The comedian Robin Williams is also an Episcopalian as it turns out. To the standard jokes we tell on ourselves, “Where ever any four of us are gathered, there you will also find a fifth,” e.g., he used to add that there were two main benefits to membership in the American branch of the Anglican Church. First, “Free wine on Sundays!” and second, “No matter what you believe in, you can always find someone else in the church who believes it too.”
All well and good, but this is stretching it a bit too far:
Shortly after noon on Fridays, the Rev. Ann Holmes Redding ties on a black headscarf, preparing to pray with her Muslim group on First Hill.
On Sunday mornings, Redding puts on the white collar of an Episcopal priest.
She does both, she says, because she’s Christian and Muslim.
Redding, who until recently was director of faith formation at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, has been a priest for more than 20 years. Now she’s ready to tell people that, for the last 15 months, she’s also been a Muslim
“I don’t think it’s possible” to be both, Fredrickson said, just like “you can’t be a Republican and a Democrat.”
Like if they can’t understand that…
But then again, it might be fun to watch both the pols and the bloggers attempt to take on someone who was elected as being of one party and then openly professed to be of both.
While I agree that one cannot be both a Muslim and a Christian, just as one cannot be both a Jew and a Christian or a Buddhist and a Christian, I disagree that this has anything to do with secular progressivism. I think it is the desire to find middle ground and to establish a universal religion, just as Muhammed thought he was doing and as Martin Luther thought he was doing. Somehow the notion that different axiomatic beliefs may be incompatible is somehow troubling.
Joe5348
How sad it is that the majority of us have forgotten not only what sacrifice is but also it’s purpose. Heaven forbid if something is difficult, trying, or puts a crimp in our style. We’ll tweak things to suit OUR needs. How selfish we have become.
And as a sidenote, my mother’s side of the family is Episcopalian and their church is one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen.
I saw this earlier today and just about had my brain fry. I am also Episcopalian. I can’t believe that the hierarchy there would allow such heresy — Islam denies Christ, so how can she be a Christian? Problematic, to be sure.
Sheesh — I know there are morons in any hierarchy that is in a “soft” field (think higher education as well as clergy) — but doesn’t ANYONE have a BRAIN there?
I have a headache. Need to lie down now.
No. Words. …except maybe your title.
This is too perfect. Just ran across this money quote at corner.nationalreview.com, courtesy of Mark Steyn:
“With the benefit of hindsight, it should have been obvious that the first female imam would be an Episcopalian…”
Too many snarks to insert here.
I just knew out-of-control political correctitude, and multiculturalism gone wild would get us in deep trouble. Sorry, Rev. Redding, you’re wading into deep waters here, and with no water-wings too. All cultures are not equally valuable and worthy. All peoples are not necessarily nice peoples. And all religions are not equally benign. Grow up, madam. It’s time.
Marianne Matthews
I’ve been stewing on this all day. I finally wondered who she’ll be preaching to. Muslim men? Will they even listen to her? Or just stone her for apostacy/heresy/whatever-floats-their-boats?
She’s living in a fantasy world. When real life comes knocking at the door, who will she proclaim as her god? God with Christ and the Holy Spirit or Allah?
Then again, St. Peter may have a say in opening the pearly gates for her. Or not.
Feh. This is driving me nuts. Time to take a time-out.
Rev. Ann Holmes Redding probably thinks that the Islamofascist’s will kill her last, because she is also Muslim. Right.
She is apostate to Islam for practicing another religion. The two Master thing.
I like that she is still “Reverend”, but only committed so far. So much for the “Calling”.
Here is what troubles me – not just that she apparently gun-decked seminary (twice for two Master’s of Divinity), but that she was (and apparently will be again at Univ. of Seattle) in a position of authoritative teaching on the tenets of the faith. How many will she lead astray with this apostatized personal theology?
Further, what has become of our seminaries not just with this example, but the toleration of said apostasy by those in authority above her?
