Episcopal diocese (Pittsburgh) votes to leave church

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | October 4, 2008

[rightwingintelligentsia]

The Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has voted to leave the Episcopal Church and join a more conservative province of the Anglican Church.

The vote was taken today at St. Martin's Episcopal Church in Monroeville. The results were greeted with silence.

Immediately after the results were announced, the Rev. Harold Lewis from Calvary Church in East Liberty announced that his church would stay with the Episcoal Church and not follow the lead of the diocese.

--snip--

Those who supported the split say it has been decades in coming. They point to Episcopalians who doubt the divinity of Jesus, blessing dogs as part of the liturgy, allowing marriage of same sex couples and the ordination of openly gay teaching.

[lilylangtree]

Satan’s greatest desire is to make sin acceptable in the eyes of the worshipers. And it’s working.

[muawiyah]

It shouldn’t have had to have come to this. Your leadership could have simply abandoned religion and gone off into the woods to run naked and free communing with the trees or something.

[Mark was here]

Blessing dogs? I could see saying a kind word for someone who lost a pet, but do doggies get to go to people heaven?

[ninergold3]

Our country is becoming morally bankrupt. There is a definate split between right and wrong and when the time comes, we better make sure we are on the right side.

Did anyone see the post here yesterday about Women of Faith and their conference call with Michelle Obama?

I just called Women of Faith. Before I called I went to the WOF "Statement of Faith". Number 1 says, "The Bible...is the infallible, inerrant Word of God". So, I called. I spoke with someone named Shannon and asked her about the conference call that WOF sponsored with Michelle Obama yesterday. Shannon said she knew nothing about it.

I explained what I had seen and asked how WOF could support a pro-abortion candidate when their statement of faith says that the Bible is the infallible, inerrant Word of God?" She said that WOF focuses on the things that "unite" rather than "divide" Christians. I - very respectfully and calmly - repeated my stand.

I could tell Shannon was getting irritated and she said that WOF is "non-denominational". I told her that the church I attended was also non-denominational and that we study the Bible, book by book, chapter by chapter and sometimes even word by word".

I asked again about the support of a pro-abortion candidate and said that I just wanted a good answer, being that their statement of faith and their teachings don't match. At this point Shannon kind of "snapped". She went off on how WOF "doesn't teach". They are just a "gathering place" for believers to be uplifted, told how much God loves them and to be united with other women who feel the same. Then she got really ticked and said that she would transfer me to someone who might feel the same way I do and who might care! Hello??

I couldn't hear the woman who's voicemail I got but I left a very respectful message and asked for a call back. I figure I'll either hear from them on Monday OR I won't hear back from them at all. I'll let y'all know if I hear anything.

[lilylangtree]

Sounds like another cover for NOW. Good luck!

[count-your-change]

The leaders can huff and puff and take decades to make up their minds enough to vote but the individual members are making their own decisions about the pseudo Christian churches. Properly so as each person is judged on the basis of their own actions.

[Arkinsaw]

It shouldn’t have had to have come to this. Your leadership could have simply abandoned religion and gone off into the woods to run naked and free communing with the trees or something.

There is no reason to CHANGE a religion unless you are aiming to destroy it. Because anyone can go off and form a religion that mirrors their beliefs. They do not have to change a pre-existing religion to mirror their beliefs.

If you do not believe in the precepts of the religion you are in....go form one that you do believe in....do not agitate for changing the one you are in out from under those who DO believe in it.

[LottieDah]

“Satan’s greatest desire is to make sin acceptable in the eyes of the worshipers. And it’s working.”

All riches don’t come from the Lord...that is why Satan is getting more and more people in his corner.

[I_Like_Spam]

The blessing of dogs isn’t really a “liberal” rite, but more of a traditional one associated with the feast of St. Francis which just happens to be today.

I don’t think that it has much to do with the actions taken today in Monroeville or the underlying controversy.

[sionnsar]

Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams.

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Humor: The Anglican Blue

Speak the truth in love. Eph 4:15

[sionnsar]

blessing dogs as part of the liturgy

Huh?

[sionnsar]

The blessing of dogs isn’t really a “liberal” rite, but more of a traditional one associated with the feast of St. Francis which just happens to be today.

Ah. Thanks. I didn't think of that but it should have been obvious.

[AnAmericanMother]

It's St. Francis's day, the patron of animals.

I took my two Labrador hunting dogs to church (all of us in our hunting gear) to be blessed. The blessing is actually performed in an outdoor chapel, not in the church itself.

Don't know if dogs get to go to heaven. I kind of subscribe to C.S. Lewis's idea that man's ancient prerogative is to ennoble animals and raise them to a higher level (see That Hideous Strength). After all, the animals are part of Creation, and God Himself pronounced them good.

[Huber]

As you know, the Blessing of the Animals is usually held outside of the church, and is certainly not part of the liturgy.

Two decades ago, I was invited to the Feast of the Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in NYC. As you can imagine it was about as New Age as possible, with elephants and other animals processing down the central aisle of the cathedral to music performed by the Paul Winter Consorte featuring the recorded howls of wolves and humpback whale singing.

Needless to say, we didn’t get a whole lot out of the service!

[Huber]

As you know, the Blessing of the Animals is usually held outside of the church, and is certainly not part of the liturgy.

Two decades ago, I was invited to the Feast of the Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in NYC. As you can imagine it was about as New Age as possible, with elephants and other animals processing down the central aisle of the cathedral to music performed by the Paul Winter Consorte featuring the recorded howls of wolves and humpback whale singing.

Needless to say, we didn’t get a whole lot out of the service!

[Huber]

As you know, the Blessing of the Animals is usually held outside of the church, and is certainly not part of the liturgy.

Two decades ago, I was invited to the Feast of the Blessing of the Animals at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in NYC. As you can imagine it was about as New Age as possible, with elephants and other animals processing down the central aisle of the cathedral to music performed by the Paul Winter Consorte featuring the recorded howls of wolves and humpback whale singing.

Needless to say, we didn’t get a whole lot out of the service!

[sionnsar]

Ugh. There was a short period in my life where I kind of like Paul Winter Consort. But that was a long time ago.

[elpadre]

Blessing of Owner and Pets
******
Bless N and N, O lord that they may
be a comfort and joy to one another.
Amen
******
This is the blessing used by many churches during the annual Blessing of the Animals each October. What is wrong with it???

[LibreOuMort]

Remember at St Andrews in Ben Lomond when we took Danny and Kita for the blessing of the animals? And they say miracles don’t happen today.....