LETTER: Episcopal Church

Dear People of God:
We write to you today as the Bishops Diocesan of the three Dioceses of The Episcopal Church in North Carolina to share our opposition to the state’s proposed constitutional amendment, Senate Bill 514, also known as Amendment One. We do so as followers of Jesus Christ, as Bishops in The Episcopal Church, and as citizens of our state and nation.
We oppose Amendment One because the love of God and the way of love that has been revealed in Jesus of Nazareth compels us to do so. We oppose Amendment One because every time we baptize someone in The Episcopal Church, the entire congregation vows to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” We oppose Amendment One because it is unjust and it does not respect the dignity of every human being in the State of North Carolina. If passed, it will harm not only law-abiding gay and lesbian citizens but other men, women and innocent children in our state.

Kudos!

MiddleWay wrote:

Dear People of God:
We write to you today as the Bishops Diocesan of the three Dioceses of The Episcopal Church in North Carolina to share our opposition to the state’s proposed constitutional amendment, Senate Bill 514, also known as Amendment One. We do so as followers of Jesus Christ, as Bishops in The Episcopal Church, and as citizens of our state and nation.
We oppose Amendment One because the love of God and the way of love that has been revealed in Jesus of Nazareth compels us to do so. We oppose Amendment One because every time we baptize someone in The Episcopal Church, the entire congregation vows to “strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” We oppose Amendment One because it is unjust and it does not respect the dignity of every human being in the State of North Carolina. If passed, it will harm not only law-abiding gay and lesbian citizens but other men, women and innocent children in our state.
Kudos!

2 Timothy 4:3

3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

“ You have heard that it was said,‘ An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41 Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.

Hmmmmmmm.

I'll rake Jesus over Saul any day of the week and twice on the Sabbath.

:)

rake - take

LOL

40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.

Schori and company sure do love to sue.

Think Again wrote:

40 If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also.
Schori and company sure do love to sue.

Hold on there, not so fast there, Quicksdraw!

Schori and company is US. And, NO, we don't like to sue, anymore than we like being stolen from and then have the assets over which we are stewards to be used against us.

So, we have set in motion the wheels of pursuit that you always knew we would. That is the LAW. Your only question was and still is about how far you can go before the LAW catches up to you.

The answer is:

LOL!!!....

Not Very Far. Picnic is over.

Call it Love.

RevKen wrote:

<quoted text>
Hold on there, not so fast there, Quicksdraw!
Schori and company is US. And, NO, we don't like to sue, anymore than we like being stolen from and then have the assets over which we are stewards to be used against us.
So, we have set in motion the wheels of pursuit that you always knew we would. That is the LAW. Your only question was and still is about how far you can go before the LAW catches up to you.
The answer is:
LOL!!!....
Not Very Far. Picnic is over.
Call it Love.

Jesus says you are supposed to give your coat as well. But you only follow Jesus's teachings when it fits your agenda.

Think Again wrote:

<quoted text>
Jesus says you are supposed to give your coat as well. But you only follow Jesus's teachings when it fits your agenda.

It is one thing when you find yourself the victim of highway robbery.

It is quite another when you find yourself a victim of robbery and ransom with the perpetrator knowingly USING the Teachings of Christ Jesus to effectuate his escape, figuring that if you follow the Teachings to the "T" he will not be pursued.

Bad idea on his part.

Think Again wrote:

<quoted text>
Jesus says you are supposed to give your coat as well. But you only follow Jesus's teachings when it fits your agenda.

You shall not steal.

Shake the dust TA..........

RevKen wrote:

<quoted text>
It is one thing when you find yourself the victim of highway robbery.
It is quite another when you find yourself a victim of robbery and ransom with the perpetrator knowingly USING the Teachings of Christ Jesus to effectuate his escape, figuring that if you follow the Teachings to the "T" he will not be pursued.
Bad idea on his part.

Amen!

Those who follow the Law must keep the Law to the letter.

Tsk tsk.

And you just know TA is wearing blended fabric...

MiddleWay wrote:

<quoted text>
Amen!
Those who follow the Law must keep the Law to the letter.
Tsk tsk.
And you just know TA is wearing blended fabric...

Only cotton.

