Episcopalians OK Allowing Gay Marriage in Churches

AP ^ | 7/2/15 | Brady McCombs and Rachell Zoll

[marshmallow]

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The Episcopal Church has completed its embrace of gay rights, changing church law to allow same-sex religious marriages throughout the denomination, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide.

The new policy won overwhelming approval from the top Episcopal legislative body Wednesday, following decades of debate and conflict. It came 12 years after the denomination blazed a trail by electing the first openly gay bishop.

"To finally get to this day is an incredible moment," said the Rev. Cynthia Black, of Morristown, New Jersey, a lesbian who has been campaigning for gay acceptance for years. "It is the beginning. It is not the end. There will still be people excluded, but at least we've gotten to this point."

The vote came in Salt Lake City at the Episcopal General Convention. Many dioceses in the New York-based church of nearly 1.9 million members already had been allowing their priests to perform civil same-sex weddings, using a trial prayer service to bless the couple. Still, the church hadn't changed its own laws on marriage until Wednesday.

The new law eliminates gender-specific language on marriage so same-sex couples could have religious weddings. Instead of "husband" and "wife," for example, the new church law will refer to "the couple." Clergy can decline to perform the ceremonies.

The changes were approved 173-27 by the House of Deputies, a voting body of clergy and lay people. The deputies also approved a gender-neutral prayer service for marriage on a 184-23 vote. The House of Bishops had given authorization for both measures a day earlier.

The measures take effect the first Sunday of Advent, Nov. 29.

The Episcopal Church is the U.S. wing of the Anglican Communion, an 80 million-member global fellowship of churches. Ties among Anglicans have been strained.......

[Dr. Thorne]

“Episcopalians OK”? They are far more than OK. They will cheer while the Sodomites consummate on the altar!

[Paulie]

They went off the reservation a long time ago anyway, didn’t they?

[NKP_Vet]

The Episcopal Church sold it’s soul to the devil many years ago. Thousands of Episcopalians every year convert to Catholicism. Entire parishes have been converted. The reason? The Catholics never-changing doctrine on faith and morals.

[silverleaf]

Don’t like God’s laws? Re-vote

[SaveFerris]

The apostasy comes first. Then the Antichrist.

2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 King James Version (KJV)

7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:

9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,

10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:

12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

---

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 King James Version (KJV)

1 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;

4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

[Red Badger]

Changing church law does not change God’s Law........................

[Ransomed]

Imagine taking your theological cues from whatever the state happens to also accept about them at any one time. It took the state accepting ‘gay marriage’ for them to actually marry their own gay members, even though they obviously believed ‘gay marriage’ was possible before.

Freegards

[dila813]

CINOs

Just a supper club.

[Dr. Thorne]

Far more leave the Episcopal church and go to a Bible-based Evangelical church. Nice try at apostate propaganda though.

[RushIsMyTeddyBear]

Bump.

[SaveFerris]

yep

[tanknetter]

There will still be people excluded

Those excluded people will consist of traditionalists and anyone who says that the views of traditionalists should at least be acknowledged and respected, even if not agreed with.

[SaveFerris]

We’ll ping a few more........................

[MrB]

Apostate Church - you do realize the Beast will let you ride for a while then eat you?

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

“Come out from among them”-St. Paul

[MrB]

I’ve got an “over-under” of 6 weeks from the SCOTUS decision until the first evangelical church is sued.

That might be giving too much time. It might be more like 3 weeks.

[circlecity]

A synagogue of Satan.

[tanknetter]

Imagine taking your theological cues from whatever the state happens to also accept about them at any one time

Keep in mind that this is the founding tradition of the Episcopal Church, which is part of the larger Anglican Communion that derives from the Church of England. Which broke from the Roman Catholic Church over a political dispute (divorce) between Henry VIII and the Pope.

[tanknetter]

Clarification to my above: royal divorce in the service of producing royal heirs, not just divorce.