I ask you to forgive me in advance. I am about to be more scathing and judgmental than I have ever been on this blog.
I believe that there are dark demonic forces at work and rule over the Episcopal Church of North America, and I refuse to ever set foot in another church that concedes any sort of authority to their bishops or priests. I know that there are individual parishes that do not “believe the same things” as the entire Episcopal church, but I honestly find it hard to care. When someone is ordained in the Episcopal church, they have taken vows before God to uphold its doctrines. Simple as that. To say they are not culpable for the grievous beliefs and heretical doctrines of their leaders is to undermine and deconstruct the very meaning of a vow.
Lest you think I am over-reacting, let me list just a few of the things that have come to my attention in the last few years and months.
Let’s start with abortion. I believe that the average young American is un-informed as to what it really is, and that there is a good chance of changing someone’s views on the matter when they are presented with the facts. For example, I got even the toughest Lesbian Heroine addict in my “Flexing Poplars” classroom to admit that once the “fetus” has a heartbeat, it is a living human being. For some reason, no one actually wants to draw attention to the fact that the “fetus” has completely separate DNA from the moment of conception– they still want to believe that it is the mother’s body. Or they call the “fetus” a parasite, as a way of explaining the two seperate strains of DNA.
So, for some reason, the heart-beat argument was convincing for all of them. And then I dropped the bombshell. “A baby has a heartbeat at only 6 weeks of age. That is only 1-2 weeks after a woman would even realize she’s pregnant. Abortions rarely, if ever, occur before that time.” The kids were in shock, because they knew I was right. They were even more shocked to hear that by the time most abortions take place, the baby already has eyes, ears, fingerprints, fingernails and hair. And can cry out as it is being ripped apart with tools or burned alive with saline (the 2 most common abortion techniques, that can legally occur even after the baby is partially outside of the mother).
It was effective. The following semester, one of the 15 year old girls in my class got pregnant from a drunken orgy that she and a few others were participating in. Despite the criticism it drew from most of her friends, she kept the baby, opting for homeschooling and raising the child with the help of her mother. She said that the talk we all had in our English class played a huge part in her decision, because who really wants to knowingly murder a human being? She became a type of “Flexing Poplars” hero, bringing her baby to visit classes and eat lunch with her friends. They honored her sacrifice and understood why she did it.
Compare these hardened druggie kids, high (literally) on the most liberal teachings society has to offer, with the Episcopal Church. My first realization that they were outspokenly pro-choice came when I was rounding up funding for the Crisis Pregnancy Clinic I interned for in college. Every Episcopal church I called turned down my request, because, and, I quote, “We are pro-mother and pro-choice. Why on earth would we help you?”
Or take this recent excerpt from a speech given on July 21, 2007 by Rev. Katherine Ragsdale Hancock, where she calls abortion a blessing, not once, not twice, but eight different times. You can find the whole speech, but here is an excerpt.
These are the two things I want you, please, to remember – abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Let me hear you say it: abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done. Abortion is a blessing and our work is not done.
I want to thank all of you who protect this blessing – who do this work every day: the health care providers, doctors, nurses, technicians, receptionists, who put your lives on the line to care for others (you are heroes — in my eyes, you are saints); the escorts and the activists; the lobbyists and the clinic defenders; all of you. You’re engaged in holy work.
Saints. Heroes. Holy Work. Because they murder babies in the name of Jesus.
Does this make anyone else want to vomit?
I am getting too angry too continue on this particular subject, so let us turn instead to the Head Bishop of the entire Episcopal Church of North America,Katherine Jefferts Schori.After spending many years of her life campaigning for gay and lesbian bishops, she has achieved her wish.
On February 9 of this year, she won a 3 year battle with a conservative parish’s request to buy their building from the diocese. The parish community was willing to pay 3x the amount that the building was worth, but after an intense court battle, she was able to turn them down.
Who did she sell the building to? Imam Muhammad Affify, part of the Islamic Awareness Center. The church is now a Muslim mosque, the crosses painted over, the Rev. and the parish sent packing. Why? Because they stood up against some of the radical doctrines of the emerging Episcopal church. She said that she would rather see “churches sold and deconsecrated for secular purposes than passed on to the departing congregations.”
Oh, yes. And because Bishop Katherine Schori has been trying to extend an olive branch to the Muslims for years, saying, “Christians are functioning in the face of Islamic culture and mores, evangelism is a real challenge. …we remember the centrality of our mission is to love each other. That means caring for our neighbors. And it does not mean bickering about fine points of doctrine.” She has even helped to advertise the childrens’ programs that this new Islamic church has to offer.
Not to mention that Bishop Katherine’s own mother renounced her Episcopal membership and became Orthodox when the first woman was ordained as a priest. When she died, Katherine refused to give her mother an Orthodox burial, saying at her funeral that in her latter years, she had become “involved in cultish practices”.
I hope that even if you disagree with me on the dire straights the Episcopal church is in, you at least can see why I am utterly repulsed by everything of that name or affiliation.