Women bishops 'in my lifetime'
 

The second most powerful man in the church said that it was “very disappointing” it had not happened during this General Synod but he was sure the principle had been accepted.
His comments came the day after the church tore up plans to ordain women as bishops despite overwhelming support in the parishes.
After a tortuous 12-year legal process, which secured strong backing in all but two of the 44 dioceses, the move was denied final approval by just six votes.
It could be many years before it is discussed again.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Dr Sentamu said: "“It is very disappointing because we have been working at this for a very long time.

“Everybody accepts women bishops. The timing is not an easy one but I am one of those that strongly believes…there will be in my lifetime.
“The principle has already been accepted by the general synod and in all the dioceses so what we need to do is find the legislation.
“I have had for the first time, traditional Catholics, conservative evangelicals saying that whatever happens with this measure we will work with it but if it doesn’t we will continue to work towards a good legislation.
“I want to take them at their word. They have said publicly they will work to make it come about.”
The Bishop of Durham, Justin Welby, who is the next Archbishop of Canterbury and a supporter of women bishops, tweeted: "Very grim day, most of all for women priests and supporters, need to surround all with prayer & love and co-operate with our healing God."
Dr Rowan Williams spoke of “deep personal sadness” as one bishop described it a “very dark day for the Church”.
MPs expressed dismay and warned that the decision would intensify calls for the disestablishment of the Church of England.
The decision averts the prospect of a small group of conservative evangelicals and traditionalist Anglo-Catholics, who object to women bishops on theological grounds, from leaving the Church.
However, there were warnings that it threatens a crisis of morale in parishes, especially among women clergy.
Supporters of the plans lined up during the debate at the General Synod to warn that it would be a “suicide” for the Church’s “mission” in society to reject the measure in the face of strong support.
But delegates were swayed by strong arguments that a hard-fought compromise clause would not be enough to prevent traditionalists from leaving.
The clause would have allowed parishes to opt out of the authority of a female bishop and request a male alternative.
About 900 of the Church’s 13,000 parishes were thought likely to take up the offer, although opponents said the arrangement did not offer them enough legal safeguards.
One speaker likened the prospect of passing the measure without stronger safeguards to the Great Ejection of 1662, when nonconformists left the Church because of doctrinal differences.
There will now almost certainly be calls in Parliament for the Church of England’s exemption from equality legislation — effectively allowing it to discriminate against women by barring them from becoming bishops — to be removed, opening the way for women to bring a legal challenge.
If successful, it could lead to women becoming bishops without any of the arranged safeguards for traditionalists agreed by Synod.
Opponents of the ordination of women bishops said they would now sit down with
Bishop Welby to try to find a way forward. But under the Church’s rules, the no-vote has effectively killed off the prospect of women bishops for another five years.
Ben Bradshaw, a former Labour minister, said: “This means the Church is being held hostage by an unholy and unrepresentative alliance of conservative evangelicals and conservative Catholics.
“This will add to clamour for disestablishment, there is even talk of moves in Parliament to remove the Church’s exemption from the Equality Act.”
It is likely to undermine the Church’s pitch to halt Government plans for same-sex marriage.
The Rev Canon Robert Cotton said: “We have made David Cameron’s job getting gay marriage through much easier — why should he take the Church of England seriously when it seems interested only in looking after its own?”
The Rev Canon Rosie Harper, a leading campaigner for women bishops, said: “It’s quite hard not to take it personally. I think institutionalised discrimination will continue and this is very bad news for the Church of England. ”
During the debate, Bishop Welby warned of the consequences of a failure to deal with “difference”.
Dr Williams had warned the Synod against “binding the extraordinary energies and talents” of his successor with many more years of bitter wrangling.
Dr Williams said: “Of course I hoped and prayed that this particular business would be at another stage before I left, and of course it is a personal sadness, a deep personal sadness that that is not the case.”
Fr David Houlding, of the Anglo-Catholic group Forward in Faith, said the “inevitable” happened but “there are no winners”. The Rev Rod Thomas, of the evangelical group Reform, said: “It is very good news. We have avoided what could have been a disastrous mistake.”

Bron:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/rel...s-final-no.html

Eigen mening:
Ik vind het best zielig dat we zelfs in deze tijd nog altijd geen gelijkheid van de geslachten hebben. Toont maar weer aan hoe de kortzichtigheid van velen de teloorgang van degenen kunnen zijn die ook maar gewoon willen doen waarin zij geloven.
We leven tegenwoordig in een cultuur waar 'geloof' niet meer iets groots en absoluut is maar meer een soort winkelkar. Je loopt langs de rekken met de inhoud van een godsdienst/religie en je selecteert wat je wil. Wat je niet leuk vind of wil zien laat je gewoon in het rek staan.
Ik denk dat de Kerk zoals we die vandaag kennen fundamenteel moet veranderen. We klagen hier dikwijls over de moslims maar als we Amerika als voorbeeld nemen zien we dat daar het extremistische Christendom is voor problemen zorgt.

De volgende cartoon is kort door de bocht mijn visie op religie en vooral wat religie teweeg brengt.
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fo77ZjhXB...nd+religion.jpg