Polycarp1
13th May 2004, 01:57 PM
Anglicans are very loath to define exactly what it is we do and believe and think in some formalized way, since any such definition tends to act as exclusionary -- "you must agree with X, meaning that you can't agree with Y" -- and we prefer to be inclusionary. Generally, one's tacit consent to worship by the Prayer Book and pledging to a parish that uses some of the funds to support such-and-such ministry is taken as "agreement with how Anglicans do things."
But this means that a lot of people have questions about why it is that we Anglicans say and do what we say and do. And I suggest that we have a thread -- and therefore opene this one -- for people to ask those sorts of questions.
If BAChristian, as our resident Mod. but not an Anglican, would be willing to start the ball rolling by asking two or three things that have given him to wonder why it is that we say or do that -- and I have little doubt that he has such questions ;) -- that might make others more comfortable about asking them. (I presume that the rule, as in most congregational forums, ought to be that a non-Anglican cannot argue against what it is that we say and do, but can inquire why it is, and what our justification for doing it is, in a non-condemnatory way.) Does that sound reasonable to get lively discussion going in here?
But this means that a lot of people have questions about why it is that we Anglicans say and do what we say and do. And I suggest that we have a thread -- and therefore opene this one -- for people to ask those sorts of questions.
If BAChristian, as our resident Mod. but not an Anglican, would be willing to start the ball rolling by asking two or three things that have given him to wonder why it is that we say or do that -- and I have little doubt that he has such questions ;) -- that might make others more comfortable about asking them. (I presume that the rule, as in most congregational forums, ought to be that a non-Anglican cannot argue against what it is that we say and do, but can inquire why it is, and what our justification for doing it is, in a non-condemnatory way.) Does that sound reasonable to get lively discussion going in here?