Gay US bishop fights exclusion from meeting

[GL]

LONDON - The first openly gay U.S. Episcopal bishop was barred from a once-a-decade Anglican meeting so he wouldn't become a focus of the global event.

Anglicans on all sides of the issue agree: The strategy has backfired.

New Hampshire Bishop Gene Robinson has been embraced by sympathetic Anglicans in England and Scotland who view his exclusion as an affront to their Christian beliefs.

Robinson plans several appearances on the outskirts of the Lambeth Conference to be what he called a "constant and friendly" reminder of gays in the church.

"I'm just not willing to let the bishops meet and pretend that we don't exist," Robinson said in an interview Sunday with The Associated Press before preaching at St. Mary's Church Putney. "They've taken vows to serve all the people in dioceses, not just certain ones."

Robinson said he felt "pretty devastated" when he learned he would not be allowed to participate in the conference, a key meeting that affirms membership in the communion.

He said he was also worried that he would flub his appearances in England this month.

"I so want to be a good steward of this opportunity. I want to do God proud," he said. "I have this wonderful opportunity to bring hope to people who find the church a hopeless place."

Gay US bishop fights exclusion from meeting

i'm glad to see him fighting this.

 

[Pushover]

More bullshit, yay!

So, this gay bishop or whatever can't go to this meeting because he's gay and might attract attention? You mean, the Episcopals are discriminating against their own kind, now? Who'da thunk?

"I so want to be a good steward of this opportunity. I want to do God proud," he said. "I have this wonderful opportunity to bring hope to people who find the church a hopeless place."

Good luck with that. Your peers won't let you ruin their faith because other people are different.

 

[Pushover]

When you don't believe in a god in the first place these matters really have no significance - except - that they're discriminating against him because he's gay.

But then ya see the church is a private organization and as such is not ruled by the same laws as say the civil service (who btw have won the right not to marry gays on a principle of conscience) so...where was I going with this?

He can fight and we can support him but ultimately he's fighting against what? a billion or more people? he's fighting against 2000 years of intolerance and hypocrisy based on fear and ignorance.

He should just get a normal job IMO.

Some 'private organizations' have their grips on world culture and thinking. You can't deny that.

 

[Pushover]

A normal job? One that doesn't involve hawking out false promises of a non-existent deity and a 'not-going-to-happen' heaven maybe?

....marry me?

 

[Giovanni]

When you don't believe in a god in the first place these matters really have no significance - except - that they're discriminating against him because he's gay.

But then ya see the church is a private organization and as such is not ruled by the same laws as say the civil service (who btw have won the right not to marry gays on a principle of conscience) so...where was I going with this?

He can fight and we can support him but ultimately he's fighting against what? a billion or more people? he's fighting against 2000 years of intolerance and hypocrisy based on fear and ignorance.

He should just get a normal job IMO.

So you are saying he should just give up? I know you don't care if gay people are accepted by religious organizations, but people like him fighting the good fight are important to the cause of gay acceptance.

 

[Giovanni]

Religion sucks IMO and fighting against it is a lost cause also IMO.

I already said kudos to him so how do you arrive at the conclusion that I think he should give up?

On another note who gives a fuck who accepts us? Perhaps that's the main power behind the non-acceptance of gays? The fact that we need the acceptance of others puts us in a vulnerable and needy position. Fuck them!

He should just get a normal job IMO.

This sounds like you saying he should give up. And it's too bad you feel that way.

 

[Giovanni]

I'm working on two levels here - an anti-religion bias and an anti-need-for-acceptance bias.

It's really quite simple when you think about it

You need to let your biases go.

 

[Giovanni]

Despite the apparent appearance of profundity that's possibly the most superficial (read stupid) thing ever said to me.

Stupid to you maybe. I and many others think otherwise.

 

[dpnice]

Stupid to you maybe. I and many others think otherwise.

And who are these many others? Are they in sufficient numbers to be taken into account?

 

[Syn]

I think it's appalling that the higher forces are excluding him from this meeting when there are sooooo many people out there that support him, namely Rev. Jeffrey John of St. Alban's Cathedral in England. This is a review from the Reverend Jeffrey John of Gene's new book "In the Eye of the Storm: Swept to the Center by God"

Gene Robinson is no revolutionary: he upholds marriage as a sacred covenant, but knows the same covenant theology can include same-sex partnerships too. For living this truth he has been scapegoated--not for being the first gay bishop, but the first honest one. By God's grace he has stayed strong, still trying to love his enemies into friends. One day the Church will understand what it owes him.

 

[star-warrior]

Death threats from Xtians? Who'd've thought that'd be the work of the church nowadays. Mebbe witch hunting is a little outa fashion today, but they've still got the same bloodlust to harm, the fundies....

 

[Shepherd 2]

He'll be able to attend the next Lambeth conference anyway, by then, the Anglican Church would have split, and the ones that excluded him now would be in full communion with Rome, and Catholics (isn't that what they have said they would do if they ordinate women bishops?).

So, in 10 years time, in the next conference, it would only be those that stayed Anglican, so he'll be welcomed.

I am a gay Anglican Priest, and I can assure you that ten years from now this won't be a large issue, and I would not even guess what will, but the Church continues to change, and yes there are women priests and bishops, and in time this will be a dim memory. I have not been abused or discriminated against because I am a gay man or priest. Episcopalians are in the vanguard in a much needed change in the Christian Church worldwide.

I am glad this has finally come to my attention so I could respond. Thanks GL247!
We will not be silenced or scared away. Take my word, the Episcopal Church will pass through this time and be stronger and so will the Anglican Communion.

Shep+

 

[ComNavFdgPk]

"The plan was drawn up by a group of bishops at the conference, who say in the document: 'We believe that the pastoral forum should be empowered to act in the Anglican Communion in a rapid manner to emerging threats to its life.'"

Here's the gist of it however: "The document says the moratoria asked for on a number of previous occasions are to be understood as 'retrospective'. The strong implication of this is that the openly-gay Bishop of New Hampshire, Gene Robinson, must resign if the Anglican church is to survive as one body. However, this is not stated explicitly and conservatives criticised the document as lacking teeth."

There is and cannot be any worldwide body in the Anglican Communion with the authority to force any bishop from his seat. Each country has its own governing body. The Episcopal Church in the United States does not owe allegiance to the Archbishop of Canterbury or, for that matter, any other prelate. These reactionary conservative bishops are just as pissed off about the fact that the Episcopalians elected a woman as the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church as they are about a gay bishop.