The Anglican Church

If there at=re any fellow anglicans here wanna debate
Willie

[Theja]

Hi MM, what is the differenc in practice between Catholics and Anglicans? I read about the pilgrims fleeing the Anglican Church (State Church at the time) and ended up in America. They also mentioned a lot about their disagreements with Catholicism.

Do Anglicans have similar priesthood and recognize the leadership of the pope?


Theja

[Hirta]

Originally posted by Theja


Hi MM, what is the differenc in practice between Catholics and Anglicans? I read about the pilgrims fleeing the Anglican Church (State Church at the time) and ended up in America. They also mentioned a lot about their disagreements with Catholicism.

Do Anglicans have similar priesthood and recognize the leadership of the pope?

In some ways catholicism and protestantism are very similar; they are after all part of the same religion, just different denominations.

However they are different enough to cause conflict, as can be witnessed in Northern Ireland today.

The protestant movement first began in the early 16th century as more and more people began to disagree with the way the church (catholic) was being run. There was much corruption, such as the selling of indulgences (giving money to the church to buy forgiveness), sermons in their own language rather than Latin which they could not understand, and the money and political power of the Pope (to many a foreigner in Rome). Luther was the most famous of these, and posted his 95 theses (arguments) on a church door. Other famous people of this 'movement' (it cannot be called an organised one becuase there were many different ideas at the time) include Calvin in Switzerland and John Knox in Scotland.

It took time for people to agree with these new ideas because it was a dangerous time to go against the status quo; it was after all heresy, a crime punishable by death.

In some countries it was seen by leaders as a mean towards a political end, i.e. to reduce the power of the Pope (e.g. Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of Aragon) and in many countries people simply wanted the freedom to worship God without the restrictions imposed by Rome.

Next time you see a crucifix have a look; if it has one with Christ it is catholic, to emphasise christ's suffering, and if it doesn't have one it is anglican, to emphasize Jesus's rebirth and triumph over the cross. Anglican churches also tend to be whitewashed and lacking in the finery of catholic churches, showing that religion is not about making money but rather to worship God.

A major difference is the catholic idea of transubstantiation; the bread and wine literally turns into the body and blood of christ. Protestants beleive that the transformation is metephorical only. They also have widely differing views on birth control, which the catholic church finds immoral as they value the sanctity of life, although in todays world many find this a backward view becasue of the risk of venereal disease. (See a previous post regarding this issue)

Perhaps the major difference however is that protestants do not acknowledge the Pope as head of the church. In this country that position is occupied by the head of state i.e. the Queen.

Hope that answers a few of your questions!

[Theja]

Thanks Hirta for the explanation.

I see nothing wrong or ungodly about birth control; only my conscience won't allow me to endorse abortion.

Besides not recognizing the pope as head of the Church, One thing I strongly disagree with Catholicism is the priesthood system. It is both unbiblical and against nature. Let me explain:

1. Unbiblical. After the finished work of Christ, we have no more need for priests to represent us before God. The book of Hebrews explains that. Anywhere one can
worship God in truth and in spirit (John 4:24) and call upon Him without the aid of a priest.

2. Against nature. Celibacy is a calling, not a system. But in Catholism it is a requirement to be a priest. During Luthers' time I read that some people would not allow a priest to enter their town unless the priest bring along hs concubine. Otherwise they were known to seduce or abuse women for sexual purposes.

If one is called of God to be celibate, fine. But without that calling to vow celibacy is flawed. The Bible teaches that it is better to marry than to burn. Right now pedophilia and child abuse by priests is in crisis proportion in America . Many lawsuits have been filed against the Catholic Church and millions of dollars have been shelled out to pay for damages. So now the once recipients of these priests sexual passion are millionaires. This will continue on unless priests are allowed to marry.



Theja

thanx
Good explaination
Willie

[Hirta]

Originally posted by Theja
Right now pedophilia and child abuse by priests is in crisis proportion in America . Many lawsuits have been filed against the Catholic Church and millions of dollars have been shelled out to pay for damages. So now the once recipients of these priests sexual passion are millionaires. This will continue on unless priests are allowed to marry.

This problem also occurs here as well, here's a link to a recent story in Scotland:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/020211/17/cs15q.html

Originally posted by Hirta

This problem also occurs here as well, here's a link to a recent story in Scotland:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/020211/17/cs15q.html

It is unfortunate that these things happen in both churches!
Willie