Episcopal Church OKs Gay Marriage

The anti-gay Institute On Religion & Democracy has rushed out a sadz-laden press release:

Bishops and Deputies at the Episcopal Church's 78th General Convention have authorized a gender-neutral marriage rite that officially brings same-sex marriage to the 1.8 million-member denomination. In 2012, Episcopalians authorized a "provisional rite" for the blessing of same-sex unions. That rite included an option for bishops in states where same-sex marriage was permitted to exercise "generous pastoral response" and allow use of the rite for same-sex marriage.

Bishops making these changes have chosen to align themselves with culture rather than the Bible, which puts forth a model of marriage and family life upholding marriage as exclusively between a man and a woman. The vast majority of global Christians affirm traditional marriage. Unsurprisingly, there are no bishops in an official capacity from the Church of England here at General Convention, let alone from Roman Catholic or Eastern Orthodox churches. In enacting this marriage rite, Episcopalians are unilaterally redefining marriage and further distancing themselves from Christendom.

WASHINGTON: Christian Woman Disrupts Muslim Service At National Cathedral

On Friday the National Cathedral in Washington DC held its first-ever Muslim prayer service, much to the anguish of Teabagistan. The event was briefly disrupted by a shouting Christian woman, who has been interviewed by (who else?) World Net Daily:

Christine Weick, a 50-year-old Michigan woman with flowing blonde hair who lives out of her car, rose from the packed National Cathedral, the hall of halls in terms of religious prominence in America, and moved toward the front of the church. She pointed to the cross hanging overhead. That cross seemed to be the one thing nobody wanted to look at, she told WND Saturday in an exclusive interview. The Muslims had set up their prayer rugs in such a way that their backs were turned on the cross, which they consider an alien religious symbol. Jesus was a prophet but was not the son of God and never died on a Roman cross, according to Muslim teaching. Yet, they found themselves staring at a woman who demanded the cross become the center of attention. She then blurted out the message she had traveled all the way from Tennessee to deliver. “Jesus Christ died on that cross. He is the reason we are to worship only Him. Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior,” she said. “We have built …allowed you your mosques in this country. Why don’t you worship in your mosques and leave our churches alone? We are a country founded on Christian principles.” She had instantly become a folk hero of sorts for thousands, if not millions, of Christians who read what happened or watched the video that was posted on the Internet.

Weick tells WND that she is homeless because her family has disowned her due to her opposition to same-sex marriage and "other moral issues." She first made an appearance on JMG on Mother's Day this year when a slushee was thrown in her face as she waved a sign reading, "Thank Your Mom Today That She Isn't Gay!" Christian Nightmares and other sites wonder if it's also Weick that stars in last week's now-legendary "Monster Energy Drinks Are From Satan" viral video, which now has nearly seven million views. She credits the Drudge Report for alerting her to the event at the National Cathedral.

RELATED: In January 2013, the National Cathedral announced that it would begin hosting same-sex weddings, prompting anti-gay activists to launch a petition drive calling for Congress to suspend its federal funding. Last June when the Supreme Court struck down DOMA, the Cathedral pealed its bells for several minutes in celebration. The Cathedral has hosted state funerals for several presidents, including Ronald Reagan.

Headline Of The Day

Predictable.

Bishop Gene Robinson To Divorce

"Recently, my partner and husband of 25-plus years and I decided to get divorced. While the details of our situation will remain appropriately private, I am seeking to be as open and honest in the midst of this decision as I have been in other dramatic moments of my life—coming out in 1986, falling in love, and accepting the challenge of becoming Christendom’s first openly gay priest to be elected a Bishop in the historic succession of bishops stretching back to the apostles. As my marriage to Mark ends, I believe him to be one of the kindest, most generous and loyal human beings on earth. There is no way I could ever repay the debt I owe him for his standing by me through the challenges of the last decade. I will be forever grateful to him, and as I tell couples in pre-marital counseling, 'Marriage is forever, and your relationship will endure—whether positively or negatively—even if the marriage formally ends.'" - Episcopalian Bishop Gene Robinson, writing for the Daily Beast.

The Guardian reports on Robinson's impact on his church.

