If your church's position is that the Bible was written by humans and that their irrational (and non-spiritual) prejudices and bigotry was woven into the fabric of Scripture, and the church has a procedure for determining what these points are, then I think you can justify women priests or homosexual priests.
The question remains, however, of whether all morality is relative if it is not a trespass (defined legally) against another person or his or her property. You could let zoophiles become priests, too. In fact, let's go farther than that. Your church could, theoretically, endorse a socialist state that expropriated private property and say that all notions of private property, up to and including "thou shalt not steal", are products of the time, and not God's Word. I'm sure you could then take Christ's injunction to the rich young man - "take all your possessions, give them to the poor, and follow me" - and justify government confiscation of private property.
The point is that you're at a point where no prescriptive prohibitions set forth in the Bible are going to have any meaning. Is your church comfortable with that? In all fairness, I personally have no problem removing all prescriptive prohibitions up to the point where there is a trespass against a person or his property. I am just not sure if that many other people are comfortable with what I'm comfortable with.
I am also fairly confident that the Presbyterian position is a different one, moreover. As a Calvinist denomination (or at least nominally Calvinist), I would love to see how they are resolving the massive internal contradictions between doctrine and practice.
The question remains, however, of whether all morality is relative if it is not a trespass (defined legally) against another person or his or her property. You could let zoophiles become priests, too. In fact, let's go farther than that. Your church could, theoretically, endorse a socialist state that expropriated private property and say that all notions of private property, up to and including "thou shalt not steal", are products of the time, and not God's Word. I'm sure you could then take Christ's injunction to the rich young man - "take all your possessions, give them to the poor, and follow me" - and justify government confiscation of private property.
The point is that you're at a point where no prescriptive prohibitions set forth in the Bible are going to have any meaning. Is your church comfortable with that? In all fairness, I personally have no problem removing all prescriptive prohibitions up to the point where there is a trespass against a person or his property. I am just not sure if that many other people are comfortable with what I'm comfortable with.
I am also fairly confident that the Presbyterian position is a different one, moreover. As a Calvinist denomination (or at least nominally Calvinist), I would love to see how they are resolving the massive internal contradictions between doctrine and practice.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
Presbyterian Church (USA) passes Amendment 10-A.
- 11/05/2011 05:39:29 PM
1464 Views
What's the language? Did they at least TRY to give a doctrinal justification?
- 12/05/2011 02:10:46 AM
1039 Views
Thank you for that rousing argument against married priests.
- 12/05/2011 03:36:51 AM
943 Views
Why ARE you letting women into the priesthood?
- 12/05/2011 04:16:50 AM
886 Views
Because Episcopalians don't listen to the Bible much.
- 12/05/2011 05:47:03 AM
825 Views
That's just fine as far as I'm concerned
- 12/05/2011 02:23:44 PM
849 Views
Yes, I suppose a church could go that route.
- 14/05/2011 07:38:02 AM
795 Views
I'm not attempting to impose a dichotomy on the Bible.
- 14/05/2011 03:25:30 PM
870 Views
I don't even know what following the Bible in its entirety means.
- 14/05/2011 09:09:10 PM
1037 Views
As an exercise, I tried to think of how I would justify allowing homosexuals as clergy.
- 14/05/2011 04:19:43 PM
860 Views
Thanks (I'm actually OK with women priests though).
- 12/05/2011 07:09:11 AM
925 Views
There's ample precedent for female religious leaders, even within the bible.
- 12/05/2011 06:51:05 AM
974 Views
Since when is Moses' society the be-all end all?
- 12/05/2011 07:12:41 PM
826 Views
Since never, which is why I referenced five other eras you completely ignored.
- 14/05/2011 01:11:30 AM
931 Views
They did so, via negativa.
- 12/05/2011 04:22:17 PM
978 Views
Sorry for the delay, particularly since it looks like I'll be spending a fair amount of time here.
- 14/05/2011 12:31:33 AM
793 Views
Your church has a constitution?!
- 12/05/2011 03:36:41 AM
853 Views
My Church has a congress!
