Although it is obviously impossibe to pin point what all Episcopalians are like, I am an Episcopalian in a “liberal” church and I love that it is open-minded and accepting. This is what all Episcopalians that I know love about the church—that it is a church home where people can find a commitment to equality, acceptance, and tolerance for all people. Questions abouth faith and politics are welcomed—they foster diversity, intelligent discussion and give an overall sense of community an understanding. As far has high and low church, its really just a personal preference to how “traditional” you like your church.

To Bishop Minns, et.al.: GOOD RIDDANCE! I hope you didn’t let the door smack you on your ass on the way out….

This group is forming its own denomination which it says represents true Anglican beliefs. I live in Virginia so this has been very much in our news since our Bishop, Peter Lee, is trying to keep the breakaway churches from taking property with them. Archbp. Akinola is very dangerous. He authored a law in Nigeria making homosexuality a crime. Akinola may also have been involved in a retributive rampage in Yelwa, Nigeria, in which more than 650 Muslims were killed by Christians. When four Episcopalians come together, you usually find a fifth. :-)

As a cradle Episcopalian, I can tell you that this rebellion has been fomenting for longer than Gene Robinson has been around. This bunch started with a group that loved the rituals and dignity of the Liturgy, but at the same time wanted to “modernize” it. The Traditional Episcopal Church has always put an emphasis on the Meaning of Scripture rather than making it Literal. The Episcopal Church has a tradition of being All-Inclusive, the belief that all of us are sinners and need to learn the compassion of Christ. And, then, as sinners, who are we to decide whether any one of us are going to be condemned to the depths of Hell? Hell, by the way being a metaphor for the torment of complete separation. These people, most of whom came in to the church from other denominations, even wanted to (and still do) wanted to replace the beautiful prayers written by Thomas Cramnor in the 1600’s with modern language, replace the traditional music with guitars and folk music, and get rid of the well known Book of Common Prayer. Most of the ones I know do not believe women should be in the priesthood. Then, when the social issues of homosexuality and abortion came to the forefront, they used it as the straw that broke the camel’s back. They received validation by this bishop from Nigeria, who had the nerve to say here in Lexington, that he was called here to “heal” us. Balderdash! The Bishop of Nigeria, if he is so interested in “healing” needs to see what he can do in his own country, which is running wild with poverty and corruption. I have said many times that the Bishop wants to marry us for our money because this is what the bottom line is turning out to be: They separate their group from the local Diocese and then go after the property. It is happening in N. Virginia, and many other places as well. Please remember that the Episcopal Church was a forerunner in the 60’s during the struggle for racial equality, it has sanctioned women’s rights, and it was in the Episcopal Church under the leadership of Sam Shoemaker that AA was developed into the proven program it is today. And, the church was categorically against Bushs’ war in Iraq. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/14/AR200810… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Episcopal_Church_in_the_United_States_of_Am…

I think the word “Angry” sums it up just fine. These people are always “Angry” You can even read it in their comments, the way the hate Obama, gays, it’s all about anger and hate. I don’t see the love of Jesus in any of this.

Corinne, why the need to lie? Archbishop Akinola did NOT author a law in Nigeria. Nothing is served by spreading lies, in fact those who do, are in fact supporting a lie. Akinola is a Christian, and he has a right to his religious beliefs. Just as you have the right to your own. As to what has been happening in Virginia, why not address the fact that the state laws back up the rights of individual churches whose deeds are registered in the name of those churches. Not the diocese, not TEC. After all, it is those churches, and their membership who bought the land, paid to build the church, paid for maintenance, etc… all these many years. Not the diocese or the national church. Why should the presiding bishop, Katherne Jefferts-Schori be able to steal the properties of individual churches and dioceses, claiming them to be owned by TEC, when TEC paid not one cent for them, nor maintained them? So she can sell them and line her pockets with the proceeds? She stole native tribal land this year, after she closed down mission churches that had been on tribal lands, claiming that she had the right to seize the land the mission church had been on, despite the fact that under federal law, the land is held in trust for the tribe. The tribes are pursuing the matter in federal court. It seems Jefferts-Schori is more interested in profit, than in the scriptural beliefs that she is supposed to represent. That is a hypocrite in anyone’s book. It’s my understanding that those churches and their memberships voted to leave TEC because the national church have forced Christ’s teachings out of the faith, and the values are not those they wish to raise their children in. The first amendment of the constitution protects their rights, including their right to free expression of their beliefs. What kind of precedent does it establish, to rationalize what is little more than the persecution and harassment of the rights of groups and individuals? Your mindset is not too different than those who rationalized slavery.. that you have a right to define, and control the rights, beliefs and expressions of others? That’s not freedom or equality, it’s the opposite in fact. The reason why so many women my age have come to find the women’s movement so irrelevant is that it has no basis in our realities, with it’s demand that all must conform, it’s attacks against individual freedoms and the right to self determination. As such, it’s regressive and frankly, rather fascistic.

BTW, in Nigeria, it’s not Christians killing Muslims, but Muslims slaughtering Christians. There have been a few instances where Christians have fought back defending themselves and their children, but that is all. From what I’ve read by you thus far, it seems that you find the truth inconvenient, but the European press has been filled with reports over the past few years, about the genocide in the Sudan, and across Africa, where Arab and African Muslims are slaughtering African Christians, stealing their children, forcing them to convert. Burning Christian villages, hacking African Christians to death, raping women. Archbishop Akinola has been a voice speaking out, demanding that governments stop the slaughter. He has warned that if this continues it will only serve to get worse.

“Nigerian Archbishop Peter Akinola once went so far as to describe gays and lesbians as a ‘cancer’ that needs to be removed from society.” As our friend Kryssi would say, are they afraid that they will catch “the gay”?

WAAAAH! BOOHOOOO! More divisive drama thanks to good ol’ Religion. How shocking. *yawn*

I’ve come to notice over the years that the ones who scream the loudest usually having something to hide. I’m sure there is a psychological term for it, but I have no clue as to what it is.