Women Bishops - synod rejects again

Can someone out there give a valid reason 'why' women can't become Bishops?

Jesus

Ditto.

Mixed feelings from this atheist : while not giving a toss about the CofE and its, to me pointless, carryings-on, I am very much in favour of equality of opportunity for women, and angered by the Synod's vote!

She's the titular head of the Church of England.

Titular.

Sounds pretty important to me and she wears a crown.

So the Queen's head of the Church? Or not?

Wikipedia says: "The Supreme Governor of the Church of England is a title held by the British monarch that signifies titular leadership over the Church of England"

The Sovereign holds the title 'Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England'.

absentgrana .....er.... what's the difference? If she's Governor of the Church of England then doesn't that mean she's head of the church? And if she isn't, who is?

The Queen isn't head of the church; she is the Governor of the Church of England.

Her argument isn't even the same as that given by the new and outgoing Archbishops of Canterbury, who are frustrated that insufficient members of the laity voted in favour. They only needed another 6 votes to have a majority in favour of women.

It's women like Anne Atkins who prove that feminism still has some way to go. I wonder if she disapproves of the Queen being head of the church?

Why on earth do believers stand for this (perhaps they don't. Are they doing something about it?) I don't get it

when
According to her argument then you would have to get a unanimous agreement for any change!
Ludicrous too that this institution gets all those seats in the House of Lords - representing the ENGLISH Anglicans only.

Anne Atkins has a balmy way of constructing her argument. She explains that 'it's like being in a family. If one person isn't happy about how things are going, we'll wait until they are.' No, it's not like being in a family, Anne. It's like being in an outdated club where women are not accorded their rights in law! Get a grip you stupid woman. You are letting the side down!

The C of E has done nothing to make atheists and agnostics think again, has it? I know it is the laity not the clergy who have let women down this time, but who would want to sit in a congregation with such anti-feminist women. They are definitely the 'Auntie Toms' of the women's movement.

The ghastly Anne Atkins has just been pontificating on This Week. She was unable to say why the C of E should be exempt from equality laws as far as the House of Lords is concerned.

Probably when they have a wealth of excellent women priests, they will have to appoint inferior men as bishops. Not that I have a stake in the matter, as a renegade Church of Scotland humanist.

DH pointed out, quite rightly, that the anti brigade did a fantastic PR job - nearly ever person they fielded to the media on this issue was a woman!
jeni

My ex was an Anglican priest for six years.We left the church over 30 yrs.ago
If we hadn't done so I would certainly be leaving now after this decision on women bishops.
Unbelievable!!!

It's odd really, when the C of E allowed women vicars, somebody in the village who I though of as quite rational stopped going to the service at the local church (where, incidentally her husband was church warden) and started going to RC services instead! Obviously she wouldn't have supported the current debate.

Serves them right!

Apparently, there were more women ordained than men last year, so they are going to run out of male candidates to be bishops eventually!

How will the churches around the country cope with this disastrous result? There are so many diminishing elderly congregations now. What will this do to encourage young people to join the church, the clergy must be feeling desperate right now to try and explain.

It is the principle! That such an organisation which, whether we agree with it, approve of it or not, holds such a position in our society and politics, can appear to reject women as worthy of high office is appalling.

It has, as was said in The Times today, put itself in the position of the Labour party when it allowed a vocal minority to hold sway, while the middle of the road majority did not rise to the occasion. The dioceses did not work hard enough to ensure the loonies (the evangelical right, I suppose) were kept under control.

I hold no particular brief for the CofE, but the wider implications of all this infuriate me.

But he only went all C of E when the Catholic church wouldn't let him divorce, so it could be said that he did it because of a woman.

I must admit that I'm no fan of organised religion, I have privately held beliefs that perhaps don't fit into any particular section, but I do think that to make this type of ruling based on gender is unacceptable in the 21st century.