*NM*
- 12/05/2011 03:37:52 AM
414 Views
*NM*
- 12/05/2011 03:37:52 AM
414 Views
Haha no way! *NM*
- 12/05/2011 03:46:32 AM
374 Views
Well, we have one group of laity and one of bishops, so it is only mildy utter chaos.
*NM*
- 12/05/2011 05:51:09 AM
408 Views
*NM*
- 12/05/2011 05:51:09 AM
408 Views
I'm happy to hear this, personally. I also wonder how you reconcile this with the Bible.
- 12/05/2011 04:11:31 AM
1037 Views
Every direct reference to homosexuality in the Bible is a reference to rape.
- 12/05/2011 04:12:43 PM
867 Views
Every single word that you wrote in your response is complete bullshit.
- 12/05/2011 05:50:07 PM
997 Views
Knock off your eisegesis, try some exegesis
- 12/05/2011 07:02:45 PM
909 Views
I'm trying to figure out just what your "gifts" are, because I don't see any.
- 12/05/2011 07:30:39 PM
881 Views
There are cases in which hypocrisy is far better than the alternatives.
- 12/05/2011 10:04:32 PM
953 Views
Hypocrisy is better than, say, setting gays on fire, yes.
- 12/05/2011 10:10:40 PM
929 Views
My statement is that, from a pragmatic point of view, hypocrisy shouldn't be discouraged too much.
- 13/05/2011 10:05:39 PM
951 Views
Oh, is that how we're playing this, then?
- 13/05/2011 06:29:31 PM
888 Views
I'm not playing. I'm pointing out some glaring errors on your part.
- 13/05/2011 07:25:08 PM
787 Views
The Bible says what it says. The problem... people like to tell us just what else it's saying.
- 13/05/2011 05:31:29 PM
855 Views
You don't reconcile... you pick the parts you like and adjust the rest to suit you.
- 13/05/2011 09:33:54 PM
776 Views
Another example...
- 12/05/2011 09:19:52 AM
778 Views
If you claim to follow the entire Bible, then you are completely correct.
- 12/05/2011 06:04:38 PM
775 Views
On the contrary, this move will take some butts out of the seats.
- 12/05/2011 07:16:22 PM
829 Views
We both know that isn't the case
- 12/05/2011 07:55:41 PM
922 Views
Cool cool. I have a question on a semi-related note, about Protestant Gospels
- 12/05/2011 05:33:49 PM
895 Views
No Protestant denomination has added so much as a word to the Bible
- 12/05/2011 05:58:16 PM
766 Views
So, everyone hates Judith, then?
- 12/05/2011 06:40:11 PM
850 Views
The Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Churches accept Judith as part of Scripture.
- 12/05/2011 07:51:27 PM
797 Views
Does the Eastern Orthodox Church also segregate deuterocanonical works like Roman Catholicism does?
- 14/05/2011 02:19:03 AM
1105 Views
The Eastern Church bases everything on the Septuagint.
- 14/05/2011 02:34:41 AM
853 Views
That sounds appealing, and makes sense.
- 14/05/2011 02:44:56 AM
864 Views
Oh, I just enjoy calling Protestants "heretics" to remind them not everyone agrees with them.
- 14/05/2011 03:25:42 AM
814 Views
Re: Cool cool. I have a question on a semi-related note, about Protestant Gospels
- 12/05/2011 08:52:48 PM
830 Views
The NIV is terrible. The NASB has the best translation I have found (of the NT, at least).
- 12/05/2011 10:43:58 PM
982 Views
I find this really weird, to be honest
- 13/05/2011 05:48:28 AM
868 Views
Well, it wasn't just Athanasius. But yes, we are lucky in that respect. *NM*
- 13/05/2011 06:32:48 AM
349 Views
Athanasius's list reflected the victory of Pauline Christianity
- 13/05/2011 02:52:53 PM
804 Views
There's a school of thought that says that's a strong vindication of Athanasius.
- 14/05/2011 02:37:49 AM
756 Views
- 14/05/2011 02:37:49 AM
756 Views

*NM*