New US church leader says homosexuality no sin

[DaKCMan AP]

New US church leader says homosexuality no sin

Mon Jun 19, 3:50 PM ET


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Newly elected leader of the U.S. Episcopal Church Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori said on Monday she believed homosexuality was no sin and homosexuals were created by God to love people of the same gender.


Jefferts Schori, bishop of the Diocese of Nevada, was elected on Sunday as the first woman leader of the 2.3 million-member Episcopal Church. the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion. She will formally take office later this year.

Interviewed on CNN, Jefferts Schori was asked if it was a sin to be homosexual.

"I don't believe so. I believe that God creates us with different gifts. Each one of us comes into this world with a different collection of things that challenge us and things that give us joy and allow us to bless the world around us," she said.

"Some people come into this world with affections ordered toward other people of the same gender and some people come into this world with affections directed at people of the other gender."

Jefferts Schori's election seemed certain to exacerbate splits within a Episcopal Church that is already deeply divided over homosexuality with several dioceses and parishes threatening to break away.

It could also widen divisions with other Anglican communities, including the Church of England, which do not allow women bishops. In the worldwide Anglican church women are bishops only in Canada, the United States and New Zealand.

Three years ago when the Church last met in convention, a majority of U.S. bishops backed the consecration of Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first openly gay bishop in more than 450 years of Anglican history.

The Robinson issue has been particularly criticized in Africa where the church has a growing membership and where homosexuality is often taboo.

Jefferts Schori, who was raised a Roman Catholic and graduated in marine biology with a doctorate specialization in squids and oysters, supported the consecration of Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, the first openly gay bishop in more than 450 years of Anglican history.

The 52-year-old bishop is married to Richard Schori, a retired theoretical mathematician. They have one daughter, Katharine Johanna, 24, a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and a pilot like her mother.

Asked how she reconciled her position on homosexuality with specific passages in the Bible declaring sexual relations between men an abomination, Jefferts Schori said the Bible was written in a very different historical context by people asking different questions.

"The Bible has a great deal to teach us about how to live as human beings. The Bible does not have so much to teach us about what sorts of food to eat, what sorts of clothes to wear -- there are rules in the Bible about those that we don't observe today," she said.

"The Bible tells us about how to treat other human beings, and that's certainly the great message of Jesus -- to include the unincluded."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060619/...HBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-

[mlyonsd]

Nothing coming from the mouth of a woman that enjoys dressing and looking like a priest would surprise me.

[noa]

Originally Posted by mlyonsd

Nothing coming from the mouth of a woman that enjoys dressing and looking like a priest would surprise me.

What if she enjoys dressing like Priest Holmes?

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by noa949

What if she enjoys dressing like Priest Holmes?

What is the summation of her encyclical on nachos?

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by redbrian

The large drop in “Episcopal” population is in large part due to the break away of the 1929 group and the charismatic group.

Whole churches left the fold if you will, on an individual base most parishes have grown along with the reemergence of religion in the US population.

The 1929 group is steadfast in it’s belief that only the 1929 prayer book should be used, this group I believe is dying off as it’s members die off....

First you denied the decline, now you seem to be mischaracterizing it. The decline I pointed to was from 1960-2004. It says nothing about the 1929 breakaway, or any trend from 1929 to 1960. The drop has come in the last 45 years or so. And it parallels similar drops in the membership of other liberal churches, amid a simultaneous increase in membership in conservative congregations.

The Reagan "conservative tide" that historians write about, is actually more symptomatic of the culture than the cause of the cultural change. And the demographics on the site I pointed you to, support that.

I was a member of the ELCA until 2004. Our churches politics and studies on the issue have led to a similar exodous from the ELCA. My family has been attending a local Luthern Free congregation--as we aren't sure we are quite ready for the Missouri Synod.

[redbrian]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

First you denied the decline, now you seem to be mischaracterizing it. The decline I pointed to was from 1960-2004. It says nothing about the 1929 breakaway, or any trend from 1929 to 1960. The drop has come in the last 45 years or so. And it parallels similar drops in the membership of other liberal churches, amid a simultaneous increase in membership in conservative congregations.

The Reagan "conservative tide" that historians write about, is actually more symptomatic of the culture than the cause of the cultural change. And the demographics on the site I pointed you to, support that.

I was a member of the ELCA until 2004. Our churches politics and studies on the issue have led to a similar exodous from the ELCA. My family has been attending a local Luthern Free congregation--as we aren't sure we are quite ready for the Missouri Synod.

Sorry but you misunderstood me; I don’t think you can find anywhere where I stated that the decline in overall population did not happen.

My claim is that individual parishes have not greatly declined.

I was not talking about a time period when I referred to the 1929 prayer book. The date 1929 is when one of the common prayer books was written, a modern prayer book was adopted in the late 70’s.

Both the 1929 prayer book group and the charismatic’s broke away from the church during the period you point out the large reduction of members of the church. I hope that cleared that up.

Of all the churches in the NW MO Diocese, I know of only one which may break away, and that is one of the suburban style churches located in Johnson County.

Missouri Synod is about as an unfriendly group as you will find, and this is from a friend of mine who grew up in the Missouri Synod.

[Spicy McHaggis]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

What is the summation of her encyclical on nachos?

We must refer to the "Council of Powdered Cheese" in 1295 to find the answer. And I quote, "Chips of the cornish descent shall be consumed upon the night of Arena and shall be topped with the cheese of nacho and no less than 4 jalapenos." Amen.

