Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with episcopal

What makes an Episcopalian?

Picklegnome — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 12:08:02 -0800

EpiscopalFilter: What must one believe to be an Episcopalian? What do a significant majority of Episcopalians agree on? What (non-political) issues are members fairly evenly split on? What beliefs are left up to individual members? I'm mostly interested in the theology, metaphysics, morality, etc., rather than the specific moral prescriptions or topics of political debate. Where do various issues of doctrine fall on the "Personally Interpreted / Essential or Prescribed" scale?

What to do at an Episcopal service?

LeeJay — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:12:59 -0800

Past and present Episcopalians -- please tell me what it's like to attend an Episcopal church. I want to go back to church. I was raised Southern Baptist but that particular denomination does not appeal to me (I left as a teen before being baptised.) After reading about many others I have decided that the Episcopal church seems like a good fit but I've never been to a service before. I am planning on attending my local Episcopal church on Sunday but I'm going alone so I don't have much of an idea of what to expect. I've read about what the service entails but I'm looking for practical advice about what to do and what not to do. I know I'm not going to be receiving communion but I have also read that non-baptised Christians may come forward to receive a blessing. What does this entail? Are there members or groups focused on helping out visitors?

I would also be interested in learning more about the current schism within the church over political issues like the ordination of homosexuals and women (something I completely support and which drew me to the church in the first place) and how that's affecting current members. Is there a good way to gauge how a particular church feels about such issues?

Old Rites, New Politics

piers — Sun, 15 Jul 2007 08:54:37 -0800

Please help me find the right church in Los Angeles - Episcopal/Anglican preferred. I grew up in Los Angeles. I'll be moving back soon, and I'd like to start attending a new church there.

Short background: I am the daughter of two religious but very left-leaning, hippie parents. Growing up, I attended a number of churches that approved of things like gay ordination and marriage, and found justification for progressive politics and social justice in the words of the Bible. I connected very well to the Episcopal churches, but I have also had excellent experiences with Methodist and Presbyterian churches.

After college, I more or less stopped going to church except for on holidays. I never lost my faith, I just slipped out of the habit of going to church. Lately, though, I have found that there is something missing in my routine, and I would love to start attending again when I return to L.A.

Ideally, I am looking for a church that is politically progressive/liberal but also liturgically traditional, following the Book of Common Prayer rites closely. While I respect the use of contemporary music and language in worship, I don't find them personally moving.

Bonus if the church has some people in my demographic - 28 years old, married, probably starting a family in a few years.

Neighborhood is not a big issue - for a nice place, I'm glad to drive a little.

Help us choose the right kind of premarital counseling.

Alison — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 07:00:41 -0800

Please school us about premarital counseling. What kinds of issues do people discuss? What is the difference between secular and religious counseling? I am getting married next year to an awesome man who has been with me for 6+ years. We have compatible values, political and religious beliefs. Our conflict resolution styles match and we see eye-to-eye about saving money and our long-term financial goals. We know what our "love languages" are. Despite this, we have agreed to seek premarital counseling because you never know. We're sure a professional will help us address future problems that we haven't even thought of.

That said, we have a lot of options and aren't sure how to narrow them down. As it stands, we go to a small, currently leaderless Episcopal Church which offers "game night" counseling where we would play board games and discuss issues with married couples within the church who have lots of experience, a little training, but who are not professionals. We could also seek counseling from a larger, nearby Episcopal church where we are considering having our ceremony. The pastor will be one who has received professional training, but doesn't know us very well. Lastly, we could seek out a professional counselor who was recommended by a friend.

We are a bit worried about the expense of a private counselor, especially if we will get the same thing within a church community for less money. In addition, despite attending Bible study regularly we are not the most religious people and wouldn't feel comfortable being instructed to have a 'Scripture based' marriage, especially (for me) if that scripture comes from the Epistles of Paul (grr, 1st Timothy, grr). We do not have a clue about how religious counseling works (plus, I am from the Bible Belt and paranoid), so please let me know if you have experiences to the contrary.

In fact, we don't know much about premarital counseling at all, so please let us know your good and bad experiences. What did you talk about in counseling? Was there anything that was particularly helpful? Is there anything you regret discussing or not discussing? What were the fees like? Do you think there is a big difference between religious and secular counseling? Did one work better for you?

I have already read this thread and found it helpful.

Thanks for your help!

Can an Episcopal Priest marry me in a Catholic Church?

UMDirector — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 19:00:49 -0800

Can a Priest from a High episcopal Church marry someone at a Catholic Church? Can they Co-Preside? We are getting married at a Catholic church but they are priestless our wedding weekend so a Deacon was going to marry us. My future mother in law goes to a high episcopal church. Has anyone ever heard of an Epis priest being able to marry someone in a Catholic church? I know a couple of Episcopal priests have become cathoilc priests. If they can not do it alone does anyone know if they can co-preside over the ceremony with the Catholic Deacon?

Where should I start my journey to study the bible?

mercurysm2 — Mon, 11 Jul 2005 20:35:39 -0800

I'm a Christian, but I don't know jack about the Bible. What's the best way to tackle this divine dilemma? I consider myself Christian, but the kind that never really paid attention during church. I'm 20 now, haven't been going to any church on a regular basis for the past five years, and (not surprisingly) I don't have a very good idea of what the Bible *really* says.

If I want to learn more about the "Christian" Bible (I know that's another post all together...), what are my different versions to choose from and how do I go about studying the testaments in a somewhat organized/efficient fashion? I mean, for someone who's never read the Bible before, it's pretty damn daunting. I know I can't be the only one who's thought this before...

Also, if this helps to narrow my choices, I particularly lean towards the Episcopal church, I'm gay and fairly liberal, and I'm intrigued by progressive views towards religion and God.