The meeting of Anglican Church leaders in Canterbury this week has resulted in the banning of the American branch of the church from various decision making and ecumenical meetings of the communion.
The decision was made during a four-day meeting of 39 Anglican leaders from around the world, after the US Anglican church was deemed too liberal for allowing same-sex marriage and ordaining an openly gay bishop. It was thought that the church could permanently split over the issue.
A statement said that the church should “no longer represent us on ecumenical and interfaith bodies, should not be appointed or elected to an internal standing committee and that while participating in the internal bodies of the Anglican Communion, they will not take part in decision making on any issues pertaining to doctrine or polity”.
Anglican leaders in Canterbury said the Episcopal Church’s approval of gay marriage was “a fundamental departure from the faith and teaching” of the majority of Anglicans.
The American church will be banned from meetings for three years.
Leave it to the Anglican Church to shoot itself in the foot for fear it will lose its only location for increased popularity: Africa. Places like Uganda. Meanwhile the Cathedrals and Churches throughout the rest will continue its ambitions to become museums. The Catholics are moving away from these unethical actions because they are becoming aware that this was never the intent from the Teachings of Jesus.
Underneath all of this outrage is a tradition of female subservience. Many Faiths begin with less demands, but a genuine intention to make the World a better place. By the time when Rome fell the Holy Roman Empire fled and split with the Orthodox Church, centred into a far more aggressive stance, changing with a premise that you must convert or die. Some of the followers of Jesus were concerned that the division would create a slower increase in numbers to defend their Beliefs, adhered upon a ‘pay as you go’ for the many Sins that were prescribed in the Torah, but also added other Letters, some from a man that never met Jesus, but contained enough opportunity for conformity.
Homosexuality struck as an incredibly easy way to eliminate harm along with the bonds of two in love was not comfortable with some men (but not so much with lesbians), as there will never be a majority of the population that is homosexual, bisexual, transgendered, or hermaphrodite, and since women were socially resigned at that time and locations to be subservient to men as part of the Hunter-Gatherer needed to provide massive families (remember Lilith?). The Letters chosen in the 5th Century CE were explicitly chosen to enforce, as it is something you cannot hide easily, and way to increase their numbers for defence of the Faith.
These approved and promoted texts, and manipulated the true manner and lesson of historic events changed the direction of Christianity. The threats of the Vikings, Visigoths and religions throughout the Middle East forced a need to gain numbers that were compliant, and willing to in order to defend them to their death, as well as a far greater cash intake. These rebranded Faiths and the followers were not as strict about sexuality and sexual identity, because they needed the numbers.
Once again the overthrow and expanse of Christian Orthodoxy to the East, and the return of the Holy Roman Catholic Church to Rome, and through some bait, incorporation of other Festivals was successful, albeit still tolerant of those that were permitted to retain their own beliefs over the centuries. They could still retain the usual Marriage Contracts, and as religious leaders needed to eat and build to impress they offered a blessing ceremony, but bonds of differing relationships were not punitively administered.
They were told that they are sinners, but were able to pay for a blessing to their Marriage Contracts in places of worship, as women were considered chattel, and a dowry was expected by the Father of the Bride, and a little more to the Church. Actually, a lot more tithes. This is why LGBTQI followers were tolerated. They would also pay tithes, and many would join monasteries and abbeys, providing education, skills, food and shelter. Modesty was a must within the places of Faith and Religious Studies, but Feudal Europe held differing levels of decorum, hence “When in Rome…”
And then came the rise of another Faith that shared Abraham as a vital part of their monotheistic religion. Islam. Christians became threatened by this far more aggressive Faith, especially with the Orthodox Christianity, with its battles between Christians and Muslims over Constantinople/Istanbul. Once it was overthrown, along with Israel/Palestine, tensions eventually came to a boil.
Attitudes hardened, and the more militant aspects of Christianity took the reigns, changing Christianity on a far less tolerant approach. Where there was a more friendly approach turned into less forgiveness and more about threats and punishments, particularly mentioned in the Books of Revelations and Leviticus.
The Crusades started what has become hundreds of years of stamping down on those that were once tolerated, filled with murders and genocides against anyone living where the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox Christianity were established. Martin Luther’s break from Roman Catholicis due to its corruption, and the subsequent Protestant breaks created Wars, the Spanish Inquisition, the expansion to the Western Hemisphere, and Colonial Expansion killed untold millions. But the actions from that horrible past are beginning to fade.
The cruelty of homophobia is fading throughout Europe, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the Western Hemisphere. They have been returning to far more authentic aspects of the Teachings of Jesus, where Compassion, Tolerance, and Concerns are returned to the pulpit. This is not the issue in the USA, which has seen recent positive changes. However, the Episcopal Church is not as relevant when compared to the older Catholic, Evangelical, and Mormon followers. These Churches appear to be far more in line with what has been said in Canterbury, and the reasons we see a far more militant and intolerant following from these organisations is not because of the Youth, but from the Baby Boomer generation that are still stuck in support for intolerance, hate speech, constant fear-baiting and the slippery slope logic which is backfiring.
Generation X and those younger are not committed to these unbalanced viewpoints, and leave them from what really attracts others to become Christian. They are required by their parents to attend these institutions, but the hatred and prejudice from the “Prosperity Pulpit” is showing signs of imminent collapse as the Baby Boomers retire and die. When we see the examples of so many nations walking the walk, which is away from fear, mysogny, racism, xenophobia, and hostilities to the vulnerable.
I understand the raison d’être with the Anglican leaders. There fastest growing population is in former Colonial nations, and the numbers are impressive, and still embrace the aspects of Victorian Anglican Missionary social attitudes, and have been threatening to split from Canterbury. It is a great divide, and I wonder if this is more of a political farce which will continue to fill seats in Africa, at the expense of its continued decline in America, the British Isles, Canada, and Australasia.