Posted on 06/20/2005 4:26:46 PM PDT by kerrywearsbotox
One often hears people ask, "Why don't they start their OWN church?" Well, the reason is that their OWN church wouldn't have bank accounts, land in downtown areas, artworks, endowments, and church-funded schools. They want those treasures in order to give them power and prestige.
You will notice we never hear about attempts to take over the Southern Baptists. Southern Baptist congregations own their land and building independently. If they choose to leave the conference, they take those with them. Mainline denominations like the Episcopalians and the Methodists have their churches and land owned by the denomination. If a congregation decides to leave, they have to abandon their church building and any assets owned by the church.
I am convinced this is what is happening. I wish I had a way to prove it.
Start your own congregation based on the Bible and the Constitution of the United States of America and never let anyone but the members rule your church.
They've always had a giddy and odd sense of humor on domestic and sexual issues. Isn't it up to the "Supreme Head" - Elizabeth Saxe-Coburg-Gotha "Windsor" - to render a decision on such ecclesial matters as who can get married and the qualifications for holy office? I mean...uh...let's keep with the program gang. Or shut up.
There is really no need, though I do understand your feelings in this, Miss M. The simple fact that they lie, and that they blaspheme suffices to reject communion with them. If they really think getting the property is what it's all about, then there's a verse for that: they have their reward. I would rather worship in a garage surrounded by the faithful saints than in the most physically beautiful cathedral surrounded by heretics and apostates.
In Christ,
Deacon Paul+
Aside from the religious aspect, this is also a political fight. Once they control the denomination, you will notice they start speaking out using the church as their authority.
They are thieves, plan and simple. Some of these congregations have been supported by families for generations. Now those people are being driven out of the church so that a bunch of leftists can push their apostate agenda.
I think you hit the nail on the head. They're after the assets. Or to repeat an oft-used saying amongst those on the left: follow the money.
Well, they followed the money and over time they've come to control it. The righteous end up with a very difficult choice; to stay with the apostate institutional church or to leave.
Kind of tough to do if you want to keep pretending your church is apostolic. Otherwise, the liberals should just go over to the Unitarians. So they're fighting claw, tooth and nail for their agenda from within the Church. This is happening in all the mainline Churches of course.
I'm watching this all unfold with apprehension. I belong to a fairly conservative parish (one that opposes gay marriage and ordination of active homosexuals), a healthy parish, the largest in the diocese at about 2000 members. I do not know what will happen if the rest of the Anglican commune tells the north Americans to get lost, nor what I would do.
By the way, the infamous Bishop Spong singled out our parish for a couple of pages of criticism in his latest book. It seems that a book reading group in the parish was reading the the notorious book The Da Vinci Code. The priest in charge of adult education found out and asked them to please consider reading another book; he gave them a list of worthwhile authors. Some of the members of the group were offended by this, and left our parish for the most liberal parish in town. Apparently, Spong found out what was happening (the rector of the aforementioned liberal parish is a Spong protege), and wrote about it.
I met Spong once. What a pompous ass.
This kind of heresy is nothing more than the result of having a "rudderless" ship. There is no real central leadership. Without a leader this "ship" will go aground. These ships are legion.
It used to be that a priest who divorced resigned his position and was stripped of his office. Nowadays, they write new liturgies to celebrate the dissolving of a marriage.
In the late 80s, my bishop not only got divorced, but subsequently annulled his own marriage (five children). Later, he remarried a divorced woman on Palm Sunday and went on his honeymoon during Holy Week. He was out of the country on Easter. Clergy were not to conduct marriage services for church members during the penitential seasons of Lent and Advent,yet this bishop thought enough of his flock to thumb his nose at biblical teaching and church tradition. He was a senior bishop at the time. Now, there are several divorced and remarried bishops. Some even divorced their wives to hook up with homosexual partners.
God will not be mocked.
That whole "Windsor" thing is such a fraud. It worked good though....nary a commoner realizes that their Royal family are a bunch of Krauts.
Here's what I say: Never trust a man in a dress. That includes drag queens, priests and middle-eastern retro warriors.
Just the Bible will do - why would the Constitution have anything to do with founding a church?
"Praise be!"
LOL! Excellent!
The Constitution is not a Divine document, why found a Church with it, even in part?
I saw him speak a couple of years ago. He was indeed pompous and condescending.
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