SuchIsLife
LIF Adolescent
Member since 12/05 689 total posts
Name:
no
|
Episcopal church and being childfree--article
I was reading a CF blog and the woman writing it was saying how unwelcome she felt at church. She said she was looked down upon and treated with suspicion and distrust by people who attended that church and even the clergy. She finally left after a particularly horrible Mother's Day service where the women made sure she knew in no uncertain terms that she was a 2nd class citizen in their church. I ended up googling "childfree" and "church". Pretty interesting and, in some cases, sad.
Here's the first article
***********************************
Breed For Your Religion? Part I
by Stacey Carmody
Required to breed for God? Encouraged to check your mind at the door? Not if you’re an Episcopalian.
Denomination
The Episcopal Church in the USA
Established
1789, from the Anglican Church
Organizational polity
Episcopalian (a hierarchical structure governed by bishops)
Interesting fact
Eleven presidents of the United States have been Episcopalians.
Membership worldwide
2.5 million
The Episcopal Church has often been called the “middle way” between the Protestant and Catholic faiths. While appearing superficially much like the Roman Catholic church, the Episcopal Church does differ from Roman Catholicism in several significant ways. For example, priests and bishops can be married and they may be female. Nor are there official positions against abortion or birth control.
Another trait of the Episcopal Church is that there is room for many styles of churches. Houses of worship vary from high churches, which look very Roman Catholic (you may see stained glass, incence, candles and bells); to low churches (meaning that they are plainer and more “Protestant-looking”); and broad churches, which fall somewhere between high and low.
Just as the buildings vary, so do the parishoners inside. Both conservative and liberal members worship side by side, and while they may disagree on issues like homosexuality and the ordination of women, they continue to coexist within the faith. The Church prides itself on encouraging its members think for themselves. As a statement on an official Episcopal Church website states: “We may not have all the answers, but we welcome all your questions. That’s because we believe we all have something more to learn from one another – and always more to learn about our world, our God, and ourselves. The Episcopal Church does not ask you to check your mind at the door. Our ability to reason is a gift from God.”
While there is no official doctrine from the Church on being childless by choice, the Church does officially come out in favor of birth control. Citing the problems that come with population growth, the Church approves contraception and the availability for safe and reliable reproductive care for everyone. While the Church’s position on abortion is that it should only be used in dire circumstances, the Church supports abortion being safe and legal. In addition to this, the Episcopal Church has members who march in Washington in support of women’s reproductive rights.
The Church’s stance on reproductive freedom and “using your mind” can be very attractive to the childfree. Clergy, like Reverend Scott Stevens, have also come out in support of those who have chosen not to have children. Reverend Stevens is a deacon at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, in Windham, Connecticut, and works as a marriage and family therapist. He also serves as an editorial advisor for FaithLinks, an online magazine for Episcopalians. He says, “Childfree couples need all the support they can get; voluntary childlessness is often seen as a selfish act. It is interesting that people who are often feeling saddled with children view childless friends as self-centered.”
Statements such as this, the tolerance of reproductive choice, and the invitation to think for oneself can make the Episcopal Church very appealing to childfree persons who desire to be part of an organized faith.
This article is the first in a series looking into the place of the childfree in various religious traditions. Next month: The United Church of Christ.
Copyright Stacey Carmody. Published 1 October 2006 in Features.
|
