Posted on 07/01/2015 6:03:56 AM PDT by marshmallow
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Episcopalians are set to vote Wednesday on allowing religious weddings for same-sex couples, just days after the U.S. Supreme Court legalized gay marriage nationwide.
In 2003, the denomination made the trailblazing move of electing the first openly gay Episcopal bishop. Since then, many dioceses have allowed their priests to perform civil same-sex weddings.
Still, the church hadn't changed its own laws on marriage.
The vote on gay marriage is expected around midday in Salt Lake City at the denomination's national assembly.
The proposal would eliminate gender-specific language from church laws on marriage so religious weddings can also be performed for same-sex couples. Clergy could decline to perform the ceremonies. Right now, each bishop decides whether his or her priests may conduct gay marriages.
Among mainline Protestant groups, only the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) allow same-sex weddings in all their congregations. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America allows individual congregations to decide on the ceremonies, and the United Methodist Church bars gay marriage.
On the eve of the U.S. vote, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, spiritual leader of the world's Anglicans, released a statement expressing deep concern about the potential impact of changing the definition of marriage in Episcopal church law.
The Episcopal Church is the U.S. body of the Anglican Communion, an 80 million-member global fellowship of churches. Ties among Anglicans have been strained since Episcopalians in 2003 elected Bishop Gene Robinson, who lived openly with his male partner, to lead the Diocese of New Hampshire. Welby has been struggling to keep good relations among the churches.
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted2.ap.org ...
They can just change it by executive order. The supreme court has their back.
That didn’t take long.
They’ll ok it. And if they didn’t some higher up will ok it. Just like in California. Citizens there voted 61% in 2008 for one man one woman. A judge they were wrong.
“Since then, many dioceses have allowed their priests to perform civil same-sex weddings.”
If a group gets their theological take on marriage from what the state happens to accept as marriage at any one time, I suppose this makes perfect sense somehow.
Freegards
Excerpt: (Emphasis mine)
"Sec. 2. Before solemnizing a marriage Holy Matrimony the Member of the Clergy shall have ascertained:
(a) That both parties have the right to contract a marriage according to the laws of the State, if the marriage is to have legal effect.
(b) That both parties understand that Holy Matrimony is a physical and spiritual union of a man and a woman two persons, entered into within the community of faith, by mutual consent of heart, mind, and will, and with intent that it be lifelong.
(c) That both parties freely and knowingly consent to such marriage, without fraud, coercion, mistake as to identity of a partner, or mental reservation.
(d) That at least one of the parties has received Holy Baptism.
(e) That both parties have been instructed as to the nature, meaning, and purpose of Holy Matrimony by the Member of the Clergy, or that they have both received such instruction from persons known by the Member of the Clergy to be competent and responsible.
Can't wait to hear what the instructions as to the "nature, meaning and purpose of Holy Matrimony" will be.
I intend to bring up to my priest and bishop after they ratify these motions. I am sure they will.
bttt
Matthew 19:4-5
-------------------
"from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’...
‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife...
The Lord didn't say, "be joined to his 'partner' or 'boyfriend.' It's quite clear what He said... it's not that hard to figure out.
So when the pro-homo set argues the only reference to homosexuality is in Leviticus, the counter point is... "read and tell me what you don't understand about Matthew 19:4-5."
In other news, water is wet.
Episcopalian: The Bible-It’s a vote.
Yeah, the only mentioning man-woman marriage as acceptable is the real statement.
But the days come where the false churches will show their colors more and more as they go farther and farther off from the Word according to God.
What’s even more amazing is the fact that it was Jesus himself who said that a man should join to his wife and none else.
That's one of the few ways to use "Episcopalians" and "Churches" in the same sentence. /jk
Satan has The Episcopal Church by the throat and has been ruling it for years. Saddens me — as a cradle Episcopalian, now a traditional Anglican — to witness this occurring to the church of Presidents.
In the coming persecution those coming for our figurative heads will point to churches like the Episcopalians as the true church.
“See! They allow gay weddings!”
A ‘church’ of apostates and unbelievers.
I imagine if the Ten Commandments were put up for a vote there might be less of them
“Citizens there voted 61% in 2008 for one man one woman.”
That was practically a century in cultural terms. I took no comfort in 2008 from this outcome. It was horrifying that such a vote even took place. Even worse that 39% went the other way.
If you are referring to prop. 8, it only passed by 52%, losing 9% in the 8 years since prop. 22, which passed by 61% in the year 2000. I think prop. 22 was overturned by the state SC and prop. 8 by fed judges.
FReegards
This is as it should be.
Marriage is of the church, not of the government.
Let each church decide where it stands on this issue.
God will sort out which churches will prosper and which will not.
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