Priests in Same-sex Relationships May Become Anglican Bishops

Well, there you have it:

(CNN) – Men in a civil union will now be allowed to become bishops in the Church of England, but they are not allowed to have sex.

Intercourse between two men – or two women – remains a sin.

“Homosexual genital acts fall short of the Christian ideal and are to be met with a call to repentance and the exercise of compassion,” according to Anglican doctrine.

Men and women in same-sex unions were already allowed to serve as priests in the Church of England, but there was a moratorium on advancement to the episcopate – becoming a bishop – while the church considered the issue.

The church announced Friday that if men in celibate civil unions may be priests, then there is no reason for them not to be bishops, as long as they are “living in accordance with the teaching of the Church on human sexuality.”

Rest here.

In other words, the ban on gay male clergy who live with their partners from becoming bishops has been lifted and that with some the flimsy conditions.

 

Germany to Ban Sex with Animals

Germany is about to ban sex with animals, including the ‘pimping’ of farm animals for sex.

Stand Firm:

Like I’ve said, The Episcopal Church has voted to purport to bless the sexual activities of those who have two currently faddish, minority sexual attractions, and ignored others who also hold minority sexual attractions—scores of different minority sexual attractions—which are not so popular.

Read it all over at the Telegraph:

Agriculture minister Ilse Aigner has agreed to change the law to make it illegal for people to “use (animals) for their own sexual activities or sexual acts of third parties” – which also bans the ‘pimping’ of animals to others.

However the move has aroused the ire of zoophile group ZETA.

Lobbyist Michael Kiok, who lives with his dog Cassie, told the newspaper there were more than 100,000 zoophiles in Germany.

“Mere morals have no place in law,” he said.

Mr Kiok said he was worried that if the law took effect the authorities would try to take away his dog.

Disgusting.

 

The Queen James Bible

I kid you not… A Gay Friendly Set Of Scriptures.

The Queen James Bible is doing for the church what gay marriage rights have  done for many states, making religiously accessible without discrimination. The bible which was just recently released for sale features the teachings of the scriptures in a gay and lesbian friendly manner.

The homosexual friendly bible does not list editors by name and on Amazon the  books publisher is simply noted as “Queen James.”

Located at QueenJamesBible.com the books editors write:

“The Queen James Bible resolves any homophobic interpretations of the Bible,  but the Bible is still filled with inequality and even contradiction that we  have not addressed. No Bible is perfect, including this one. We wanted to  make a book filled with the word of God that nobody could use to incorrectly  condemn God’s LGBT children, and we succeeded.”

In some cases the Queen James Bible editors say they have simply corrected  gay hate wording added to the bible in recent memory. For example QueenJamesBible.com notes that the word “homosexual” wasn’t included in the bible until 1946.

While the bibles editors did not delete passages they did make changes to the  eight most cited passages used to spread hate speech against homosexuals.  According to the editors the passages were amended “in a way that makes  homophobic interpretations impossible.”

The bibles editors explain why they chose the King James version of the bible  for their Queen James Bible edition:

“The King James Bible is the most popular Bible of all time, and arguably the  most important English language document of all time. The brainchild and  namesake of King James I, who wanted an English language Bible that all could  own and read, it has been in print for over 400 years and has brought more  people to Christ than any other Bible translation. Commonly known to biographers  but often surprising to most Christians, King James I was a well-known bisexual.  Though he did marry a woman, his many gay relationships were so well-known that  amongst some of his friends and court, he was known as “Queen James.” It is in  his great debt and honor that we name The Queen James Bible  so.”

Sorry, I’m feeling a little queasy after reading all this… In fact, I think I may be sick.

 

The Sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is Not about ‘Hospitality’

As Msgr Charles Pope reminds us.

There’s also this rather nice video.


 

Same Sex Blessing Spreads throughout The Episcopal Church

Same Sex Blessing fever spreads throughout The Episcopal Church.

More than two thirds of the domestic dioceses give their blessing to partnered same gender relationships.

