The Rev. Vosper Again

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Interesting. So Metropolitan United is writing their vision statement and wants to police West Hills beliefs, because they are having good control over their own members beliefs (as they say). Makes me shudder. Reminds me of the pre-gay marriage attitude that was based in the fear that gay love threatens the value of hetero love.
Maybe it is their desperate attempt to have a ruling done befor the remit gets rid of Presbyteries and congregations becoming so independent that you can't complain about the others anymore. How scary. We need a UCC checklist to test who is in and who is out. That way, if will be easy to get rid of members who have different opinions, too.

It appears to me that UU might be the next step in evolution of the UCC.
 
Interesting. So Metropolitan United is writing their vision statement and wants to police West Hills beliefs, because they are having good control over their own members beliefs (as they say). Makes me shudder. Reminds me of the pre-gay marriage attitude that was based in the fear that gay love threatens the value of hetero love.
Maybe it is their desperate attempt to have a ruling done befor the remit gets rid of Presbyteries and congregations becoming so independent that you can't complain about the others anymore. How scary. We need a UCC checklist to test who is in and who is out. That way, if will be easy to get rid of members who have different opinions, too.

It appears to me that UU might be the next step in evolution of the UCC.

Now in the control field ... could West Hills be confined by baptism in pyre? Or is fiery emotions just so much non-sense presenting as rhetoric as despised kerygma ...

Best if left silently in laid out script ... dead languages are favourable to the powers so the humble can commune quietly and the powers won't understand ... or something like that as allah gory ... bloody awful to particular monarchs! The stuff they hate to hear ... like rising democracies ... ET's out there?
 
By: Colin Perkel The Canadian Press Published on
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TORONTO — A retired United Church minister has asked to be formally defrocked as a protest against the potential firing of a colleague for her atheist beliefs.
In a scorching open letter, Rev. Beverley Burlock asserts the church has lost its way, and its treatment of Toronto minister Gretta Vosper shameful.
Vosper is due to face an ecclesiastical court hearing — date to be determined — that could see her axed after a subcommittee denounced her views as extreme.
"Never ever was I subjected in any of my pre-ordination interviews over the several years to such an intensive and excessive interrogation as Gretta faced before the subcommittee, which basically amounted to a heresy trial," Burlock, of Port Mouton, N.S., says in her letter.
"Gretta is being treated the same as the 'religious authorities' of his day treated Jesus, who called them out on putting law over compassion."

Gretta as Jesus - a little too far, I think.
 
It's nice to see a retired minister come to her defense. He has little to risk at this point, I assume, but it's still encouraging.

Both sides have been guilty of hyperbole, but she is being investigated for what she believes, instead of the usual minister in the news who believes fine but is investigated for the images he keeps on his computer.

And that's still the thing - she seems like a very caring and capable minister who is loved by her congregation. The skeleton in her closet seems so mild compared to how it's being treated. But when it became apparent that she wasn't going to fail, someone had to act.

I still can't get past the fact that they gave her rope with the expectation she would hang herself, she didn't, and so now they have to go through a messy process to remove her by force. If you give her the rope, you should have to live with the consequences. They bet she would fail, and they lost. And so now they are going to try to force a win. It just seems wrong.
 
I still can't get past the fact that they gave her rope with the expectation she would hang herself, she didn't, and so now they have to go through a messy process to remove her by force. If you give her the rope, you should have to live with the consequences. They bet she would fail, and they lost. And so now they are going to try to force a win. It just seems wrong.
Care to explain this to us, Chansen? Which rope are you talking about?
 
They should have removed her years ago. They didn't. I think the UCCan assumed she would fail. I still think that doing nothing was a conscious decision. I think they expected she would fail to keep enough or attract enough people to continue. They were almost right. Which is to say they were wrong.
 
Not enough detail as to where the request was directed.

If it isn't to the appropriate body of oversight no action can be taken.

Apart from that the allegations of heresy trial are neither new nor accurate.
 
By: Colin Perkel The Canadian Press Published on
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TORONTO — A retired United Church minister has asked to be formally defrocked as a protest against the potential firing of a colleague for her atheist beliefs.
In a scorching open letter, Rev. Beverley Burlock asserts the church has lost its way, and its treatment of Toronto minister Gretta Vosper shameful.
Vosper is due to face an ecclesiastical court hearing — date to be determined — that could see her axed after a subcommittee denounced her views as extreme.
"Never ever was I subjected in any of my pre-ordination interviews over the several years to such an intensive and excessive interrogation as Gretta faced before the subcommittee, which basically amounted to a heresy trial," Burlock, of Port Mouton, N.S., says in her letter.
"Gretta is being treated the same as the 'religious authorities' of his day treated Jesus, who called them out on putting law over compassion."

Gretta as Jesus - a little too far, I think.


Is there a wee spark in all of us dark spiritual representatives of the emotional powers?

I don't think we have heard of the end of requests for defrocking and a church being formed beyond the UCC! Wouldn't that be an out-there composite?
 
Just replying to say - the retired minister is a woman. ;)

One of the elder more wise, or just emeritus! Perhaps these commentaries are in the wrong string ...

Just as a heads up ... in my circle of acquaintances the shortage of ministers in the UCC could escalate!
 
One of the elder more wise, or just emeritus! Perhaps these commentaries are in the wrong string ...

Just as a heads up ... in my circle of acquaintances the shortage of ministers in the UCC could escalate!

Is there a reason for that Luce? Other than that he denomination itself is dying?
 
It is a beginning for a po' lie laid out church favouring the rich and powerful ... or those aspiring Tue ... Hints from J' aimes Joies?

From the depths of the subtle sub conscious parts ... partisans?
 
They should have removed her years ago. They didn't. I think the UCCan assumed she would fail. I still think that doing nothing was a conscious decision. I think they expected she would fail to keep enough or attract enough people to continue. They were almost right. Which is to say they were wrong.
Okay, I see where you are coming from now. Can't say I agree with your analysis of the situation but thanks for clarifying.
 
Not enough detail as to where the request was directed.

If it isn't to the appropriate body of oversight no action can be taken.

Apart from that the allegations of heresy trial are neither new nor accurate.
There is a copy of the letter on WHUC's website. It is addressed "to whom it may concern". . . the retired minister would need to direct her request to be placed on the DSL list to her conference, would she not?
 
paradox3 said:
There is a copy of the letter on WHUC's website. It is addressed "to whom it may concern". . . the retired minister would need to direct her request to be placed on the DSL list to her conference, would she not?

Yes.

The open letter is a stunt. And a cowardly one at that.

Stunt because it deceives those ignorant of process into believing it is serious action.

Cowardly because it refuses to give the appropriate court of oversight any real grounds to take the action dared.

Of course both the Reverend Burlock and the Reverend Vosper are aware of this.

If both want to treat their integrity with contempt I guess that is their business. The pyrrhic victory they appear to be aiming for will be less eventful because of it.
 
It is a hurtful letter which has no place in the public sphere, other than to create the illusion of division and propel the ego of those involved and attempt to influence the decision makers by placing them under public pressure.

"Rev." Burlock faces no risk or consequences for her letter. She will continue to receive her pension (as she should) and will continue to do whatever she has been doing in retirement for the last number of years. Would she be so bold if she were still in active service? I seriously doubt it.
 
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