I would especially like people who consider themselves experts in the following areas: race relationships and civil rights, colonialism, the "failings" of organized religion, the "glories" of multi-cultural and paganistic "new age" beliefs. Humans have a brokenness that cannot be blamed on churches, society or a particular race. Here is what happens when witchcraft runs amok and infects several countries.
I would also like those of you who favor a slippery slope in the purchasing of body parts for transplants to read this article carefully and think about it. Do you really want to "live longer" if your life was bought by someone who used a machete to kill a baby and use his body parts? The membrane between the two scenarios is actually quite thin.
I would also like you morons who love "vampire fiction" and worse, let your children read it, think about this. Again, you are not much removed from running around with that machete in your hands. And that includes nut jobs like a certain actress who used to wear a "blood vial" around her neck along with her husband. You are encouraging that very mindset of commodity and supernatural body parts, rather than raising the kids to be sane and have faith in a mainstream genuine faith. Read every word of this article and try to imagine what it is like to have three countries worth of psychotics wanting to cut your babies (and you) into body parts for magic. Try not to be a literature or celebrity "poster child" for this "mindset."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7730193.stm
Mothers hacked in albino attacks
Two mothers in western Tanzania have been attacked by gangs who were after their children who have albinism.
The women were hacked with machetes when the attackers failed to find the two children.
Albinos have been targeted in a series of killings around the country due to a belief their body parts can make magic potions more effective.
At least 30 people with albinism have been killed since March, including a seven-month old baby.
On Wednesday, attackers forced a woman to take them to her home, looking for her nine-year-old daughter in Kibondo District, close to the Burundi border.
The girl was not in the house and so the men attacked the mother.
In the second attack, a gang of four men broke into a house at the Lugufu camp in Kigoma, which hosts refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, looking for a child with albinism.
The child, aged two, escaped kidnap after falling under the bed unnoticed.
The women are undergoing treatment for their injuries.
High prevalence
On Thursday, police in south-western Tanzania arrested a man who was attempting to sell his albino wife to Congolese traders.
The BBC's Vicky Ntetema in Dar es Salaam says the attacks appear to have spread from north-western Tanzania, where they were first reported.
The attacks also suggest that there is interest in albino body parts from the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo and Burundi, our correspondent says.
The Kigoma regional police commander said the attackers had fled and a manhunt was underway.
The attacks on albinos have been linked to witchdoctors who are peddling the belief that potions made from an albino's legs, hair, hands, and blood can make a person rich.
President Jakaya Kikwete ordered a police crackdown on those involved in the killings in March, and 170 witchdoctors have since been arrested.
But BBC investigations suggest that some police are being "bought off" in order to look away when such crimes are committed.
The prevalence of albinism in Tanzania appears to be high and the Albino Association of Tanzania says the actual number of albinos could be as high as 173,000.
A census is now underway to verify the figures.
Showing posts with label African culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label African culture. Show all posts
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Cultural diplomacy tutorial case study Part 1
I was listening to a talk show, and there was, by one of the guests, a mention of what he thought was an ironic contrast. The commentator was annoyed that some people make "value judgments" regarding "gay marriage" while the "same people" are "silent" about issues such as "female genital mutilation." Whoa, that really got my attention, since he did a bit of a rant about female genital mutilation (also incorrectly called female circumcision), accusing liberals of being soft on horrors such as this that he says they rationalize by calling it a "cultural" context. So I realized here is a great case study about cultural diplomacy.
Let me start by saying that female genital mutilation is never right, it is an abomination, it is not rationalized at all in the Qur'an, and it sprang up as a local cult belief among some tribal regions in Africa. I do not agree that either side, liberals or conservatives, are ignoring this issue or giving it a cultural "free pass." I do not agree AT ALL. I've seen great work and education by both "sides" of the western political persuasions. But here is what is missing. Both sides lack tools, understanding and adeptness at how to conduct cultural diplomacy.
Once a practice has taken root over hundreds of years, one cannot go in and argue that it had no legitimate foundation since unfortunately, there it is, and often large parts of the ethnic society are now structured around this belief. So even if you bring in Muslim scholars and elders to dispute the practice, that often is not a help except to guide when a decision has been made to actually stop the practice. In other words, religious leaders and elders from other villages or tribes can help facilitate the change and problem solve the process once agreement is made to abandon the practice. So how does one get a village, just to use an example, to abandon the practice?
The most common error by Westerners is to not 1) identify what cultural value the village is attempting to protect through the practice and then 2) propose an alternative activity or solution that protects the value without continuing the practice. Westerners often let themselves be blinded by the horror of what is being done, without considering what "horror" the traditionalists are seeking to avoid. Here is what I would do.
First of all, I would identify what cultural value they believe female circumcision is promoting or protecting. It is obvious that dialogue would reveal that the value they are attempting to protect is a girl or young woman's virtue. Many of these customs developed because they believe that 1) if sexual delight is destroyed in a girl that she will not have extra-marital sex and thus 2) in the marriage contract men can be assured she is a virgin and that she will not stray in marriage. As a result they do draconian things such as not only removing the clitoris, but they also actually sew up the vaginal openings of girls, barely allowing urine or menstrual blood to pass through. Needless to say childbirth and all natural functions become painful, infected and life endangering.
