New Dean At The Episcopal Divinity School Wants to Push Some Christians to the Catecombs

I really don't know what is worse. See my past post New Dean At The Episcopal Divinity School Calls Abortion A Blessing

It turns out that Katherine Ragsdale has other ideas that are frightening. MCJ has a post on this at CHERCE

Let me say a bit more about that, because the religious community has long been an advocate of taking principled stands of conscience – even when such stands require civil disobedience. We’ve supported conscientious objectors, the Underground Railroad, freedom riders, sanctuary seekers, and anti-apartheid protestors. We support people who put their freedom and safety at risk for principles they believe in.
But let’s be clear, there’s a world of difference between those who engage in such civil disobedience, and pay the price, and doctors and pharmacists who insist that the rest of the world reorder itself to protect their consciences – that others pay the price for their principles.
This isn’t particularly complicated. If your conscience forbids you to carry arms, don’t join the military or become a police officer. If you have qualms about animal experimentation, think hard before choosing to go into medical research. And, if you’re not prepared to provide the full range of reproductive health care (or prescriptions) to any woman who needs it then don’t go into obstetrics and gynecology, or internal or emergency medicine, or pharmacology. Choose another field! We’ll respect your consciences when you begin to take responsibility for them.

MCJ has good commentary on this. He gets to the nuts and bolts of this when he says:

In her ideal world, if you think that the unborn are human beings, you would literally be forbidden from holding certain professions. You couldn’t be a doctor or a nurse or a pharmacist or any other kind of medical professional. Ever.

I can not think of anything in more direct opposition to the Christian Church and needless to say this is against Catholic teaching!!!. Lets be clear Catholics and othesr if you are pro-life and want to go into the medical field Ragsdale is saying stay out!!

This is the person that The Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, EDS trustee[and Episcopal Bishop of Massachusetts], said:

I am thrilled with the appointment of Katharine Ragsdale as the president and dean of EDS. She brings a wealth of small parish ministry to her new position and it is critical that the new president and dean be able to train and form parish priests for the growth of progressive parishes across the country. She brings a wealth of experience, talent and creativity to this new position.”

Indeed. If you are an Episcopal and have concerns over life issues and wish to go in the medical field (and who knows what other jobs .vocations are next on the list) the Priests she helps train will tell you to find another avenue in life.

Needless to say I guess the new Dean of the Divinity school is not a big fan of Catholic hospitals. In fact she is pretty much our adversary.

Father at Standing on my Head brings up am disturbing thought that would seem unthinkable just a few years ago. He says at Episcabortionism :"

Is there any sense at all in which the Catholic Church should be in 'ecumenical dialogue' with such people? Let's call it straight. What fellowship has light with darkness?"

A depressing state of affairs that no doubt will affect people outside the Episcopal Church


Update- It gets worse. From Standing Firm

Testifying on behalf of NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, the Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale, an Episcopal priest, told the committee her story of driving a 15-year-old girl to get an abortion so she would not have to take a city bus. Ragsdale said that regardless of the law, she would continue to transport girls for abortions - across state lines if necessary - claiming that it was an obligation of her ministry. "I took vows," Ragsdale said.Ragsdale said she used the time in the car to help counsel the girl. She did not say if she had inquired whether an adult had impregnated her, or why her parents could not be involved.

Oh and get this from the Boston Globe:

“...her ordination was not without a struggle. One bishop told her he was opposed to women priests. Another told her, ‘I think you’re a lesbian, and I don’t ordain lesbians,’ “ she said.” “Ragsdale had to go to Newark, N.J., where she was ordained by then-bishop John Shelby Spong,...”
“Today, the 50-year-old has a different job, as executive director of Somerville-based Political Research Associates, a liberal think tank that monitors the intellectual and religious right.” “The group, founded in Chicago in 1981 and in the Boston area since 1987, has initiated projects to monitor whether America’s antiterrorist policies infringe on immigrants’ and poor people’s civil liberties, for example. Other projects will investigate anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim sentiment on college campuses, and whether some religious conservatives might be trying to take advantage of disagreements within mainline churches - for example, over gay rights - to limit those churches’ effectiveness, encouraging them to fight among themselves rather than against the religious right.”