DIVORCED CLERGY MAY BECOME CHURCH OF ENGLAND BISHOPS

From the Telegraph via Thinking Anglicans:

Divorced clergy are to be allowed to become Church of England bishops for the first time in a move which has been condemned by traditionalists.

Critics described the change in Church rules as “utterly unacceptable” and warned it would undermine the biblical teaching that marriage is for life.

Conservative and liberal bishops have been deeply divided over the issue, which they have been secretly discussing for months.

While Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, supported relaxing the rules, John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, is understood to have fiercely argued against a change.

H/T to Wormwood's Doxy who says:

So +Rowan thinks that Jesus' plain words about divorce are negotiable, but not any of the other scriptural referents to homosexuality?

Veddy interesting.....

Jasper [The Great Dog] says to tell you all that hypocrisy reeks. And not in a good way.

Jasper knows the Gospel.

The Church of England will find it much more difficult to continue to dither over women bishops and hold the line against gay bishops.

Are all the churches in the Anglican Communion on board, or is this a unilateral decision?

"A GREAT URGENCY...."

FROM CHIEF ARVOL LOOKING HORSE
19th generation Keeper of The White Buffalo Calf Woman Pipe


A Great Urgency To All World Religious and Spiritual Leaders

My Relatives,

Time has come to speak to the hearts of our Nations and their Leaders. I ask you this from the bottom of my heart, to come together from the Spirit of your Nations in prayer.

We, from the heart of Turtle Island, have a great message for the World; we are guided to speak from all the White Animals showing their sacred color, which have been signs for us to pray for the sacred life of all things. As I am sending this message to you, many Animal Nations are being threatened, those that swim, those that crawl, those that fly, and the plant Nations, eventually all will be affect from the oil disaster in the Gulf.

The dangers we are faced with at this time are not of spirit. The catastrophe that has happened with the oil spill which looks like the bleeding of Grandmother Earth, is made by human mistakes, mistakes that we cannot afford to continue to make.

I asked, as Spiritual Leaders, that we join together, united in prayer with the whole of our Global Communities. My concern is these serious issues will continue to worsen, as a domino effect that our Ancestors have warned us of in their Prophecies.

I know in my heart there are millions of people that feel our united prayers for the sake of our Grandmother Earth are long overdue. I believe we as Spiritual people must gather ourselves and focus our thoughts and prayers to allow the healing of the many wounds that have been inflicted on the Earth.

As we honor the Cycle of Life, let us call for Prayer circles globally to assist in healing Grandmother Earth (our Unc¹I Maka).

We ask for prayers that the oil spill, this bleeding, will stop. That the winds stay calm to assist in the work. Pray for the people to be guided in repairing this mistake, and that we may also seek to live in harmony, as we make the choice to change the destructive path we are on.

As we pray, we will fully understand that we are all connected. And that what we create can have lasting effects on all life.

So let us unite spiritually, All Nations, All Faiths, One Prayer. Along with this immediate effort, I also ask to please remember June 21st, World Peace and Prayer Day/Honoring Sacred Sites day. Whether it is a natural site, a temple, a church, a synagogue or just your own sacred space, let us make a prayer for all life, for good decision making by our Nations, for our children¹s future and well-being, and the generations to come.

Onipikte (that we shall live),

Chief Arvol Looking Horse
19th generation Keeper of the Sacred White Buffalo Calf Pipe

Thanks to Ann.

WHAT THE OIL PLUMES WILL KILL

From Susan D. Shaw in the New York Times:

FOR the last few days, attention has understandably been directed at the shores of the Gulf Coast as oil has started to wash up on beaches and in marshes. But last week I had the chance to see the effects of the spill from another perspective — when I dived into the oil slick a few miles off the Pass a Loutre wetlands in southern Louisiana. What I witnessed was a surreal, sickening scene beyond anything I could have imagined.

As the boat entered the slick, I had to cover my nose to block the fumes. There were patches of oil on the gulf’s surface. In some places, the oil has mixed with an orange-brown pudding-like material, some of the 700,000 gallons of a chemical dispersant called Corexit 9500 that BP has sprayed on the spreading oil. Near Rig No. 313, technically a restricted zone, the boat stopped and I (wearing a wetsuit, with Vaseline covering exposed skin) jumped in.

Only a few meters down, the nutrient-rich water became murky, but it was possible to make out tiny wisps of phytoplankton, zooplankton and shrimp enveloped in dark oily droplets. These are essential food sources for fish like the herring I could see feeding with gaping mouths on the oil and dispersant. Dispersants break up the oil into smaller pieces that then sink in the water, forming poisonous droplets — which fish can easily mistake for food.

Though all dispersants are potentially dangerous when applied in such volumes, Corexit is particularly toxic. It contains petroleum solvents and a chemical that, when ingested, ruptures red blood cells and causes internal bleeding. It is also bioaccumulative, meaning its concentration intensifies as it moves up the food chain.

