WAXING GIBBOUS MOON

The picture shows the moon as it looked when I walked tonight.

Waxing gibbous moon
The words themselves a poem
Turning full moon soon

A repost which I use from time to time when the gibbous moon shines in the night sky.

STEPHEN COLBERT SAYS...

Stephen Colbert on Facebook.

WHAT!!!

Oops! When I first glanced at the headline, I thought the cardinal was planning a same-sex marriage. Of course not!

The Telegraph reports:

Cardinal Keith O’Brien, the leader of the Catholic Church in Scotland, says the proposals to allow same-sex unions are “madness” and a “grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right”.

The cardinal’s intervention, in an article for The Sunday Telegraph, is the strongest criticism yet from any church figure of the plans, which are due to be unveiled this month by Lynne Featherstone, the equalities minister.

He accuses ministers of trying to “redefine reality” and change long-standing laws and traditions “at the behest of a small minority of activists”.

The Roman Catholic hierarchy never gives up in its attempts to interfere in the lives, not only of their own flock, but of everyone. I ask you: Where lies the “madness” and a “grotesque subversion of a universally accepted human right” to be left alone to live a peaceable life with the person you choose? A same-sex marriage causes no harm to anyone, except in the fevered imaginations of people who refuse to occupy their minds with serious problems in the world, such as poverty, umemployment, wars, famine, etc., etc., etc.

MORE CHURCH OF ENGLAND DIOCESES VOTE 'NO' TO THE ANGLICAN COVENANT - (ONE DIOCESE VOTES 'YES')

DIOCESE OF CHELMSFORD:

Bishops - 2 For, 1 Against, 1 Abstain

Clergy - 27 For, 29 Against, 7 Abstain

Laity - 31 For, 30 Against, 3 Abstain


DIOCESE OF HEREFORD:

Bishops - 2 For

Clergy - 15 For, 15 Against, 1 Abstain

Laity - 21 For, 23 Against, 1 Abstain

Defeated in both dioceses.

UPDATE: DIOCESE OF BRADFORD

Bishops - 1 For, 0 Against

Clergy - 15 For, 9 Against, 2 Abstain

Laity - 16 For, 15 Against, 3 Abstain

Passed in the diocese.

The total is now 13 dioceses in the Church of England voting against the covenant and 8 in favor.

MORE BIBLICAL FAR SIDE

 

 

 

Thanks to Suzanne.

BLACK COWS

A political scientist, an engineer, and a mathematician are on a train that has recently entered Denmark.

In Denmark, the first field they see has a herd of black cows. The political scientist says, "Look! The cows in Denmark are black."

The engineer chides him. "You're careless. You should say 'The cows in this particular field in Denmark are black'."

Then the mathematician says, "You're both careless. You should say 'The cows in this particular field in Denmark are black on one side'."

Thanks to BooCat's sister-in-law, who is a mathematician.

TWO STORIES OF THE DAY

BEGINNING

he followed the sun & she followed the
stars & in dreams they listened closely
for the beginning of all things, for that
was where they knew they'd find each
other

BEST OF TIMES

I'd like to leave you with something
valuable, she said. You probably already
have, I said, but we take most of our
lives to remember that, even in the best
of times

From StoryPeople here and here.

TO THE PROVINCES OF THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION:

"Sign on to the Anglican Covenant, and toe the line, or else."

"Where is the line?"

"We can't answer your question. You will know you've crossed the line when you suffer 'relational consequences'."

Cartoon by MadPriest.

FURTHER ON THE ANGLICAN COVENANT...

...the Church of England Diocese of Sodor & Man voted 'No'.

The count in the Church of England is now 11 dioceses against the Anglican Covenant and 7 in favor of the covenant.

Tobias Haller says of the articles in favor of the covenant posted on the Fulcrum website:

Meanwhile the folks at Fulcrum continue to produce articles I can only describe as deeply disingenuous. The most recent continues the gob-smackingly wrong analogy with marriage. How many marriage liturgies do you know that contain explicit language on the procedure to dissolve the marriage? (My emphasis)

I'm thinking...

CONSULTANTS REINSTATED TO INTER-ANGLICAN STANDING COMMISSION ON UNITY FAITH AND ORDER

Anglican Communion News Service:

Two consultants of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity, Faith and Order (IASCUFO) have been reinstated as full members at the request of the Commission’s chairman.

The redesignation of Dr Katherine Grieb and Archbishop Tito Zavala as consultants took place as a result of the Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams’ Pentecost letter to the Anglican Communion issued in May 2010.

This latest decision follows a request by IASCUFO chairman Archbishop Bernard Ntahoturi that Archbishop Williams reconsider the application of the letter to IASCUFO so that the consultants can be reinstated as full members for the sake of the work of the Commission.

Acknowledging that members of IASCUFO are present in virtue of skills relevant to the work of the Commission and are not present as representatives of their Provinces, Archbishop Williams has requested that the Secretary General of the Anglican Communion Canon Kenneth Kearon reinstate Archbishop Zavala and Dr Grieb.

Dr Grieb is a member of the Episcopal Church in the US, and Archbishop Zavala is primate of the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone.

Several days ago, I posted a link to the video produced by the members of the Inter-Anglican Standing Commission on Unity Faith and Order, which includes commentary by Dr Katherine Grieb and noted the irony that Dr Grieb's position on the commission had been reduced to that of a consultant. Well, perhaps someone or ones in the Anglican Communion Office, perhaps even Archbishop Rowan himself, saw the irony and recognized the petty foolishness of the original demotions, and Dr Grieb, along with Archbishop Tito Zavala, have now been restored to their original positions as a full members of the commission. Keep in mind that these demotions took place without the covenant in place. Who knows what will follow, if the covenant is adopted by a majority of the churches in the communion?