sassa Posted August 6 Report Share Posted August 6 Gay minister confirmed as bishop NBC, MSNBC AND NEWS SERVICES MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 5 — The Rev. V. Gene Robinson was confirmed Tuesday night as the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church after surviving a last-minute investigation of allegations of inappropriate conduct. Conservative members of the Anglican Communion said they were considering whether to leave the church in protest. BISHOPS AT THE CHURCH’S Episcopal General Convention voted 62-45 to confirm Robinson as head of the Diocese of New Hampshire after a debate that mirrored the divisions in the larger worldwide communion. Thanking his supporters and pledging to work toward reconciliation, Robinson told reporters, “I am proud to be in a church which works to be a safe place for all of God’s children.†Robinson, 56, a divorced father of two, has been attending the convention with his daughter and his partner of 13 years, Mark Andrew, 50. Robinson was elected by his diocese in June, but the church required that a majority of convention delegates ratify his election. The Episcopal Church, part of the 77 million-member worldwide Anglican Communion, has been deeply divided for decades over homosexuality, and the vote on Robinson fueled those tensions. The American Anglican Council plans a meeting in October to decide whether to break away from the church or take other action. Anglican Mainstream, an organization of conservative Anglicans, issued a statement Tuesday night expressing regret at Robinson’s installation. It was signed by church leaders from Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America and followers from England, India and elsewhere. “We expect that primates of the [Anglican] Communion will be meeting soon to consider what action to take,†the statement said. “Dioceses and parishes in the United States who wish to remain loyal to the Anglican Communion will also be considering their position in the coming weeks.â€â€˜CHAOS AND LOSS’ The final debate at the convention sounded similar themes. Bishop Robert Duncan of Pittsburgh urged his fellow bishops to reject Robinson during final debate Tuesday evening, saying appointment of a gay bishop would invite “chaos and loss.†But the current bishop of New Hampshire, Douglas Theuner, whose retirement led to Robinson’s nomination, addressed critics who had said the diocese was trying to impose a “gay agenda†on the church, noting that “New Hampshire is not particularly an epicenter of gay culture.†He also noted protests from conservative bishops in the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church is the U.S. member. When New Hampshire chose Robinson, it was not thinking about “how it would play in Singapore or Lagos or Sydney or anywhere else,†Theuner said. He acknowledged that the election of Robinson had caused a “burden†for the church, but he said New Hampshire church members felt he was the best candidate for the job. ALLEGATIONS DISMISSED Robinson, whose appointment had already been approved in a preliminary vote Sunday, was formally confirmed after two whirlwind days during which allegations abruptly surfaced and then were dismissed that he inappropriately touched another man and was affiliated with a group whose Web site could indirectly link users to pornography. A hastily arranged investigation of the eleventh-hour allegations threw the church meeting into turmoil after several days of intense debate over whether Robinson’s election would strengthen or shatter the church. “In both allegations, it is my conclusion that there is no necessity to pursue further investigation,†the bishop who led the investigation, Roger Scruton of the Western Massachusetts diocese, said Tuesday in a speech to bishops. The most serious allegation surfaced in an e-mail message sent Sunday to Bishop Thomas Ely of Vermont by one of his parishioners, David Lewis of Manchester, Vt. Lewis asked Ely not to consent to Robinson’s election because Robinson “does not maintain appropriate boundaries with men.†Lewis said Robinson “put his hands on me inappropriately†at a church event “a couple of years ago†and described himself as “a straight man reporting homosexual harassment.†But Scruton said Lewis refused to lodge a formal complaint when Scruton interviewed him by telephone Monday afternoon. Gay rights loom large on U.S. agendaNO INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS Lewis said he was “made uncomfortable†by two brief encounters with Robinson at a church event in November 1999, both of which took place in public, Scruton said. Lewis, whom Scruton referred to only as “the individual,†told him that Robinson “put his left hand on the individual’s arm and his right hand on the individual’s upper back†as Robinson answered a question Lewis had asked. Scruton said the other encounter occurred when Lewis turned to make a comment to Robinson and the clergyman “touched the individual’s forearm and back while responding with his own comment.†No inappropriate sexual comments were made, Scruton said. Scruton said Lewis acknowledged that other people could have seen the incidents and viewed them as “perfectly normal.†He said Lewis told him that he “regretted using the word ‘harassment’†in his e-mail message. Lewis “indicated he had no desire to pursue the matter any further,†Scruton said. “He said he was thankful the church had taken this seriously and that he felt ‘listened to.’†Scruton said questions about Robinson’s role in the Web site for a gay and lesbian support group he founded also appeared to be moot because Robinson’s involvement with the group ended four years before the Web site was created. Robinson was not immediately available for comment. But some of his supporters called the timing of the allegations suspicious. The diocese of New Hampshire issued a statement Monday expressing “continued confidence†in Robinson, while the Episcopal gay advocacy group Integrity said it felt “deep frustration and disappointment.†“It’s character assassination,†said Robyn Cotton, an Episcopalian from Concord, N.H., who supported Robinson. ‘THE STUFF OF SCHISMS’ The investigation overshadowed the issue that had dominated the convention until then, the possibility that the election of an openly gay bishop could lead to a schism within the Anglican Communion. Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, is known to support the appointment of gay priests. But he has taken pains to avoid a split in the worldwide church over the issue, which has inflamed passions even greater than those stirred up by the debate over female priests in the 1970s. With Robinson’s installation, Williams will have little choice but to express misgivings to avoid alienating the Nigerians and other fast-growing congregations in developing countries, said Clifford Longley, a religion journalist who covers the church for The Daily Telegraph of London. “If he just accepts the American decision, then he will lose the ‘new Anglican’ communities in Africa, Asia, Latin America and so on, which are much more conservative than the Episcopalians in the U.S.,†Longley wrote in a Telegraph article. “This is a collision between a certain kind of traditionalism and modernity, frankly, and that is very much the stuff of schisms,†he wrote. NBC’s Jim Avila in Minneapolis, MSNBC.com’s Alex Johnson, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tranzwhore Posted August 8 Report Share Posted August 8 "Isn't that special? What's name? Um, I don't know? Gay Satan?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassa Posted August 8 Author Report Share Posted August 8 hahahaha...the thing that kills me is how they're making their case for a gay bishop. last time i checked sodomy, adultery, and homosexuality were forbidden in the bible. how can they say they're good christians and believe in the bible if they're contradicting it by their very own actions? just doesn't make sense.i dont hate homosexuals, but this really is a hypocritical, two faced stand. either you accept the religion as a whole or you don't. you can't just alter whatever you want or try to bullshit your case against it if it's there in black and white.this is really dumb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skince55 Posted August 8 Report Share Posted August 8 Originally posted by sassa hahahaha...the thing that kills me is how they're making their case for a gay bishop. last time i checked sodomy, adultery, and homosexuality were forbidden in the bible. how can they say they're good christians and believe in the bible if they're contradicting it by their very own actions? just doesn't make sense.i dont hate homosexuals, but this really is a hypocritical, two faced stand. either you accept the religion as a whole or you don't. you can't just alter whatever you want or try to bullshit your case against it if it's there in black and white.this is really dumb. I guess the Bishop isnt supposed to be having sex anyway. So maybe the church is just looking at it like, OK he is gay, just as long as he doesnt take on a homosexual partner:confused: About the religion thing, I think its okay to accept parts of it as opposed to believing in every aspect of the religion. As long as your only accepting what you truly believe and think is right. Obviously this case is a little different because the church is completely contradicting themselves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wideskies Posted August 8 Report Share Posted August 8 the Bible also says that women are men's inferiors, the man being the head of the household and all that. do you believe that too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skince55 Posted August 8 Report Share Posted August 8 Originally posted by wideskies the Bible also says that women are men's inferiors, the man being the head of the household and all that. do you believe that too? Absolutely....They should change things around a bit and make that the first commandment.j/k Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wideskies Posted August 8 Report Share Posted August 8 Originally posted by skince55 Absolutely....They should change things around a bit and make that the first commandment. in all seriousness, you can't "pick and choose" from a text if you claim it's God's literal word. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skince55 Posted August 8 Report Share Posted August 8 Originally posted by wideskies in all seriousness, you can't "pick and choose" from a text if you claim it's God's literal word. I was kidding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wideskies Posted August 8 Report Share Posted August 8 Originally posted by skince55 I was kidding yeah, i know what j/k means, thanks.i just decided to elaborate on my thoughts a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skince55 Posted August 8 Report Share Posted August 8 Originally posted by wideskies yeah, i know what j/k means, thanks.i just decided to elaborate on my thoughts a bit. well the way you quoted me and responded led me to believe you didnt know I was kidding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seximofo2k Posted August 8 Report Share Posted August 8 Originally posted by skince55 I guess the Bishop isnt supposed to be having sex anyway. So maybe the church is just looking at it like, OK he is gay, just as long as he doesnt take on a homosexual partner:confused: About the religion thing, I think its okay to accept parts of it as opposed to believing in every aspect of the religion. As long as your only accepting what you truly believe and think is right. Obviously this case is a little different because the church is completely contradicting themselves. Actually he lives with his male partner and was previously married with two kids in this religion i believe it is allowed for bishops to marry. I agree with you that a person can practice their religion the way they see fit. The bible, which is the framework of christian religion is even said to be writted by people, not the lord himself so hence it can be flawed......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skince55 Posted August 8 Report Share Posted August 8 Originally posted by seximofo2k Actually he lives with his male partner and was previously married with two kids in this religion i believe it is allowed for bishops to marry. I agree with you that a person can practice their religion the way they see fit. The bible, which is the framework of christian religion is even said to be writted by people, not the lord himself so hence it can be flawed......... Well my theory on the Bishop goes out the window. Totally agree with you on the religion thing. Even if it is directly God's word, it was written by humans which doesnt make it exact. Also this stuff was written a long time ago for a different culture of people. They bible also says eye for an eye which we don't practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seximofo2k Posted August 9 Report Share Posted August 9 Originally posted by skince55 Well my theory on the Bishop goes out the window. Totally agree with you on the religion thing. Even if it is directly God's word, it was written by humans which doesnt make it exact. Also this stuff was written a long time ago for a different culture of people. They bible also says eye for an eye which we don't practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sassa Posted August 10 Author Report Share Posted August 10 Originally posted by wideskies the Bible also says that women are men's inferiors, the man being the head of the household and all that. do you believe that too? quite honestly, i think christianity is bullshit to begin with. at least what the vatican created. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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