Hymn at Washington National Cathedral
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- čas přidán 6. 09. 2024
- The opening hymn at the Sunday morning service at the National Cathedral in D.C. on "Indiana Day", June 15, 2008. I recorded the sound from where I sat during the service in the south transcept. I took the photos before and after the service. The choir pictured in red is a high school choir from Vigo County in Indiana in which my partner's neice from Terre Haute sang. The presider, whose voice you hear after the hymn, is the Episcopal Bishop of Indianapolis, The Rt. Rev. Catherine Waynick.
The first verse of the hymn:
The God of Abraham praise
Who reigns enthroned above,
Ancient of everlasting days,
And God of love;
The Lord, the Great I AM,
by earth and heaven confessed;
We bow and bless the sacred Name
for ever blest.
I got to sing at the cathedral when I was in high school....what a wonderful experience - one I will never forget!!
Ahh huh ahh huh ahh huh
Ahh huh ahh huh ahh huh
The Episcopal Church (Anglican) has been a blessing for us in Mexico. We have found the real Christ through its woship and preaching. A church open for everybody without distinction. We hear about a Jesus full of mercy and love for all the humankind. It is completelly different from other churchs that preach damnation and prejudice. God bless the Iglesia Anglicana de México.
I am an ELCA Lutheran from South Carolina. This is to all denominations: If Genesis 12:1-9; 15:1-6, 12-18; 22:1-2, 6-14 (any of them) is your Scripture of the Day, this is a good hymn to compliment it.
I know! I love this hymn, especially the tune.
What's the name of it
Beautiful! Here in Brazil we sing "Ao Deus de Abraão Louvai", ...
Bravo!
this has got to be one of the finest videos on all of youtube! What a cathedral!. what an organ! what a hymn! This could convert every one to Episcapalianism! Have you ever heard music better than this?
David
This is nothing less than stunning. What a hymn! what a cathedral!
I agree with BPRTV1998 Episcopalians take their hymns seriously...the best reason to be Episcopalian is there amazing music!!!!
Jesus said...you teach the traditions of men...for the Word of God...
The greatest commandment is...Love the Lord you God with all you heart, and all your mind, and all your strength...and the second is like it...Love you neighbor as yourself. And help widows and orphans in their distress...that is true religion and undefiled.
Kapariz: the tune is derived from a traditional Hebraic melody, "Yigdal Elohim Chai" (which means something like "The living God will grow"). In the Episcopal hymnal, the tune is called "Leoni" for reasons that escape me. Nonetheless, it is one of my favorites.
I love our music. My mother would have loved this also.
Praise be God!
This may be the most spectacular work of music ever placed on youtube. EVER. What a fabulous organ and chorale.
O God of Abraham Praise!!!!
David
Yes. Its located high upon the west facade's north tower.
Technically, but there are services for every faith there. But yes, it is predominately Episcopal.
I live in Washington, and go to an Episcopal parish just down the street from the cathedral. The cathedral is spectacular, but the stained glass windows can't be compared to those in Europe. European stained glass windows are much much thicker and darker. Washington Cathedral is actually very bright inside. St. John the Divine in NYC however also has much darker windows. Not sure if they use lamps or not. Lamps just would not be needed at Wash. Cathedral.
Slight correction - I'm not actually sure the sun angle is lower near the summer solstice (mainly because the sun is coming up so much earlier, as I had the misfortune of experiencing when I was in Scotland in early July), but it certainly is for much of the rest of the year.
I attend All Souls Episcopal on Cathedral Ave. just down the street from the EPISCOPAL Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, otherwise known as Washington Cathderal, sometimes National Cathedral. It is *National* in the sense that the cathedra (throne) for the Presiding Bishop is here, also the cathedra for the Bishop of Washington. Episcopalians are strong believers in ecumenism. That said, the staff (Episcopal) of the church decides if one of many chapels MAY be allowed useage. Period.
"Why don't Episcopalians use the shaded choir stall lamps that the Anglican across the pond are so fond of??"
A practical reason is that, England is so far north the churches are often darker because either the days are shorter (winter) or the sun angle is lower (mornings during any part of the year). Witness the Cambridge King's Col. Nine Lessons and Carols. IIRC it starts at around 3:30pm and 1/2 way through the service it is dark outside and they require the lamps to read the music.
