The Consecration of Mary Glasspool as an Episcopal bishop on Saturday was incredible. They had odes to Mother Earth, random pagan rituals, a smudging ceremony to increase their relationship to plants or something, a smidge of ancestor Worship thrown in, and don’t forget the dancing Girls. And, of course, there’s guitars. There’s always guitars.
And by the way there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of Jesus at least in the first hour or so that I saw.
You can see the video here.
AFP reports:
A 56-year-old lesbian was ordained as a bishop by the Episcopal church here Saturday, reigniting an issue which has caused bitter divisions in the Anglican movement worldwide.
Mary Glasspool became only the second openly gay bishop to be consecrated by the Episcopal Church — the governing Anglican body in the United States — after Gene Robinson was ordained in 2003.
Glasspool was consecrated by the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles in a lunchtime ceremony attended by around 3,000 people at the Long Beach Arena, along with another woman priest, Diane Jardine Bruce.
You’ve got to see the video here. You really have to.
Stand Firm and The Lobster Pot are both reacting pretty strongly.
May 20, 2010 at 6:08 pm
I'm so glad you posted the video. I don't have time to watch the whole thing now, but I'm looking forward to watching it when I'm home from work.
May 20, 2010 at 6:43 pm
The thing that makes me shudder is that the ceremonies from the LA religious ed conference were not all that far from this. This does go several steps farther, but isn't it in the same vein?
Susan Peterson
May 20, 2010 at 6:46 pm
It really is fairly staggering that the ordination ceremony is now an entirely pagan affair.
Still, I suppose its the logical conclusion of everything they've been doing in the last 40 years…
May 20, 2010 at 8:04 pm
This madness defines the term, moribund, better than anything else; and, as Susan Peterson notes above, can also be applied to our own loonies in the liturgy as exemplified by the LA religious ed conference, etc.
May 20, 2010 at 9:38 pm
Fisher-Price Play-Pagans.
May 20, 2010 at 9:54 pm
What a crowd too. There seemed to be tens and tens of people in attendance.
May 20, 2010 at 11:00 pm
But, someone in the comments noted that they only saw about 3 people under the age of 70…
May 20, 2010 at 11:44 pm
Thanks for posting the video… but I doubt I watch it. My pregnancy hormones have turned me into Darth Pregger… and it's probably better I don't watch such rubbish!
I did get a good chuckled out of your quote. "And, of course, there's guitars. There's always guitars."
May 20, 2010 at 11:54 pm
I think Rowan Williams should watch this – he'd then have no compunction about jettisoning the whole damned bunch of them.
May 21, 2010 at 12:30 am
"In any case, smudging is a ceremony that must be done with care. We are entering into a relationship with the unseen powers of these plants, and with the spirits of the ceremony. As with all good relationships, there has to be respect and honor if the relationship is to work…" So smudging has rubrics which can't be disturbed but the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is whatever floats your boat…? What gives?
May 21, 2010 at 1:09 am
Well, I doubt this kind of a "show" is my thing and something I would have opted for if someone asked of my opinion, BUT the pagan element do not necessarily disqualify it as a STILL Christian celebration. The "impulse of Christ" is in fact omnipresent and there is really nothing wrong with noticing that and/or using "practically". Jesus himself used a pagan ritual (the healing in the pond, probably situated in a temple of Asklepios or a deity similar in nature). What he did is basically a testimony that a spark of the Living God can be and indeed is found everywhere. I don't imply that Rt Rev Glasspool had anything like this in mind while preparing her "start", but it's not impossible and we can't condemn it AS SUCH.
Theres an interview with Rt Rev G. to be found at http://dstp.cba.pl/?p=291 . It says something more about bishop G. and I suppose it's good to let her say something.
May 21, 2010 at 1:26 am
Oh, Please. I actually went to an ordination of an Episcopal Bishop, male, 30 years ago and it was nothing like this, but this was already happening back then. Hence I came into the Catholic Church. This is absolutely horrible. No redeeming value at all. Wonder how many native americans there are in that diocese. PS Jesus healed somebody in the pool at Siloam, under the Temple in Jerusalem. Only in an Episcopal dream is it a pagan temple. AnneG in NC
May 21, 2010 at 1:30 am
Darn! If this had been England I would have wanted to see Stonehenge too, just for drama.
May 21, 2010 at 1:51 am
This "dream" has actually nothing to do with Episcopalians whatsoever (as far as I know, at least) and I first came across that theory (providing quite plausible archaeological, historical and biblical arguments)in a study by… an Orthodox priest written some 30 years ago. Well, life's surprising.
May 21, 2010 at 2:37 am
Sad.
May 21, 2010 at 3:50 am
When I saw a stage strewn with microphones and supplemented with video screens, I assumed it was an Evangelical service.
When a bunch of women with incense and a couple of guys with maracas introduced the liturgy (loved the liturgical t-shirt on the guy with big hair, btw), I figured it was Catholic.
But I realized it must be Episcopalian when the introductory songs were received with reverent silence instead of applause.
(Incidentally, did you catch the disturbance in the second segment, 42:15-45:15?)
May 21, 2010 at 2:42 pm
All of this is geared to NEGATE the notion of SIN.
May 21, 2010 at 3:00 pm
Pray for these poor misguided souls. Pray for me that I can quit laughing about the holy six string reference. How I used to love a good guitar player…..
May 21, 2010 at 3:11 pm
Somewhere, CS Lewis is screaming.
May 21, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Yes, somewhere C. S. Lewis is screamimg "I should have joined Rome! Forgive me."
May he and others, (do you have a moment?) pray for my Episcopalian family members, those who actually attend church weekly and those who have forgotten what the inside of a church looks like.
Protect them and bring them home.
from : 20 yr convert