Diocese of Episcopal Church proposes making God Gender-Neutral

[Luke6_37]

I don’t know what you mean. My approach to scripture is the one outlined in Dei Verbum. That is the orthodox approach

 

[Luke6_37]

You really don’t know anything about Islam. The rise of Islamic fundamentalism is a modern phenomena. It has nothing to do with age old doctrine. In fact, it denies Sacred Tradition much like Protestant sects do.

 

[Luke6_37]

It doesn’t really bother me to be honest. The reasoning behind it is lame but at the same time it’s not like God has a gender.

You are right. I am surprised that on a Catholic forum, nobody has bothered to check the Catechism to see what it has to say.

Well, here it is:
370 In no way is God in man’s image. He is neither man nor woman. God is pure spirit in which there is no place for the difference between the sexes. But the respective “perfections” of man and woman reflect something of the infinite perfection of God: those of a mother and those of a father and husband

 

[ErraticFaith]

Oh, having to live along side them all on a daily basis, I dare say I know significantly more than apologists like you.

But, since further discourse will end in some sort of forum ban, lets not bother discussing it further.

Islam hasn’t changed in 1400 years or more. Keep on chugging that Koolaid.

 

[mcq72]

Reminds me of “Let the dead bury the dead”, or have their own way

 

[Sy_Noe]

Perhaps some are. We can’t believe we know the truth without faith.

 

[Luke6_37]

Oh, having to live along side them all on a daily basis, I dare say I know significantly more than apologists like you.

But, since further discourse will end in some sort of forum ban. Let’s not bother discussing it further.

Islam hasn’t changed in 1400 years or more. Keep on chugging that Koolaid.

Apologists are meant to correct errors and to say Islam has not changed in 1400 years is a gross error. Even a cursory look at Islamic history will show you that.

Your Muslim friends may simply not know the history of their own religion. Most Christians are equally ignorant. How many can tell you what was decided at the Council of Ephesus?

Islamic fundamentalism first emerged in the late 19th century. Hardly 1400 years ago.

 

[commenter]

Well, God doesn’t have a gender, but he revealed himself to us as a man, more for the mission he came to accomplish than anything else, I suppose. I think of God, the Father, and God, the Holy Spirit, as gender neutral, but I will go on referring to God as “he” because of Jesus and because one needs to use a pronoun for reference.

God “the Father” certainly has more identities, more realities, more functions and purposes than we can possibly know. The First Person of the Blessed Trinity has revealed certain things about how we should relate to the First Person. That means that for us, He is Father. What God is for the people on Mars, or for some other rank of archangels above Michael, I do not know. For us, he is still Father.

My male parent had various identities - Senior Railway Clerk, officer in the American Legion, Little League coach, and others. But in relationship to me, he was “Father”.

 

[Sy_Noe]

The Episcopal church seems to be doing fine in my area as well. I know the one in my town holds a variety of services, 4 total, on the weekends. The priests at it and the one in the neighboring town were both Roman Catholic priests previously. I think people talking about how many Episcopalians become Catholic is actually a futile exercise because it is a 2-way street. Some Episcopalians become Roman and some Catholics become Episcopalian.

 

[ConstantLearner]

The Episcopal church seems to be doing fine in my area as well. I know the one in my town holds a variety of services, 4 total, on the weekends. The priests at it and the one in the neighboring town were both Roman Catholic priests previously. I think people talking about how many Episcopalians become Catholic is actually a futile exercise because it is a 2-way street. Some Episcopalians become Roman and some Catholics become Episcopalian.

I agree totally, Sy. A lot of Catholics become Episcopalian. I know many Catholics who joined the Episcopal Church. I’m considering it myself. Catholicism, at least here, is far too judgmental and not at all loving.

 

[Maximilian75]

Don’t leave Peter because of Judas…

The truth is with the Catholic Church, not with the moral relativism of the Anglicans.

 

[jas84173]

Yah don’t bother my friend. We know better. No more bans for either of us haha.

Funny if you say anything promoting Christianity on the Muslim forum sites you get banned for life yet here we have to listen to this crap and can be banned for defending our faith.

 

[Sy_Noe]

Can we at least honest. We at least have had to place faith in humans at some point to reach the belief that we know wherever it is that we may believe the truth lies.

 

[Luke6_37]

Yah don’t bother my friend. We know better. No more bans for either of us haha.

Funny if you say anything promoting Christianity on the Muslim forum sites you get banned for life yet here we have to listen to this crap and can be banned for defending our faith.

I’m not looking for anyone to be banned, but nothing I said was crap. In fact, I would probably be banned from a Muslim forum for pointing out that the religion is plagued by Bid‘ah.

 

[billsannie]

I agree with you. Indeed, when I was writing about “getting bent out of shape” I was thinking of both sides.

 

[commenter]

The Episcopal church seems to be doing fine in my area as well.

Christ never said His Church would be “doing fine”. I am not one of those who regards the overall shrinkage of the TEC, or other denominations, as a sign they are Doing Badly. Shrinkage or Growth in themselves can result from Meeting the Genuine Spiritual Needs of People, or from offering people feel-good relativism, conforming to the secular world.

I wish Catholics and Protestants would quit nose-counting and drawing conclusions.

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I wish Catholics and Protestants would quit nose-counting and drawing conclusions.

Yeah, I think the Catholic Church overall would be better off with half the membership number but with the half that are left being really committed to their faith, then having double the number but most of those not caring about their faith and just sort of showing up at church on Sunday, or not.

 

[commenter]

Ok but we better make sure that half gets the doctrine. That’s the part that gets omitted today.

 

[ATraveller]

I wish Catholics and Protestants would quit nose-counting and drawing conclusions.

I’m someone who from time to time point out these data so I’m going to offer a defence.
The reason I point this out is because we’re constantly told that if things don’t change and if we don’t mirror secular trends, we’re not going to be ‘relevant’ and no one will go to church ever again. The last 50 years have shown that’s not the case. It’s more complex than that. Every time I point out these data, my point isn’t about what’s true or not, it’s countering a fear tactic designed to cause people to focus on how many are in the pews instead of truth and sound doctrine.
Even assuming such things like the topic of this thread do work effectively, popularity doesn’t determine what are true Christian teachings. We have standards for that and popularity is not one of them.

 

[LoyalViews]

There is one Church: the Catholic Church.

I thought I’d state that before reminding everyone that this proposal is from one diocese of the Episcopal Church. We cannot group all Episcopalians into this basket, because many orthodox Anglicans remain. However, I urge them to return home or join the continuing churches at least.