iN A STORY THAT DEPLY SADDENS AND DISTURBED ME...THE aNGLICAN cHRUCH, OR RATHER THE EPISCOPOL cHRUHC usa, TIS MAIN aMERICAN BRANCH, HAS MEMBERS EMBRACIGN iDOLATRY AND poAGANISM, AND PRACTICES IN STRICT DEFIANCE OT THE bIBLE...

Remember the queen of Heaven In jeremiah? Shes worshipped...

The link tot he story is here, below it is reprodiced...

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20041101-122457-1902r.htm

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), November 06, 2004

Answers

Bush and Kerry sprint toward finish line Furious finish in the stretch Kerry delivers 'closing argument' Campaigns clash over bin Laden GOP expected to hold House; Senate at stake Group demands probe of Soros Virginia absentee ballots up sharply over 2000 Bambino's curse still working magic Gunmen Seize American, 5 Others in Iraq Suicide Bomber Kills Three in Tel Aviv Nuclear Chief Pressures Iran, N. Korea Bin Laden's Economy Threat Is Timely Japan, N. Korea to Discuss Abductions N. Korea Criticizes S. Korea Over Shots Ukrainian Election Forced Into Runoff Australian Leader Chided for Backing Bush Latin American Voters Tilting to Left From Hospital Bed, Arafat Condemns Bombing Pagan rituals on Web site rile Episcopalians

By Julia Duin THE WASHINGTON TIMES

A druidic "women's eucharist" and a "divorce rite," both posted on the Episcopal Church's official Web site, have outraged Episcopal conservatives. The "eucharist," subtitled "A Celebration of the Divine Feminine," was posted Oct. 8 on the denomination's Office of Women's Ministries page at www.dfms.org. It invoked "Mother God" and used a lighted candle, a vase of flowers, a chalice of sweet red wine, a cup of milk and money and a plate of raisin cakes to invoke images of sexuality, fertility and birth.

The rite was attributed to the Rev. Glyn Lorraine Ruppe Melnyk, the pastor of St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church in Malvern, Pa. She and her husband, Bill Melnyk, rector of St. James Episcopal Church in Downingtown, Pa., posted several ceremonies, which invoked pagan gods and goddesses, on www.tuathadebrighid.org. One, an "erotic ritual" for the spring festival of Beltane, used Christian phrases for the rite, including an opening "litany" and an "invocation" of the "Earth Mother." The ceremony, which culminates with the lead couple engaging in sex in front of the other participants, ends with a "chant of Communion and Praise" to the tune of the Irish hymn "St. Patrick's Breastplate." The Babylonian god "Bel" honored in the rite has been linked to the Canaanite god Baal, whose worship was condemned in the Old Testament. A "Eucharist to our Mother Goddess" ritual on the site — which since has been removed — is the same "women's eucharist" that was posted on the Episcopal Church's Web site. Starting last Tuesday, this and the "divorce rite," which includes a Lord's Prayer that refers to God as "You who are Mother and Father to us all," were denounced on several Episcopalian Web sites. Christianity Today declared that the Episcopal Church is "promoting pagan rites to pagan deities." "And not just any new pagan deities," wrote Ted Olsen, the magazines' online managing editor. "The Episcopal Church ... is actually promoting the worship of idols specifically condemned in Scripture." The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania on Friday released a statement promising to investigate "extremely serious" charges that Mr. and Mrs. Melnyk are practicing Druids and have violated their ordination vows. But Bishop Charles Bennison Jr. said the two priests have "contributed positively" to the diocese for four years, adding, "I will not allow this situation to turn into a witch hunt of any sort." The "eucharist" was one of nine resources listed on the women's ministries page as part of a "Women's Liturgy Project" touted Oct. 25 by Episcopal News Service as a way of "honoring a woman's life passages and experiences" including "menstruation, menopause, conception, pregnancy, any form of pregnancy loss, childbirth, forms of leave taking, and many others." The release invited Episcopalians to download the "worship resources" for use either on Sunday mornings or "any other appropriate setting where the honoring of a woman's life passages and experiences beckons a liturgical response." However, the divorce and eucharist rites were removed from the church's Web site after church headquarters began receiving complaints. The Rev. Margaret Rose, director of the denomination's Women's Ministries office, issued a statement on Thursday saying divorce and women's eucharist rites were not approved Episcopal liturgies, but were listed only "to spark dialogue, study and conversation and ponderings around women and our liturgical tradition." The "women's eucharist," she said in an interview was written by Mrs. Melnyk for a parish study group of women. "It was written in response to their alienation," she said. "It was not claiming to be a Christian eucharist, but it was a way to look at their own religious traditions and explore them. We don't desire to replace the Sunday liturgy in any way. They wrote it to see what it would feel like to have specifically feminine images." Mrs. Melnyk also is known on Druid Web sites as "Glispa" or "Raven." Mr. Melnyk, who goes by several druidic names, including "Oakwyse" and "Druis," had posted messages and rituals at www.druidnetwork.org, www.druidry.org and other sites.

