The Anglican Church

[Virgil]

I wonder if this is an interesting subject for discussion.

What has happened to the Anglican church and it's American counterpart, the Episcopalean church? Once great traditions are disintegrating into fragments and irrelevance. Can this be true:

In London, more Muslims attend Friday prayers than Anglicans attend Sunday services. Last December, on the Sunday after former prime minister Tony Blair was received into the Catholic Church, more Catholics than Anglicans attended services in England, an increasingly common occurrence now, five centuries after the Reformation.

This is from a column from George Will speaking to the problems of these churches. As I have met people on these forums, I am continuously amazed at how almost everyone I meet from England is an atheist or agnostic. Why is that? Obviously I haven't taken any statistics, but why have the English become so secular? Has the moral relativism of contemporary society made their church seem outworn? Or has the Church's lack of stability of principles let people into cognitive dissonance, or as Will phrases it, "tolerant to the point of incoherence."

Is there a relationship in fixed principles and faith, or is accepting of anything and all things a sure path to incertitude?

Why are some religions gaining in membership and faith, while the Anglican and Epicopalean churches fragmenting?

Here is the entire piece by Will: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/will101908.php3

[glory]

This is very strange. You'd believe that the Episcopal church would do more. You must be deep into the communities Virgil.

[Virgil]

This is very strange. You'd believe that the Episcopal church would do more. You must be deep into the communities Virgil.

Not sure what you mean by "communities." I just take an interest in things, actually many things. ;)

[glory]

Ah, my apologies. I meant the random forums and assortments you take interest to. I'm sure there are very educated people here, and everywhere else on the net, so you must be one of the top dogs.:D

[Virgil]

Ah, my apologies. I meant the random forums and assortments you take interest to. I'm sure there are very educated people here, and everywhere else on the net, so you must be one of the top dogs.:D

:lol: Thank you Glory. I just enjoy lit net. I'm certainly no top dog. The moderators keep horse whipping me for every infraction. :D

[glory]

:lol: Thank you Glory. I just enjoy lit net. I'm certainly no top dog. The moderators keep horse whipping me for every infraction. :D

Horse Whipping you?! Well, that seems very unlikely from what i've seen of your posts. Well, just keep it up, don't let me moderator bring you down!

Also, my bad. I just realized I'm turning into one of those spammers I detest.

[Bitterfly]

Obviously I haven't taken any statistics, but why have the English become so secular? Has the moral relativism of contemporary society made their church seem outworn? Or has the Church's lack of stability of principles let people into cognitive dissonance, or as Will phrases it, "tolerant to the point of incoherence."


There's the same type of phenomenon going on in France, with the establishd Church (Catholic) seeing the number of its parishioners going down and down (ever since the nineteenth century, I think - and the wave of atheism started even earlier). The Catholic Church is far more rigid still than the Anglican, so perhaps it's not a matter of lack of stability, but just a rejection of established hierarchies? I read a report on the sect phenomenon, and its authors pointed out that whereas people still seemed to feel a need for some type of spirituality, this need was not profiting to the Catholic Church.

[DapperDrake]

I'm sure there are many reasons why the Anglican church has declined.

Firstly Christianity looses its punch with out fundamental interpretation, it becomes rather a pack of nonsense. That's not to say it looses all value but just that the core messeges of Christianity become irrelevant and the rest has nothing to hold it together.

Secondly, it has rather stagnated, sat on its haunches and relied on its heritage and state status to carry it forwards. Apart from the school affiliated churches and the catherdrals it is pretty much dead.
Essentially the church has withdrawn from the people by virtue of its lack of proactivity, partly perhaps due to the fact it is a state religion, and now the majority of the people have no real exposure to or knowledge of Christianity.
In the absense of that exposure people have gotten on without religion, and now it is an alien concept, the default state of the English soul is complete ignorance. super add to that media bias and ridicule and you have a secular nation of atheists and agnostics (these being those who have even thought about it at all).

That's the scene, and with rampant breakdown of values it makes for fertile ground for fundamental churches and religions which are poping up all over and growing. Generally speaking though the average english person has more respect for any other religion under the sun than christianity, even "new age" nonsense gets more credence because its novel and it plugs a spiritual gap - two things the church is failing horribly at.

[Granny5]

I am an Episcopalean. I haven't seen a decline in the church here that would be more than any other church. I think that some younger folks, when they are out of the family home, tend to drop off in attendance, but when they start a family they start back. Since our kids have grown, we don't attend as we should. Always excuses that are easier to come up with than actually getting up and going when I have a Sunday off. I love the history and mystery of the church. I am always very moved by the mystery of the service. I'm not sure "mystery" is actually what I mean, but it feels like I am doing something that has been done about the same way for a couple of thousand years by untold millions.

[JBI]

People stopped caring, and, to put it bluntly, Catholic church music is 1000x better.

[DapperDrake]

Catholic church music is 1000x better.

Amen :D I do love the Catholic music.

[RG57]

Amen :D I do love the Catholic music.

couldn't agree more!

[RG57]

Would it not depend on the area in which you live, some areas have more Anglicans, others Catholics etc? I think it also depends on what the church as to offer the individual and how their spiritual mind set stands. Finally, growth and decline goes in phases.