In terms of architecture, that is. The AIA has a list of Americans' favorite buildings. There are four churches in the top fifty: one Roman Catholic Cathedral (St. Patrick's in NY), two Episcopalian Cathedrals (St. John the Divine in NY and the National Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in DC) and one Episcopalian parish Church (Trinity in Boston).
The rest of the list contains two nondenominational Chapels (the Air Force Cadet Chapel and Thorncrown Chapel) and one megachurch (The Crystal Cathedral). No other places of worship are listed.
The fact that there are no Synagogues, Mosques or Temples might be understood as Christians form a large majority. But Episcopalians are a tiny minority.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Episcopalians are traditionally the wealthiest WASPS around. I'm not surprised they historically splurged for the prettiest architecture.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
I went to a church service in Thorncrown chapel back in High School when I still believed.
It's more beautiful in real life than the picture.
"Episcopalians are traditionally the wealthiest WASPS around"
There are more than a few who would dispute the title WASP for Episcopalians.
My family always insisted that we were not WASPS, becouse we were: a) primarily non Anglo-Saxon and b.) not Protestant. The inclusion of Celtic people with Anglo-Saxons and Episcopalians with Protestants did not go over well in my home.
Mind you, many Episcopalians do consider themselves Protestant. I don't think there are any figures for it, but it's probably close to 50-50 (neither the Anglican Communion nor the Episcopal Church U.S.A. would ever dream of officialy claiming to be Protestant or non-Protestant.)
The schools of thought are nicely summed up in two statements I read somewere:
"The Anglican Communion is Catholic but not Roman Catholic and Reformed but not Protestant."
"[The Anglican Communion is] Catholic, Apostolic, Protestant and Reformed."
[Edited to add:] while Episcopalians are, in the U.S., historicaly high earners, the Episcopal Church U.S.A. is not nearly as rich as either the Roman Catholic Church or the LDS Church. Most Episcolian parishes are very, very small by national standards and have budgets far lower than many Protestant Churches.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
Wow, you learn something new everyday. I grew up Episcopalian and always thought we were Protestant. Of course, I knew that we were rich. Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
According to Wikipedia:
quote:The full legal name of the national church corporate body is The Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America, but this name is rarely used. It is seen in this form the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America (PECUSA),
(emphasis added)
Posted by PrometheusBound (Member # 10020) on :
That name was very controversial and is no almost never used.
Also from Wikipedia:
quote: Many consider the Episcopal Church to follow the via media or "middle way" between Protestant and strictly Roman Catholic practices. On the one hand, Episcopal liturgy, or the practice of the people in worship, closely resembles that of the Roman Catholic Church. The Episcopal Church traces its background through Church of England, and stresses its continuity with the early universal Western church. Episcopalians ascribe to the Branch theory which posits three branches of Catholic Christianity:
The Eastern Orthodox Church
The Roman Catholic Church
The Anglican Communion
Anglicans and Episcopalians certainly have many Catholic tendencies, not least of which is our belief in a direct line of Apostolic Succession from St. Peter.
The Church of England was primarily influenced by Roman Catholicism, particularly Benedictine practices, and secondarily influenced by Lutheranism. Many Anglicans also argue that it incorporated elements of the Eastern Orthodox and Celtic Catholic Churches.
Many American Episcopalians do not consider themselves to be Protestant in the same sense that Methodists or Lutherans are. The Anglican Communion does not use the term Protestant.
This all used to be a very big deal, but most people no longer care. One of my Bishops cited the Viet Nam war and the Church's growing emphasis on social policy as the reason for people no longer caring about this issue.
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
In terms of architecture, my favorite buildings in my hometown include St. John's (Episcopal) Cathedral. So I guess it's pretty much universal.
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)