CoE says ‘no official definition of a woman’

[achillestoes]

Tonight The Telegraph reports this as the official stance of the Church of England.

Comments from Dr Robert Innes, the Bishop in Europe:

There is no official definition, which reflects the fact that until fairly recently definitions of this kind were thought to be self-evident, as reflected in the marriage liturgy. The LLF project however has begun to explore the marriage complexities associated with gender identity and points to the need for additional care and thought to be given in understanding our commonalities and differences as people made in the image of God.

If anyone knows what that means...

Great post, articulates what I was thinking exactly.

Particularly the hypocrisy when comparing the ease of waving through gender identity to all the hand wringing over Gay marriage.

I am a Christian (no longer C of E, I also object to their downscaling of parishes and community ministers in favour of more bishops and managers at church house, spending the tithes of faithful old ladies on self-serving projects and drinks receptions)

To me, living in the world outside Eden and this side of heaven, we all have our own difficulties, even Paul referred to a "thorn in the flesh" which is likely to be a chronic illness which was never healed during his ministry. Gender dysphoria must be terrible to live with and worthy of all compassion from the church. But to deny basic reality and ignore the overarching pattern of male and female that God has weaved throughout creation, is adding a new man made doctrine. The church needs to stand for something or it will fall for everything.

I'll wait for the moment they explain about the expulsion from Eden, the Virgin birth, Amnon's rape of Tamar in the book of Samuel and the bit in Deuteromony where he says its an 'abomination' for a woman to wear man's clothes. Or this nice bit:

1st Corinthians (14:34-5) “Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak: but to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

My point being, will they then admit that a woman can be a man?

Great post shedwithivy

"The church needs to stand for something or it will fall for everything." - this is exactly how I feel about political parties, charities and the rest of civil society that are pushing genderwoo at us.