@dsindc The church should NOT be charging people to go. Also, in Canada, I believe churches are not taxed. And yes, ALL churches are showing a significant number of people not showing up anymore. It is not just the Roman Catholic Church.
This hymn (tune: "Leoni") is also in the top 5 hymns in the Lutheran Church. I am Catholic and I play this hymn tune several times a year. The only thing i do differently on this is the very last note of the very last verse/stanza, I end in a piccardy third, i.e. the harmony is an F MATJOR chord.
AMEN!
what beautiful pictures! and what an amazing experience it must've been to attend a service at the cathedral. i watch the live broadcasts every sunday from my home in michigan. my partner and i are planning a trip there hopefully in the spring.
This hymn is so gangster. 😎
@steelersfanhawaii I will hopefully find out soon though...I plan to use it next semester when we have our new organ. If only it had the 8' State Trumpet of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine!! (Yet another Episcopalian organ success story).
I have been to St. Stephen's in Vienna, Notre Dame, St. Vitus in Prague, St. Paul's. There's something about gothic. It's incredible. I like the Basilica, it just doesn't have the same feel. Also, the Cathedral is built entirely of stone like the old European Cathedrals. Such feeling of permanence. That said, the most incredible place of all is actually not a cathedral. It's St. Chapelle in Paris. Near Notre Dame. Incredible. BTW, Wash Cath. is a bit larger than the Basilica
I'm Episcopalian not Lutheran, but I'm not sure Lutheran's only observe 2 sacraments. In the Swedish Church (with which the Anglican Church has been in full communion for a long time) for instance appears to recognize all 7 sacraments. For us, there is a distinction only in that the five "lesser sacraments" are "lesser" because they are not required for all people, e.g. marriage, unction, confession. Still, Swedish Church tradtions appear to strongly imply the same position.
Let me amend my comment of yesterday. The tune is named "Leoni" because that was the stage name of the 18th century Anglo-Jewish singer / composer Myer Lyon.
@Alex911TheCanadian I was just in Paris. The number of practicing catholics there is minimal. The is the norm in much of Europe. I spoke to some young Austrian college students in Vienna in 2009- who were making fun of the U.S. being so religious. They said that while the R.C. church is "established", almost nobody goes, and one told me he wanted to be be excommunicated since everyone is taxed a small amount. But the paper work was massive. He decided to stay rather than waste that much time.
God Bless you bbbnit!
@speaks3703 I'm not sure what you're "not sure" of. St. Pat's has a super-structure of steel. It is quite a bit smaller than Wash. Cathedral, and probably half the size of St. John the Divine in NYC.
The name of this hymn is: God of Abraham Praise.
The Main choir is this video is the Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, Under the Direction of Dr. Frederick Burgomaster, I am one of the head boys in this service, i can find the full video and post it in parts
@ballinora53. "In 1991, 84 percent of the Irish population attended Mass at least once a week. Today the weekly attendance figure is less than 50 percent. In Spain, 81 percent of the population identifies itself as Catholic, but two-thirds say they seldom or never attend services. And the priest shortage is acute-in England and Wales, the church ordained only 16 clergy members in all of 2009." If this does not concern you, something is seriously wrong. But there is more (cont) 4
@dsindc I'm not completely sure about this, but I think you will find a couple of other such cathedrals, such as St. Pat's in NYC.
@901cleo Amen to that.
The Main choir is this video is the Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, Under the Direction of Dr. Frederick Burgomaster, I am one of the head boys in this service
@ballinora53 "The internal correspondence from bishops in Wisconsin directly to Cardinal Ratzinger, shows that while church officials tussled over whether the priest should be dismissed, their highest priority was protecting the church from scandal. Benedict is facing other accusations that he and subordinates often did not alert civilian authorities or discipline priests involved in sexual abuse when he served as an archbishop in Germany and as the Vatican’s chief doctrinal enforcer. (end)
@dsindc I will have YOU know, that you have been having a tentrum on the video. ALl the comments are from you arguing against people. Very mature of you. And you have failed to recognize that the Catholic Church helps those who live in poverty. You brush aside fact when you get angry. Charming to say the least.
LOL! Those candles burn at every service as a member of my family is in charge of setting them up. It is also the middle of winter, so halfway through the sun sets - and you do know it is recorded right? So to avoid continuity errors they have them going whether light or dark.
Millions of dollars worth of damage was done to this Cathedral during the earthquake 2 weeks ago on the East Coast.
