Why Anglican?

[OrthoCanuck]

I'm curious why you chose to be a member of the Anglican denomination. I'm especially interested in hearing from those who were not raised in their denomination, but even comments from those raised Anglican are welcome. I recently left the Roman Catholic Church and am in the process of evaluating other local churches, but I figured I could use this forum to see why people like where they are. My mother and her side of the family are Anglicans and I know why they are, I'm curious why you are.

Peace.

[Fish and Bread]

I'm curious why you chose to be a member of the Anglican denomination. I'm especially interested in hearing from those who were not raised in their denomination, but even comments from those raised Anglican are welcome. I recently left the Roman Catholic Church and am in the process of evaluating other local churches, but I figured I could use this forum to see why people like where they are. My mother and her side of the family are Anglicans and I know why they are, I'm curious why you are.

Peace.

I was raised Roman Catholic and eventually became Anglican. I felt the Anglican tradition offered me the best of Catholicism and Protestantism rolled into one, along with some things unique to Anglicanism as a bonus. There is the beauty, liturgy, tradition, and sacramental presence of Catholicism, the grace and scriptural focus of Protestantism, and a strong strain of reason, intellectualism, and plain old common sense that means I don't have to check my brain at the door (This is not intended to in any way disparage the intellectual rigor of any of the non-Anglican Christian churches, but rather simply to indicate that I personally felt constrained in some non-Anglican church environments in terms of being able to apply logic to certain issues due to dogmas and doctrines which I felt were at odds with reason and science). It's an amazingly freeing feeling to realize you can use the brain God gave you to think for yourself and to read God's word straight to you in scripture without having to filter it through the interpretatiosn of a Pope, as well as an incredible feeling to know that we're saved by God's grace and not by what we do or don't do in terms of good works. But the kicker is Anglicanism allows that *and* still has a liturgy a lot like a mass, as well as deacons, priests, and bishops (With Apostolic Succession) and so forth. There's that historical connection to the ancient Christian Church without the baggage and (in my view) incorrect doctrines the Roman Catholics picked up in the middle ages.

Good luck on your spiritual journey! I hope that helped a little. :) I'd be happy to answer any additional questions you may have. :)

John

[julian the apostate]

great post fish

[romaneagle13]

Once again, I am in complete agreement with John (Fish and Bread)--what a surprise! ;) I too am another of the ex Roman Catholics here. I discovered about a year ago that I was leaning more towards Lutheranism than Catholicism. But after examining my beliefs and those of the mainline Protestant churches I discovered none of them to be a perfect fit. I didn't want to leave the high church worship style of old fashioned Catholicism but I wanted something where I could have the leeway to be as Protestant as I want to be. The ECUSA is also in full communion with the ELCA and this is good for those times when I go to a Lutheran church. Anglicanism is truly the best of both worlds, and even as your beliefs gravitate throughout life from more protestant to more catholic, you will still feel at home as an Anglican because neither viewpoint is wrong.

To paraphrase a famous line from "The Blues Brothers":
"What kind of religion you got here?"
"We got both kinds--Catholic and Protestant!" :D

[cenimo]

It truly is the "bridge church" between Catholic (big C) and Protestant.

I too am an ex-Catholic ( with many stops on the way to an Anglican church), my wife grew up Methodist / Baptist. You'll find a lot of that in Anglican churches (not necessarally Methodist / Baptist, but any Protestant denomination.)

You have everything in Anglican churches from literalists to extreme liberals.....certain issued may get tossed around and argued over and over, but when it comes to worship, the Rites are the Rites and that is that.

(There are two basic Rites, Rite One and Rite Two...basically, one is a said service (no music) and the other is with music and chanting).

Another thing about it is no one in an Anglican church insists that someone has to be in an Anglican church or they can't be saved. Quite refreshing considering some other Christian churches insist that they, and only they, are the way to salvation.

[Fish and Bread]

(There are two basic Rites, Rite One and Rite Two...basically, one is a said service (no music) and the other is with music and chanting).

I've seen Rite I done with music, though I have noticed it's less likely to have music than Rite II.

For the ease of our Roman Catholic inquirer, I should mention that Rite II is the modern language liturgy and is nearly identical to the RCC mass (To the point where when my Roman Catholic relatives visit, they accuse us of having stolen it from them ;)), whereas Rite I is a bit more Protestant, a bit more penitential, and and uses old-fashioned language (thy, thou, beseech, etc.). Rite II (The RCC-like one) is the more common of the two liturgies and is usually the main service held at any given parish.

John

[Colabomb]

I'm curious why you chose to be a member of the Anglican denomination. I'm especially interested in hearing from those who were not raised in their denomination, but even comments from those raised Anglican are welcome. I recently left the Roman Catholic Church and am in the process of evaluating other local churches, but I figured I could use this forum to see why people like where they are. My mother and her side of the family are Anglicans and I know why they are, I'm curious why you are.

Peace.
Because I can hold to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, while accepting my brothers as Brothers.

[Arikereba]

I'm not technically an Anglican, but I do go to an Anglican church.

I find that I'm completely in agreement with Anglican theology, like the Real Presence in the eucharist, and too liberal to be a Catholic--I know there are liberal Catholics, and I respect them, but I can't see myself signing up for something while crossing my fingers at some parts.

I maybe could be a Lutheran. Haven't tried yet. I'm moving around a lot these days, so we'll see what happens. You see, the problem is, I am really bad at the high-church stuff. Really bad. I suppose it's natural when you're new not to know what's going on, and to be flipping around in confusion in the BCP and the hymnal, and to be doing things and saying things a minute behind everyone else, but I got anxious, I got self-conscious, and it was such a mix of good and bad (because I do like the high church stuff) that I had a hard time making myself go.