- SJS
Steyn had a great lead-in to that post too. Something about it never being a good idea to satirize the Episcopal Church…
Sad, but true.
A strange leap, but preceded by greater leaps via Henry VIII, Cranmer & Cecil…”Reverend Ann” is only modifying a custom established by her antecedents in the faith.
Why did she decide to grace specifially Islam with her presence?..If she wants to be truly inclusive, then what is wrong with Hinduism or Buddhism–or for that matter Judaism?
Might it have something to do with the relative trendiness of various religions at this particular moment? Or, as dc suggests, might it have something to do with *fear*?
Lex, I am not a religious person. I go to weddings and funerals, that’s it. I was recently asked if I pray every day. My immediate reaction was yes… But, what does that mean?
I want you to know how deeply respectful I am of your religious beliefs. It seems that it has stood you in good stead. I only wish that I was able to believe the way that you do.
The Episcopal church seems to me to have gone off the rails. Robert, the Llamabutcher, posts about his disallusionment with the administration of his faith on a weekly basis. He is currently considering changing to Catholicism, if I understand his stance correctly.
I read the reports of this so called Reverend and think this is some kind of nut… But, it seems to be happening more and more in western faith. That is that leaders are qualifying their beliefs to comport with current political thinking. And so, we see some kind of washed down Christianity in deference to today’s political realities.
She got what she wanted: attention.
Is it even remotely possible that she understands or comprehends, even at a basic level, the culture of Islam? No, or she wouldn’t be risking death for the attention she is getting.
Death by who? Well, there is that whole “thou shalt have no other Gods before me” thing or perhaps it is some out of his mind teenager islamo-activist dreaming of the 72 chicks he will get upon the death of a female pretending to be an iman.
What will she do, then, with the new emotionally moving faith she has developed? Water down the word of God, perhaps. Try and invent another religion where we can pray to Alla and his “phrophet” Jesus? Hold to your faith, my friends… we all knew we would be tested. This is one of those.
A lost soul with all the praise and publicity in the world will not shake my personal faith… or yours either, I am sure.
I think the problem is that the people in charge of the Episcopal Church think that the values of the West and Christianity have by their very nature led to the abuses to which they have sometimes been put. They seek to include other values into it so as to make everything “all one” and to remove the stain that they think that Christianity and the West contain. Meanwhile, they resolutely ignore the abuses that have been or are conducted in the name of these other things they are including, or else they blame them all on the malign influence of the West.
By definition, for these folks Christianity is suspect and has to be diluted and changed to match their idea of what justice is. The idea that God has reserved justice for Himself and has given us rules on how to live justly would mean that people would have to show self-restraint and sacrifice, which is counter to “God made me the way I am, so I can do as I feel is right.” Feeling has been made paramount over logic and rationality. The Church that doesn’t make you check your brain at the door now condemns your use of it.
It is, in fact, not possible for someone to believe that Christ both did and did not have a divine nature. She and a great many others have put “inclusiveness” above all else, even the faith once delivered.
I was brought up in the Episcopal Church in a semi-rural Massachusetts town. I was an acolyte. Then I hit college and didn’t come back to the Church until about 7 years ago. It’s unbelievable what a mess has been made of it by a bunch of self-justifying fools. Now I’m Senior Warden of my parish (proof that God has a sense of humor) and stuff like this may yet destroy our parish.
Why in the name of Jesus hasn’t this woman’s bishop told her that she is committing apostasy? Doesn’t anyone read the Bible these days?
Jesus warned of false teachers – wolves in sheep’s clothing, he called them. This woman is one of them. The sad thing is that she may lead many others to destruction with her.
In former times, heretics such as this woman were burned at the stake. I’m not suggesting a revival of the Spanish Inquisition (although no one would expect it…) but neither should we tolerate such things in the church. She should not only be stripped of her offices but excommunicated (if Episcopals do that – I wouldn’t know, I’m just a nondescript Protestant.)
