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"ordaining women and the abuse of children are a 'grave crime'" —Vatican 2010

Two issues determine whether ordaining women equals incest:

• what the Bible says, and
• what happens when it is done.

Biblically
Biblically there are two issues: Jesus and second century New Testament letters.

About Jesus there is no doubt. His actions are clear. Those actions reveal a truly egalitarian person whose teachings confirm that he accepted women as people, included them, and depended on them! Reputable 21st century scholars show evidence that the beloved disciple in John was Mary Magdalene, who was not a whore as the Vatican taught! First century writings call Mary Magdalene the Apostle to the Apostles, as the Orthodox Church has long taught.

As to the rest of the biblical witness, one New Testament passage, 1 Tim 2.11, disapproves of women as leaders. Paul says the opposite in several places in his Galatian and Corinthian letters! Paul refers to women leaders in Churches, calling one an Apostle — Junia or Julia in Romans 16.7! 1 Tim. is a writing of second or third generation of churchmen who were succumbing to the cancer of the patriarchal that consumed the Church by the fourth century — a Church that questioned whether women had souls!

When women are ordained
What happened in the United Methodist Church in the fifty plus years since we finally started ordaining women? We have many ordained women, who are pastors, scholars, and Bishops, including a long time friend, Bishop Huie. As the Bishop of Houston she tirelessly helped communities and Churches after the devastating hurricane Ike. She was elected as leader of our Bishops a recent year, showing she is respected by those who work with her. These women — fully ordained — have done inspiring work as pastors and leaders and quality scholarship.

To summarize ordaining women follows Jesus' example and that of the Apostolic Church, and has proven fruitful and useful to the Church today.

Incest
Incest of children is incredibly evil. I was a volunteer for years at the Austin Rape Crisis Center where we dealt with the trauma of incest. I helped incest survivors and talked with a fellow volunteer who survived incest — all traumatized. Incest by a priest increases the evil exponentially! The Vatican equating incest and ordaining women as equally wrong is insensitive and inhuman — profoundly insane.

Ordaining women will end what Nicholas Kristof called the old boys club, and it really opens the windows of the Church to the world as Pope John XXIII wanted to happen. BUT, when will it happen?

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Copyright © 2010 John F. Yeaman