@901cleo And yet here in Orlando, there are churches that use praise bands and whatnot during Rite II services, leaving Rite I to be the only 'traditional" service. I know of 2 that do this.....no, wait.....3 of them in my immediate area do this. Perhaps this is the same in other cities....
@ballinora53 "In 2008 alone, Catholic membership declined by 400,000. More than 1,000 parishes have closed since 1995, and the number of priests has fallen from about 49,000 to 40,000 during that same period. Some 3,400 Catholic parishes in the U.S. now lack a resident priest. “Catholicism is in decline across America,” says sociologist David Carlin.
"What about in Europe?
The situation there is even more dire, especially in the most historically devout countries." (cont) 3
This cathedral is Episcopal.....Anglican Church within America....not Roman Catholic....Please People get. it. right.
@ballinora53 As I write this, 60 MINUTES is devoting one of its three segments on the Archbishop of Dublin. He is sickened by what he has discovered. From the episode trailer "Child abuse scandal is not over, says Dublin archbishop
The sex abuse crisis in the Irish Catholic Church has rocked one of the most Catholic countries in the world and turned the archbishop of Dublin into an outspoken critic of the Church. Watch Bob Simon's report on Sunday, March 4 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
The term Protestant has a different connotation today than it did in 1517. While the term does come from the word protest as it relates to Luther, he was only the tip of the iceberg. Today, the word protestant is usually used to describe more liberal institutions, such as the Baptists and Pentecostals. The LCMS and WELS tend to be more religiously conservative. In many cases, we are more conservative than Catholics, though not always. But we are certainly not protestant in that sense.
Yes, you're correct from what I have heard. But in the Episcopal Church we have been instructed that while it not "kosher" for lack of a better word to take communion from a minister not in Apostolic Succession, the ultimate decision must be made by the individual. It was my understanding that Lutherans as part of the agreement with Episcopalians were to coordinate cooperation with other denominations. Still, I cannot help but think there are much much bigger issues facing all Christians.
This is the Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Peter and St. Paul. It is Anglican, has a bishop who wears a mitre, and during solemn liturgies the incense flies. So, it is not exactly "protestant". Think of St. Paul's London, or Westminster Abbey. By the way, nearly all the great cathedrals built in the last 100 years have been Anglican- St. John the Divine (NYC) is the largest cathedral in the world, Liverpool Cathedral is also huge as is this one. Hope that clears things up a bit.
(cont from below) "Years of crises over sexual abuse have included several damning government reports, the resignations of three Irish bishops, the papal letter to Irish Catholics and a diplomatic falling out between Ireland and the Vatican, which saw Dublin closing its embassy in the Holy See." If Christianity is to survive, this HAS to stop. That the Roman catholic church needs its own reformation is obvious. I'll pray for you.
@tman8077 Why don't you check the Wikipedia for John Wesley (founder of Methodism) and his brother Charles, before you comment? Both Wesleys were ordained Anglican clergymen. All of the services in the back of Methodist Hymnals were lifted directly from the Episcopal Book of Common Prayer. The 1941 Episcopal Hymnal included 18 hymns by Charles Wesley, and two by John Wesley. The Methodist Church grew out of the Anglican Church.
@davidnhvtme Our music is without par. It's our screwed-up theology and twisted hierarchy that is so troublesome.
We Episcopalians - at least those of us who don't think all hymns are "dirgy" - like our Hymns. That's for sure.
@ballinora53 She imprisoned Cranmer for over two years and under pressure from Church authorities, he made several recantations and apparently reconciled himself with the Roman Catholic Church. However, on the day of his execution, he dramatically withdrew his recantations, to die a heretic to Roman Catholics and a martyr to Anglicans. He famously held his hand out as he was bing burned at the stake by your wonderful church and said "if this hand has offended, let it be first punished".
The ELCA is also in full communion with the Presbyterian Church now. It doesn't make any sense. Their beliefs are different from the beliefs of both alternate bodies and yet they are in full communion with both. This is one of the many reasons why I remain LCMS.
I always got a kick out of Catholic churches that sang some of Luther's hymns about overcoming Satan. In most of them, Luther was referring to the Catholic Church. But he and others wrote beautiful hymns that Catholics should use.
@thisbemyutubenabe OOPS DOUBLE POST, and it seems you can't see us in this video
Can someone please tell me the name of this hymn. It is absolutely amazing! I love the Cathedral organ!
The name of this hymn is: The God of Abraham Praise.