Arguing that this is unhealthy, painful, cruel and not a guarantee of virtue is mostly futile, since all the elders have to reply is "Well, we are still here, are we not?" So long as the population thrive, they will be fearful to remove even the most draconian practice. Westerners have no valid answer to the argument that their population is thriving (even with misery). Thus, what I would recommend is to agree that virtue is a valued and prized objective, and propose alternative ways to achieve it than female circumcision. Rarely do you get anywhere by jerking the rug out from under them, convincing them that it is "wrong," but then not replacing it with a new and powerful cultural practice that is consistent with their beliefs.
An example of an alternative is to propose that they create a system of "virtue chaperons" that girls can join at the age when circumcision would have been performed. Women, such as teachers or elders, could have a responsibility for monitoring the virtue of young girls who are joined with them in such a relationship. For example, a girl could be offered the alternative, circumcision or joining this kind of virtue guardianship. So while a girl might give up some privacy (perhaps agreeing to forgo some activities that circumcised girls could attend), she can avoid being circumcised. When the village has had a chance to see side by side girls who opt traditional and those who opt for the new virtue guardianship, and see that it works, they will not fear putting circumcision aside. Remember, those cultures have different views of privacy than westerners. Young girls would not mind an "auntie" kind of "virtue guardianship," even after they are married. Good health practices can also be taught, but be careful not to dive into western birth control and other ideas if they are not welcomed yet at that time. But what I am saying is that the virtue guardians can have a warm role, such as helping with a young girl's health questions, helping with babies when she is first married, that is more than a compensation for the "lack" of privacy, that is questionable in its cultural context anyway.
Young men, potential suitors, would be more likely to value a young girl with a certification of virtue guardianship than one that is suffering and mutilated. Once trust is established that virtue is being monitored (and the virtue guardians provide genuine helping hands to the young couple and family), it becomes win-win for all, while still preserving the cultural imperative to protect virtue.
I hope that you have found this case study of cultural diplomacy to be useful.
Let me start by saying that female genital mutilation is never right, it is an abomination, it is not rationalized at all in the Qur'an, and it sprang up as a local cult belief among some tribal regions in Africa. I do not agree that either side, liberals or conservatives, are ignoring this issue or giving it a cultural "free pass." I do not agree AT ALL. I've seen great work and education by both "sides" of the western political persuasions. But here is what is missing. Both sides lack tools, understanding and adeptness at how to conduct cultural diplomacy.
Once a practice has taken root over hundreds of years, one cannot go in and argue that it had no legitimate foundation since unfortunately, there it is, and often large parts of the ethnic society are now structured around this belief. So even if you bring in Muslim scholars and elders to dispute the practice, that often is not a help except to guide when a decision has been made to actually stop the practice. In other words, religious leaders and elders from other villages or tribes can help facilitate the change and problem solve the process once agreement is made to abandon the practice. So how does one get a village, just to use an example, to abandon the practice?
The most common error by Westerners is to not 1) identify what cultural value the village is attempting to protect through the practice and then 2) propose an alternative activity or solution that protects the value without continuing the practice. Westerners often let themselves be blinded by the horror of what is being done, without considering what "horror" the traditionalists are seeking to avoid. Here is what I would do.
First of all, I would identify what cultural value they believe female circumcision is promoting or protecting. It is obvious that dialogue would reveal that the value they are attempting to protect is a girl or young woman's virtue. Many of these customs developed because they believe that 1) if sexual delight is destroyed in a girl that she will not have extra-marital sex and thus 2) in the marriage contract men can be assured she is a virgin and that she will not stray in marriage. As a result they do draconian things such as not only removing the clitoris, but they also actually sew up the vaginal openings of girls, barely allowing urine or menstrual blood to pass through. Needless to say childbirth and all natural functions become painful, infected and life endangering.
Arguing that this is unhealthy, painful, cruel and not a guarantee of virtue is mostly futile, since all the elders have to reply is "Well, we are still here, are we not?" So long as the population thrive, they will be fearful to remove even the most draconian practice. Westerners have no valid answer to the argument that their population is thriving (even with misery). Thus, what I would recommend is to agree that virtue is a valued and prized objective, and propose alternative ways to achieve it than female circumcision. Rarely do you get anywhere by jerking the rug out from under them, convincing them that it is "wrong," but then not replacing it with a new and powerful cultural practice that is consistent with their beliefs.
An example of an alternative is to propose that they create a system of "virtue chaperons" that girls can join at the age when circumcision would have been performed. Women, such as teachers or elders, could have a responsibility for monitoring the virtue of young girls who are joined with them in such a relationship. For example, a girl could be offered the alternative, circumcision or joining this kind of virtue guardianship. So while a girl might give up some privacy (perhaps agreeing to forgo some activities that circumcised girls could attend), she can avoid being circumcised. When the village has had a chance to see side by side girls who opt traditional and those who opt for the new virtue guardianship, and see that it works, they will not fear putting circumcision aside. Remember, those cultures have different views of privacy than westerners. Young girls would not mind an "auntie" kind of "virtue guardianship," even after they are married. Good health practices can also be taught, but be careful not to dive into western birth control and other ideas if they are not welcomed yet at that time. But what I am saying is that the virtue guardians can have a warm role, such as helping with a young girl's health questions, helping with babies when she is first married, that is more than a compensation for the "lack" of privacy, that is questionable in its cultural context anyway.