Between 1972 and 1986 Robinson was married to Isabella McDaniel, with whom he has two daughters. McDaniel supported his 2003 election as bishop of New Hampshire, which, caused conservative Episcopalians in the US to break away and was the subject of intense debate in the worldwide Anglican church. During his consecration, having received death threats and having been the subject of a smear campaign, Robinson and Andrew wore bulletproof vests. In 2006 he was treated for problems with alcohol. In 2009 Robinson was invited to speak at the inauguration of President Barack Obama; after his retirement he joined a think thank, Center for American Progress, with close ties to the administration. In 2010, announcing his retirement, Robinson told his New Hampshire diocese: “Death threats, and the now-worldwide controversy surrounding your election of me as bishop, have been a constant strain, not just on me, but on my beloved husband, Mark, who has faithfully stood with me every minute of the last seven years, and in some ways, you.” On the eve of his consecration, Robinson's hometown newspaper, Kentucky's Lexington Herald-Leader, called him: "The most controversial Anglican leader since Henry VIII."

VIRGINIA: 13 States + DC File Amicus Brief In Support Of Marriage Plaintiffs

The following states and Washington DC have filed a collective amicus brief with the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal in support of Virginia's marriage equality plaintiffs: Massachusetts, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington. Equality Case Files has the full brief. Money quote:

As in other cases raising constitutional challenges to state marriage laws, there is considerable agreement between Amici States and those States that defend exclusionary laws. All States agree that marriage is a core building block of society; as a result, they regulate entry into, responsibilities during and after, and exit from marriage. Moreover, States establish policies that encourage individuals to get and stay married because they recognize that marriage provides stability for families, households, and the broader community; that children are better off when they are raised by loving, committed parents; and that state resources are preserved when spouses provide for each other and their children. On all of these points— and many more—all States are in accord.

Gay-friendly briefs were also filed today by the NAACP, PFLAG, the Episcopal Church, the Anti-Defamation League, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Family Equality Council, and many others. See them all here. You might be especially interested in a brief filed by a group calling itself Historians Of Anti-Gay Discrimination. I'm just now digging into it, tell us what you think.

Tweet Of The Day- Bishop Gene Robinson

Details.

Episcopal Church Has Michigan Gladz

From the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan:

As Christians and leaders in the Episcopal Church, we applaud Judge Friedman's decision to overturn Michigan's ban on equal marriage as a step on the right side of history. As the case of DeBoer v. Snyder continues to work its way through our judicial system, it is our hope that future judges will continue to find that the denial of marriage to same-sex couples is a denial of human dignity and a denial of rights under the law. We look forward in hopeful anticipation to the day when we can recognize all faithful and covenantal relationships between any two people regardless of sex, both within the Church and within our society.

The press release is signed by four Michigan bishops.

MICHIGAN: Episcopal Bishop Backs Gay Marriage, Denounces "Irrational Fears"

“Picking and choosing whose rights should be protected or which civil rights the church will support is neither American ‘justice for all’ nor supported by the God of salvation history. I stand in support of marriage equality and pray that our justice system will work to break down the walls of segregation, promote the humanity of all and calm our irrational fears." - Bishop Wendell Gibbs, of the Episcopal Diocese of Michigan. The ruling in Michigan's marriage equality trial could come as soon as today. (Tipped by JMG reader Mark)

Petition Of The Day

Failed presidential candidate and probable vampire Ralph Reed is ever so pissed about gay marriages at the National Cathedral.

In recent years, the National Cathedral has received hundreds of thousands of dollars in federal grants. The Episcopal Church is one of the richest denominations in the United States and the oldest. According to Richard Ostling of the Associated Press, “the 7,364 congregations of the Episcopal Church receive $2.14 billion in offerings a year: Their buildings and liquid assets are worth untold billions." Why is a church with untold billions in assets and asking American taxpayers to fund their church? With this policy change, taxpayers are being asked to subsidize gay marriage ceremonies for a church that can readily access millions of their own funds. Pro-family and Pro-freedom Americans cannot sit idly by. We believe the definition of “marriage” to be the union of one man to one woman. If the National Cathedral wants to continue to receive taxpayer funding from Congress, they should respect Congressional action like the Defense of Marriage Act.

From the petition page: "Send a powerful message to Washington today by signing the petition below and making a contribution to the Faith & Freedom Coalition."

NEW YORK: Married Episcopal Priest Converts To Catholicism Over Gay Acceptance, Stops Fucking Wife

A former Episcopal priest who is pissed off about his sect's acceptance of homosexuality has become New York state's first married Catholic priest.  As part of the deal, he's agreed to stop fucking his wife.

