Posted on 06/03/2004 10:29:32 AM PDT by plushaye
ST. CATHARINES, Ontario — The Anglican Church of Canada approved a measure Thursday to "affirm the integrity and sanctity of committed adult same sex relationships."
The move stops short of authorizing dioceses to hold same-sex blessing ceremonies but is still likely to complicate efforts aimed at unifying the 77 million-member Anglican Communion. The worldwide Anglican body is deeply divided over homosexuality.
Delegates to a national church meeting handed the victory to supporters of gays and lesbians as a consolation prize the morning after they voted to delay any national go-ahead on church blessing ceremonies for same-sex couples till 2007 and possibly 2010.
The "integrity and sanctity" measure was approved by a show of hands.
World Anglican unity was one reason widely cited for delay on the same-sex rituals bill, which would have authorized the ceremonies under a so-called "local option" — meaning each diocese could decide for itself whether to offer them.
Anglicanism is already split over consecration of an openly gay bishop in the U.S. Episcopal Church and an emergency commission is pondering how to hold the 38 self-governing national churches together. Many bishops in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Mideast are furious over the Americans' move.
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams released a statement that welcomed the Canadian vote on Wednesday, but ignored the action on Thursday.
"It is important that the Canadian church has held back from a structural shift that would have run counter to the pleas and wishes of ... so many around the Communion," he said.
Its "sanctity" measure also goes beyond wording put on paper by the Episcopal Church. The American church passed a measure last year acknowledging that some dioceses are allowing same-sex blessing ceremonies, but not affirming the practice as a national policy.
The last-minute "sanctity" measure was introduced by Canon Garth Bulmer from the Ottawa Diocese.
The Rev. Dennis Drainville of the Quebec Diocese, who seconded Bulmer's motion, told delegates the church needs to express compassion.
"This says to thousands of people that we love you, we include you among the faithful, we seek to live with you, to work with you, to know you," he said.
But the Rev. Peter Moore, a former Toronto rector now in the United States as president of Trinity Episcopal School for Ministry, said Bulmer's bill "seems to intentionally confuse the voice with which the Canadian church speaks on sexual morality, which undercuts the church's ability to speak on anything."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Oy, Canada!
ping
Is it schism time yet?
| What We Can Do To Help Defeat the "Gay" Agenda |
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| Homosexual Agenda: Categorical Index of Links (Version 1.1) |
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| Myth and Reality about Homosexuality--Sexual Orientation Section, Guide to Family Issues" |
Perhaps, Kanada can marry mAssHoleChewzits and Kalifornia and rid the rest of the US of their filthy degenerate ways.
barf alert ping.
Looks like the acc just hit the same iceberg as ecusa - I would submit that it's now just a matter of time, as the Christians bail out to alternate oversight, and the heretics continue to rearrange the deck chairs.
Y'know it might be interesting if someone had the data, to do a map showing the Christian and heretical portions of both ecusa and the acc in a geographic manner.
Sin cannot be sanctified. They are fooling themselves.
Exactly. There will never be God's blessing for any sin, and no sin is ever sanctified.
This amendment was snuck in under the guise of a "group hug" and runner-up prize for the gays and lesbian Anglicans. Instead, it's going to break up the ACC and split the ACC off from the rest of the Anglican communion.
I think you would find, for ECUSA, mainly the same areas where Gore won the last elections - the liberal-voting east and west coast states. For the ACC, you would see the Quebec and Ontario eastern provinces and the British Columbia west coast. Again, the "liberal" areas. No coincidence. The "heartland" states and provinces are conservative-leaning, both in religion and politics.
Is it just me or does it sometimes seems like the four horsemen are saddling-up as we speak.
"Is it schism time yet?"
Well, uh, YEAH!!
OH GOD, PLEASE REMOVE IT.
Oh my, I wonder what "religious documents they used to make their decision??? I know a document that they didn't use...
Yes and no. It's sad because the Canadian revisionists just couldn't stop themselves from poking the rest of the Communion in the eye. This is clearly a case of Canada "knowing better," in the same sense that St. Paul speaks of it in 1 Corinthians 8:9-13.
But I think it's also going to stiffen the resolve of the Lambeth Commission, which is on balance a good thing. This is an obvious end run (a gambit to change the language, but not the substance), and the Synod's next step is likewise obvious. Clearly Eames, et al., are going to have to take a much stronger line than they would have had the Canadians decided to hold off on this vote.
Yet another church which is not Bible based. And what do you bet they were all wearing those adorable "I am canadian" t-shirts when they voted. It is over for them. Over.
Don't forget there were a lot of Canadian conservative bishops, priests, and laity trying to prevent this. I heard a rumor there was a limited walk-out (permanent or temporary?) after the motion passed. It's just that the liberals have the majority but the conservative minority have screamed a lot about what's been happening.
So what do these people who screamed do now? They better be moving on, quickly. Away from this awful situation. Let's see if they do.
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