Virtue Online:

Since The Episcopal General Convention passed A049 at last July’s General Convention in Indianapolis, the trickle of Episcopal dioceses that have authorized Same Sex Blessings has now become a veritable flood. According to Virtueonline’s exhaustive research, 69 domestic dioceses have decided to fully embrace and allow for the provisional Same Sex Blessing ceremony to be celebrated within their borders.

Virtueonline called each diocese or churches within the diocese to ascertain if SSB was permissible; checking diocesan and congregational websites for their posted information on SSB; and researching the Internet for published stories about Episcopal bishops who have announced their intensions – for or against – concerning a pastoral response for partnered same-gender relationships.

VOL learned those dioceses giving a nod to SSB include: Arizona, Arkansas, Bethlehem, California, Central New York, Central Pennsylvania, Chicago, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, East Tennessee,  Eastern Michigan, Eastern Oregon, Easton, El Camino Real, TEC Fort Worth, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indianapolis, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Long Island, Los Angeles, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota,  Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada,  New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Newark, North Carolina, Northern California, Northern Michigan,  Northwestern Pennsylvania, Ohio, Olympia, Oregon, Pennsylvania, TEC Pittsburgh, TEC Quincy, Rio Grande,  Rochester, San Diego, TEC San Joaquin, Southeast Florida, Southern Ohio, Southern Virginia, Southwestern Virginia, Spokane, Texas, Upper South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, West Missouri, West Tennessee, Western Michigan, Western New York, Western North Carolina, and Wyoming.

Even though these dioceses permit or will be permitting SSB, there are some tight guidelines. These guidelines vary from diocese to diocese. In some dioceses, the bishop is the final determiner on which couples can participate in the ceremony. Some dioceses allow for SSB in certain churches only. So there is a wide variation in how SSB is being implemented throughout The Episcopal Church.

As Advent approaches, the 19 dioceses which said that SSB is not a part of their liturgical offerings included: Alabama, Alaska, Albany Central Florida, Dallas, East Carolina, Eau Claire, Florida, Fond du Lac, Mississippi, Montana, North Dakota, Northern Indiana, Oklahoma, Springfield, Tennessee, West Texas, Western Kansas, and Western Louisiana.

In July upon the passage of A049, bishops from several dioceses signed the Indianapolis Statement. The representative dioceses are: Albany, Central Florida, Dallas, North Dakota, Northern Indiana and Springfield.

Currently 11 are still actively discerning the implementation of SSBs. They include: Atlanta, Central Gulf Coast, Lexington, Milwaukee, Navajoland, Northwest Texas, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Southwest Florida, West Virginia, and Western Massachusetts.

The dioceses of Lexington, Rhode Island and Atlanta all have new bishops who are all discerning how they will deal with SSB. Word is that a letter has gone out from the new bishop in the Diocese of Atlanta to all his priests informing them of his decision. However, when VOL asked what that decision was, we were told that information would not be released until the priests have been duly informed.

One diocese, South Carolina, is reconstituting.  Technically, the TEC Diocese of South Carolina does not exist and the rump diocese has yet to be formed. It would be fair, based on the actions of Bishop Mark Lawrence at the 77th General Convention, to say that he would be in the solidly no camp. The Episcopal Church’s liturgical rite for blessing same-sex relationships was authorized at the last General Convention for use in the Episcopal Church beginning the first Sunday in Advent, December 2.

The rite and a short theological summary, both excerpted from the report of the Church’s Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music (SCLM) titled “I Will Bless You and You Will Be a Blessing”. It must be approved by each diocesan bishop before it is used in individual dioceses. It has been authorized by General Convention for provisional use until 2015 upon which the General Convention will decide if SSB is to remain a permanent part of the liturgical practice of The Episcopal Church or not.

 

They Never Let Me In… Sniff… Sniff…

… Cry!

The Episcopal Bishop of California said today that he was snubbed at the installation ceremony for his counterpart, the new Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco.

Invited to Cordileone’s installation at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Andrus was taken to a basement room with other guests including religious leaders, but he left after he was not seated by 2 p.m. when the ceremony began.

