How can you take a church seriously...?

[flobadob]

The church of england is changing the rules to allow female bishops. I'm not saying that I'm for, or against this but what I am saying is how can you take a church seriously if they just keep changing the rules to suit themselves? Surely the way a church lays out the rules at the start should be the way they stay. For example in a few years what's to stop them changing the rules to allow atheists to become bishops?

[RATTER15]

Ankou, you missed the point, I don't really think anybody gives a hoot about women clergy etc, the point is: it is going against the word of god, god never did say that his followers can bend the rules to suit modern times, I think it is time this supposed God stepped in and updated the bible!! surely he is able to do that?

[Ankou]

going against the word of god. how ?

[RATTER15]

Because God says that a woman should never teach or preach but should be silent!

[jno]

first you're telling Christians what to do, now you're telling God what to do. In what way are you not acting like an interfering busybody? As Ankou says, it's a club (new members always welcome), but you don't belong to it. Join the church and they may listen to you. If you don't then you might as well be moaning about the Marks & Spencer CEO's pay: protest all you want but if you don't have shares you don't have a vote, so you're just sounding off. Why waste so much psychic energy?

[Philoctetes]

Much of what the argument is about is not actually in the Bible, but rather an interpretation of the Bible made in Byzantine times. As an example, it was interpreted from the fact that there are no named female disciples that Jesus had no female disciples, and hence women priests were forbidden. It could equally well have been that the writers themselves were not interested in women - a cultural fact of the times of writing. Nowhere does the Bible explicitly say women cannot be priests, so to argue that the opposition to women priests is based on the Bible is unfounded. And a lot of the religious controversies within Christianity come down to interpretation of the absence of evidence. Remember that even St Paul was interpreting in his own way. The Bible does not need updating. Interpretation needs updating, and God is managing that quite OK.

[RATTER15]

jno, if my posts bother you! STOP READING THEM!!!

Im answering and responding to the question am I not?

[jno]

I'm not bothered, Ratter - just like I asked, wondering why you spend so much time and effort criticising the actions of a group of people you don't belong to? In what way are they a problem for you?

[Ankou]

ratter i wasn't asking what he said, i was asking how he said it.

[RATTER15]

jno, I think it should be a problem for everybody when a Christian organization preaches the likes of: if you use a condom you will go to hell!! millions of people are dying of aids because of this ridiculous notion!!

A baby that has not been baptized will never see heaven, Why?

People are afraid of dying because maybe they are going to hell!

Yes it bothers me that this absolute garbage is affecting the world that I live in!

[Ankou]

but if you don't believe in heaven or hell, as i don't either, then why would a baby being/not being baptised affect you ?

all you are referring to are irrational fears. in some of your examples some people are taking personal responsibility in hope of getting to their heaven, in others, people are no taking personal responsibility for their own life and those of others by lack of contraception.

this is just pointing out all the contradictions and hypocrisy that we already know about, and have known about for a coupla thousand years.

so whats the beef with women in middle management ? and 'how' did this god say all these things ?

[naomi24]

jno, //Why not just accept that some people hold different views from yours, and let them get on with it? //

Odd how you don't take your own advice.

[RATTER15]

Do I have a beef with woman doing anything? I havnt said that!!

[Ankou]

no, you said god does. i was wondering how you knew, and when he told you.

[mollykins]

simple answer; you can't.

[Old_Geezer]

Who is to tell God that it can't decide, "Hey sister, you've come a long way, I think you're up to a bit of bishoping now" ? All seems a daft discussion to me. Religion is about faith and belief anyway. Of course a religion's viewpoint can evolve over time.

[Ankou]

you are right og. had it gone the other way, no doubt us atheists would be frothing and thumping the table with claims of ....

"how can you take a church seriously...? ... when they won't allow women to become bishops/priests to marry "blah blah blah. "this is the 21st century" etc etc.

[flobadob]

To be honest, you can't take it seriously I think. By the by, I put forward a question and some people have had a go at giving there opinion, which is generally the point of this site. jno gone and stop telling ratter to stop giving his opinion. Maybe you should set up your own site called don'tanswerbank.

[Ankou]

well ratter didn'tanswerbank to my q.

[flobadob]

I'm not going to claim to know the bible. Does anyone know does it say anything ever about the issue of women preachers? This may need to posted as a new thread to get an answer.

[Ankou]

it aint the bible its god who said it. apparently.