@socwoods That we do. :-D
Ironic that the two great cathedrals in the U.S. are Episcopalian. St. John the Divine is the largest cathedral on the globe, and second largest church in the world after St. Peter's Basilica (which is not a cathedral as so many mistakenly think). In terms of architecture, both St. Peter and Paul (Washington Cathedral) and St. John the Divine are the only 'cathedrals' in the country, e.g. built with no steel superstructure. Both should be there for one to two thousand years.
@FaithandTradition considering that the two largest Episcopal cathedrals in the nation are moderate-to-liberal, I wouldn't place stereotypes where they don't belong, especially when orthodox/conservative denominations have their own problems. :)
@UCCSteve I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but the Episcopal Church loses an average of about 1,000 members every week, about 50,000 a year. Entire dioceses have broken away from the national church, and trends aren't showing signs of reversing. Things aren't much better for other liberal protestant churches either. More conservative and traditional churches are the ones that are growing.
@UCCSteve and its not to be unexpected, as Jesus said in the end times men would turn from the faith. he asked if when he returned he would find faith on the earth. and he said men honored Him with their lips but their hearts were far from him. very sad to see whats happening to the episcopal church. great hymn though.
What's this tune called? I think it's something like Leone, of some kind of Hebraic background. Can anybody update me?
@davidnhvtme erm yes their called catholic hymns
This is an AWFUL recording. I mean terrible quality. That being said, this organist does the absolutely best improvisation on "The God of Abraham Praise" I've ever heard. I would love to know his or her name. It truly is a shame we cant hear the organ or the choir better on this recording. I would definitely love to have been there. From the bits and pieces I could make out, sounds like an epic descant.
I dunno what you expect: it was made with somebody's camera.
@kapariz44 the Ordination of women has brought about sessations and schism within the Church - if you look back at the Unitarians who were the first, they are now dead in the water, and the Churches which followed the liberalisation of "catholic" (small'c') order such as the free churches are now on their way down- as are the Anglican Provinces that have not only Ordained women "Priests" but admitted them to the Episcopate. Whatever your take, I'm sure the Lord has something to do with it.
As a chorister in the oldest parish in Las Vegas, I love all modes of music. The voice is the only instrument made by God. But to exclude 'praise' forms or 'gospel' is to limit the experience and to invite staleness. I was part of the introduction of liturgical dance in the 60s as well, remembering that the Hebrews danced from their first encouonter with Eloim. I used to poke fun at 'praise' music until it grabbed my soul in Cursillo. Don't count anything out of the worship experience.
We as Lutherans are not protestant, assuming you define the term as most people do. I direct your attention to the following: "If, however (as is often the case today), the term "Protestantism" is loosely or simplistically associated with various Reformed, Anabaptist or "fundamentalist" theological views, many of which do not correspond to what Lutherans believe and teach, then (obviously) the term would not be appropriately or accurately applied to Lutherans." -LCMS
I wasn't talking about the RC church
@dsindc I will have you know, my Church was the first Church, and is the BEST Church. The Catholic Church has helped those whom are not doing well on their luck for centuries now. Please tell me what part of the Church, whom states support, and on what day the support was stated for what dictators. I am sure your Church is not perfect either.
@dsindc and what about the apology for the abuse of children in a home run by the Anglican Church in Lismore New South Wales in Australia, and why did the Church of england order an enquiry into allegation, just before Christmas that Anglican clergy were allowed contineu working in the Diocese of Chichestor after child abuse allegations were made against them .and even today 2 Anglican clergyman were charged with Child abuse (BBC)
Hence the reason I joined the Byzantine Rite of the Catholic Church. Much, much deeper and more spiritual Theology and truth in the Eastern Christian faith, imo.
@ballinora53 You miss the point. BOTH churches are in trouble. My opinion is that the conduct of the Roman catholic church is largely to blame. It has implications for the entire Christian world. The difference is that we ackowledge there are problems, the Roman church ignores, obfuscates, and hides the truth. While there are problems in every church, ours included, they PALE in comparison. Did you ignore the number of Roman catholic dioceses that have declared bankruptcy?
I wasn't talking about the RC church......
Poor Recording, I have heard and played the Skinner there and it is wonderful. I wonder about this service This Cathedral which many call "The National Cathedral" The actually name is The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, is Anglican and what ever choir they showed was NOT, they were wearing Baptist costumes or something..Anglican choirs always wear a cassock and surplice !!
