Now if you'll excuse me, I have a few whales to go harpoon
I had noted without paying too much attention the election by the Episcopal church of Katharine Jefferts Schori as Presiding Bishop. This morning I came across a reference to a New York Times Magazine interview with her along with some selected quotes:
[Interviewer]How many members of the Episcopal Church are there in this country?
[Schori]About 2.2 million. It used to be larger percentagewise, but Episcopalians tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children.
[Int.]Episcopalians aren’t interested in replenishing their ranks by having children?
[Schori]No. It’s probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion.
Aside from these somewhat backhanded remarks, most of the (very short and not terribly deep) interview reads benign, if overly sanctimonious. The above quotes (surprise, surprise,) were not well taken by commenters on Open Book, Catholic writer Amy Welborn's blog. They have led to some creative commentary, however, and a Cafepress mug I may have to drop hints about for Christmas. I'm in a quandry; I'd had my eye on Feminists For Life's Stanton and Anthony "Another humorless old biddy for life" mugs for a while and now they've got a competitor.
I dunno about everybody else, but I kinda like Kate. Having no natural skill myself in tact or diplomacy, I'm always heartened to learn of public figures next to whom I could appear to have kissed the Blarney Stone. It's a real self-image boost to realize one is not the planet's biggest verbal maladroit.
With my newfound confidence I'm considering issuing Ms. Bish a challenge. As one of those overprocreating Catholics who don't give a darn about stewardship of the planet, I'd like to propose she try a month or two of compacting the garbage for a household including four young children, one in diapers, into a 50-liter can. That's liters, not gallons. That's with pickup every other week. When she decides she's had enough, I'd be happy to give her some pointers. I did it for several years.
[Interviewer]How many members of the Episcopal Church are there in this country?
[Schori]About 2.2 million. It used to be larger percentagewise, but Episcopalians tend to be better-educated and tend to reproduce at lower rates than some other denominations. Roman Catholics and Mormons both have theological reasons for producing lots of children.
[Int.]Episcopalians aren’t interested in replenishing their ranks by having children?
[Schori]No. It’s probably the opposite. We encourage people to pay attention to the stewardship of the earth and not use more than their portion.
Aside from these somewhat backhanded remarks, most of the (very short and not terribly deep) interview reads benign, if overly sanctimonious. The above quotes (surprise, surprise,) were not well taken by commenters on Open Book, Catholic writer Amy Welborn's blog. They have led to some creative commentary, however, and a Cafepress mug I may have to drop hints about for Christmas. I'm in a quandry; I'd had my eye on Feminists For Life's Stanton and Anthony "Another humorless old biddy for life" mugs for a while and now they've got a competitor.
I dunno about everybody else, but I kinda like Kate. Having no natural skill myself in tact or diplomacy, I'm always heartened to learn of public figures next to whom I could appear to have kissed the Blarney Stone. It's a real self-image boost to realize one is not the planet's biggest verbal maladroit.
With my newfound confidence I'm considering issuing Ms. Bish a challenge. As one of those overprocreating Catholics who don't give a darn about stewardship of the planet, I'd like to propose she try a month or two of compacting the garbage for a household including four young children, one in diapers, into a 50-liter can. That's liters, not gallons. That's with pickup every other week. When she decides she's had enough, I'd be happy to give her some pointers. I did it for several years.
Labels: belief, beyond belief, Catholicism
posted by CMinor | 11:27 AM
6 Comments:
Just a remark: Not all Anglicans (Episcopalians, if you will) agree with anything the Bish as to say. We in the Diocese of Fort Worth are distancing ourselves from the Episcopal church. The Bish appears to be neither biblical nor traditionally a Christian.
C-Minor,
I live in Georgia too! Marietta, Ga., to be exact.
Thank you for the advice you left me on Sister Mary Martha's blog. I have had a blog with no jumbled up word check for about 14 months now and have only 4 or 5 intrusions from somebody trying to make a quick buck. Today I received another one.
If it keeps up I just will probably do as you suggested.
Again, thanks.
Eddie Hunter
Hello, Sioux and Eddie; thanks for dropping in.
Sioux:
I have the impression that your diocese is far from alone in its position; I hope for your church's success in resisting these "reformers."
While some of the commentary I read on this interview was inflammatory, I hope I didn't give the impression of being really irate or anything. I'd like to think the Bishop was speaking out of carelessness more than pettiness. Either way, it's better to have a little fun with it than to get cross. Might even get the point across!
Eddie: You've been fortunate--we were getting hit daily whether we posted or not! Must have been the season. Nice photos on your blogs, by the way. There's been so much growth around here recently (I'm sure you can identify with this) it's always interesting to see how people and things looked in decades past.
C,
Thank you. I like to pepper my blog with old pictures that I have gathered in my genealogy pursuits... plus MAD comic book clip art also.
Yes, I feel very strange watching my home down that had mostly dirt roads when I was young progress into a hustle-bustle city.
I am enjoying your blog and am still reading it. You really look at things in depth.
Just got around to reading this post. I am behind. What an incredibly ignorant statement that women made...particularly the "we are educated bit". That is par for the course for the Northern liberals. Guess I am just an uneducated country bumpkin with a masters degree.
Yep, Un, and I bet you throw your trash in the street, take target practice with spotted owls, and leave the faucet running when you brush your teeth, you un-stewardship-hip non-Episcopalian, you!
(Advance apologies to any conservative Episcopalians who may drop by--I'm just indulging in a little Schorri hyperbole )
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