Rebuffing a demand by leaders of the global Anglican Communion to bring their practices into line with those of traditional Christianity, the executive council of the American Episcopal Church has declared that it prefers "to embrace people who have historically been marginalized."
This is intended to account for the Episcopal church's decision to ordain a gay bishop and open its doors to gays and lesbians, but if that is the stated criterion, aren't we forgetting some other historically marginalized groups here?
--Convicts Who Have Been Found Guilty of Violent Crimes (more marginalized now than ever before)
--Child Molesters (marginalized even within the prison population!)
--Serial Killers (admired in the movies, but otherwise very marginalized since at least the days of Jack the Ripper)
--Pedophiles (so marginalized that even gays keep their distance, and all for holding that there's nothing magical about being "of age")
--Polygamists (marginalized for holding the view, "Why Stop at Two?")
--Skinheads (more marginalized today than the groups they seek to marginalize)
This is hardly a complete list, and I'm sure I'll be hearing shortly from nudists, swingers, wife-swappers, Nazis, and other groups I've left off my list. Even so, I think I've given the folks on the Episocal Church council an excellent place to start. Episcopals have been rapidly losing members in recent decades. The council seem to have now developed a great recovery strategy: to recruit and ordain members of all historically marginalized groups, without regard to whether the beliefs and action of those groups fit in with the traditional Christian agenda. This could prove a winning approach. Think how the Episcopal Church could once again boost its numbers by seeking and ordaining Skinheads, Child Molesters, Polygamists, and Serial Killers!
Reader Comments ( Page 2 of 3)
16. The comments posted here in reply to this malformed, wrongheaded little tantrum give me hope for humanity.
BE FREE, FELLOW HUMANS, BE FREE TO BE YOUR TRUE SELVES.
loquacious at 1:58PM on Jun 18th 2007
17. Ken Berg wrote;
13. The fact of the matter is that regardless of what any of you think, if the American Episcopal Church will not change it's course, it will of necessity need to split with the larger international Anlgican Convention.
First...if a split occurs, it will not be initited by the Episcopal Church. And...the "fact of the matter" is that the Church of England also blesses same sex unions...so what will the African bishops of the "Global South" do next...excommunicate the Anglican Church from the Anglican communion?
Undoubtedly their own dioceses are filled with sinners, so...why not focus on that first, instead of what they percieve as someone else's sin in far-off New Hampshire? Could it be that this is really just a power play intended to elevate the position of these bishops within the Anglican communion?
Rampart at 5:07PM on Jun 18th 2007
18. Dinesh, from what planet did you gain entry to Earth? How in the world can you possibly affiliate serial killers, pedophiles and the likes with gay or lesbian persons?
Have you ever received a proper education on anything relevant? You are, literally out of your GOP mind!
As if Gay people have a choice in this matter? Do we choose to be heterosexual?
I raised both of my daughters to be strong, independent, university educated, tolerant woman. If either one of my daughters were gay it would not matter a wit to me. I have empathy and understanding as part of my make-up. I become so sad when I hear rants such as yours.
SHAME ON YOU! SHAME ON YOU! SHAME ON YOU
rhodalee at 4:06PM on Jun 18th 2007
19. You may be correct regarding the internal church politics Rampart, but if I understand the situation correctly - and I am not Anglican, so I may be wrong - the greater (i.e., international) Anglican Church, of which the American Episcopal Church is small part, is simply asking the American Episcopal Church to conform to the Anglican Convention.
If the American Episcopal Church cannot or will not bring itself into union with the Anglican Church, then it seems the Americans will have chosen to leave the Anglican Church.
To avoid schism, hopefully the American Episcopal Church will be able to remain a part of the Anglican Convention.
Ken Berg at 5:01PM on Jun 18th 2007
20. Meanwhile, here is a link to a piece of Nigerian domestic legislation supported by Peter Akinola, the Anglican Archbishop of Nigeria. It is absolutely draconian in its punitive measures directed at gay and lesbian people, to the extent that it literally parallels the sort of laws passed in Germany by the Nazis in the years leading up to the holocaust.
Perhaps Mr. D'Souza should ask the Rt. Rev Akinola why he, as a Christian, supports this sort of literally hateful legislation? And...perhaps the bishops of the Anglican church would not be remiss if they asked him to repudiate it?
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon07/01/011807nigeria.htm
Rampart at 5:18PM on Jun 18th 2007
21. Great post, Rampart. Given that D'Souza openly sympathizes with Osama bin Laden's cultural fascism, he no doubt approves of the proposed Nigerian legislation.
richter at 6:26PM on Jun 18th 2007
22. Since it is a favorite trick of the Left, your invoking the memory of nazi atrocities was only a matter of time I suppose.
Again gentlemen, regardless of what you or I think, this seems to be a matter of one relatively small portion of the international Anglican Church that is seemingly ready and willing to split with the Anglican Convention.
Please let me know if my understanding of this is wrong. It seems to me that the greater (i.e., international) Anglican Church is asking the American Episcopalian Church to bring it's doctrine back into unity with the Anglican Convention, and the specific areas where the American Church is out of step with the Anglican Convention are regarding ordaining homosexual clergy and blessing homosexual unions. Is my understanding of this correct?
Thanks for the information.