John Cornelius will be ordained a Roman Catholic priest this weekend — and with the blessing of his wife they're giving up their sex life. Cornelius, a father of three, will become the first married Roman Catholic priest in New York — and Sharyl, his wife of 33-years, has agreed to the whole celibacy thing. “We have decided to do that voluntarily,” Cornelius told WGRZ-TV. “I have always had friends that are Roman Catholic priests and I appreciate what they've given up to serve God and the priesthood.” Cornelius, 64, is a former Episcopalian priest who converted three years ago to Catholicism. He said his old church had gotten too liberal for him. “There was the ordination of the homosexual priest in New England,” he said. “Then it came time for women's ordination. ... It may have been okay for other people, but it was just too much for me. “I needed someplace where there was order,” he added.

Mrs. Cornelius is reportedly thrilled with the new arrangement.

NOM Chair Denounces National Cathedral

Episcopalians To "Bless" Gay Unions

But it's still not really a wedding.

Same-gender couples soon can have their lifelong relationships blessed using a rite approved by General Convention July 10. In a vote by orders, the House of Deputies concurred with the House of Bishops to pass Resolution A049, which authorizes provisional use of the rite “The Witnessing and Blessing of a Lifelong Covenant” starting Dec. 2 (the first Sunday of Advent). Clergy will need the permission of their bishop under the terms of the resolution. The motion in the House of Deputies carried by 78 percent in the clergy order, with the clergy in 85 deputations voting yes, 22 no and four divided; and 76 percent in the lay order, with laity in 86 deputations voting yes, 19 no and five divided. The bishops had approved the resolution on July 9 with a roll call vote of 111 to 41 with three abstentions.

(Tipped by JMG reader Cody)

NEW JERSEY: Former Gov. Jim McGreevey Denied Episcopal Priesthood

Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey has been turned down in his first attempt to become an Episcopal priest. McGreevey, who resigned from office in 2004 after being forced to out himself, has been a seminary student since 2007. He converted from Catholicism shortly after his outing scandal.

Church leaders, who have long embraced gay parishioners and clergy, were bothered by McGreevey's bitter divorce, sources told The Post. "It was not being gay but for being a jackass -- [McGreevey] didn't come out of the whole divorce looking good," said a source with the Episcopal Diocese of Newark. Some leaders also were wary of McGreevey's sudden embrace of their faith after his scandal and feared the church was being used, the source added. After resigning as governor, "he was sort of looking for every angle to make a complete redo of his professional life," said another church source. "He ran to the church for some kind of cover, which isn't fully appropriate. Even if he's a good guy, he should wait five to 10 years to get over his issues."

Church sources tell the NY Post that it's not uncommon for first-time applicants to be denied.

VIRGINIA: Leader Of Anti-Gay Episcopal Sect Fired In Pornography Scandal

Episcopal Rev. Marshall Brown, who helped 14 Virginia parishes leave the main church in protest of the elevation of openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson, has been fired by his Fairfax, Virginia parish for viewing pornography on church computers. It was Brown's Truro Church that led the continuing schism in the Episcopal Church over the ordination of gays.

Truro's rejection of what its congregants saw as a non-biblical liberal tilt in the denomination made international news. Dozens of Episcopal churches have since joined an umbrella group of religious conservatives who oppose the acceptance of same-sex relationships and the idea that non-Christian religions have equal access to God. In 2005, Truro arranged for Brown, now 57, to get treatment for an Internet addiction after he reported having a problem, according to Bishop Martyn Minns, who was Truro's rector at the time and is now bishop of the Convocation of Anglicans in North America, the umbrella group of breakaway churches.

Since the split with the mother church, Truro has been embroiled in lawsuits over the ownership of its properties, which are valued in the tens of millions of dollars. Nice work, Rev. Busyfingers! So which was it? Manhunt? Sean Cody?

Openly Gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson To Retire Over Death Threats

Saying he is tired of the incessant death threats rained down from God's Gentle People™ , openly gay Episcopal Bishop Gene Robinson is retiring.

"The fact is, the last seven years have taken their toll on me, my family and you," Robinson wrote in a message posted on the diocese website. "Death threats, and the now-worldwide controversy surrounding your election of me as bishop have been a constant strain, not just on me, but on my beloved husband, Mark, who has faithfully stood with me every minute of the last seven years." Robinson was openly gay when he was elected bishop in 2003, but it aroused such passions that he wore a bullet-proof vest to his consecration. His ordination as bishop -- the first of an openly gay priest in any Christian denomination -- so divided the church that its General Convention in 2006 called a moratorium on "any candidate to the episcopate whose manner of life presents a challenge to the wider church."