Further from Newsweek:

These undersea rivers of oil, though not nearly as concentrated as oil at the surface, are likely to affect the gulf through two mechanisms. The first is oxygen depletion, which has been estimated at 30 percent in the plumes. The other will be direct toxic effects of the oil and methane. Leatherback turtles and sperm whales dive to the 3,200-foot depths where plumes have now been detected, and aren't smart enough to take evasive action. "They don't necessarily recognize the plumes as something dangerous," says marine scientist Ellycia Harrould-Kolieb, who works with the green group Oceana. Sharks, shrimp, and squid are all inhabitants of the deep, which would protect them from a Valdez-type spill on the surface, but now puts them in the crosshairs. Marlin, snapper, and grouper swim hundreds of feet down. One of the biggest losses may be bluefin tuna. Already imperiled from overfishing, the species breeds only in the Mediterranean Sea and the gulf. "This could spell the end to bluefin," says Harrould-Kolieb. Even small bits of crude, like those in the plumes, can suffocate fish by gunking up their gills.

Other species imperiled by the deep-sea plumes include those that migrate down from the surface and others that make the reverse commute. "There are plankton that go from the surface to the middle of the water column, and other things eat them and go down deeper, and other things eat them and go to the bottom," says oceanographer Lisa Levin of Scripps Institution of Oceanography. "All the zones of life interact, and now they're probably all being hammered."

The worst effect of large-scale death on the gulf floor is nothing as photogenic as dead pelicans, but much more pernicious. "The organisms most likely to be harmed by the oil plumes are those at the base of the food chain," says biological oceanographer Andrew Juhl of Lamont-Doherty. "Most of the primary producers, such as phytoplankton, live throughout the water column. Effects on them would cascade to the larger species we care about."

To hear those who know say that the oil in the marshes and on the beaches, and the oil-covered birds and turtles demonstrate the least of the damage from the oil gushing into the Gulf, is sobering, infuriating, and depressing. What we will see is killing on a grand scale. Marine biologist Jeffrey Baguley of the University of Nevada says, "In the time scale of man, this will be a catastrophic event".

"WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH THE WELL?"

bwinship1 — May 31, 2010 — Written as a plea, a shout out, a prayer for the folks & critters of the Gulf. Memphis Minnie's "What's the Matter with the Mill" was calling for this re-write. While I had fun creating this, it is my sincere hope that it becomes obsolete sooner than later. Thanks to Mike Dowling, Jeff Newsom, John Kidwell and my boys, Owen & Sam, for helping with this.

As Ann's correspondent said, "Music is a great catharsis for such disasters". Those of us down here feel so helpless. We wanted to go to Grand Isle to see the damage there and take pictures, but the beach is closed off to visitors.

Tom talked to a man whose company is running boats, one of which he pilots, under contract to BP. According to him, the clean-up work is quite disorganized and, in many cases, ineffective. An entity besides BP should be put in charge of mitigation and clean-up. It's nice that Obama visits, but what will he do to correct the problems now that he's back in the White house?

Thanks to Ann for the link.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THEME (NEAL)

From Petty Witter:

I was right - the light at the end of the tunnel was indeed the next train about to hit us. Husband dearest was admitted to hospital this morning (4th of June)

Husband dearest is TheMe (Neal) at Conscientization. Since Neal has spoken about his illness on his blog, I don't feel that I'm breaking a confidence to reveal that he has Crohns disease, which, as many of you may know, is difficult to treat.

His lovely wife, Petty, was badly injured in an accident years ago and uses crutches in the home and a wheel chair when she goes out. I met the two of them when I was in England last year. They are a wonderful couple, charming company. Despite a good deal of adversity in their lives, Petty and Neal face the world with admirable courage. They are two of the bravest people I know.

Heavenly Father, giver of life and health: Comfort and relieve your sick servant Neal, and give your power of healing to those who minister to his needs, that he may be strengthened in his weakness and have confidence in your loving care; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

UPDATE: Petty says if Neal "remains stable over the week-end, he may be home Monday (I so hope so)".

I hope so, too.

UPDATE 2 from Neal:

...and so he is.

...home that is. Good news, indeed, Neal.

NOT "UNJUST DISCRIMINATION" TO FIRE GAYS - USCCB

In All Things at America Magazine posts a letter sent to the members of Congress by the USCCB (US Conference of Catholic Bishops) on Same-Sex Marriage and ENDA

The Catholic Church makes an important distinction between actions and inclination. While the Church is ardently opposed to all unjust discrimination on the grounds of sexual inclination, whether homosexual or heterosexual, it does teach that all sexual acts outside of a marriage between one man and one woman are morally wrong. The Catholic Church’s teaching cannot, therefore, be equated with “unjust discrimination,” because it is based on fundamental truths about the human person and personal conduct. Homosexual conduct is categorically closed to the transmission of life, and does not reflect or respect the personal complementarity of man and woman. In contrast to sexual conduct within marriage between one man and one woman—which does serve both the good of each married person and the good of society— heterosexual and homosexual conduct outside of marriage has no claim to special protection bythe state.

