Bill Snedden

U.S. Episcopalians look to future after gay vote

I find this situation quite interesting. While we can argue exegesis day and night, don't most Christians still believe that direct appeals to God in prayer are answered? Doesn't the Holy Spirit actively work in the world through those who seek him in prayer?

62 out of 107 members of the House of Bishops voted in favor of confirming Bishop Robinson's election. 62 men and women, leaders of their denomination, people familiar with the Bible and its teachings (many of them scholars of it), who debated the issue and prayed to God for guidance were led to vote in favor of this action.

Doesn't it stretch all credibility to argue that they were all simply wrong? That God didn't really answer any of them? But 45 members also voted against the confirmation. Does it make sense to argue that they were all wrong as well?

Doesn't this really call into serious question the existence of any kind of spiritual guidance whatsoever? If not, why not? Why would God allow a significant portion of his church in the world to be so seriously misled?

As a former Episcopalian, I believe it quite likely that this action will lead to schism in the church. I foresee that over the next few months, several Bishops will leave the U.S. Episcopal church, seeking oversight from more "conservative" national Episcopates (like many in Africa). Because diocesan property is generally in the name of the national church, I also predict that the situation will get quite ugly.

Bree

I have no idea what a "schism" is but I hear it bandied about on NPR a lot. And I too believe that this is going to be a dividing issue - I predict we'll see a split in the church. Which is so interesting: of all the things the church could divide over, they choose to argue about who people sleep with. Not world hunger, not peace in the Holy Land - but sex.

Bill Snedden

Oops! Sorry. "Schism" = "split". I used that word because of its tradition usage to describe ideological rifts in previously unified bodies (like the schism in the Roman Catholic church that led to the Avignon papacy in the 14th century).

Regards,

Bill Snedden

HerFlamingLiberal

A Schism is a split in the church.

I'm honestly glad about the vote, regardless about how it came to pass. It made no sense to me that Epis. were open to having gay priests but not gay Bishops. (I guess Apostolic Succession has a good deal to do with it...)

Stephen T-B

It is impressive the way Christians can pray for things, and not have any difficulty correlating the results of their prayers with their convictions.

A bunch of Christians, I seem to remember, were assembled outside a US courtroom not long ago, praying urgently that the judges inside not do something which they proceeded to do (something to do with homosexuality, I think. or was it abortion? Anyway, it was of paramount importance to the Christians that they shouldn’t do whatever it was that they did.)
How many of those Christians, I wonder, decided they’d been praying to figments of their imagination?
Not a single one, I bet.
In this country, prior to the Falklands War, our churches were full of people urgently praying for a peaceful outcome. Not one of their prayers was answered. Does that trouble any of them? I very much doubt it.

I think the praying is the important thing.
Afterwards, they rationalise the outcome by convincing themselves that God moves in mysterious ways.

architect

This reminded me of a question I've never had answered: why do people pray? Isn't god supposed to be omniscient and know what you are thinking and feeling already?

HerFlamingLiberal

The common response in the Bible belt is that it was "God's Will."

God sometimes says yes, sometimes no, and sometimes maybe.

Not that I agree, I'm just trying to show what they believe.

Nom

Really? I would have expected something along the lines of how this vote shows the Episcopalian Church in the U.S. has come under the sway of [church lady] SATAN! [/church lady] Maybe even with a couple well-practiced swings against those papist followers of the antichrist tossed in. Sure proof that the rapture is just around the corner, yada, yada, yada, so don't delay, send your money today!

Doctor X

People pray out of the reasonable desire to have control over their lives.

To admit it does not work robs them of comfort.

--J.D.

crazyfingers

I have no particular stake in this issue but I am glad to see it. Every once in a while it's good to be reminded that not all theists are fundies.

It's interesting that we almost never hear about the Episcopals and the Methodists.