PhoboQuotable - Jeff Walton

"Last week there were over 500 people who were killed in three villages surrounding Jos, Nigeria. These Christian villagers were killed for their faith. The people who attacked them were yelling 'God is great' in Arabic, and one of the charges against the Christians was that they were immoral. When a Muslim sees the newspaper headline, 'Anglican elects partnered lesbian bishop,' they don't draw a distinction between African Christians and European or American Christians." - Jeff Walton of the Institute on Religion & Democracy, saying that the promotion of Mary Glasspool to Anglican bishop will result in the murders of Christians.

Episcopal Church Names Mary Glasspool Its Second Openly Gay Bishop

Rev. Mary Glasspool has been named the second openly gay bishop of the Episcopal Church.

A majority of bishops and dioceses of the Episcopal Church have approved the election of the church’s second openly gay bishop, the Rev. Mary D. Glasspool, a decision likely to increase the tension with fellow Anglican churches around the world that do not approve of homosexuality. The worldwide Anglican Communion, the network of churches connected to the Church of England, has been in turmoil since the Americans elected their first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson, in New Hampshire in 2003. Theological conservatives in the Communion say the Bible condemns homosexuality, while liberals say the Scripture is open to interpretation. Bishop Glasspool, 56, is to be consecrated as one of two new assistant bishops, known as suffragan bishops, in Los Angeles on May 15. Both elected suffragan bishops are women — the first ever to serve in the diocese.

In October of last year, the Pope invited Anglicans to join the Catholic Church if they were disgusted with open gays and women in the pulpit. The Freepers are already losing their shit over Glasspool's promotion. A sampling:

-"A God scorned will unleash the fury of hell!"
-"It is the new American plan. The Gays take over the church, and the Marxist take over the government."
- "Lucifer must be laughing has ass off."
- "Mary Cesspool — the dyke version of Vikie Gene Robinson."

Episcopal Church Aids NYC's LGBT Homeless Youth Shelter

Carl Siciliano, executive director of NYC's Ali Forney Center, writes to direct us to a story in today's New York Times about the aid recently given his organization by the Long Island Episcopal Church.

Since 2002, when he opened the Ali Forney Center, which helps homeless gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth, Carl Siciliano says, he has often witnessed the baleful effects of some religious institutions on some young people. He said he had regularly heard stories about priests verbally or physically abusing youngsters who had come out to their parents, urging them to suppress their sexuality and telling parents to disown their children. So when the Episcopal Community Services of Long Island contacted Mr. Siciliano about creating a shelter for homeless gay youths, he paused.

But a $200,000 donation later, the charity, and the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island, of which it is a part, helped create a new 16-bed shelter at the Church of St. Andrew’s in Astoria. The Ali Forney Center, which is named for a gay homeless teenager who was killed in 1997 and which has seen its budget cut in the past year by nearly $450,000 because of the economic downturn, is partnering with the church in operating the shelter. “For a lot of us, when we hear about Christianity, our stomachs kind of churn,” Mr. Siciliano said in an interview. “Another part of me is very grateful the church is making this kind of gesture.”

He added that the gift comes at a time when religious organizations and gay rights activists have clashed over issues ranging from marriage equality to the recent appointment of an openly gay bishop. But the partnership is less about politics than about simple charity, said Bishop Lawrence C. Provenzano, who represents 146 congregations in the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island (which includes Brooklyn and Queens). “I think it’s an obligation to care for God’s people,” Bishop Provenzano said. “This is basic nuts-and-bolts Christianity.”

One of AFC's first clients tells the NYT: "It’s really gratifying to see a church behave like a church."

RELATED: Nationwide the Episcopal Church is again the subject of harsh criticism by other denominations for their decision last week to elevate openly lesbian Rev. Canon Mary D. Glasspool to bishop. Glasspool is the second openly gay Episcopal bishop since Rev. Gene Robinson took office in 2004. Her promotion has renewed calls to expel the U.S. Episcopal Church from the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Episcopal Priests In Massachusetts OK'd To Officiate At Gay Weddings

In a decision sure to rile the Christian right, the Episcopal bishop of Massachusetts has granted priests permission to solemnize same-sex weddings.

The decision by Bishop M. Thomas Shaw III was immediately welcomed by advocates of gay rights in the Episcopal Church, who have chafed at local rules that allowed priests to bless same-sex couples, but not sign the documents that would solemnize their marriages. The decision is likely to exacerbate tensions in the Episcopal Church and the global denomination to which it belongs, the Anglican Communion, which has faced significant division in the wake of the election of an openly gay priest as bishop of New Hampshire in 2003. “The time has come,’’ Shaw said in a telephone interview. “It’s time for us to offer to gay and lesbian people the same sacrament of fidelity that we offer to the heterosexual world.’’