Our neighbouring American diocese in the Anglican Communion, the Diocese of Olympia, has consecrated a new bishop. During the ceremony he was presented with a unique talking stick crosier crafted by a British Columbia Coast Salish artist.
Reaching out by the Anglican Church to the Aboriginal Community, and to other communities, took centre-stage at the consecration of the eighth bishop of the Diocese of Olympia, the Rt. Rev. Gregory H. Rickel. The ceremony took place in Bellevue, Washington, about ten kilometers east of Seattle.
The talking stick crosier was carved by Curtis Johnson of Vancouver out of red cedar with a dark stain. It included an assemblage of feathers, the diocesan emblem, and a dream catcher.
Four symbols carved on the talking stick crosier incorporated both First Nations and Christian traditions. They symbolized both animals in the wild, and the four Gospels: the raven (Gospel of Matthew), beaver (Gospel of Mark), bear (Gospel of Luke), and the eagle (Gospel of John).
It pains me to think that a Christian/Episcopal ceremony includes in it aspects of basically pagan ritual. It pains me even more to realize this ceremony was the consecration of the bishop of my diocese.
What do you mean by “aspects of basically pagan ritual”? If you mean “worship of pagan gods,” then yeah, that would be an issue; if you mean “liturgical elements invented by pagans rather than Christians,” then I don’t see the problem so long as they’re adopted with permission.
I thought the ritual refusals of the crozier — if that’s what you’re referring to — were quite fitting in the context of the consecration of a Christian bishop. They served to point up the fact that authority can be wielded in different ways, and +Greg promised to use his in the Christian model of servant leadership.
And for the record, I think that crozier is a stunning piece of work.
Very soon, the presence and the full participation of Tribal medicine-men and Pagan spiritualists will become standard practice in Episcopal ordinations and consecrations. With the tribal dream-catcher et al, where are they (Revisionists) going to stop?
The investiture of Mrs. Schori had the medicine-men and women censing the High Altar at the start of the “Christian” worship.
The Episcopal church has some unholy love and fascination for all things Pagan. The argument that these are simply some incorporation of non-Christian ideas into Christian worship is BS. At this stage and age of Christianity, we DO NOT NEED any accoutrements from the Pagan world to enrich our worship. Period.
Fr. Kingsley
Arlington, TX
Where did the animal symbolism come from? The Beaver? That was chosen, why? Was Mark an Oregon State grad or something?
I’ve got several talking sticks that I cherish: 30-06, 6mm Remington, .257 Weatherby Magnum, 12 gauge Benelli, 20 gauge Beretta, etc……..
I kind of like it, actually. I think that makes more sense in the context that a shepherd’s staff. I mean, how many Native Americans you know that herd sheep?
What’s wrong with using the traditional symbols for the Gospel writers? Couldn’t the artist have incorporated these instead of the pagan symbols?
Why does the “new” and non-Christian always hold so much more attraction than the ‘traditional’ and firmly Christian?
Archer: Navaho, Hopi, and some Apache.
#6, the Navajo people have been raising sheep for generations.
And #3, one of the persons smudging the high altar at Bishop Katherine’s consecration is a good friend of mine and was a classmate at seminary. He is a priest in the Episcopal Church and not a medicine-man.
I suppose that Christmas and Easter are free of any “pagan” traditions.
drjoan and Spiro, Good grief. I will assume, then, according to these posts, that you forbid Christmas trees at your church — and don’t DARE let me catch you kissing your honey under mistletoe! Holly? Yikes, PAGAN PAGAN PAGAN! And no more Easter eggs for your kids!!! (I can hear the explanation to a weepy five year old, “no, sweetheart, you can’t go to the church Easter egg hunt — it’s pagan. ((Ensuing conversation: “Mommy, what’s a pagan?” “Well, dear, it’s someone who refutes the faith once delivered by the saints. And no,you may [i]not[/i] read Harry Potter.”))) Do you really have nothing better to do with your time (try prayer) than to look for a pagan under every progressive’s tree? (Try prayer.)
DRT, Your reference to weapons is indeed appalling. It only serves to reinforce the notion many of us progressives have that many (certainly not all, but…) reasserters are a violent bunch, stuck in some sort of testosterone-induced macho haze. I’m sure that Jesus would approve your analogy. Not.
Our bishop received a native made crosier as well. The gifting ceremony was long (we were all standing – twould have been more tolerable if the congregation had been sitting). There was a lovely sung prayer made to the four directions, made in the context of God’s gifts and His lordship over creation. This reasserter thought it well done.
I find both DRT’s comment and Wayne’s response appalling. Some of us are actually considering leaving ECUSA just to get away from this sort of senseless inflammatory rhetoric from both sides.
