Several readers sent me a link to the following story.
Shortly after noon on Fridays, the Rev. Ann Holmes Redding ties on a black headscarf, preparing to pray with her Muslim group on First Hill.
On Sunday mornings, Redding puts on the white collar of an Episcopal priest.
She does both, she says, because she’s Christian and Muslim.
Redding, who until recently was director of faith formation at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, has been a priest for more than 20 years. Now she’s ready to tell people that, for the last 15 months, she’s also been a Muslim — drawn to the faith after an introduction to Islamic prayers left her profoundly moved.
Her announcement has provoked surprise and bewilderment in many, raising an obvious question: How can someone be both a Christian and a Muslim?
Well instead at looking a how ridiculous this is, let us look at the positive side of a Christian Muslim.
- When you issue a fatwa on yourself it is hard for you to hide from yourself so you won’t have a Salman Rushdie problem.
- If your suicide belt goes off prematurely you at least killed one Christian.
- You can pretty much preach any thing you want and on a given point be pro one day and con the other.
- You can engage in interfaith dialogue when you are by yourself.
- You can send money to both Jay Sekulow and CAIR.
- Preach that you can eat pork and preach that you can’t.
- Preach hat God is both one God and a Trinity of three persons. and then that Allah is one God and only one person.
- Preach that Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected and then that “They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they thought they did.”
- Preach that Jesus was the Son of God and that he wasn’t.
- Preach that Mohammed was a deluded man with a heretical mix of Christianity and that he was the last Prophet sent by God.
- Preach about the inspiration of the New Testament and that it is the word of God and that it isn’t and in fact the Qur’an is.
- Preach that the Holy Spirit is the "other helper" and the that Muhammad is.
- Cheer for both sides of the Crusades.
- Call yourself an infidel.
- You can be a dhimmi to yourself.
- Have really really mixed feelings about Israel.
- Dip your fingers in a Holy Water font to make the sign of the cross and then wash your feet and pray before Mecca.
16 comments
Figured you wouldget a kick out of it. Wonder if she calls herself mother or mullah? Does she mullah over her identity?
Matt
This reinforces my belief that some intelligent non Christian populations will never come to the gospel soon and God will understand why. Just imagine yourself an intelligent Japanese (Japan is only 1% Catholic) considering various religions. If he looks at Christianity from a distance, he does not see what we see…Catholicism…he sees many churches and many wackos like this woman and our own recent sex abuse farce. It’s not like Peter and Paul preaching the gospel with no bad history yet to the Church. They were working with a clean slate. This woman has added to the polluted slate that modern missionaries have to explain when they’d really rather be talking about what Christ said.
If the Japanese stays at the initial “looking from a distance and looking at the slate” stage…he’s understandably going to feel safer with Zen or other aspects of what he knows close up…. and after this woman and our own problems, the angels of heaven are going to sympathize with the Japanese searcher.
It is my firm belief that it takes an otherwise pretty intelligent person in order to commit a REALLY horrendous idiocy – usually something which a whole herd of asses would neither have thought of nor stumbled upon. – Re. the multi-faceted (or multi-faithed?) Ms. Redding: Does she plan to adopt Judaism as well? It would be only logical if she did: Thus she would unite all of the “Abrahamitic religions” in her person, which would be very economical on the Ecumenical movement …
Have really really mixed feelings about Israel.
Howso? I should think a Piskie and a Muslim would feel the same about Israel.
A commentor over at *closed cafeteria* asked if she’d be called an “Imama.” I’m still giggling at that one.
This is probably the same kind of person who believes that you can be both a man and woman. It shouldn’t surprise us that she thinks that she can be both Muslim and Christian.
Gee, it’s a good thing that it’s ontologically impossible for a woman to be validly ordained to the priesthood anyway. Given that, then this merely funny, rather than funny and sick.
Actually though, as a faithful priestESS of TEC (the new acronym for the apostate episcopal entity formerly known as the Protestant Episcopal Church), she fits right in with the now accepted and embraced pluriformity of that entire nausiating crowd. Maybe their presiding bishop-ette can join her for mosque this Friday.
Sad, sad!
Fr. Mike
An Anglican with no connection to TEC
Making jokes about Episcopalians is like hunting dairy cows with a machine gun. It’s so easy, it’s almost cruel, so I won’t do it.
This article first appeared in my local newspaper. Please note that she is also slated to be a visiting professor at Seattle University, which is a Jesuit/Catholic institution. The archbishop here has tried for years now I think to get Seattle U in line with Church teaching, but as it’s not under his direct authority, monkey business like this stuff happens.
Lemme guess: She ended her interview by singing the Meow Mix commercial.
Fr. Mike
An Anglican with no connection to TEC
Sound fellow though you clearly are on many points, Mike, all the fulminations in the world against priestesses and bishopesses won’t cause Anglican “orders” to become valid.
Just my ecumenical contribution for the day.
Anglican and Muslim, that’s nothing!
We have a Jesuit who runs a retreat house out here on Long Island, who is also a ‘Roshi’. I called and asked how a Catholic priest could be a Zen master. I got a huffy, “how ignorant-can-you-get” non-answer.
Typical.
This woman is nuts, if she thinks she can be both a ‘Piskie’ and a Moslem!
Had a good laugh over your list, Jeff….you always have a way with words!
I think Hermann’s on to something, here. If she can be all things, she can be God, she thinks? That seems to be the destination of most of these detours.
…I really, really, really shouldn’t have read that while drinking chocolate milk.
Love the “Cheer for both sides in the Crusades” comment.
Leticia, makes more sense to me to be a Buddhist and a Catholic than Muslim/Episci. Think about this:
A Zen master told me, To acheive Enlightenment, do the opposite of what I tell you.
So I didn’t.
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