Subj: My lesson on Episcopalism.
Date: 6/19/2004 8:11:56 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Delaware Dem
To: Conservative Catholic Friend
I read the Report from the US Conference of Bishops. I have been called evil by the Church and ordered as an obligation of my Faith to vote for a man I find despicable and who could quite possibly be the Anti-Christ. I am not leaving the Catholic Church, rather the Catholic Church has left me. Until it returns, I have decided to become Episcopalian, which is widely considered to be "Catholic-lite." I had a wonderful discussion with the Right Reverand [name ommitted], who is now Bishop of [name ommitted], but was my Episcopal priest when I was in high school.
You see, I already have a history in the Episcopalian Church. When my Mother and Father married, they were both Catholic. They both had their disagreements with the Church and saw Episcopalism as a compromise and a healthy alternative. I was still baptized and had my First Communion as a Catholic because my Grandfather wanted it that way. I also went to Catholic School. But later when we moved to Maryland I was confirmed as a Episcopalian. Later in college, I returned to the Church as there was no Episcopalian group at GW. So I attended the GW Catholic masses.
The Episcopalian and Catholic Churches perform the identical Mass and hold many similar beliefs, although Episcopalians concentrate on the "Good Works and Good Samaritan" theory of political involvement instead of the "Condemnation" theory that the Catholic Church has now embraced. Episcopals believe it is better to judge a candidate for political office on balance rather than on concentration on one particular issue, like abortion. Episcopals condemn abortion and are against it, but they will not support a candidate who is pro-life but pro-death penalty and anti-assistance to the poor, starving and disease stricken. They will also not support a candidate who starts wars of choice for his own ideological purposes. One good attribute does not outweigh thousands of bad attributes, and the Episcopal Church recognizes that.
I will still consider myself Catholic, since that is the teaching of the Episcopal Church. We still recite the Lord's Prayer where we declare that we believe in one holy Catholic and apostolic Church. We just do not recognize the authority of the Vatican. And that's no problem for me since I have had my disagreements with the Pope for some time now.
Further, the Episcopal Church allows their Priests to marry and have children, and also allows women priests and acolytes. Since one of my disagreements with the Church has been the relegation of women to the sidelines by the refusal to allow them to be ordained. Also, I always found the Oath of Celebacy outdated and unuseful in todays world. I want my Priest to be a counselor. All Priest should be counselors to their flock. But how is a Priest to have the necessary experience when parishioner comes to him or her with marital problems and problems with children? Plus, I firmly believe allowing Priests to marry reduces the horrible problem the Catholic Church has been having lately with child molestation.
So I hope this puts to rest our conflict. You have won. You have one less Catholic to condemn. I am sure you will still consider me a wicked demon, but at least you can't call me a bad Catholic that should be denied Communion.
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