to think that your religion can't be that important to you

[theevildead2]

if you can just "switch to catholicism" when it suits you?

There is a bit on the news at the moment about women maybe being allowed to be bishops. Apparently some of our local priests will be leaving the church if women get this right???

Open - the Catholics would I think argue that the Pope has the authority to rule on such an issue. But the idea that Biblical authority is the highest authority is a very Protestant idea, and relatively recent in the history of Christianity.

Certainly, it is a strange idea to many Catholics and to many Orthodox Christians (these are the older, non-Protestant denominations, who would not really consider themselves to be 'denominations' but rather the 'One True Church').

But can they stay priests?
If they can be married and priests, how is that fair to all those poor celibate priests who were told it's either wine and song, or women, but not all three?

And what about transubstantiation?

Hmm isn't it the Protestants who have homosexual priests...yet they are the ones who believe the Bible has the highest authority?

Do the Catholics disregard the Bible when it says to confess to God, and not to create idols-which is how I think they see the Pope (espec. in Italy, where I suppose it's not as bad due to his political stance...)

(I don't really follow denominations so sorry for sounding a bit naive)

Buzz, who're the same religion? Catholics and Protestants?! They are really not!

There is not much political to do with the Eucharist.

A Catholic believes that the wine and bread literally become the body and blood of Jesus; ie., divine.

A High Anglican/Anglo-Catholic may believe that the bread and wine also contain the body and blood of Christ.

All other Protestants believe that the Eucharist is symbolic, and that the bread and wine remain bread and wine, though they are also memorials of Christ's sacrifice.

This is a pretty huge difference, imo!

I was brought up Catholic haven't been for years after priest phoned to talk about DS [ASD]

So clear that the Reformation is never taught!

LRD, I'm with you, I think there are pretty major differences, but then I think there are a fair chunk of Anglican clergy who would struggle to sign up to the 39 Articles in good faith now, so it's probably more a reflection of their lack of protestant orthodoxy than hypocrisy in assenting to the Roman Catholic orthodoxy maybe?

Anglicans are already part of the Catholic Church, just not the ROMAN Catholic branch of the church.

The switch is less dramatic than you might think as a lot of the ideaologies are very similar - just look at how close the Lord's Prayer versions are.

I think the Pope was bloody cheeky to try and poach so many priests from the Anglican Church

Anglican Church also covers a very diverse range of worship, so some priests may feel closer to 'smells and bells' than others.

Yes it is Riven - trouble is it can be interpreted in so many different ways. Hence all the aggro.

And some denominations maintain that church tradition is as important as what the Bible says.

Exactly!

actually the anglican church is also 'catholic' according to itself..it merely dosn't recognise the papacy - the differences are largely trivial (i mean transubstantiation vs consubstnatiation, please) an typically not even everyone agrees on these things within those churches anyway.

HIgh Anglican in practice is almost indistinguishable from catholic practice (esp since vatican II) in many ways...

i guess whether being part of a church that recognises women priests is a bigger chane than going Catholic is going to be an indicvidual thing - so YABU.

Open: Catholics believe that the Bible is an authority. However, the Pope, and the tradition of interpretation (eg., by saints and former popes), are also authoritative. Therefore, if the Pope explains that homosexuality is wrong, that is sufficient.

It is harder to talk about 'Protestants' as there are many denominations with different beliefs. Some Protestants take the Bible very literally. Many more believe that the Bible must be interpreted, and that you must consider the time in which it was written. So, some Protestants would say that we can look at the Bible as a historical document, with many wise things, but also with some mistakes that can be understood because they're common to the time in which it was written.

The difference is, that Catholics (and Orthodox Christians) believe that they are Right, and that any interpretation of the Bible by the authorities (popes, saints) is divinely guided and therefore also right. Protestants either believe the Bible alone is right, or that the Bible is a guide subject to interpretation. There is no Protestant sect I know of that places the same divinely-approved weight on a human interpretation.

It is a big deal. I am contemplating the opposite move (not a priest though obv!) and it is a big deal. I remember the first wave of priests converting to Catholicism and my old Parish Priest's take on it. His assistant priest is now a ex-Anglican. It is difficult.

But surely the crux of Catholicism is believing that the host and wine change to become the body and blood of Christ
And Anglicans believe the bread and wine symbolise the body and blood of Christ.

Surely it is easier to change your mind in relation to ordination of women than to change your beliefs to Transubstantiation

You would have thought so, wouldn't you DarrellRivers!

That is a change of benomination not religion.
Ignoramus!!

papal infallibility is still an object of discussion within the catholic church - i think there is not a unitary block of belief on all things in either church.

denomination

Riven - no, not everyone believes the Bible is the highest authority. Some people think that when saints and popes speak, they also have authority.

Btw, did you know that 'the Bible' is not the same set of books for everyone? Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox Christians do not all refer to the same texts when they refer to 'the Bible'.

I'm pretty sure that Italians, and indeed Catholics anywhere, do not worship the Pope. The Commandments advise against the worship of graven images - viz:
"Do not make an image or any likeness of what is in the heavens above..."

This prohibits the construction or fashioning of "idols" in the likeness of created things (beasts, fish, birds, people) and worshipping them (aniconism). It also prohibits making an image of the God of Israel for use in worship (see the incident of the golden calf).

Edgar, I promise you my High Anglican Church does not look anything like a Catholic Church! My vicar marries homosexuals and we have several women priests.

'catholic' is simply the Greek world meaning 'the whole world'. The 'catholic' Church is just the church of the whole world.

riven, I think wiki has a list? I didn't know about it either until I got to know my DH, who is Orthodox - he made me realize that actually we use different Bibles, which I didn't know! (I find it fascinating but am a bit sad like that )