Dallas Bishop Stanton Not Fond of Chicago's Gay Ol' Finalist

• COGICWatcher has it right. It is the unrepentant sinner aspect that makes one candidate less desirable than another. And as for the majority thing - just because everyone else is jumping off a bridge does not make it a wise move.

• Jack Jett said: "Gluttony is mentioned far more times in the Bible than any other sin. With that in mind, I assume you would feel the same way about a priest or bishop that was not at their healthy weight." You can be overweight and not be a glutton. This is an apples vs oranges comparison. A more accurate comparison would be... Would it be wrong for a person who is a glutton to be a bishop or a priest who insisted that they were not sinning by doing so? The answer would be YES, this person would not be qualified to be a Bishop or a Priest, because they by their 'actions' deny the clear teachings of scripture. Gay clergy (in or out of the closet) have convinced themselves and others that what the Bible calls sin is NOT sin therefore they should not be excluded from leading due to this. This is why there is a huge resistance within the Christian Church to this trend. Despite the 'PC' mentality of the leadership in the Episcopal and the Methodist Church who want to 'affirm' sin, many many people in these churches know what the Bible says and are still very opposed this direction.

• Michael K., Since the election of our first openly gay bishop (mind you, I said "openly" - we've had gay bishops before) was approved by a large majority at the Episcopal Church General Convention in 2003, I hardly think your assertion that <i>"the majority of Episcopalian's are against ordinating gay priests (espicially at that bishop level)"</i> holds any water at all. General Convention is a representative democracy, like our Federal Gov't - not <i>"a group of liberal congregations in the NE"</i>. Now you're certainly free to not like it, but your personal disapproval doesn't equate to fact anymore than Katey's...

• Michael K I'm just wondering....do you wear Angel Flight pants and wear a mood ring? IJS.... Gluttony is mentioned far more times in the Bible than any other sin. With that in mind, I assume you would feel the same way about a priest or bishop that was not at their healthy weight. jack jett

• David H., I hardly think that Katey's opinion is the minority extremist position. Your line of BS is the fallacious argument. The majority of Episcopalian's are against ordinating gay priests (espicially at that bishop level). They are not against gays, they just don't want them to be the ones leading their churches and dioceses. Everyone is a sinner but an openly gay, practicing priest is not even attempting to remove themselves from the sin they are committing. I doubt that most Espicopalians would want someone who constantly lied and cheated on their spouse as a priest either if they glorified lying and cheating as something that was completely normal. The whole gay priest issue is pressed by a group of liberal congregations in the NE.

• Jim S. I do get my Catholics and Episcopals confused. I do know that the Episcopals and the Methodist seem to be far more progressive in their social beliefs than some of the others. I am very curious about that...can you explain why that might be. jack jett

• I tend to agree with JimS. There are vast differences between the Catholic and Episcopalian denominations, not the least of which is that Episcopal priests are allowed to marry, thereby significantly reducing the temptation to engage in a little sumpthin' sumpthin' back behind the altar. I grew up Episcopalian. It's a hugely less repressed world than that of the Catholics, and much less objectionable.

• Katey wrote, <i>"The issue is not that Bishop Schiori is a female -- it is that she holds a number of beliefs that depart from scripture."</i> Oh please, not <b>that</b> nonsensical shibboleth <i>again!</i> Simply stating (an extremist minority) opinion over & over doesn't make it a fact. The whole argument is fallacious. A specific form of an explanation fallacy - the fallacy of non-support. That's where biased, prejudicial opinion is stated as fact to support one's "conclusion."

• Jack, as a lapsed Episcopalian myself, I must ask you not to conflate the Anglican and Roman communions. The Episcopal Church, as you should know, is the Catholic church without the religion.

• Katy Can you please list the half dozen because that seems to be a lot for someone who has devoted themself to this religion? Also, please explain to me how any priest would "spur the rift" as Ms. Schiori, while at the same time sticking their dick up the butthole of alter boys to the tune of multi millions of dollars........ I would think that at least with a lesbian, the alter boys in that parish would be safe. Of course, I know that Catholics don't like to talk about these things, they prefer to keep them behind a closed door and with a "wide stance". I assume that you know that the Catholic church owns porno shops in Los Angeles.. While I am not a Catholic, I did have a Bishop as a sugar daddy for a long time as a young man who introduced me to the Isle of Capri, Mykonos,the South of France and even Vatican City. I always wonder what the little old ladies that give their offering every week to this church understand that the money is basically going to pay for the very thing they are preaching against. jack jett

• Not a surprise from Bishop Stanton. I do wonder why they picked him to give the obligatory anti-gay quote, though. More thoughts on this at my blog: http://mysticbagel.blogspot.com/2007/08/bishop-stanton-shakes-finger-at-chicago.html

• I'm crying foul on this one. Bishop Stanton's opposition to gays in the priesthood is well known. But the article you linked to "Female bishop's election continues to spur rift - rector expects split to come by end of October" is a bit disingenuous, in that it would lead a reader to believe that Bishop Stanton is ALSO opposed to women in the priesthood, which is categorically untrue. The issue is not that Bishop Schiori is a female -- it is that she holds a number of beliefs that depart from scripture. (And quite frankly, you can list about half a dozen without even getting into the whole "gay" thing.) ANY priest would continue to "spur the rift" who believed as Ms. Schiori does. Lord have mercy upon us all. katey

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