Depending upon how you define the term "protestant," Anglicans, Episcopalians, and Lutherans may not be included to begin with.
@ballinora53 "In many instances, dioceses were forced to declare bankruptcy as a result of the settlements. At least six U.S. dioceses sought bankruptcy protection. In some cases, the dioceses filed bankruptcy just before civil suits against them were about to go to trial. This had the effect of mandating that pending and future lawsuits be settled in bankruptcy court." YOU put your coins in one of those tacky baskets at mass. Your church needs your money.. for this. It's disgusting. (cont)
@steelersfanhawaii I don't know about the rest of the people who have viewed this video, but I'm certainly not a fan of a lot of the more modern Catholic music (with a few choice exceptions). Sadly many Catholic parishes are abandoning the good ol' hymns. Case and point: when my choir looked at Immortal, Invisible, God only Wise, only about four of them had heard it out of the twenty four. That's just sad. I can't imagine the response if I were to introduce them to this hymn...
You people! Stop your bickering! This is a hymn praising God! All your derogatory comments about various sects and denominations of Christianity, and comparisons of who was a better leader, are not only petty but wholly and totally contrary to this solemn and sacred hymn to the "God of love". All people are sinners and as such do things for which they need to seek forgiveness. Some are worse than others, but we are not in the position to judge.
@ballinora53 (4) Pope John Paul II was adamantly opposed to "liberation theology". There is a very famous scene where a priest in Central America greeted the pope on an airport tarmac. He attempted to kiss the papal ring and the pope retracted his hand and waved his finger at him. After Romero's death, the pope tried to ignore his death. Yes, the pope was in effect resisting liberation theology, and supporting fascists. Fascists, going way back to Franco, were seen as anti-Communist. (cont).
Interesting stuff one sees on CZcams Christian videos. At the time Reformation Church of England did not leave the Catholic church, initially it just did not recognise the authority of the Pope. Henry VIII thought himself 100% Catholic. (continued in next posting)
Part 3. As for another bizarre comment about Churchill supporting the Soviet control (I assume) of Poland, that decision was made at Yalta and Churchill had little voice in the outcome. What options were there? Continued war with the USSR. Since you're Irish and took no part in the war, you have no voice in this argument. You also conveniently forget, the U.K. declared war on Germany AFTER it had invaded Poland. But there is a much larger issue here I'll touch on....
You're grasping here. There is simply no comparison, and no indication of complicity on the part of the hierarchy of ANY Anglican Church, Australia or otherwise. We are beginning to see evidence of the cover-up all the way to the Vatican itself.
@Alex911TheCanadian You didn't read anything I wrote. Of course Canada does not tax people on behalf of the church, there is no established church IN Canada. I would suggest you watch 60 Minutes online since you likely don't get it in Canada. The Archbishop of Dublin broke down a cried over the sex abuse crisis in Ireland. As for teachers and priests, WHAT? Aren't priests held to a higher standard? See my responses to ballinora53.
With death of Henry, Abp Thomas Cranmer and others who were influenced by the Biblical understanding in Europe put into place reform within the Church of England which step by step moved her away from Rome. To have an understanding of Anglican Theology probably the best place to look is in the back of a standard Book of Common Prayer (1662) and read the 39 Articles of Faith to which English Anglican clergy today, under oath, still have to affirm. 100% Protestant with a Calvinist slant.
@ballinora53 - to answer your questions, review the following -By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
Published: March 24, 2010
Top Vatican officials - including the future Pope Benedict XVI - did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church, according to church files newly unearthed as part of a lawsuit.
Continued above
@dsindc So if your Church acknowledged child why did the Daily Telegraph report the your Church ignored Child abuse for decades, and the Daily Telegraph is a quality English Newspaper, and we can also the Anglican Child abuse in Australia
But was not Churchill at Yalta, was he silenced? or just did he cosy up to Uncle Joe, as for Ireland not being involved in the war, I have every right to speak as my country did not sell Poland down the river like Britain and the USA.
sigh-.. dealing with ignorance becomes futile. But if you insist. I would point to the following from "History Learning Site"
"In July 1933, just six months after Hitler was appointed Chancellor, the Catholic Church signed the Concordat with Hitler. As a result of this agreement, the Catholic Church agreed not to oppose the political and social aims of the Nazi Party. Pope Pius XI hoped that the Concordat would allow the Catholic Church in Germany to operate free from any interference."