-- zarove (zaroff3@juno.com), November 06, 2004.

The fact that the Episcopal Church has "members", even a few ministers, who do things incompatible with Christianity doesn't reflect on the denomination as a whole, any more than the misdeeds of a few Catholic priests reflects on the Holy Catholic Church. I would be a lot more concerned about their ordination of openly practicing homosexuals than the fact that a couple of ministers are involved in a wacko pagan cult.

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), November 07, 2004.

One of my first inclinations was to rally around those Episcopalians wishing to split from the false doctrines and keeping to their "closer" to orthodoxy church. It now seems that my concerns would wish the best for those who don't wish a split, but who wish to correct their church. That's the real fight. Then, the second concern would be next.

..............

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), November 07, 2004.

"Wacko pagan cult"!

One day, I was shopping at the mall. I saw some curios in a window and decided to browse the little shop. At first, I thought the little statues were little ornamental or decorative pieces of artwork. Then, I realized that those miniature sculptures of wood and stone were actually articles of pagan worship. Paganism is very much alive, even in the commercialized pagan world. I very quickly exited the shop while reciting a little chat with God.

................

-- rod (elreyrod@yahoo.com), November 07, 2004.

paganism? why are you so worried? statistics show that christianity, while being the largest religion, still comprises only 30%... which means 70% of the world have other beliefs.

you would be very naive if you thought that paganism ever left, it is no more prevalent now than before.

i find it quite insignificant which religion you belong to... we spend our lives thinking and worrying about the same things as our ancestors... we are so afraid of death that we forget to live. not knowing what death entails is like not knowing life before birth. i dont remember before i was born; death is just a phase.

another thing, if anyone cares to comment... i don't understand how any holy book can be taken as truth. the qu'ran, the bible, the torah, all written by men, not the divine. i think we can agree that man is by no means selfless, and by the act of writing these scriptures he can not avoid inputting selfish interests.

~ao

-- AO (esq_rd@hotmail.com), November 11, 2004.

paganism? why are you so worried? statistics show that christianity, while being the largest religion, still comprises only 30%... which means 70% of the world have other beliefs.

{Which is relevant tot he running of a chruch how? You seem to miss the scope of this event...}-Zarove

you would be very naive if you thought that paganism ever left, it is no more prevalent now than before.

{Again, the relevance isnt relay here...we are discusisng the inner workings of the ANGLICAN Chruch, NOT rather or not Paganism ever left.}-Zarove

i find it quite insignificant which religion you belong to...

{But do you find it signifigant to practice toyr religion hojeslty? Or do you not vlaue Honesty and ocmmitment?}-Zarove

we spend our lives thinking and worrying about the same things as our ancestors... we are so afraid of death that we forget to live.

{Chrisainity is for the living and is how we lead out lives, and tells us not to worry...which rellay doesnt make much difference tot he events that happeend. See, tis about the happenigns in th ANGLICAN COMMUNION... A christin chruch. If Paganism was praciced by pagans in an penly pagan ceremony on gorunds they paid for to eprform those ceremoneis, I woudltb be concerned. The poitn is that this was suppose ot be a CHRISTAIN Chruch and a CHRISTAIN service that was corrupted. See the difference?}-Zarove

not knowing what death entails is like not knowing life before birth. i dont remember before i was born; death is just a phase.

{Yeah rigt, and again this is relevant to the corruption of our faith how?}-Zarove

another thing, if anyone cares to comment... i don't understand how any holy book can be taken as truth.

{By CHeckign the facts agaisn said book?}-Zarove

the qu'ran, the bible, the torah, all written by men, not the divine.

{Which you cant prove... bu the way the torah is in the Bible... not that I expect you to know this...}-Zarove

i think we can agree that man is by no means selfless, and by the act of writing these scriptures he can not avoid inputting selfish interests.

{except man is capable of selfless acts, and the scitptuees where guided by God, this toy overlook.

Now, what does any of your diatribe have to do withthe corurption of our faiht by peopel acitgn as tey shoudl not? Again, oagans practicsimg pagainsm isnt the issue, Christaisn praticing it when they shoudk be keepign their oen faiht is...}-Zarove.

~ao

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), November 11, 2004.