AIBU to swap from a catholic church to a Church of England Church

[fishfacedcow]

For services and such?

Is it a big deal?

Would depend on why as they have some very different beliefs!

If you're a catholic then yeah, that WBU. Catholics can't take communion anywhere else AFAIK.

I think they're similar but different at the same time if you know what I mean. I'm catholic but I don't know too much about CofE. YANBU though if it's what you want to do

You might have to go though some sort of rite of passage if you're considering converting. Much like you'd need to do if you were becoming a catholic

Its a huge deal. I'm c of e and no way would I entertain the switch to catholicism.

What's making you want to switch?

The CofE allows Catholics to receive communion.

You only need to be confirmed into the CofE as a Catholic if you want to sit on the PCC, train to become an Anglican priest or similar.

Have you stopped believing in transubstantiation?

I havent been to my Catholic church for 5 years or so because I felt completely unsupported and 'alone' within the church environment iyswim

I have been invited to a CofE church and I just don't know ...

What are the differences?
its the same God isn't it?

I once read something that said a church wasn't the building, but the people inside. I didn't feel a connection to the church i was attending, but really do feel i am missing spiritual guidance.

In principle yes it is but the fundamentals are different.

If you want to go for the community then do. If you want to go and learn more than do. Either way I'd say go.

(plus the services aren't as long)

Why don't you go and talk to an Anglican minister? YANBU to consider that you need some spiritual guidance and I think it's probably wise to have a chat with someone in the know. I know someone who converted from Catholicism to Buddhism and has never been happier. Good luck to you OP.

I would have a chat to the Vicar of the C of E church.
Nothing at all to stop you attending whichever you wish imo. I'm sure God doesn't care.

I grew up with one Roman Catholic parent and one Anglo Catholic parent in the C of E. I went to both churches on alternate Sundays. There is almost no difference between the two.

But the CofE has high (Anglo Catholic), Middle and Low (evangelical) parishes.

If you go to an evangelical one, it will be nothing like a Catholic Church.

CofE (assuming you are in England) says their remit is to be there for everyone, if you want to go and worship in a CofE church then you are welcome.

The services can be quite different, there is something called "high church" (not an expert on this) which is much more like RC in feel. So for our children's school, we have been to some stuff at that church (CofE) and I felt really like it was all pretty familiar and normal (raised RC) but DH who was in a very relaxed CofE found it very formal and weird. So, not all CofE are created equal IYSWIM, some feel more like RC some are much more relaxed and less, um, ritualised I guess is the word.

Bottom line is the church won't mind. It's fine for you to go along and see if you like it. It's the same god and the same bible. Obviously lots of stuff is extremely different but, for the singing and praying bits, well, it's the same deity.

Go and have a try if you are missing something in your spiritual life, what's the harm

(I'm an athiest BTW so got no "side" in this, posting as was raised RC but have worshipped at a couple CofE churches).

Thank you. My sister converted to CofE and was very happy but I cannot speak to her about it. (no longer with us)

What are the differences?

Well for one, the CofE ordains women as priests and, more recently, consecrates women as bishops. The Catholic Church does not.

In terms of difference with services some are quite similar, especially 'high' Anglican churches. I go to a high church of Wales (equivalent of CofE) and also attend occaisonally services at the Catholic church. There really isn't much of a difference in terms of length and the way the service is organised, the church I belong to has services daily and celebrates saints days but is not Catholic.

On the other hand if the church isn't very 'high' then it can be a huge difference. Where i went to university the known student church was very low (various bands played, no older hymns sung, no incense, no service daily, no saints days amongst other differences) and not for me at all (though others find it great!), far less of a reason for me to not go was it was very popular but it was very common to get lost in the crowd.

I think you should try, after all it would be a single service and see what you think.

I 'switched' from rc to c of e as an adult.

I felt the role of women, issues of abortion, contraception and gay marriage in my c of e church to be much more representative of my own principles than the rc church.

There are no rules or regs - but I found discussing why I had left the rc church to be an interesting topic of discussion. I think it's harder to switch the other way

This is an interesting thread. I had no idea about high and low in Anglican churches. Can you go to either if you're an Anglican? How does it work?

I think you are all talking me into it !

Yes, Anglicans can go to any Anglican Church. But obviously different people fit different ones.

There's a wonderful book about switching from being RC, I think it's called "far from Rome near to God" - I know an ex Catholic who found it really helpful in their journey. It might be worth trying to find a copy.

I think most Anglican churches would consider themselves 'middle.'

They don't have private confession, incense, keeping of the blessed sacrament or stations of the cross, but they do have the Eucharist as the main service. They generally don't have all the modern music and hands in the air stuff, or bother with what the bible says loads like evangelicals.

By which I mean that the high Anglican Church does have incense etc, and the low Anglican Church does have evangelical stuff. But most are middle - in between the two.