What has happened to unity in the churches today?
February 222010
Episcopal Church Loses 3rd Diocese :
NEW YORK – A third theologically conservative diocese has broken away from the liberal Episcopal Church in a long-running dispute over the Bible, gay relationships and other issues.
The Diocese of Quincy, Ill., took the vote at its annual meeting that ended Saturday.
Two other dioceses — San Joaquin, based in Fresno, Calif., and Pittsburgh — have already split off. Next weekend, the Diocese of Fort Worth, Texas, will vote whether to follow suit.
The three breakaway dioceses are aligning with the like-minded Anglican Province of the Southern Cone, based in Argentina, to try to keep their place in the world Anglican Communion. The 77-million-member Anglican fellowship, which includes the U.S. Episcopal Church, has roots in the missionary work of the Church of England.
When they don’t know the Truth, there is nothing to hold them together, so they begin to fall apart!
February 22nd, 2010 at 9:31 pm
To each his own
Greetings from Iran
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February 22nd, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Today, as opposed to past history when all churches were unified in their opinion that they were more correct than the other churches?
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February 22nd, 2010 at 10:07 pm
Religion has become to politically expedient
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February 22nd, 2010 at 10:36 pm
The only time unity was ever achieved in the churches was by violent suppression of "heretical" views.
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February 22nd, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Maybe we are not ready for unity. Sin divides us. Only God can unify us. We must be open to his inspiration. Prayer is the beginning.
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February 22nd, 2010 at 11:03 pm
I applaud the Episcopal church.
If the bigots want to leave, I say good riddance.
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February 22nd, 2010 at 11:08 pm
we’re all still christians – we just have different beliefs about different details of our faith, causing these denominational break-ups.
i don’t think that we need to be separated if we have a slightly different view of something, but then others feel more comfortable if they are surrounded by people who think exactly the same as them. it gives them confidence that they are right, which lets face it, we all love to be.
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February 22nd, 2010 at 11:35 pm
God is a God of order……….
WHAT SEARCHING BAPTISTS FOUND AMONG JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES
A mother from Charleston, South Carolina, relates the following: “I had asked our Baptist minister to help us find someone in the church to aid me and my children to learn the Bible. Our minister’s answer was: ‘I don’t have anyone in the church who is qualified to teach you.’ He did not offer to do so. Later I went to several churches in Charleston, South Carolina, for two or three Sundays each, trying to find where people really studied the Bible. After several months, one of Jehovah’s witnesses came to my home. I let her read from the Bible and comment on the Scriptures. She said that she would like to come back. So, I told her, please do.
“When the lady came back the next week, she showed me so many nice things from the Bible. She read to me from her Bible, which I thought ‘they’ must have printed up just for themselves. As soon as she was out of the house, I looked up what she had read in my King James Version. Well, there it was! When she came back each week, she would help me learn more and answer any questions I had about the Bible. Within a month, I was going to the Kingdom Hall and learning even more. I could see these people really lived the Bible and enjoyed it. Soon my children and I were doing the same.”
A man in Macon, Georgia, relates: “My wife told me that a Witness was coming to teach us the Bible. Since I had been a deacon in the Baptist church, I told her to tell him to come on and I would teach him the Bible. When the Witness brought up the subject of the ‘new earth,’ I went to my preacher to ask him about it. He said that it was a mystery; all we had to do was believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. He also told me not to get mixed up with those people because I would be disliked. I began to think about the scripture at Matthew 24:9 [‘ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake’] and decided that maybe this was the religion that was right. Everything else they told me had been in harmony with the Bible.”
From Athens, Georgia, come these comments: “As a sincere Baptist preacher, I thought Jehovah’s witnesses were wrong. I ordered them out of my home, destroyed their literature, and even stopped my mother-in-law from studying with them. Later I began to think that it was my Christian duty to show these people that they were wrong. I accepted a Bible study to show them that they were wrong and that I was right. I was amazed to see that they could back up everything they said from the Bible, and I was hardly using the Bible. I told myself that Jehovah’s witnesses really knew the Bible, but they were still wrong.
“I agreed to go to one of their meetings and there I interrupted by asking a question. It surprised me to see the loving-kindness that was shown me in the way the question was answered. This proved to me that Jehovah’s witnesses are concerned about people. From that time on, I have continued to study with Jehovah’s witnesses, and have realized that no other religious organization is teaching the Bible the way Jehovah’s witnesses are.”
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February 23rd, 2010 at 12:10 am
Its will all be in one unity after the 3 days of darkness.
3 days of Darkness will happen in starting in France and its will be on a Thursday Sept 14th through. But what or which year? I don’t know
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Bless and increase my merits,O Jesus, to gains eternal Salvation for myself, families and firends
February 23rd, 2010 at 12:58 am
You know who is busy spreading his evil ways.