Ken Berg at 7:24PM on Jun 18th 2007
23. Again, please let me know if this understanding of the situation is correct:
The greater (i.e., international) Anglican Church, of which the American Episcopal Church is a small part, is simply asking the American Episcopal Church to conform to the Anglican Convention.
If the American Episcopal Church cannot or will not bring itself into union with the Anglican Church, then it seems the Americans will have chosen to leave the Anglican Church.
Ken Berg at 7:29PM on Jun 18th 2007
24. Dinesh D'Souza seems obsessed with attacking gays and lesbians. Thank God that the Episcopal Church listens to the gospel mandate to welcome all people to Christ rather than limiting the faith to those who spout right wing ideology.
Jesus said "by their fruits you will know them." Look at what this man has supported and fought for. Dinesh D'Souza has supported the illegitimate Bush Administration and its illegal war that has destroyed so many innocent lives - and yet he sets himself up as an arbiter of morals and ethics. He argues for redistributing resources from the middle class and poor people to the rich, and yet he would dare to lecture the church on morals and ethics.
Those who support unmitigated evil in our world show great hubris when they attack the Church for welcoming all people to the altar. Perhaps it is because they have already chosen their side and their lord. And we can spot them by the fruits of their beliefs and actions.
Dennis at 9:02PM on Jun 18th 2007
25. When the church-mouth sqeeked, "to embrace people who have historically been marginalized." weren't they just being politiclally correct as it relates only to the specific group they believed could now
benefit them numerically by declaring the goodness of their high heeled souls.
Isn't the literal behavior of homosexuality much older and more diverse than the label? Why is it considered modern and liberal and tolerant to accept the behavior today when it was acted out for thousands of years without regard to correctness or rightness or wrongness? It does seem somewhat bizarre when considering the functionality of the equipment.
Why not support sticking it in your ear. If it don't fit, force it, label it, accept it.
DDwain at 10:41PM on Jun 18th 2007
26. What I'm wondering is what happens AFTER the marginalized members of society are embraced into the Episcopal Church. Does the Church THEN begin to teach the basic tenets of Christianity and what Jesus preached about the kind of behavior that has caused these very same people to become marginalized? Or do the teachings of Christ continue to be ignored so that what is left is an Episcopal Church of marginalized people who are not followers of Christ?
Chris at 12:22AM on Jun 19th 2007
27. In response to Denis, above:
The quote from Jesus,"by their fruits you will know them," also applies to behavior that is pleasing to God, and to behavior that is displeasing to Him.
There is a great misunderstanding these days about Jesus Christ. It is politically correct to say that Jesus accepted all people. There is no evidence of this.
Christiany is not a tolerant religion, and it doesn't have to be. Christ welcomed all to follow him, but He was not accepting of behavior which was displeasing and therefore unacceptable to God, and this includes homosexuality. Though Christ never forced anyone to believe him, He asked all to give up their evil ways and follow Him by following His teachings.
Welcoming all to Christ is not enough. All are welcomed, yet all who are welcomed are asked by Christ to change their ways and imitate Him. And Jesus Christ was neither a liar, nor a murderer or a thief or a homosexual.
Chris at 1:15AM on Jun 19th 2007
28. DD,
Once again, you're list of deviants lacks some key types: those who wear clothes with more than one type of thread and those who eat bacon. Heathens! Keep 'em out!
lil_turk at 8:27AM on Jun 19th 2007
29. Response to Ken Berg/Post #21
Mr. Berg, you may find it convenient to dismiss my analysis in such an offhand way, but look at the provisions of Nigeria's anti-gay law pasted below.
Now, substitute the name of any other group targeted by the Nazis in addition to gays--gypsies, Jews, trade unionists, socially activist Catholics, protestant clergymen with a social conscience--and you will see that this is EXACTLY the sort of legislation instituted by the Nazis in the years preceding the holocaust.
This Nigerian law is a human rights issue, not just an ecclesiastical one, and it is entirely apprpriate to ask why a Christian clergyman has given his support to it.
---------------------------------------------------
"Legislation that would strip gays and lesbians of all civil
rights has passed its final hurdle and is set for a vote in Nigeria's
Parliament.
The bill started out as a ban on same-sex marriage and has been
revised to make it a crime for more than two gay people to be in the
same venue at the same time.
It prohibits LGBT social or civil rights groups from forming. It
would be illegal to sell or rent property to same-sex couples, watch
a gay film or video, visit an LGBT web site, or express same-sex love
in a letter to one's partner.
The legislation goes so far as to make it a criminal offense to
impart information of HIV/AIDS to gays or for non-gays to meet with
any group of gays for any purpose.
The penalty would be five years in prison with hard labor.
Gay sex already is illegal in Nigeria with sentences up to 14 years
behind bars. In the mostly Islamic north homosexuality can be
punishable by death."
Rampart at 2:24PM on Jun 19th 2007
30. Regarding the Episcopal Church welcoming "deviants," two comments.
One, Jesus ate and drank with those selfsame "deviants" and the only people He ragged on were the pillars of the community ---- the self righteous prigs like D'Souza and others who wish to be "better" than others.
But, let's remember that the historical Protestant Episcopal Church USA (which now calls itself "The Episcopal Church) used to be called "The Republican Party at prayer." I can't think of a larger group of true deviants than Republicans, can you?
What Would Jesus Do?
John at 2:18AM on Jun 20th 2007