Liberal Catholic Church

[Karolina]

I've been poking around the Liberal Christianity threads and only saw one mention of this church. Anyone have any insights about it? I've been reading on one of their websites and see there's a heavy influence of theosophy, there's no compulsion for the faithful to adhere to creeds, there's open talk of reincarnation and clairvoyance, and yet they hold liturgical services with the Eucharist per Catholic tradition. It looks like ordination is open to males and females, gay and straight? I'd like to confirm that, as well as what exactly open communion means to them - is there a minimum age requirement like in the Roman Catholic church? And while I see they officially talk about the Trinity, their explanation seems a bit less rigid and more mysterious, which is precisely how I'd expect any mystery of God to be (as opposed to the arrogant attitude of "yup, we figured it out and this is what God is like"). Anyway, if anyone is familiar with the LCC, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks.

 

[shunyadragon]

I gre up in the Roman Church (RCC), and I am no longer a part of the church. I knew many liberal believers, and did not find any influence of Theosophy, which I found Theosophy a little weird.

Ordination has never been selective on sexual preference. It is only conditional on celibacy. At present females are not eligible for ordination. { found many liberal views as unrealistic and dishonest about the true nature of the Roman Church. The most unrealistic belief among liberal believers is the concept of who is saved beyond the faithful. The concept of universal salvation both inside and outside the church is potential of salvation through sincerity of commitment and devotion to following all the teachings of the church.

As far as being a member there is no age requirement. A believer begins at baptism. Communion is at the age of consent about the age of 12 or 13. I believe the minimum age of ordination in the priesthood is the age of 21, but I am not sure if it is specific..

 

[dybmh]

there's no compulsion for the faithful to adhere to creeds

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but, what does this mean?

 

[Karolina]

I'm sorry if this is a dumb question, but, what does this mean?

I feel weird just saying it bc it seems so obvious but sadly I have codependence issues and so I actually need this: I mean that this church does not insist that it's members all believe the same way about God. In the Roman Catholic Church, for instance, we recite the Nicene Creed at every Mass, at least paying lip service to these beliefs even if in reality an individual (like me) doesn't actually believe everything in the Creed. Practically speaking, unless I want to teach within the Faith, no one knows what I do or don't believe, but the minute I voice a rogue opinion, I'll hear about how I'm wrong, need to repent, try harder to believe that which I don't, yadda yadda yadda. So my only option is to keep my thoughts to myself and in effect never grow spiritually unless I find another outlet for the free exchange of ideas. So that's why I say that it's probably obvious to some that no one can make anyone believe something they don't, but the peer pressure is strong in churches with dogmatic creeds. Which is why I'm interested in this church as they officially give me permission to experience God on my own terms. Yes, it's sad that I think I need such permission, but that's what it means to struggle with codependence. Hope I clarified and didn't muddy the idea.

 

[Karolina]

I gre up in the Roman Church (RCC), and I am no longer a part of the church. I knew many liberal believers, and did not find any influence of Theosophy, which I found Theosophy a little weird.

Ordination has never been selective on sexual preference. It is only conditional on celibacy. At present females are not eligible for ordination. { found many liberal views as unrealistic and dishonest about the true nature of the Roman Church. The most unrealistic belief among liberal believers is the concept of who is saved beyond the faithful. The concept of universal salvation both inside and outside the church is potential of salvation through sincerity of commitment and devotion to following all the teachings of the church.

As far as being a member there is no age requirement. A believer begins at baptism. Communion is at the age of consent about the age of 12 or 13. I believe the minimum age of ordination in the priesthood is the age of 21, but I am not sure if it is specific..

I'm talking about a church not in Union with the Roman Catholic Church. The Liberal Catholic Church is not under the authority of the Pope. It's confusing, I know, bc there are also Roman Catholics who consider themselves Liberal (or conservative) politically or in terms of how much they follow church teachings. This isn't what I'm talking about. Hope that clarifies it. Thanks.

 

[shunyadragon]

I'm talking about a church not in Union with the Roman Catholic Church. The Liberal Catholic Church is not under the authority of the Pope. It's confusing, I know, bc there are also Roman Catholics who consider themselves Liberal (or conservative) politically or in terms of how much they follow church teachings. This isn't what I'm talking about. Hope that clarifies it. Thanks.

OK in this case I did a little research and checked it out. In my perspective the LCC is just another church of many catering to church shoppers looking for the shoes that fit. . No, I do not see any remote resemblance to Theosophy.