In a story that I simpley oiuld not beleive... soem Episcopalians openly practiced Idolatry, worshipping gods condoened in the Biblke int he same way that they did in scirotures, notabley in Jeremiah CHapter 7!

Below is the link and story...

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), November 07, 2004

Answers

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

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 07, 2004.

Two - TWO!! - Episcopal ministers are involved in a pagan cult! I hardly think that warrants a headline, EPISCOPALIANS WORSHIP THE GODDESS NOW! That makes about as much sense as "CATHOLIC PRIESTS CAN'T BE TRUSTED AROUND CHILDREN". Incidentally, there are also Catholic priests involved in verious kinds of pagan and pseudospiritual activities. Fortunately that doesn't reflect on the Church as a whole, any more than the activities of these two Protestant ministers reflects on their church as a whole.

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

I think Paul M. is right.

To be fair to Episcopalians, these "pastors" are going against everything their own religion (i.e., Episcopalians) teaches.

-- Andy S ("ask3332004@yahoo.com"), November 07, 2004.

From the article: 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.

I think the difference here is that the denomination seemed to officially endorse the pagan rite. It does not seem to be just two priests out on their own.

-- Emily ("jesusfollower7@yahoo.com), November 07, 2004.

Ahhh.. attention to detail.

I missed that part about the "Episcopal Church's official Web site." Thanks Emily.

-- Andy S ("ask3332004@yahoo.com"), November 07, 2004.

One of many reasons ministers are leaving that falling Church and embracing Eastern Orthodoxy.

-- ArrowTouch (arrowtouch@yahoo.com), November 09, 2004.

I just want to say as a practicing witch that to leave our Mother (Goddess)out of our lives is wrong!You include the father and son but leave her out.I don't understand the rationality of that.You include the earthly mother of Christ but deny the ultimate mother of us all!.Why? Blessed Be, Patricia Tidmore

-- Patricia Tidmore (ptidmore1117@yahoo.com), December 29, 2004.

I just want to say as a practicing witch that to leave our Mother (Goddess)out of our lives is wrong!

{That's nice, but the odd thing is, as a Practicing Christain, on a Chrisain baord, Ihave to wonder why your veiws are relevant here?}- Zarove

You include the father and son but leave her out.

{Uhm, you do understand the idea of the tirnity and Monotheism, right? As a Monotheistic Faoth, we beelive in only oen god in existance, who is transcendant, and representative in three persons, Father, son, and Holy Ghost. we arnet leavign out the Goddess, she was never part of the equation. Indeed, Goddess worhsip didntg even exist till the 20th century when it was cooked up by gerald Gardenr, largly borrowing form an innacurate book called by a woman whose name eudes me.Untoil then everyne "Left her out."}-Zarove

I don't understand the rationality of that.

{Its simple.Christanity is 2000 years old. Goddess worhsip is 60 years old. Do the math...}-Zarove

You include the earthly mother of Christ but deny the ultimate mother of us all!

{A mother of us all that wasnt recognised by anyone tll the 1950's... and again, we are a Monotheistic Faith who ony recognise a singel God...}-Zarove

.Why?

{Maybe because we are montheists and don beelive in her?}-Zarove

Blessed Be, Patricia Tidmore

{Goid bless, and wh complain about other religions, isngt your secure neough to have disagreance?}-Zarove

-- ZAROVE (ZAROF3@JUNO.COM), December 29, 2004.

Readers,

Unfortunately this forum closed due to maintence problems with the server.

If you are interested in continuing a discussion, you can go to this board:

http://p221.ezboard.com/bthechristianforum

The Christian Forum

Or try our URL Forwarder www.bluespun.com

www.Bluespun.com

This was our back up board, but now we all relocated here.

Hope to see you there! All links lead to the same place!

-- David Ortiz (cyberpunk1986@gmail.com), November 28, 2005.

"You include the father and son but leave her out".

A: The Father and the Son are real Persons. The "Goddess" is not. Faith is about truth, not mythology.

---

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), December 30, 2004.