From the letter:
"While it is commonly thought that Amendment One is meant only to prevent homosexual marriage, almost 90 percent of the 222,832 North Carolina couples who would be immediately affected by this legislation are heterosexual couples who, for whatever reason, are not legally married. If it passes, Amendment One would likely outlaw legal protection for all unmarried couples. They could lose health care, retirement benefits, hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights and Social Security benefits. Nine municipalities in our state currently offer family benefits for unmarried employees, and these protections would almost certainly disappear under the amendment.
The amendment would also directly impact the children of these couples. It’s estimated that 89,537 of the aforementioned families include at least one child. Unmarried couples who seek to adopt children might no longer qualify as a family."

Does the Episcopal church not believe that sex outside of marriage is sinful? Shouldn't these people be married?

Think Again wrote:

<quoted text>
Only cotton.

LOL!

Uh huh........

Think Again wrote:

<quoted text>
Only cotton.

Do sack cloth and ashes count as a blended fabric?

paul b wrote:

From the letter:
"While it is commonly thought that Amendment One is meant only to prevent homosexual marriage, almost 90 percent of the 222,832 North Carolina couples who would be immediately affected by this legislation are heterosexual couples who, for whatever reason, are not legally married. If it passes, Amendment One would likely outlaw legal protection for all unmarried couples. They could lose health care, retirement benefits, hospital visitation rights, inheritance rights and Social Security benefits. Nine municipalities in our state currently offer family benefits for unmarried employees, and these protections would almost certainly disappear under the amendment.
The amendment would also directly impact the children of these couples. It’s estimated that 89,537 of the aforementioned families include at least one child. Unmarried couples who seek to adopt children might no longer qualify as a family."
Does the Episcopal church not believe that sex outside of marriage is sinful? Shouldn't these people be married?

Amendment One passed with overwhelming support across racial and denominational lines. Marriage in NC will continue to be as God intended it and as Jesus reaffirmed it in Matthew's Gospel.

Think Again wrote:

<quoted text>
Amendment One passed with overwhelming support across racial and denominational lines. Marriage in NC will continue to be as God intended it and as Jesus reaffirmed it in Matthew's Gospel.

Institutionalized hypocrisy takes another gasping breath in a prolonged period of inevitable demise.

RevKen wrote:

<quoted text>
Institutionalized hypocrisy takes another gasping breath in a prolonged period of inevitable demise.

Traditional marriage as ordained by God and reaffirmed by Jesus is preserved in NC. Despite the best efforts of the false prophets from TEC and elsewhere, the amendment passed overwhelmingly giving hope that our state and nation can be saved from its demise at the hands of the wolves in sheep's clothing who redefine sin as good.

Think Again wrote:

<quoted text>
Traditional marriage as ordained by God and reaffirmed by Jesus is preserved in NC. Despite the best efforts of the false prophets from TEC and elsewhere, the amendment passed overwhelmingly giving hope that our state and nation can be saved from its demise at the hands of the wolves in sheep's clothing who redefine sin as good.

How would our country be now if we had let the South vote on segregation in the '60s?

Think Again wrote:

<quoted text>
Traditional marriage as ordained by God and reaffirmed by Jesus is preserved in NC. Despite the best efforts of the false prophets from TEC and elsewhere, the amendment passed overwhelmingly giving hope that our state and nation can be saved from its demise at the hands of the wolves in sheep's clothing who redefine sin as good.

BTW, traditional marriages were arranged by the patriarch, livestock and daughters were all in the same category.

Marriage was not even thought about as a sacrament until the 13th century and the setting used by romans and others now wasn't developed until the 17th century.

So much for tradition.

Just think how many domestic partnerships among striaght people and their children have been affected by your new 'law'.....

MiddleWay wrote:

<quoted text>
BTW, traditional marriages were arranged by the patriarch, livestock and daughters were all in the same category.
Marriage was not even thought about as a sacrament until the 13th century and the setting used by romans and others now wasn't developed until the 17th century.
So much for tradition.
Just think how many domestic partnerships among striaght people and their children have been affected by your new 'law'.....

We can almost feel the subsonic rumble as all the straight people's lawyers get in position to bomb the amendment
.
Just one look is all it took