Gay Bishop Ban Removed?

Yesterday the Episcopal Church voted to open up “any ordained ministry to gays and lesbians—a giant step forward in lifting the moratorium on ordaining gay bishops that’s been in effect for at least three years.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t cover all cases; still allowing for discrimination, it’s written to let dioceses choose whether or not they want to consider gays for bishop candidacy. It kind of reminds me of the whole hypocrisy of allowing emergency contraception to be available in pharmacies—but allowing pharmacists to play got with your health and have the “right” to deny your request on “moral grounds.”

Every time something this big happens, I’m simply torn from all-out celebrating another step forward for the rights of gays and lesbians—and simply being pissed off because the step had to be taken in the first place, and that they’re not guaranteed all of the same rights and privileges as straight people already, as they should.

I also find it incredibly silly that a church operates as a government. This measure, for example, will now go back to “the House of Deputies” to be reconsidered before approval. Really, if you need a government to control your faith, why even bother to go to church, or say a prayer? Just do what the “church law” dictates and you’ll be fine, right?

A lot of people—notably John Lennon, among others—have foretold the eventual collapse of the church. Could ordaining gay bishops be the start of a massive combustion of the church? After all, when Bishop Gene Robinson, a gay man, was elected in New Hampshire, many Anglican Communion provinces broke away from the Episcopal Church altogether—including four in the United States.

“There is no question that today’s vote in the House of Bishops was an historic move forward and a great day for all who support the full inclusion of all the baptized in the Body of Christ,” says Reverand Susan Russell, a Los Angeles priest and president of Integrity USA.

Established in 1974, Integrity USA has been advocating the rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community to fully participate in the Episcopal Church.

Again, while this work is noble and needed, it doesn’t stop me from simply boiling because it has to exist in the first place. I wholly long for the day when everyone on the planet can see past gender and sexual orientation and start simply “loving thy neighbor;” isn’t that what faith should be about anyway?