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
- 1441 Views
What's the language? Did they at least TRY to give a doctrinal justification?
12/05/2011 02:10:46 AM
- 994 Views
Thank you for that rousing argument against married priests.
12/05/2011 03:36:51 AM
- 922 Views
Why ARE you letting women into the priesthood?
12/05/2011 04:16:50 AM
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Because Episcopalians don't listen to the Bible much.
12/05/2011 05:47:03 AM
- 810 Views
That's just fine as far as I'm concerned
12/05/2011 02:23:44 PM
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Yes, I suppose a church could go that route.
14/05/2011 07:38:02 AM
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I'm not attempting to impose a dichotomy on the Bible.
14/05/2011 03:25:30 PM
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I don't even know what following the Bible in its entirety means.
14/05/2011 09:09:10 PM
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As an exercise, I tried to think of how I would justify allowing homosexuals as clergy.
14/05/2011 04:19:43 PM
- 831 Views
Thanks (I'm actually OK with women priests though).
12/05/2011 07:09:11 AM
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There's ample precedent for female religious leaders, even within the bible.
12/05/2011 06:51:05 AM
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Since when is Moses' society the be-all end all?
12/05/2011 07:12:41 PM
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Since never, which is why I referenced five other eras you completely ignored.
14/05/2011 01:11:30 AM
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They did so, via negativa.
12/05/2011 04:22:17 PM
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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
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Your church has a constitution?!
12/05/2011 03:36:41 AM
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My Church has a congress!
*NM*
12/05/2011 03:37:52 AM
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Haha no way! *NM*
12/05/2011 03:46:32 AM
- 356 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
- 399 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
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Every direct reference to homosexuality in the Bible is a reference to rape.
12/05/2011 04:12:43 PM
- 844 Views
Every single word that you wrote in your response is complete bullshit.
12/05/2011 05:50:07 PM
- 975 Views
Knock off your eisegesis, try some exegesis
12/05/2011 07:02:45 PM
- 891 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
- 861 Views
There are cases in which hypocrisy is far better than the alternatives.
12/05/2011 10:04:32 PM
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Hypocrisy is better than, say, setting gays on fire, yes.
12/05/2011 10:10:40 PM
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My statement is that, from a pragmatic point of view, hypocrisy shouldn't be discouraged too much.
13/05/2011 10:05:39 PM
- 910 Views
Oh, is that how we're playing this, then?
13/05/2011 06:29:31 PM
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I'm not playing. I'm pointing out some glaring errors on your part.
13/05/2011 07:25:08 PM
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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
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You don't reconcile... you pick the parts you like and adjust the rest to suit you.
13/05/2011 09:33:54 PM
- 758 Views
Another example...
12/05/2011 09:19:52 AM
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If you claim to follow the entire Bible, then you are completely correct.
12/05/2011 06:04:38 PM
- 757 Views
On the contrary, this move will take some butts out of the seats.
12/05/2011 07:16:22 PM
- 797 Views
We both know that isn't the case
12/05/2011 07:55:41 PM
- 902 Views
Cool cool. I have a question on a semi-related note, about Protestant Gospels
12/05/2011 05:33:49 PM
- 862 Views
No Protestant denomination has added so much as a word to the Bible
12/05/2011 05:58:16 PM
- 733 Views
So, everyone hates Judith, then?
12/05/2011 06:40:11 PM
- 811 Views
The Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Churches accept Judith as part of Scripture.
12/05/2011 07:51:27 PM
- 774 Views
Does the Eastern Orthodox Church also segregate deuterocanonical works like Roman Catholicism does?
14/05/2011 02:19:03 AM
- 1087 Views
The Eastern Church bases everything on the Septuagint.
14/05/2011 02:34:41 AM
- 826 Views
That sounds appealing, and makes sense.
14/05/2011 02:44:56 AM
- 841 Views
Oh, I just enjoy calling Protestants "heretics" to remind them not everyone agrees with them.
14/05/2011 03:25:42 AM
- 787 Views
Re: Cool cool. I have a question on a semi-related note, about Protestant Gospels
12/05/2011 08:52:48 PM
- 810 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
- 950 Views
I find this really weird, to be honest
13/05/2011 05:48:28 AM
- 821 Views
Well, it wasn't just Athanasius. But yes, we are lucky in that respect. *NM*
13/05/2011 06:32:48 AM
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Athanasius's list reflected the victory of Pauline Christianity
13/05/2011 02:52:53 PM
- 775 Views
There's a school of thought that says that's a strong vindication of Athanasius.
14/05/2011 02:37:49 AM
- 734 Views
