Everyone has one, and they all stink.
Except Stephen Colbert’s, of course. Here he is recently, talking about the schism in the Anglican Church:
Nods to the Creative Minority Report for this link!
I’ve been following the story of Bishop Gene since he was first ordained as a bishop - in kind of a detached, curious kinda way. I’m amused by the fact that the biggest problem seems to be that he is openly gay. Every church has gay ministers and priests of course - they just don’t talk about it.
I wish I could figure out why being open about being gay, makes it so bad. It seems to me that so many people are good at pointing and judging; the whole “log in your neighbor’s eye” thing. I guess we are all just humans after all.
Do I think gays should be priests, ministers, bishops?
I don’t think it makes a difference, as long as they do a good job. It’s not as if we have so many people in the world, willing to do the difficult jobs of being our spiritual shepards.
But I also feel it’s up to each individual religion to make the decisions as to who gets to be those shepards. For instance - the Catholic Church will never have female priests. It’s not something that can ever happen; it’s considered something that came from Jesus, not even a Pope can change that. So - I either have to accept that part of Catholic doctrine, to be a Catholic, or I don’t accept it, and I find another religion. That’s just how it is.
Some Anglicans don’t have a problem with an openly gay bishop, while others, obviously do. Whether or not this disagreement will lead to a schism within the church, remains to be seen. It’s not an easy issue, nor does it have easy answers. The Church of Ireland, for instance - which is the Irish counterpart to the Church of England - “discloses that same-sex unions took place in Ireland, with all the normal marital symbols — and the participation of a priest — in the late 12th and early 13th centuries.” Kinda hard to argue that it’s a new phenomena.
So in the meantime, it’s like watching a bad soap opera, complete with the cheesy music at the end of each episode. You’d think we’d have more important things to do.
hmm. i think that an individual’s sexuality just *is*. what they do with another consenting adult is their own business, you know? not my concern as long as they behave with some circumspect, and dont inflict their behavior on others.
i dont think that gender should have anything to do with being a church leader, nor marital status. *however*. it is my opinion that a woman with children could be distracted in her ability to serve a congregation, and that the raising of her family should come *first* and not after the needs of the community, so for that reason women should perhaps be only secondary leaders in church service.
but that’s me.
well, the same could be said for a married man with children. Dads are important TOO
I do find it interesting that the Catholic church allowed priests to be married for a long time, and that Anglican priests who were married, but convert, and become Catholic priests - are allowed to be married. I think eventually they will allow priests to marry again; they’ll have to. And I think they should! after all, if marraige is so important that the Church made it a sacrament - why deny that to their priests?
but that’s me
well absolutely dads are important too! but i was thinking of the strictly moms-only things…like gestation, and how something like premature labor could put a woman minister on bedrest for months, and not available to her congregation. and the fact that no matter how attentive dads are, lots of kids want mom only if they’re ill. oh and dad’s cant breastfeed (not from the primary source anyway).
i agree in not denying the sacrament of marriage to priests though.
thanx for the links. love it. colbert is hilarious.
i’ve had to conclude the notion — that there were ever blessings of same-sex unions and that the unions were akin to marriage — is pretty dubious. i’ve also had to conclude, along the lines of foucault-the-philosopher, that the notion of “sexual orientation” is a modern construct.
not, mind you, that any of the activities people enjoy are new — but the idea of “orientation” and it being a prescriptive reason for taking action on the level of formal society. the connection between romantic love and marriage in general is a pretty new invention in historic terms.
i just watched the movie *painted veil*. diana rigg plays a nun who says, “when obligation and love are one, then you have grace.” i liked that. her character is even more interesting because she doesn’t really love god anymore, but remains a nun. in judeo-christian terms obligation is actually the minimum requirement. you get a pass for meeting your obligations without love; loving while letting your obligations go, and you get stopped at the gates.
or in other words, in catholicism, there is only one orientation: chastity in everything. acting on pure impulse is totally out.
i feel people should be openly gay. that’s who you are, that’s who you are. i think being gay or straight is irrelevant. what matters is if you act on impulse and if you think your impulses are a justification for doing anything.
one more, re. female priests: yeah, one takes it or leaves it. people have blamed eve for original sin, but original sin is actually termed “adam’s sin”. priests are a stand-in for jesus, and jesus is a stand-in for adam. catholicism doesn’t really paint males in the best of light; men are in need of replacement in the mythology.
“i feel people should be openly gay. that’s who you are, that’s who you are. i think being gay or straight is irrelevant. what matters is if you act on impulse and if you think your impulses are a justification for doing anything.”
True, true
Diana Rigg is a fabulous actress; I’ll have to look up the movie now!
This site is wonderful! You seem like a very nice sort…and you illustrate a thought I’ve had for a long time. That Witchcraft should be made illegal, so that the Playgans will go back to Christianity and it will drive the serious ones underground. I have come to think that this neo Wiccan stuff is just Christianity with multiple deities, and it looks like it… you can switch back and forth with ease.
May you have luck on your chosen path, whichever one it is!
uh, don’t think i quite caught that: switch with ease?
for some reason now, tho, st. theresa and her spirituality of imperfection is coming to my mind… my paleo pagan friend thinks neo-paganism is underground catholicism. maybe it is. what do good people do when their holy places are invaded after all? they go underground.
lol - well, Robyn, I can honestly say that it’s been a long time since I’ve received such an interesting backhand compliment. I’m afraid you’ve erred in a few of your assumptions, however; please allow me to correct you.
One, I never was a wiccan. I was adopted into a Fam Trad family that was based on British Traditional Witchcraft, but my personal practice was one of druidism/celtic reconstructionism.
I was hardly what one could consider a *playgan* by any stretch of the imagination; indeed I helped found a local inter-religious pagan council here, was president of it for several years, helped write and perform many rituals; was head of the Witches’ Ball Committee for many years, and was even a pagan minister, ministering to the pagan group at the world’s largest faith-based prison.
I just hope I can be half a good a Christian, as I was a pagan.
As to “switching back and forth with ease” - I would hardly consider that the case, and if you had read any of my blogs, you too would have seen that’s simply not the case. In fact it was a very difficult decision to come to, it wasn’t easy at all, and that’s what the whole blog is about.
Once home, however, I found peace, love and a joy that I never experienced in the 13 years I was a practicing pagan.
As to making witchcraft illegal, I’m a firm believer in religious freedom. However, I am certain that if beginners to paganism were to welcomed from an enlightened soul such as yourself, the wise ones would high-tail it straight back to Christianity.
And you know what? We’d be happy to take them, with love, compassion and understanding as Christ taught us to do.
I’ll pray for you, Robyn. It surely seems as if you need it.