit my family heavily. But you don’t give a clue of it, as far as I can tell.

Hang in there.

GKC

 

[Rhuarc]

depends do you want to believe in a heretical schism or the one true faith? If I were you I would go with the one true faith and come home to Rome.

 

[Haldren21]

Hey guys, I just wanted to pop in to let you know that my mother has consented to me joining RCIA. She will also drop me off at Mass on Saturday nights. I just went this past Saturday and it was a beautiful experience. Thanks for all of your (name removed by moderator)ut!

 

[IgnatianPhilo]

Be Ortodox mann