San Francisco Archdiocese spokesman George Wesolek told the Associated Press that Andrus arrived late and missed the procession of interfaith clergy who were to be seated up front. Church staff were looking for an opportunity to bring the bishop in without disrupting the service, according to Wesolek. When they went to retrieve him, he had already left.

“We had no intention of excluding him at all,” Wesolek said. “If he felt like because of the wait that was insulting to him, we certainly will apologize.”

The Catholic and Episcopal churches have been moving in opposite directions on the issue of sexual orientation. Opposition to same-sex marriage has emerged as a principal theme of Pope Benedict XVI’s papacy. In March, he urged visiting U.S .bishops to beef up their teaching about the evils of premarital sex and cohabitation, and denounced what he called the “powerful” gay marriage lobby in America. And on July 27 he selected Cordileone, who is outspoken on the issue, to replace retiring Archbishop George Niederauer.

Just a few weeks earlier, on July 9, the Episcopal House of Bishops approved ceremonies for same-sex couples. Controversy over the role of gays has divided the larger Anglican Communian, to which the Episcoal Church belongs. The Catholic Pope Benedict XVI in 2009 invited Anglicans to become Catholic while retaining some Anglican liturgical heritage.

In his homily on Thursday, Cordileone mentioned marriage only obliquely. Thursday was the feast day of San Francisco’s patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi, and the archbishop said that St. Francis, too, lived during a time of spiritual unrest, “even to the point of denigrating marriage on the basis that it was purely a material reality.”

 

Lady Gaga: The Pope Doesn’t ‘Matter,’ ‘Gay Marriage Is Going To Happen’

And to think that this wicked woman is soon coming to South Africa.

Long-time gay icon Lady Gaga spoke out last week after the Pope told a group of bishops in France that the traditional definition of marriage, between a man and a woman, must be “promoted and defended.” On French radio, Lady Gaga said she believed “gay marriage is going to happen,” and added that “what the Pope thinks of being gay does not matter to the world.”

Over the past couple of years, the “Born this way” singer has become known as an advocate of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. She has consistently spoken out in favor of marriage equality, and last year she was honored with the Trevor Project’s Trevor Hero Award for her LGBT advocacy work.

This is not the first time that Lady Gaga has sparked controversy in connection with the Catholic church. Last year, her song “Judas” angered religious leaders, and Bill Donohue, the leader of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, said in an interview that she was “trying to rip off Christian idolatry to shore up her talentless, mundane and boring performances.”

Lady Gaga’s controversial songs and statements go beyond just gay rights or Catholicism. Recently, she made headlines for lighting up a joint on stage at a performance in Amsterdam, and for telling critics of her recent weight gain to back off.

 

Episcopalians Review a New Rite for Gay Unions

Remember, if you cannot handle these things, there is safe refuge in the Chair of St Peter or Traditional Anglican Communion.

The Boston Globe:

Episcopal Bishops Thomas Shaw (left) and Gene Robinson marched in this year’s gay pride parade in Boston

Episcopalians, gathering this week in Indianapolis for their triennial General Convention, are expected to overwhelmingly approve trial use of a new liturgy for blessing same-sex unions…

In 2009, the Episcopal Church lifted a temporary ban on blessing gay unions and said bishops may provide “generous pastoral response” to gay couples, especially in states that allow civil unions or gay marriages.

Many Episcopal bishops now permit the blessing of same-sex relationships, and some in states where gay marriage is legal — including ­Bishop M. Thomas Shaw of the Diocese of Massachusetts, which runs roughly east of Inter­state 495 — let priests ­officiate at the marriage of same-sex couples.

But because the Episcopal Church canons and the Book of Common Prayer describe marriage as between a man and woman, some bishops have not embraced same-sex blessings or weddings. Bishop Gordon Paul Scruton of the ­Diocese of Western Massachusetts, does not allow priests to do either.

Scruton, who is retiring Dec. 1, and Bishop-elect Douglas John Fisher said through a spokeswoman Thursday that they planned to issue a joint statement following the General Convention vote. They did not indicate what it might say, and they declined a request for an interview beforehand.