[Mr. Kotter]

Originally Posted by redbrian

Sorry but you misunderstood me; I don’t think you can find anywhere where I stated that the decline in overall population did not happen.

My claim is that individual parishes have not greatly declined.

I was not talking about a time period when I referred to the 1929 prayer book. The date 1929 is when one of the common prayer books was written, a modern prayer book was adopted in the late 70’s.

Both the 1929 prayer book group and the charismatic’s broke away from the church during the period you point out the large reduction of members of the church. I hope that cleared that up.

Of all the churches in the NW MO Diocese, I know of only one which may break away, and that is one of the suburban style churches located in Johnson County.

Missouri Synod is about as an unfriendly group as you will find, and this is from a friend of mine who grew up in the Missouri Synod.

Communicating here, can be ambiguous. But I hear what you are saying now. The decline though, in many liberal congregations is a concern among many folks I know though; especially, when compared to the increases made by conservatives--heck, even the Missouri Synod is gaining. All I know, is the politics of the ELCA is driving members away; and the phenomena appears to be similar in your denomination.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

Furthermore, this expert which you choose to so ignornantly shuck aside, also stated that women are also responsible in part for their roles in society as they accept and encourage their own marginalization. You are a direct affirmation of that very belief.

I enjoy being a girl!

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Spicy McHaggis

We must refer to the "Council of Powdered Cheese" in 1295 to find the answer. And I quote, "Chips of the cornish descent shall be consumed upon the night of Arena and shall be topped with the cheese of nacho and no less than 4 jalapenos." Amen.

And lo, the Cheez did emit a heavenly glow, causing the scribes of the day to turn thine eyes from the multitude of montrous men engaging in cataclysmic battle, and rest upon a beatific visage, surveying the scene from a lowly luxury box.

[Jilly]

Originally Posted by Mr. Kotter

Well, your parishes are the exception then...

http://www.demographia.com/db-religlarge.htm

33% drop in actual membership, 58% drop in per capita membership since 1960 would qualify as a pretty precipitous drop in the minds of most people.....I would think.

I will talk trash with the best of them. However, if I cite a stat or research, generally, I'm not talking out of my ass; and I've usually done my homework. I realize stats can be twisted, but this one's pretty clear...

As for your personal experience, fine. The Episcopal Church, and some other liberal churches seem to be pursuing this "niche" if you will.....perhaps as a strategy to attract new members for the first time in decades, or to stop the bleeding so-to-speak. And it may be working.....however, it goes against the trends.....

If you look at that same page, see which churches are losing members.....and, generally, they are the more liberal churches, with a couple of exceptions. The conservative churches? Most have been growing....several of them, substantially. But I'll let you look at the stats yourself, since you seem dubious.....

http://www.demographia.com/db-religlarge.htm

The decline in membership of liberal churches has everything to do with money and a society that promotes disconnect and the "easy" way of doing things. Conservative churches teach people what to believe adn how to believe...they talk in black and white. They teach this is right and this is wrong. The liberal church? Actually promotes thinking for one's self. Putting in the work to actually read and study what the Bible does say instead of taking it for face value. Conservative churches are growing, because we live in a world where people don't want to put in that kind of work for their faith or sacrifice anything to become a fuller, more connected Chrisitan. Answers...that's what everyone wants...and well, liberal churches rarely give answers....

[Dave Lane]

Originally Posted by SquirrellyBastard

She might want to read up on what happen to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodom_and_Gomorrah

You mean like nothing? Thats what really happened...

Dave

[Jilly]

Originally Posted by luv

I don't trust any woman that is in a leadership role at a church (church, not sunday school class or women's outreach ministries). There are also passages in the bible about that, too.

I was all supportive of you in other threads, until this statement. What the hell makes it right for a woman to teach Sunday School, but not preach? Or lead a Bible study, but not a church board? Seriously...that's assanine and ignorant.
According to the Gospels of John, Luke, and Mark, and even Matthew... Can I just say that if it wasn't for Mary Magdalene - that noone would have even heard Jesus was resurrected? If it wasn't for Mary, the Mother of Jesus, Jesus wouldn't have been born? What does that say about God's belief about the role of women in the church? That God chose to appear resurrected to them first and deem them to tell everyone else? And any passage you quote from Scripture about women keeping silent are from the letters of Paul....and they address a specific church at a specific time who had problem people in those churches.... Did you know that the first "deacons" or "ministers" (it's the same word in Greek) of the church that were ordained, by Paul, were women???? You might have heard of Priscilla???

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by TitsMagee

The decline in membership of liberal churches has everything to do with money and a society that promotes disconnect and the "easy" way of doing things. Conservative churches teach people what to believe adn how to believe...they talk in black and white. They teach this is right and this is wrong. The liberal church? Actually promotes thinking for one's self. Putting in the work to actually read and study what the Bible does say instead of taking it for face value. Conservative churches are growing, because we live in a world where people don't want to put in that kind of work for their faith or sacrifice anything to become a fuller, more connected Chrisitan. Answers...that's what everyone wants...and well, liberal churches rarely give answers....

That. . . or conservative churches promote study and adherence, while liberal church promote your personal relationship with Jesus, however you choose to define it.

[Jilly]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

That. . . or conservative churches promote study and adherence, while liberal church promote your personal relationship with Jesus, however you choose to define it.

Or the conservative church promotes having a relationship with God so that you can get to heaven and the liberal church says, hey, let's make heaven happen right now.... ????

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by TitsMagee

Or the conservative church promotes having a relationship with God so that you can get to heaven and the liberal church says, hey, let's make heaven happen right now.... ????

Are you hitting on me?