ANGLICANS: Would you leave your parish church if it opted into a 'male-only' oversight?

[morningpaper]

ANGLICANS - Would you leave your parish church if it opted into a 'male-only' oversight? Or would you stay because you know the people and you like it?

If I was in a parish which took the view that it could not accept women bishops, or women priests, I think I would find it very hard to stay there, as their view of theology would clearly be very different to my own. I'm lucky not to have to face that choice

Ain't gonna happen, we hae a female curate

but otherwise i think yes

hana: lots of parishes will potentially 'opt out' if women are made bishops; into an alternate church structure which only allows for male priests/bishops

I agree muminscotland, I could not stay in a church that opposed women bishops because I would not feel able to express my faith, share my faith and build the kind of wonderful relationships that I have got with other members of the congregation and clergy. However, the church I go to, like most, has people from all different perspectives, some very conservative to some more liberal (like me). I am fine with this - we are all entitled to our different views, but I could not stay somewhere where senitments that i fundamentally disagreed with were being preached from the pulpit. It would not sit well with my conscience

No danger of that happening at my church (partly why I chose it as there are several in the town we could have gone to). But yes, I think I would leave if that happened. I find the POV baffling and have never heard a good argument for it.

There is a lady near us who left when female Vicars came in, and 'all that homosexual stuff' (I presume she meant promotion of openly gay clergy rather than anything going on at particular Church (Peachy gets images of Old Albert the Vicar and almost faints ))

She is now a Baptist.

I can understand its hard for older peple to see big changes but unless they want the Church to die when they do, things have to change. Women have proved they (we) are able in every sector and the Church has to reflect that.

To the original question: yes I would as their view of Christianity would differ radically from mine.

I'm in a funny place with it. Not officially an Anglican any more, but I've been challenged recently by the whole issue and the impact it has on my faith.

For some reason, I found it easier to reconcile my sexuality with things, than I have done the women thing, and I think a large part of that was because I chickened out and just married the first bloke who asked.

And it's not about ability, any fool knows that women clearly have the ability to lead. It's all about the authority and reasons we make the decisions we do. I get the anglican three-legged stool thing, and I always did think it was cobblers, really, because what always appears to happen is that Human reason wins out over the bible everytime on issues like this - I suppose I acknowledge now that it probably did with my sexuality.

But you know what? If I can reason my way through it all, then what frigging good is it anyway? And where the hell does that leave me? Because I know full well whenever I try and do the things I think are best, I cock it up. And if the bible is a sort of pick and mix selection, then, tbh, I'm quite happy to leave it right now, and I completely understand (and indeed, have always understood) an atheist's point of 'well, it's just a book like any other'.

I don't have any problem with women vicars, bishops, prime minister, presidents, yada yada yada. I wanted to be one myself at one point before fate spun me off into a much more repressive life. But the bible really does appear to have a problem with it all, and if my faith is based in it, which it is, then this is all a bit self-defeating.

I'm not making much sense tonight, I'm very unhappy generally, and this has just highlighted a few things that rub the wound sorer.

Yes I would, and I've told my vicar so.

I have still worshipped with FiFers though, and have found them very respectful of my opinion

Anything you want to talk about Kay?

I thought you and dh had sorted a lot of stuff out.

show, I've got a thread I'm babbling rubbish on in chat, I don't want to hijack this one. Sorry about that.

No, I wouldn't leave my parish. We have far more things to concern ourselves with that who the Bishop is.

We are a mission-shaped church, and our goals are to come alongside the needy in our parish (and beyond). We do not concern ourselves with church politics.

The Bishop is there to serve us to support our ministries, not the other way about.

As a lay Reader though, I couldn't support my vicar if that were his mentality. Just as he couldn't support me if I later decided to go for ordination.

I couldn't be aprt of a church that didn't recognise and enjoy the ordained ministry of women and men together, equally created in the image of God.

I'd leave
We've already had the flouncing over a woman priest (before my time but the parish photo album is as full of holes as a doily ) so we're in it for keeps at ours, hurrah
MP we are that close to Rochester and Bishop Nazir-Ali, narrow squeak or what

i think it is bad for churches within the anglican communion to be divided in this way. it is a democracy (of sorts) once the decision has been made all should stick to it or leave the denomination completely. is my view.

But the churches in the Anglican Communion were already divided, mine (Episcopal Church of Scotland) passed legislation for women bishops a few years back. It's always the case that some are quicker than others to make changes.

Very true, AMIS. And in the USA, there are now several churches, beyond the Episcopal Church, that are part of the Anglican Communion. They are known as Continuing Churches because they believe they are continuing the faith handed down, and not pandering to liberal notions.

It's a different situation in England. Here the Church of England has a duty to minister to everyone that lives in a parish (and everyone in England does live in a parish). That means that the Church has to respond to all churchmanships. It is not an option to deny liberals, catholics, evangelicals, or indeed non-anglicans and non-christians.

I think the Anglo-Catholic wing are having particularly hard time because they put a lot of emphasis onto church authority and the faith handed down. I imagine that liberals are fairly happy given that the votes have gone their way (pity they don't put a proportional amount into their parish shares). Although evangelicals are probably struggling with the scriptural aspects of the decisions, their outlook is much more on the bishop being a servant rather than a teacher.

I think we need to pray for grace for all, and for healing. I think that it is hard to find an earthly solution, but nothing is impossible for God.