Episcopal Bishops Can Bless Gay Unions

Washington Post ^ | July 18, 2009 | William Wan

[Zakeet]

Episcopal Church officials voted yesterday to allow bishops the latitude to bless same-sex unions -- the second vote this week in favor of gay rights and one that may further divide the worldwide Anglican community.

On the last day of the church's triennial national convention in Anaheim, Calif., officials stopped short of creating liturgical rites to bless same-sex unions, but approved a compromise measure that allows bishops, especially in states where same-sex unions are legal, to bless the relationships. The key portion of the legislation says bishops "may provide generous pastoral response" for such unions.

The vote came three days after the church passed a resolution allowing for the ordination of gay bishops. Both moves have prompted strong reactions among the larger worldwide Anglican Church, of which the Episcopal Church is a part.

Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, the preeminent Anglican clergyman, had asked the Episcopalians before the convention not to take up issues that would further divide the church. This week, the influential bishop of Durham, England, wrote an essay describing the ongoing crisis as "a slow-moving train crash" and the most recent actions of the Episcopal Church as marking "a clear break with the rest of the Anglican Communion."

Meanwhile, gay rights advocates said this week's victories lay the groundwork for future moves.

[RegulatorCountry]

You find it odd that all Episcopalians are Christians? I find that odd..

You really believe a name, a few rituals and a building have bestowed salvation upon you, don't you?

That's sort of pagan, Forrest.

[Jacquerie]

A memorable passage from my 1963 copy of Medieval History by Norman Cantor:

"If not a cause of social malaise, homosexuality is symptomatic of some deep-rooted malfunctioning of the social and moral order. It is worth noting that in two other societies (in addition to the late Roman Empire) that exhibited quite rapid declines, the medieval Arabic and the twentieth century English homosexuality flourished in the ruling class."

I won't live long enough to witness how history will regard our current era. I hope that honest historians will record how the Left murdered Western Civilization and Christianity.

[highlander_UW]

Their signs are evasive in that they list what they’re really after last...that is, they want to force Americans to respect homosexuality. Sorry, won’t respect sin, rather it’s homosexuality, theft, murder lies or anything else and no amount of laws is going to change that. And the whole argument is fallacious anyway...there is NO right to marriage. A heterosexual person can’t marry someone of the same sex, just as a homosexual person can’t...no difference in treatment under the law. And if the return argument is that heterosexuals can marry who they want that is also false. They can not marry an under age person, they can not marry a close relative etc. So the entire “rights” argument is specious.