My journey to atheism

[DeistPaladin]

Yes, we protestants...

I always thought of Anglicanism as neo-Catholic more than Protestant. Much of the same hierarchy, rituals and traditions were kept when the Anglican Church separated from Rome.

[Aractus]

That's because we de-facto accept some of the earlier councils. What you have to remember is that we don't preach "Anglican-only" the way that Catholics preach the "one true gospel"

[DeistPaladin]

That's because we de-facto accept some of the earlier councils. What you have to remember is that we don't preach "Anglican-only" the way that Catholics preach the "one true gospel"

Right, "Catholic-lite" as Robin Williams once observed.

Inherent in the Protestant reformation is the rejection of ceremony, tradition and hierarchy in favor of the "personal relationship" with Jesus (whatever that means to the believer) and the direction from the Bible. Of course, the Bible is a deeply contradictory book and communication with Jesus is one-sided, hence all the fragmentation among Protestant sects.

Anglicanism is therefore closer, in my view, to Catholicism than Protestantism.

[Aractus]

At the time of the reformation, Catholics didn't allow Christians to possess and study their own Bibles, and would burn the copies they dared to make. Tyndale was a reformist martyr, his crime was to be the first person to dare translate the scripture from the original greek and hebrew into English. Being that the RCC "interoperated" the Bible for their followers instead of allowing them to study it and interpret it on their own, I'd say we have little to nothing in common with the RCC. The RCC count the 4th century Latin translation as inspired scripture (afforded to it in the council of Trent)! And even that was not translated from Hebrew - Jerome used various sources for the O.T. and the most important one he used was his copy of the fifth column of the Hexapla, something that Origen had made by modifying and consolidating miscellaneous greek translations that scholars like to call "THE" Septuagint, even though there's no "the" about it, and "it" had already been modified before Origen started work on "it". That if "it" actually existed as a codex or fixed collection of translations before 245AD anyway.

[DeistPaladin]

I'd say we have little to nothing in common with the RCC.

It's hard for me to understand what you base that bare assertion on. That the Catholic Church cynically promoted their own political interests? As if the very founding of the Anglican Church wasn't for purely political purposes? That the Catholic Church used dubious translations of the Bible? As if the entire Bible weren't based on dubious translations, interpolations and pseudo-epigraphical insertions? Aside from the head of your Church living in Buckingham Palace instead of The Vatican, what's the huge theological difference between you?

[Aractus]

Theological difference are many, I can't believe you asked that question! Purgatory, Confession, Extreme Unction, The Rosary, Praying to Saints, etc, are all heretical concepts to us.

[Mark 13:13]

Theological difference are many, I can't believe you asked that question! Purgatory, Confession, Extreme Unction, The Rosary, Praying to Saints, etc, are all heretical concepts to us.

They do say the anglican church is a very broad church, there are some who would say so broad it could accomodate even athiests so I find it strange that it has a concept of heretical but i must explore further to see if your personal view completely aligns with what is said by others in that Church on those theological differences.

[Aractus]

[Mark 13:13]

[Aractus]