Female Clergy.

[Theland]

What are your thoughts?

[Jackdaw33]

Dead against, but always have been. If you want male only clergy you will have to go to Rome!

[Theland]

I agree but why you?

[Jackdaw33]

Why me what?

[zebo]

I'm not sure what you're wanting, theological reason or something else. We have a female vicar and a female curate, the vicar is great and I go when she's 'on', the curate I avoid, not wanting to listen to the Gospel according to the Guardian, but I don't think that this is to do with their gender.

[Theland]

Thinking of the authority of the bible prohibition. But great people wanting to do this work.

[Cloverjo]

I'm not religious, so couldn't give stuff about what the bible says about female clergy. I've been to two funerals conducted by women, and they both seemed very caring. That's all you need, isn't it?

[gness]

The same as for male clergy....do away with them all....x

[kvalidir]

The Bible prohibition on female priests was just part of the other Patriarchal nonsense tied up with all the other Abrahamic teachings (God is identified as 'male', he set up differing rules for males and females and roles for them, with often fatal penalties if they transgressed) etc etc etc. It's not a big deal, it's just the usual big three religious misogyny designed to take away first the power of the Goddesses, then the power of their Priestesses and finally the power of women altogether. they had to actually be threatened with death to achieve this. Some men appear not to have enjoyed an equal partnership with women in the home, workplace, church or indeed society at large for the last couple of thousand years. Thankfully most people no longer care, so women priests are fine, although quite why they would want to join that particular club is beyond me, it's a bit like gatecrashing a party where you know you're not welcome.

[nailit]

Female clergy, what are your thoughts?

Animal sacrifice, what are your thoughts?
Genocide, what are your thoughts?
Slavery, what are your thoughts?
Rape victims having to marry their rapist, what are your thoughts?
Stoning to death, what are your thoughts?

Over to you Theland.

[Theland]

Thoughtful. And thanks.

[nailit]

Didn't present it to be thoughtful, presented it for answers.

[Theland]

Is that really you in the avatar John?

[Rosetta]

I think its also a generational issue to not accept female priests, and the 'conventional' religions are , by and large, peopled by middle aged/older believers

[Theland]

I would love to go to the church next door but they have a female priest. A lovely lovely lady, but not with the authority of scripture. Very confused as to what to do.

[nailit]

Yep, that's me Theland.
The 'Right Said Fred' look as well.

[kvalidir]

Well in that case if it worries you why not just go and treat it as a day out rather than part of your religious life and then you can enjoy her sermon without having felt you've 'cheated'. Lots of the christian Scriptures have been dropped, we don't see many stonings for wearing two types of cloth these days in the midlands, so I think the female priests thing is well on it's way out. Give it some thought, I'm sure your God would want you to be thoughtful about it if nothing else.

[vetuste_ennemi]

//Some men appear not to have enjoyed an equal partnership with women... for the last couple of thousand years//

Concerning gender roles and the treatment of women generally, what's special about the last 2,000 years rather than the preceding quarter of a million years of human evolution, Klavidir? Or, indeed, what's special about monotheistic religions compared with polytheistic religions or other pre-scientific explanations of the world?

[atalanta]

When Florence Tim Oi Li was ordained by Bishop Hall in 1944, the Anglican authorities sought in vain for scriptural reasons to object to the ordination, but couldn't find any. ( See Tim Oi Li's obituary in the Times.) She was the only person who could run the blockade of Hong Kong without suspicion, carrying the sacraments past the enemy to the faithful. Bishop Hall reckoned that God had already recognised her as a priest, so ordained her in order for her to consecrate the sacraments herself. Bishop Hall decided he was in no position to disagree with God.

[Bathsheba]

The last 5 funerals I've been to have had female vicars. Very good speakers, all of them.
~Baths~

[Bathsheba]

As are you, kval! V wide knowledge for your age! Always enjoy reading your comments
~Baths~