At the last diocesan convention in October 2011, Scruton said the diocese would move toward allowing the blessing of same-sex unions if the ­General Convention adopted the new liturgy this summer, said Steve Symes, diocesan ­coordinator of Integrity USA, a group within the church working for the full inclusion of gay people.

Even if it does not happen before Scruton retires, change seems likely to occur under Fisher. During a meet-and-greet where candidates for bishop met voting delegates, Fisher indicated he would look to the people of the diocese for guidance on the issue, Symes said. At last October’s diocesan convention, delegates voted overwhelmingly for a resolution to begin blessing gay unions, Symes said.

“I almost think it’s a slam-dunk — I think it will happen,” he said.

In a phone interview from Indianapolis, Shaw said the proposed new liturgy may not be used often in the eastern portion of the state, where priests have been allowed to craft their own services in conducting gay marriages for several years.

The Standing Commission on Liturgy and Music, which wrote the new rite, has “done a good job,” Shaw said. “It’s just for Eastern Massachusetts, it’s about five years too late”…

Shaw said that at a recent meeting of bishops he was surprised to learn that even in dioceses in traditionally conservative parts of the country, such as Houston, preparations are being made to offer the new liturgy in some parishes…

Church should be pointing fallen man to the way of heaven, not to Sodom.

 

Army Chaplain Performs First Same-Sex Marriage

Sodom, here we come…

On a Louisiana army post, an army chaplain has performed the first  same-sex nuptial ceremony involving two lesbian soldiers. Same-sex  marriage is not legal in the state of Louisiana, so the event is being  described as a “religious” ceremony.

The Army confirmed that the ceremony, performed at the Fort Polk army base was not billed as an official marriage.

(Catholic Online) – Rep. John Fleming, M.D. reported that the U.S. Army had confirmed that the chaplain had performed the ceremony a few weeks ago in the base chapel at Fort Polk.

“It is my understanding that this is the first ceremony of its type on an American military base and that is, as it’s reported, it was a wedding ceremony between two members of the same gender who are uniformed members of the Army,” Fleming told CNSNews.com.

Fleming, who is also a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said the Army confirmed that the ceremony was not billed as an official marriage.

“As its characterized, this ceremony occurred only as a religious ceremony, it was not intended or advertised to be a lawful or legal union,” Fleming said. “Such marriages between persons of the same-sex are not recognized by the state of Louisiana, so it can’t be a lawful or legal marriage ceremony.

“That’s a bit distressing in itself, because, why go through this, except for social or cultural experimentation, or to push forward or propagate somebody’s agenda?” Fleming asked.

“I just think it’s inappropriate to use military facilities for that purpose,” he added.

Fort Polk military officials, in addition to the Army Office of Chief of Chaplains did not respond to further inquiries about the case.  A Fort Polk spokesman told the Associated Press described the event as a “same-gender private religious ceremony.”

A Disciples of Christ chaplain performed a “marriage-like” commitment ceremony for the two lesbian soldiers, Dr. Ron Crews, executive director of the Chaplain Alliance for Religious Freedom says.

“They were very careful in the wording, from what I understand, to make this only a religious ceremony,” Crews says, noting that the Disciples of Christ denomination allows its clergy to perform same-sex “commitment” ceremonies.

“That raises the question about the new DOD policy that allows a chaplain to do a marriage-like ceremony in a military chapel in a state that has a clear definition of marriage in their state law,” Crews says. His organization represents more than 2,500 Christian military chaplains.

In dissent, Rep. Todd Akin (R-Mo.), chairman of the Seapower & Projection Forces subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee, loudly denounced the military for allowing the ceremony to be held in a military chapel.

“It is very concerning that a same-sex ceremony would occur on a military base in a state where the definition of marriage has been clearly defined as between one man and one woman,” Akin said.

 

New Hampshire Episcopalians May Choose a Second Homosexual Bishop

Read about the abomonation possibility here.

And our Bishop Brian Marsh weighs in:

Bishop Brian R. Marsh, the president of the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church in America, a traditional Anglican church that is not part of the Anglican Communion, said his church gained five additional parishes in New Hampshire within a year of Robinson’s election.

The whole piece is here.