Divide and conquer is his ploy.
The war was won by Christ at the cross, but the battle continues
until His return.
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February 23rd, 2010 at 1:42 am
In order to keep people coming to the church, (and giving money), they have to taylor their teachings to suit a wider variety of people. If one church preaches against premarital sex, then another one that says it’s ok will form to suit those who insist on premarital sex. If no young people are coming to church, make a new church that is mostly social, with music and singles nights. If your church says that homosexuality is wrong, just trot on down the street, there’s another one that says God loves you no matter what.
In the bible, Jesus forgave sin, but told the sinners that they should ’sin no more’ from that point on. In other words, if their course of life was wrong, and they sought forgiveness, it was theirs, but they could not return to the same wrongdoing and expect God to accept it. That’s why it was called ’sin’.
Proper worship of God should be patterned after what Jesus did while he was on earth. He showed us the proper way to live.
I have never read in the bible, any mention of a singles night, acceptance of immorality, Starbucks in the church, or any of the other things churches do to attract people. Your love for God, and your desire for truth, even if it isn’t easy to accept (Many truths in life are not easy) should be your reason for going to church. Not that you like the preacher, or love the music, or because what they teach is ‘non-judgemental" but because it is the truth, as found in the bible.
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February 23rd, 2010 at 2:22 am
When they don’t know the Truth, there is nothing to hold them together, so they begin to fall apart!
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February 23rd, 2010 at 2:27 am
What do you mean "what has happened to unity"?
Things are changing, and more and more people accept that people have different sexual orientations, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Still, there are people who cdon’t accept it.
To mention one thing that you refer to. ("over the Bible" — hard to know what that means — that the Earth is only a few thousand years odl, which it clearly isnt?)
It’s not as though this never happened in the past — that’s why there isn’t only ONE church, right?
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February 23rd, 2010 at 2:49 am
Why Churches Are Divided
The frank explanation for the vast diversity of beliefs and practices among professed Christians today is that they have not adhered to Jesus’ teachings. One writer observed: “As in the past, today’s new Christians tend to take from the Bible whatever fits their needs—and ignore whatever fails to resonate with their own native religious traditions.” This is exactly what Jesus and his apostles predicted would happen.
For instance, under inspiration the apostle Paul wrote to his fellow overseer Timothy: “There will be a period of time when they will not put up with the healthful teaching, but, in accord with their own desires, they will accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, whereas they will be turned aside to false stories.” Would all Christians be misled? No. Paul continued: “You, though, keep your senses in all things, suffer evil, do the work of an evangelizer, fully accomplish your ministry.” (2 Timothy 4:3-5; Luke 21:8; Acts 20:29, 30; 2 Peter 2:1-3) Timothy and other faithful Christians lived by that inspired counsel.
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February 23rd, 2010 at 2:55 am
Gone with the wind.
Everybody is doing his/her own thing.
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February 23rd, 2010 at 3:29 am
http://www.watchtower.org/e/200702/article_01.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20040301/article_01.htm
See also the related articles
=)
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February 23rd, 2010 at 3:35 am
seeing the present situation of churches ( because they are many) today, many had left. just to mention few of causes, marriages of gays and lesbians is not biblical and head of churches when they suppose to give the example but the contrary.
the last 2 world wars heads of the vatican were deeply involved on the issue by giving their blessings to the soldiers in order to win the battle while meantime on the name of god many had lost their lives and in europe they put the blame to the priests for their losses.
it’s true the bible mentioned not to mix with politics since war is man’s while religion is god’s you cannot serve 2 gods at the same time, war is an evil represent by the devil and if the heads of the religion will give this blessing they are killing their own brothers in the other side of the globe that’s why the news says catholic kills catholic,protestant kill protestant.
the other issue is about paedophilia’s where not one priest but few who practice this immoral acts and not being pursued but transferred to another diocese to continue his immoral activities and at the same time serving god.
many goes to church not with whole heart but to gossip others life,
these are just few examples why many lost their liking going to churches.
i hope i answered you right
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February 23rd, 2010 at 4:13 am
I am not sure if they are trying to keep their place in the world Anglican Communion or keep the money and property in their control. Being next to this for many years without being in it, it has read like an on going soap opera in the local paper.
I believe when both a gay man was elevated to a position of authority and a woman was placed in direct authority over their church that it came to a head. I think it is still going to come down to who gets to keep the church, associated properties, and bank accounts as the option to "go in peace but leave the keys on the table" was given years ago and rejected.
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http://www.fwepiscopal.org/diocesanconvention/07convention/realproperty.html