I'm a Church of England parish priest - AMA

[whyhere]

Baptisms, weddings, funerals, Sunday worship, belief in general - I'm at your service 🙂

I'm not sure that Anglican priests generally have a view about RC priests generally 😊- we're all simply people who are trying to do our best under various (sometimes very trying) circumstances.

“I was very shocked and fought it for two years, but God wouldn't go away!”

I can relate to this very much and feel very seen, even though I am not in the same situation you are, a piece of me is (perhaps foolishly) hoping it will all come to nothing.

If you would rather not answer I would understand but did you wrestle at all with your parents not having any church connection? If you have any prayers or suggestions along this line I would appreciate it.

Thank you for this thread and Happy Christmas!

Oooh, sounds like you have an interesting time ahead 😊

My parents' situation didn't worry me - we each have our own path. However the weird thing is, once I was ordained, they started attending (not my - too distant) church! I think it was just a boasting opportunity for my father 🙄😂

Thank you so much. I am just out of the running screaming bit which I feel was awful but necessary. So yes interesting times ahead indeed. Thanks for the reply, that is fascinating and reassuring.

To answer your part about prayer.... Just talk to God, explaining it all as you would to a friend. No special language or words required 😊

Thank you, not sure why I didn’t think of that.

Full disclosure: I’m a clergy daughter who has gone from thinking I might have a vocation to being atheist…

How much does the day to day (or perhaps Lambeth conference to Lambeth conference) CofE politics get you down?

Would you allow a yoga group to use your church/church hall?
Strange question I know, but my Mum's nearest church refuses to allow this, but allow lots of other groups.

Thank you for this interesting thread. I believe, but most of my relatives and friends do not. What do you think happens to non believers after death?

A lot! I think it's so wrong that the CofE can go against the law of the land in terms of employment rights for clergy and equal marriage.

In my experience it's the more evangelical churches who get uppity about yoga etc. My churches are liberal catholic (what the CofE used to call, uninspiringly, 'middle of the road'!!) and we have yoga classes in our hall.

Such a hard question, but one that often troubles people when a non-believing family member dies.

I believe that we all have a face-to-face encounter with God, who is the only one who truly knows our hearts and minds. What happens after that is up to the creator.

It is a C of E Church. The same church refused to christen me 50yrs ago as my parents weren't married 🙈, although I assume the vicar will have changed in that time!

Yes, the CofE is a broad church, all the way from charismatic evangelical to bells and smells 🙂Unmarried parents definitely aren't an issue re baptism - nothing in Canon Law about that!

@whyhere taking advantage of your Ama to ask if you'd please explain the Holy trinity to me as I've never really got it? 😳

That is a HUGE question 😀Bearing in mind I don't know your background, I'm going to start with the basics (with no intention to offend!).

God the Father came to earth as Jesus the Son, to show us the true nature of God and to fully understand our lives here on earth. Jesus was crucified and through this enabled humanity to have the fullest life of all, after death, in heaven with God. When Jesus' work here was done he returned to heaven to be with God the Father, and sent God the Holy Spirit to be a permanent presence here with us, so that we were not abandoned.

This is really simplified, and there are books, and books, and books on the subject. Sometimes a pictorial explanation is helpful, like this...
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fkeneverett_sa%2Fstatus%2F1265568335577722884%3Flang%3Dit&psig=AOvVaw0mjMBvu4n2qD0WH3uWIa3r&ust=1671576536139000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAwQjRxqFwoTCIj65J7ihvwCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAI

That's a great explanation of the Trinity. I think of the Holy Spirit as the presence of God in my life.

Thank you.

Thank you for this thread. I see your answer above about having a face to face encounter with God when we die. I had an abortion in the past and I know I did it for selfish reasons. Will this be seen as evil in God's eyes? I'm so frightened I'm going to Hell. What can I do?

The doctrine of kindness is all that really matters. Sadly most organised religions have lost sight of that at many times in their history, and for some still.

There is no need to find convoluted ways of explaining evil or the nature of a deity when you could be spending that time being good to people. All the assertions about deities are man-made - I use the word man advisedly, since most of the ideas and rules are a reflection of male domination.

We need to embrace the world as it is and do good at every opportunity.

I would be in favour of parish "priests" whose task was to support communities with no ulterior motive of peddling a particular belief.

I speak as someone who is a Don't Know - and I would go so far as to say that no-one yet knows the answers to the big questions, not just me. Just be kind.

We need to embrace the world as it is and do good at every opportunity.
I would be in favour of parish "priests" whose task was to support communities

You've pretty much summed up my role in two sentences 🙂

Think of the person in your life who has loved you more than anyone else. God loves you even more than that. God knows the regret you feel, and that you are a different person now from the person who made that decision. Be at peace.

The assertion that "God loves you even more than that" is impossible to substantiate. Very nice and reassuring, but with no basis.

And the post amply demonstrates the evils perpetrated by religions: millions of people fearing hell. How can this be right?

whyhere - you did not finish the sentence in your post! it was in fact ....."I would be in favour of parish "priests" whose task was to support communities with no ulterior motive of peddling a particular belief.

Thank you :) had no idea it was a potentially challenging question but that explanation helps!

I went to a CoE primary school and that was about it lol Like many people in the UK!

This might be a strange question but how do you picture god.
I know if in a game of pictionatry for example, the majority of people would draw an old man with a beard, but how do you picture god, as a person or more of a presence?