There are low Anglican churches, but they tend to be more conservative-evangelical, and I'm kind of...not. And then, I don't have a car, so it limits my choices.

But I have found a progressive-evangelical-informal Anglican church three miles away, and it rocks, and I am happy to be there. :clap:

And they're teaching me all the Anglican stuff I need to know without making me feel self-conscious, so when I move away I think I stand a pretty good chance of finding somewhere where I'll fit in.

Plus, having just seen our bishop speak tonight... he alone is reason enough for anyone to be Anglican. He's awesome.

[Fish and Bread]

You see, the problem is, I am really bad at the high-church stuff. Really bad. I suppose it's natural when you're new not to know what's going on, and to be flipping around in confusion in the BCP and the hymnal, and to be doing things and saying things a minute behind everyone else, but I got anxious, I got self-conscious, and it was such a mix of good and bad (because I do like the high church stuff) that I had a hard time making myself go.

I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties. One of the neat things about liturgy that you might want to keep in mind, though, is that it can be really awesome when you finally do learn what everything means and so forth. It can be a source of great comfort and joy, a rock in a storm. It's one of those things that you'd never guess until you've been attending an Anglican church for a while and then the words get so familar that the Spirit of God just seems to wash over you as the familar words are given by the priest and the familar responses are given by the congregation. :)

John

[Arikereba]

I'm sorry to hear of your difficulties. One of the neat things about liturgy that you might want to keep in mind, though, is that it can be really awesome when you finally do learn what everything means and so forth. It can be a source of great comfort and joy, a rock in a storm. It's one of those things that you'd never guess until you've been attending an Anglican church for a while and then the words get so familar that the Spirit of God just seems to wash over you as the familar words are given by the priest and the familar responses are given by the congregation. :)

John

I know it, I believe it, I've seen it happen. :) But it's precisely that that makes me feel self-conscious--like there's a whole orchestra playing in tune together and I'm the one going screeeech. Which is my problem, I hasten to add, because of my ego and self-centered-ness. I begin to come around as I hear the little kid saying "Cookie! Cookie!" when the bread is held up at the eucharist, as I realize that it's more about being part of a shared community than conforming to a specific surface ideal.

[Fish and Bread]

I But it's precisely that that makes me feel self-conscious--like there's a whole orchestra playing in tune together and I'm the one going screeeech.

You should hear me attempt to sing. ;) I have such a bad sense of tone and melody that for a long time upon finding my parish, I didn't sing along with any of the hymns at all, not even a mumble. Now, I sing along with all of them, not because I've gotten much better, but simply because it's important liturgically. God doesn't care that I can't carry a tune. :)

John

[svdbygrace]

I'm also a "non official Anglican, Anglican", with a love for the church. I currently attend both a Episcopal Church and a Non-denominational Church. I am also a member of a "Internet Parish". :)



I'm not technically an Anglican, but I do go to an Anglican church.

I find that I'm completely in agreement with Anglican theology, like the Real Presence in the eucharist.

[Inside Edge]

I started out Roman Catholic, in an Italian family where anything but the RC Church would land you in the devil's employ. My parents left (for various reasons) and we attended a few different denominations, mostly evangelical (Baptist, Pentecostal) for many years. Those churches and style of worship never sat well with me, so I stopped attending church in my teens, thinking there was simply no church for me. We never tried the Anglican Church; and in fact, I didn't even know of its existence until I was in my twenties. I found out later that we never tried it out all those years ago because my father thought it was exactly the same as the Roman Catholic Church, just that somewhere along the line some British guy wanted the power of the Pope for himself, took it, and it was all pretty much the same. I'll have to straighten him out on that one of these days... :)

So I dated and married a girl with a British family, so she had some cursory experience with the Anglican Church. I had been thinking to myself for years, "Why isn't there a Catholic church that is still "catholic" without all the overhead (guilt/power infused dogma, etc)? Like a slightly-protestant church that didn't throw the baby out with the bathwater?" So my then-fiancee and I walked into the Anglican Church in her home town, and the rest is history.

[murron]

I'm curious why you chose to be a member of the Anglican denomination. I'm especially interested in hearing from those who were not raised in their denomination, but even comments from those raised Anglican are welcome. I recently left the Roman Catholic Church and am in the process of evaluating other local churches, but I figured I could use this forum to see why people like where they are. My mother and her side of the family are Anglicans and I know why they are, I'm curious why you are.

Peace.
I grew up Southern Baptist, attended an RCC for several years in my 20's. Then I met the man I'm married to; a cradle Anglican. He was a member of the TAC (traditional Anglican Communion) and I attended with him a few times early in our relationship. I grilled the priest on the doctrine and theology that set the TAC apart from other Anglican Communions and learned that the teachings of this communion nearly mirrored the RCC. For me, that made transition to Anglican workable. Had he been part of one of the other anglican communions...I doubt I would have become Anglican. This communion (and by relationship, our parish) meet my deeply held desire for the "catholicity" in worship and maintained the integrity of my beliefs.
The most difficult part of my switch was the concept of leaving "The Church". Thankfully, this may not be an issue much longer as our communion has spent the last 8 years working the PJPII and Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope BenedictXVI) on bringing the TAC into communion with Rome. So, for those who are formerly RCC but lean toward Anglicanism, the TAC could be a perfect solution.

It should be noted that there are several anglican communions so "becoming Anglican" doesn't mean one exact set of beliefs across the board for all Anglicans. It's definitely something worth exploring if you are considering a switch to anglicanism.

[PaladinValer]

The question is, why not! ;)