Padre Wayne
More hyperbole and hysteria I have seen in few places.
Easter eggs have a noble history dating back to Orthodox Russia. Even the Jewish Seder meal uses hard-boiled eggs. Plus the egg has been used as a symbol of the Trinity (shell, white and yolk = one egg) much in the way the shamrock is used in Ireland.
The Christmas tree has been linked to Martin Luther and the German Lutheran Church.
Harry Potter is fiction and many, many books and articles have been written comparing these to Lewis and Tolkein, and even Rowling herself has admitted a Christian sub-context to the books.
However, the truly pagan should be rooted out of our Church, not invited in. What correlation can Native American paganism have with Christianity? when we already have symbols that serve us well, why invite the spirits associated with paganism in by substuting these for Christian ones?
Library Jim, just because the Eastern Orthodox Church uses eggs in its Easter symbolism doesn’t mean it does not have a pagan origin, and the same applies to the Christmas tree. Anyone who has studied the history of religion should be aware that the Church used pagan symbols and gave them Christian meanings. I am a missionary in Central American and I see this all the time.
When I saw the Christian Priests of Native American heritage smudging the altar and cathedral at Primada Katharine’s consecration, I cried because I saw it as a sign that we Christians of Native American heritage we being accepted by the Episcopal Church, just like your European ancestors were.
Lastly, do you really believe in “pagan” spirits? You do realize that Christ defeated anything like that with his resurrection, right?
The argument here would be funny if it weren’t so painful. The use of pagan and traditional symbols in church ritual really centers on the motives for their incorporation. Schori inviting the nut-cases in – well, that DOES give away my POV – is wrong because of her motives. She really wants “inclusiveness” to mean AnyoneAtAll, no standards necessary. This simply suborns Christianity.
But the giving of a talking stick to a bishop may have a different motive: It may be an attempt to speak of Christ in a language that the hearers can comprehend. When the Pilgrims sought to bring Christianity to the northeast, they found that the Amerinds had no vocabulary that would allow them a one-to-one translation. So they had to adapt Amerind vocabulary to their needs. The Jesuits did the same in Canada. But they were not “going native.” They were trying to find their way through an epistomological maze. Who can fault their motives?
#5, now, you’re being a smartass. I laffed. Don’t let the prissy get you down. Humorlessness is a characteristic of all emailing. I use a Winchester 94,made in ’37, one of the good ones. When Old Seth speaks, the deer listen up, you betcha. Larry
PW
[i]Lastly, do you really believe in “pagan†spirits? You do realize that Christ defeated anything like that with his resurrection, right?[/i]
Oh yes, the demonic forces are still at work. A defeated enemy can still inflict a lot of damage, especially if INVITED in. Paul speaks of this in his epistles.
It’s as C. S. Lewis said, the two mistakes Christians can give to the enemy is to 1) attribute too much power to him and 2) to deny he has any power or even exists at all.
I try to do neither, but it seems you are falling into trap #2.
Library Jim, I am Padre Mickey, not Padre Wayne.
There are no demonic forces invited in by smudging or using non-European symbols.
Larry,
I hope you are right. But we have seen so many crazies allowed to bring their pagan ways (with a nod to PW) unbaptized (as it were) with their pagan meanings into the Episcopal services that one (unfortunately) immediately takes the most pessimistic view from the outset.
But, as I said, I hope you are right.
Jim
Padre Mickey,
My apologies. I’m used to seeing ‘Padre Wayne” here on the forum, and I got confused. Again, my apologies.
However, I disagree with you re: no demonic forces. One of the gifts given to me by the Spirit is discernment, and occasionally I have sensed a very real evil presence around some of these ‘non-European’ (particularly Eastern) symbols and idols, and the practices associated with them.
When confronted with them, or even merely in their presence, I grow very uneasy, and it doesn’t take long to pinpoint the source. Sometimes as simple as a medallion worn around the neck that has been ‘consecrated’ to a diety in a particular religion. Other people have told me that when around a Native American artist’s work, they get the same ‘vibes’ and with that artist, when they researched it, it turns out he calls upon different ‘spirits’ to inhabit that work to ‘bless it’ in his tradition.
So, I have to disagree with you, I KNOW the reality of the other world and the spiritual influence is not always a benign spirit from God. The enemy does have his troops as well. And yes, if invited in, even in a Chrisitan church ceremony, they can do a good deal of spiritual damage to those present, especially if the people are just ‘playing at being Christian’, which unfortunately seems to be another reality in our modern church scene.
I would rather err on the side of Light and say, let’s keep it strictly to Christian symbol, than to risk allowing the forces of darkness access.
In His Light
Jim <><