Ref no.2 – Joe, it is possible to be both a Jew and a Christian. Recall that Jesus was a Jew and the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy; most of the early Christians, until Paul went out to the Gentiles, were Jews who accepted Jesus as Messiah. There are still some of those today. I have also heard of Gentile Christians who have adopted some Jewish customs such as celebrating the Passover. I don’t do that myself, but I think it’s kind of nice..
RonF,
My church is in a similar position, except when we lost our long-time priest (he moved closer to his home and elderly parents), we got a priest with chronic depression. He never said a word to us about it, but in hindsight, who in the world leaves sunny southern California to go to the PacNW in September? Cold, rain, cloudy, no sunshine, new job, etc. It was a disaster waiting to happen. And boy oh boy, did it! I was tapped to fill out a vestry term the meeting he asked for reduced hours, blindsiding everyone, including the Bishop. He ended up going on disability for treatment, and finally he medically retired. We survived and are now in another search for a priest, with bad feelings and a shrinking congregation. Me among them. The Vestry exhausted me and I am lucky if I make it to church once a month now.
Church used to be a consolation, a renewal, for me. Now it’s stressful and frustrating.
People like this woman who believe in the cafeteria plan religion just frustrate me. No one is willing to stand up for their beliefs with conviction. No one is drawing a line in the sand. It’s back to the 60s — whatever feel good, man.
Again, feh on them all.
Cap’n,
Just as we cannot serve God and mammon, the Rev. Redding cannot serve God and Allah; they are not the same. One acts out of love and concern, the other (if acts at all) is capricous and random. Thus if she is reaching out to the Islamic community to help bridge the gulf between them and Christianity, I wish her the best. However, I doubt the sheiks and mullahs will listen to a woman, regardless of her calling.
If I may, your comment in re: Sacred Scripture and using our reason to ascertain their meaning in today’s world made me think of the Orthodox Church. Whereas modern churches speak of today, the Orthodox churches are either mired in 1st Century teachings or hopelessly entwined in ecumenism. Your comment brings the true nature of the relationship between Scripture and the individual.
I firmly believe that Scripture speaks to each person in ways only that individual recognizes. We admit and acknowledge our sinful nature and our total lack of understanding why God the Father Unbegotten sent His Son (God the Son Only Begotten) to die for us. I prefer to let His Spirit (God the Spirit Everlasting) teach me in that small quiet voice. That quiet voice speaks the Truth through Scripture to our God-given reason.
It happened up here in Seattle-boy was that ever a surprise-NOT!
Is there a 4th leg on your stool Lex? (not laughing at you but with you-beyond irony)
Implosion.
b2
1 John 4:1
[...] was an interesting discussion at?Ǭ
[...] was an interesting discussion at Lex’ recently, and in the same vein: And I thought, when I was younger, that it was [...]
As I wrote over at the Donovan’s place, this kind of thing just chaps my cracker ass, as Acidman used to say.
Dammit, I think of the many times I’ve gone up to the rail in an Episcopal church, crossed hands over opposite shoulders to just get the blessing, not the Host, because I wasn’t sure I was qualified for Communion.
And then this DOODAH makes a mockery of the whole process?
Grumble, grumble,Jtg expresses bad attitude.
Well, JTG, anymore you can take the Host as long as you have been baptized.
My grumble, grumble is all the little children taking communion with no understanding at all of what it means. And I mean little ones, like 2-year-old tantrums in waiting.
Everything with rules has been reduced to the least common denominator and the results seem to show that anymore. No rules, no boundaries, no regard for others.
/frustration off
This is why I prefer my brand of “religion” – a deeply spiritual nature, with a firm belief in God and his Son and the miracle of living and breathing everyday.
Organized religion just makes me crazy. How horrible this must be for those of you who do participate in an organized Christian faith – it must feel like such a betrayal, no matter which faith is yours.
Wolf in sheep’s clothing, indeed.