www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Anglicans plan on ordaining non-Christians

London, April 1, Interfax � Certain Anglican Commonwealth churches will simplify rules of ordaining clerics next year.

�Realities of today�s life require revision of certain canons and rules. We have agreed to women clergy and ordination of open gays, but we shouldn�t stop on the achieved,� the Rev Anthony Priddis, the Bishop of Hereford said in his interview to the Monday Telegraph.

Three years ago he gained popularity for supporting a woman-priest who had changed sex.

According to Priddis, next year not only Christians would be able to become Anglican priests.

�When you a person is hired, especially to a British state religious organization he shouldn�t be discriminated for his confession. The Anglican Church should give an example of fighting against xenophobia in our multicultural tolerant society and give equal opportunities to all people no matter if they believe in God, gods or any other power,� the bishop stressed.

Priddis has not excluded the possibility of future ordaining atheists in the Anglican Church, the weekly reports.

A priesthood of the lowest common denominator?

Wow... thats just low. Real low.

I have no illusions about the condition of the Anglican
Church, but I think that either the Lord Bishop of Hereford has a screw loose or that this is an April Fool's joke. More likely
the latter.

Possibly both?

If open atheists would be welcomed into the Anglican Communion as priests, then I don't know what else to say.

I don't know if that is what would happen or if its possibility would be greeted by Lord Bishop of Hereford with open arms, but his words do not bode well with me.

Terry

Muslims, Wiccans, pagans, Hindus, and Buddhists - why not top it off with atheists?

One of the "innovative" and "creative" centurion development goals can be to ordain those who do not believe in ordination nor believe in it's purpose.

Honestly, this has got to be the stupidest statements I've ever read in my [short] life.


Interfax must have taken a joke story as serious and reprinted it, this doesn't sound like the same Anthony Priddis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Martin_Priddis

On the other hand, just like Anglicanism as a whole, this bishop is all over the place:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hereford/worcs/4277176.stm

Considering that the vast majority of Church of England bishops are Freemasons this doesn't surprise me...

MT:

Think about it. Let's assume that he's undergone the required "re-education" because of his stand against the homosexual youth officer. Who knows what kind of threat he may be under legally once having transgressed the law over that move--maybe the next step is a more severe legal consequence.

It is interesting that the Church of England is characterized as a state institution--something like a regular civil service position. One wonders if that is an admission that Christ and His Gospel are no longer relevant but simply minor details of this civil service job while the cultural and extra-ecclesial law of the land are the major outlines of the job.

BOB

Shesshhhhhh. What a joke !

Converted Viking

"One wonders if that is an admission that Christ and His Gospel are no longer relevant but simply minor details of this civil service job while the cultural and extra-ecclesial law of the land are the major outlines of the job."

This is what miffs me most. What can one say about the nature of sin with that perspective?

Reading out loud from the scripture one may hear a response, "Oh dear, you've just offended someone. Be quick, you better turn the page before it's too late."

Terry

Would that be a material change from what has existed in recent years?

Isnt it all a joke?
Stephanos I

This report, true or false, must have caused a fire-storm in
Anglican circles. If false, Bishop Priddis must have denied it
as soon as it came to his attention. Anybody seen or heard
anything?

Edmac

Dear friends,

How can anyone take this rubbish seriously?
A quick trawl of the UK media shows no sign of this silly story.

As for those who swallowed it, well, it's a shame to take their money!