# West Wing Two Cathedrals - what makes something "non-denominational"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/west-wing-two-cathedrals-what-makes-something-non-denominational/756713>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [June 7, 2016, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/west-wing-two-cathedrals-what-makes-something-non-denominational/756713 "2016-06-07T03:37:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/west-wing-two-cathedrals-what-makes-something-non-denominational/756713/21 "2016-09-04T18:15:23Z")

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The principle of a “non-denominational religious service” seems to be something along the lines of:

_When your in-group cult is shrinking to a point where it might be marginalized, expand the in-group to a sufficient size that you can continue to marginalize the remaining out-group._

It seems to me that it’s generally pretty much about the opposite of what it claims to be about, “tolerance”.

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**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\
**Post date:** [September 4, 2016, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/west-wing-two-cathedrals-what-makes-something-non-denominational/756713/22 "2016-09-04T18:29:39Z")

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This is how the Lord’s Prayer appeared in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer, in use from 1662 to 1922.

_OUR Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil. Amen._

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**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 8:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/west-wing-two-cathedrals-what-makes-something-non-denominational/756713/23 "2016-09-05T08:19:02Z")

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Well, there was a time when this was considered a truly non-denominational prayer:\* “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I shall fear no evil, because I am the meanest son-of-a-bitch in the valley.”\*

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**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/west-wing-two-cathedrals-what-makes-something-non-denominational/756713/24 "2016-09-05T09:17:46Z")

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> [@UDS](#):
>
> But I think what a church means when it identifies as “non-denominational” is that it’s not part of a larger organisational structure within which it forms its beliefs and practices, and to whose leadership it is accountable. It may still have beliefs and practices which are strongly associated with a named tradition of Christianity.

Yip. Though, in general, they actually align up pretty well with several denominations, because there are a lot that very similar.

As for a non-denominational service, I thought those were inherently Christian. And usually Protestant, with the idea that Catholics don’t tend to mind Protestant stuff, while the reverse is less true.

And, no, I would not expect one to use the Lord’s Prayer. Not just because of different translations, but because some churches find ritual prayers to be anathema. They take the prayer as an outline, not a prayer you’re supposed to repeat verbatim.

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**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\
**Post date:** [September 5, 2016, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/west-wing-two-cathedrals-what-makes-something-non-denominational/756713/25 "2016-09-05T09:31:55Z")

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> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#):
>
> At my Boy Scout summer camp it was:
> 
> “Rub-a-dub-dub  
> Thanks for the grub  
> Yay, God!”

You went to the wrong summer camp. At ours it was “Three cheers for the grub”.

(and fuck Mt. St. Helens for what she did to that place)

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