Episcopal minister defrocked after becoming a Muslim

[moobu2]

SEATTLE, Washington (CNN) -- Ann Holmes Redding has what could be called a crisis of faiths.





For nearly 30 years, Redding has been an ordained minister in the Episcopal Church. Her priesthood ended Wednesday when she was defrocked.

The reason? For the past three years Redding has been both a practicing Christian and a Muslim.

"Had anyone told me in February 2006 that I would be a Muslim before April rolled around, I would have shaken my head in concern for the person's mental health," Redding recently told a crowd at a signing for a book she co-authored on religion.

Redding said her conversion to Islam was sparked by an interfaith gathering she attended three years ago. During the meeting, an imam demonstrated Muslim chants and meditation to the group. Redding said the beauty of the moment and the imam's humbleness before God stuck with her.



CNN

[pnwmom]

1. Not a big surprise that a traditional Christian Church wouldn't want a

minister who denies the divinity of Christ.

[notesdev]

2. Put her with Octomom

in the mental ward

[JerseygirlCT]

7. Why?

I'm not sure I understand your point.

Obviously she can't really function well anymore as an Episcopal priest, but I'm not sure I see anything very strange about a conversion experience.

[NaturalHigh]

3. A Christian ministry is not compatible with conversion to Islam.

Anyone who says otherwise (and I suspect there will be some who will) is delusional.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. Yes, it would be something like serving as a Republican precinct chair

but voting Democratic all the time, donating money only to Democratic candidates, and defending Democratic positions in discussions. Is such a person still a Republican? Would the Republicans be justified in saying, "You can't be our precinct chair anymore"?

Episcopalians are pretty laissez-faire with the rank and file members, and while they don't mind their clergy getting along with other religions (the dean of my cathedral is active in an association that includes Christians, Jews, and Muslims whose houses of worship are in the downtown area), they take a dim view of their clergy actually PRACTICING other religions.

[moggie]

5. It's the obvious next step in cafeteria Christianity

People feel free to pick and choose and construct their own religious buffet, and she's just taken it a little further than most do. Pretty disingenuous for her to try to cling onto her old job, though.

[Occam Bandage]

6. Christianity and Islam are not compatible faiths.

You cannot believe in the divinity of Christ and be a Muslim, and you cannot deny the divinity of Christ and be a Christian.