Just as every other group in our society, the Catholic Church enjoys the same rights to hold to its beliefs, organize itself around them, and argue for them in the public square. This is guaranteed by our Constitution. This includes the right to teach what it holds to be the truth concerning homosexual conduct—and to act as an employer consistent with that truth—without the threat of government sanction.

The USCCB continues to oppose “unjust discrimination” against people with a homosexual inclination, but we cannot support a bill – such as ENDA in its current form – that would legally affirm and specially protect any sexual conduct outside of marriage.

H/T to Andrew Sullivan at The Daily Dish, who says:

Notice that there is no attempt here to argue that straight people who violate church doctrine - anyone who masturbates or uses contraception, is divorced or re-married - should not be protected from discrimination. It is always just the gays who are the target, because their identity inherently proves their iniquity, while most straight people can hide theirs. Notice also that the focus here is entirely on the victims of discrimination, not the perpetrators.

So the church that emerged from a man who preached the story of the good Samaritan, is now in the business of identifying Samaritans and ensuring they remain the targets of discrimination in the workplace. It does not matter whether they are good at their job; their orientation, even if no one even knows it results in sodomy, is sufficient to allow them to be fired and no law be broken.

And what about the unmarried folks? Must each single employee affirm that she/he is not sexually active?

There are church laws and church laws - laws that must not be transgressed by the employees of Roman Catholic institutions and other laws that may be transgressed and will not trigger job termination. My goodness! That sounds an awful lot like "unjust discrimination".

Of course, the Roman Catholic Church has "...the right to teach what it holds to be the truth concerning homosexual conduct...", but the church does not have the right to impose those teachings on the rest of us who do not belong to the fold.

Not too very long ago, I included Andrew's blog in my Google Reader, but he more than monopolizes the space with his vast number of new posts. I say that only because I'm jealous of and daunted by his prolificity. Does he even take potty breaks?

Thanks to Wade for the link.

STORY OF THE DAY - QUIET PRIDE (DAUGHTER)

For Alison:

There has never been a day when I have
not been proud of you, I said to my
daughter, though some days I'm louder
about other stuff so it's easy to miss
that.


From StoryPeople.

YA GOTTA LOVE THE ALASKANS

From the The Huffington Post:

Don't worry about the oil spilling into the Gulf, Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) says, because the worst spill in U.S. history is "not an environmental disaster," just nature taking its course.

"This is not an environmental disaster, and I will say that again and again because it is a natural phenomenon," Young said after Congressional hearings last week. "Oil has seeped into this ocean for centuries, will continue to do it. During World War II there was over 10 million barrels of oil spilt from ships, and no natural catastrophe. ... We will lose some birds, we will lose some fixed sealife, but overall it will recover."

One might think that ignorance in Congress critters had its limits, but one would be wrong.

"...THOSE MORONS DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING"

From Yahoo News:

Film director and deep-sea explorer James Cameron said on Wednesday that BP Plc turned down his offer to help combat the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

"Over the last few weeks I've watched, as we all have, with growing horror and heartache, watching what's happening in the Gulf and thinking those morons don't know what they're doing," Cameron said at the All Things Digital technology conference.
Cameron, the director of "Avatar" and "Titanic," has worked extensively with robot submarines and is considered an expert in undersea filming. He did not say explicitly who he meant when he referred to "those morons."

But we all know whom Cameron meant, don't we?

His comments came a day after he participated in a meeting at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency headquarters in Washington to "brainstorm" solutions to the oil spill.

Cameron said he has offered to help the government and BP in dealing with the spill. He said he was "graciously" turned away by the British energy giant.

Perhaps, a great mistake. In this kind of desperate situation, in which BP failed time after time, I say pay attention to anyone with any kind of expertise. And BP should not have the final say on which plan would or would not work.

DOGS DETECT PROSTATE CANCER

From the Los Angeles Times:

Man's best friend may cement his position if early results from French researchers can be replicated. A team of researchers from Tenon Hospital in Paris reported Tuesday at a San Francisco meeting of the American Urological Assn. that dogs can be trained to detect the characteristic odor of unique chemicals released into urine by prostate tumors, setting the stage for a new way to identify men who are most at risk from the cancer. If developed, the test might be more effective than the PSA test now used because it would have fewer false positives.
....

The researchers are now attempting to identify what specific chemicals the dog is reacting to in hopes of developing an "electronic nose" that wouldn't require treats and potty breaks.

It seems to me that treats and potty breaks are not a big price to pay to keep the doggies working. What's wrong with letting the dogs live with their humans and working them for limited periods of time (no sweatshop hours)? After all, in past times, many dogs were working dogs, and even today we have working dogs, such as seeing-eye dogs, airport security dogs, sheep dogs, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera, as Yul Brynner would say,

I once flew across the Atlantic, seated next to a man and his seeing-eye dog. The dog lay quietly at her/his human's feet and only shifted around slightly during the whole seven hour trip.