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Vatican Says Female Anglican Bishops Reveal a Divine Divide

LibertySugar — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 03:00:39 -0700

The Roman Catholic Church has signaled the start of Schism 2.0 (at least), thanks to the Church of England's decision to allow women bishops in its Church. As for its own clergy, the Vatican has promised automatic excommunication for any Catholic bishop who attempts to ordain a woman as a priest.

The Catholic cardinal in charge of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity said:

"Such a decision is a break with apostolic tradition maintained in all of the Churches in the first millennium, and is therefore a further obstacle for reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the Church of England."

The cardinal warned that the Church of England's decision would have a long-term impact on the previously fruitful interfaith dialogue.

Does the Catholic Church's belief that since Christ chose only men as his apostles, only men can be priests represent an irreconcilable difference between Catholics and Anglicans? What would be gained by a healthy dialogue between the two Christian churches that separated during the 16th century?

Wedding Tourism Coming to English Churches?

LibertySugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:30:20 -0700

The Anglican Church wants to make it easier for couples to get married in their church of choice.

Under the proposed rules, couples can marry anywhere they have lived for six months or where their parents or grandparents married. Currently, only regular church attendees or those who live within the parish can be married in the parish church.

Since the Anglican Church is England's official state church, the changes must be approved by Parliament and given Royal Assent. Church leaders favor the new rules, which they say reflect a modern and mobile society. Others fear "wedding tourism" - they think people committed to religious communities (with pretty churches) will have to compete with the nonfaithful out-of-towners.

Do you think the relaxed rules will bring more weddings, and thus more worshipers? Can couples celebrate the tradition of getting married in a church without faith? Should church weddings be reserved only for church goers?

To see all of our wedding coverage, check out IDoSugar.com

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Church of England Reaches Out to Those "Living in Sin"

TresSugar — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:00:00 -0700

Accepting that modern couples may be turned off by traditionally rigid morals, the Church of England is making an effort to welcome families who have had children out of wedlock.

Today, the Church unveiled a new "hatch and match" service that offers a two-for-one wedding and baptism ceremony. Now couples can get married and have their children baptized all in one day!

But not everyone is happy by the Church's effort to stay relevant. Some argue that it condones having children before marriage, while another member of the faith said: "It's a shame that what should be a bride's day now stands to be hijacked by screaming kids."

The Church hopes the new offering will atone for the tradition of shunning unmarried mothers by welcoming them back into the Church without judgment. Now let's just see if the women (and their partners and children) will take the offer.

Source: Flickr User Cornell University Library

Advertising Is Not Dead! Atheist Bus Campaign Runs in UK

CitizenSugar — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:00:07 -0800

If religious organizations can advertise, why shouldn't atheists be able to? That's what England decided, when atheist ads were proposed and accepted. They are a response to religious ads that ran in 2008, which suggested people who don't believe in god would "spend all eternity in torment."

This Tuesday "There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life" was splayed across 800 buses. And next week, the campaign will move underground, where 1,000 ads featuring quotes from Emily Dickinson, Albert Einstein, and Katharine Hepburn will ride the subway.

Of course, you can't help but notice it says there's probably no god. What kind of atheist says that? To see why the atheists hesitated on the nonexistence of god, read more.

"Probably" was an edit made to add ambiguity and appease British advertising guidelines. "There is no god" would, after all, be inaccurate to those who believe.

And maybe those edits were smart because nobody in the already secular country seems to care. The Queen, head of the Church of England, has been, well, mum. And even the Methodist Church welcomed the campaign as a way to get people talking about god. So, what is it? Free speech prattle? A way to talk about God or no god? Or a sign that atheism is becoming more and more accepted?

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Briefing Book! Knowing Is Half the Battle . . .

LibertySugar — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 13:30:15 -0700

England: What's the difference between Gordon Brown and Michael Phelps? Many would rather win an Olympic gold than be prime minister. -politicsblog
McCain: Cone-gate? Senator McCain was not in a "cone of silence" on Saturday, while Barack Obama was interviewed at the Saddleback Church. - Huffington Post
Obama: A number two from New Mexico or Virginia? Obama likely to announce VP this week. - Politico
Olympics: Is Yao Ming the new Will Smith? Movie posters featuring Olympic athletes. - Shanghaiist

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Take Me to Your Leader: Britain

LibertySugar — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 09:00:50 -0800

June 27, 2007, Gordon Brown, 56, finally became the Prime Minister of Britain, after serving over a decade as Tony Blair's heir apparent. As lore would have it, in 1994 the two Labour Party friends made a pact - Tony Blair would run for Prime Minister, and eventually pass the torch to the awkward and dour Brown.

Brown became Prime Minister when the unpopular Blair stepped down, and immediately confronted a series of crises, including a thwarted terrorist attack, and flooding across England. But, the unfortunate events did not stop there. Brown came under fire for scandals including the loss of a computer disk holding bank account details of 25 million people, the almost collapse of a major mortgage lender, and sketchy Labour Party financing. In an attempt to deflect such negative attention before a general election next year, Brown recently put the spotlight on eight young Cabinet ministers as a way to prove the Labour Party is the party of radical change.

For more information on Brown's road to power, read more.

Under Blair, Brown served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and presided over unprecedented growth while diminishing the Labour Party's reputation as a tax-and-spend party. Born and raised in Scotland, Brown credits his parents as "my inspiration, and the reason I am in politics." His father was a minister of the Church of Scotland.

Young Gordon started university at the young age of 16. Although he was extremely successful academically, his university career was dogged with medical complications. A rugby injury from high school, cost him his sight in one eye, and left him with only 30 percent vision in the other. Brown worked as a university instructor and wrote a number of books, including "The Real Divide," a study of poverty and inequality. He entered parliament in 1983, sharing an office with Tony Blair.
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Check This: Headscarves in School

LibertySugar — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 15:02:37 -0800

Since 1997, women have been constitutionally banned from wearing headscarves in Turkey's universities. Now, Turkey's two major parties, including Islamic-rooted ruling party, have enough votes to overturn the ban. The secular elite, including judges, university officials, and military leaders, do not want to see the banned reversed. Opinion polls, however, demonstrate that a majority of the population would like to see the ban eased, and some women have actually refused to attend university until it is.

Those in favor of the ban fear a blur between church and state. Allowing the headscarf, in their view, will increase religious pressure on noncovered females and their families to cover up. Yet, the proposed changes would come in the form of a compromise. Only traditional scarves would be allowed, and those covering the neck, or the all-covering burkah would not be allowed. Women in the civil service, including teachers, still would not be allowed to wear any headscarves.

Other nations, such as France, have also banned the headscarf in schools. France forbids students from donning conspicuous religious symbols - including the Muslim headscarf and the Christian crucifix. England, on the other hand allows headscarves, for the sake of civil liberties. Perhaps Turkey is in a unique predicament, as it has historically struggled to remain secular.

Do you think that Turkey's ban on headscarves looks like religious oppression or is it a necessary way of protecting Turkey's secular status?

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