@ballinora53 And we could talk about the conduct of Belgium and church officials in the Congo too. I know !! How about we stick with contemporary issues?? By the way, Queen Victoria is the nominal head of the Church of England, not the Anglican Church. Do you not know your history? Speaking of history and contemporary issues, how about you tell us about the Magdalen Sisters in Ireland. Pretty vile eh? Many victims are still around by the way.
@Alex911TheCanadian Dictators supported? Ok, this from III Publishing, by WIlliam Meyers, "When the people of Spain resisted the fascist takeover, Pius XI spoke out strongly, calling everyone who was not a fascist a Bolshevik, and blessing "all those who have taken the difficult and dangerous task to defend and reinstate the honor of God and Religion." ( but wait, there is more )
@ballinora53 The good news is that nobody can stop civil charges. That being the case, you "church" has had to settle thousands of claims THOUSANDS in an amount that starts with the letter B. Yes, billions. We now have entire dioceses that have declared bankruptcy ! "By 2009, U.S. dioceses have paid more than US$2.6 billion in abuse-related costs since 1950" (USA Today). And the rusult? From the same USA Today report, I'll quote the following (cont)
@ballinora53 Struck dumb? Hardly. I'm prone to the realization that some people are so out of touch with reality that there is no arguing with them. I have brought up hard facts which you consistently ignore. I find your argument about the "2 Anglican clergyman" (sic) charged with child abuse curious. This is meant to prove what? In the face of hundreds of Roman catholic clergy charged all over the world, you seem to conclude both churches face the same problem. This is a false equivalence.
@socwoods sorry, Roman Catholics do.....
@pretorium I would argue you on several points. The Roman Church is on life support in Europe and to argue that is hopelessly disingenuous. In America, membership in the Roman Church has held steady ONLY because of immigrants who tend (unlike Europe) to be Roman Catholic. The demographic of Roman Catholics that resembles "white anglo-saxon protestants" have left the R.C. church in almost identical percentages. The problem for Roman catholics is that this group finances the church.
Anglican and Episcopal, yes. Lutheran, no. Lutheran don't venerate the saints and observe only two sacraments. Nonetheless, they are not protestant either.
You continue to miss the point over and over. While Hitler did in fact consider himself a Roman catholic all his life. But if he drifted that's not as important as his childhood. Response 1 ) Historians point to the effect the church had on the formation of his personality.I quote author Joseph Keysor " The well-known support of German Christians for Hitler; statements about God, Christianity, and the churches by Hitler and by leading Nazis, including strong opposition to atheism; (cont)
why in the world are you and Con O Sullivan coming here to fight like this? is that really what the discussion thread for this video is for? come ON.
I have many Polish friends who unlike the President of your country I greatly respect and that is their opinion. Polish people fought with the US forces and with the Allied forces and they were sold down the river by Churchill and FDR. They were left high and dry by the Allies, to an Atheist (your buddies regime) and they and their Catholic faith were persecuted, I thought in the USA they have freedom of speech, are you trying to deny me that
Sadly, people in the modern era identify more with the modern reformed churches who use the pop culture to their advantage. The faith that people across the world have held for centuries is falling by the wayside because people see it as old-fashioned and outdated. They would rather attend a service that's more like a rock concert. While there's nothing inherently wrong with that worship style, it makes it very easy to get distracted from the true message of Christ and the salvation He gives.
You do realise that the things that you enjoy may not be reason alone for making a religious conversion? Perhaps most people, when considering religious conversion, look past music and architecture, David. Surely you can see that?
@ballinora53 LOL, yes, I can accept that. Just as I can accept the notion that the catholic hierarchary up to the bishop of Rome himself, who ordered the burning at the stake of the first Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury were fascists. Oh, then there was the ugly matter of Jan Huss, the slaughter of Native Americans in Mexico by Cortez and Bishop Landa... one of the most horrific acts in history. Then there were the Inquisitions.. meh, one hopes you get the idea, no?
@dsindc OF COURSE only the Catholic Church has pedophiles. There has never been a SINGLE pedophile or molestation case outside of the Catholic Church. NOPE, not a one. No other church, or human being for that matter has EVER been charged with molestation. Please re-consider your argument. (To make it easier for you, I will tell you that that was all sarcasm). There are over a billion Catholic's for a reason. Don't hate on the whole church.