Young men, potential suitors, would be more likely to value a young girl with a certification of virtue guardianship than one that is suffering and mutilated. Once trust is established that virtue is being monitored (and the virtue guardians provide genuine helping hands to the young couple and family), it becomes win-win for all, while still preserving the cultural imperative to protect virtue.
I hope that you have found this case study of cultural diplomacy to be useful.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Albino murder and body parts use regional problem
Here is an article explaining that albinos are hunted "on the hoof in the streets" by those who sell their body parts for witchcraft, and so it is a regional problem crossing country lines. People, you have to take this seriously. First of all the USA is not so far from this mindset when people look to buy body organs from countries who take them from prisoners. Second, new agers love to "push" the "traditional beliefs" of ancient pagan times, and this is what one is in danger of opening up when you do so.
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/10/21/burundi-s-albinos-flee-sorcerers-and-organ-traders.aspx
snip
Albinos in the country of Burundi in eastern Africa are in danger and seeking refuge in an official's safehouse, Agence France-Presse reports today.
In recent weeks, Ruyigi province has seen a gruesome string of murders and mutilations of albinos, whose body parts are sold to witch doctors.
For background information, the Twa, Tutsi, and Hutu tribes have occupied Burundi since the country's formation five centuries ago. Germany and Belgium occupied the region at the beginning of the 20th century, and Burundi and Rwanda became a European colony known as Ruanda-Urundi. While it remains a tribal culture, the Europeans did make an impact as 62% of Burundians are considered Roman Catholic, 8-10% are Muslims and the rest follow indigenous beliefs and other Christian denominations. Witchcraft is still highly prevalent.
"People say that the body parts taken from albinos are sold in Tanzania. They put them on gold mines and that brings the gold to the surface, then you just need to collect it," Richard Ciza, a 19-year-old albino, said, fear evident in his pale blue eyes.
More from AFP:
"Some fishermen also use the parts to bait large fish they think have gold in their bellies."
Still in shock, Ciza spoke to AFP from the safety of Ruyigi province chief prosecutor Nicodeme Gahimbare's personal residence.
The official's home has been turned into an albino safehouse, surrounded by a three metre wall, where some 25 albinos from the all over the region have taken shelter.
"We held a crisis meeting with the administration, the police, local MPs and people representing the albinos... We've decided to gather all 45 known albinos in Ruyigi to guarantee their security," Gahimbare said.
On Sept. 22, a 16-year-old albino girl by the name of Spes was attacked in her village of Nyabitsinda.
She was dismembered and her body parts disappeared. A few days later, it was the turn of a man in the village of Bweru. Officials have reported two other recent murders in other parts of the country.
Police have established that the limbs, organs and blood of the albinos were smuggled into neighbouring Tanzania and sold to local sorcerers who use them to concoct lucky charms.
Northern Tanzania has been plagued by grisly incidents involving witchcraft. The phenomenon has reached such proportions that the country's president has had to launch a special protection program.
Demand is such in Tanzania that albinos across the region now feel threatened.
Albinos in Ruyigi province, where witchcraft is deeply entrenched, are more at risk than others.
Ephrem, an eight-year-old boy from Nyabitsinda, walked for more than 10 kilometres with his father to reach the prosecutor's safe house in Ruyigi town.
"Just because of their skin colour, they are being hunted on the grounds that have a commercial value in the eyes of some people," said his father Protais Muzoya, a father of 10, two of them albinos.
"Not very far from our home, some criminals killed a young girl who looks like my children. They cut her arms off and collected all her blood and I'm very scared for my children," he said, holding his son's hand.
As the worried father recounted the girl's death, a car pulled up in front of them to offer a lift to Ruyigi but Ephrem panicked, kicking and screaming, refusing to get into the stranger's vehicle.
"My son is in a constant state of terror since he heard what happened. When he walks in the street, some people say things like 'Our fortune goes by'," said Protais, politely turning down the perplexed driver's offer.
The handful of albinos in the region have had to close ranks and often exchange stories and survival tips.
Albinism is a congenital lack of the melamin pigment in the skin, eyes and hair which protects from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Albinos are vulnerable to medical complications and social discrimination in Africa.
But while they once had to hide only from the sun and jeers, albinos in Tanzania and Burundi are now running away from a more macabre menace.
"The threat against albinos is very real. Richard Ciza for example was chased by four murderers armed with rifles and had to hide in the forest for two days," Gahimbare said.
"These people say they can earn 600 million Tanzanian shillings [US$500,000] from the body of one albino," he said.
"The fate of albinos should become a national preoccupation because it has spread far beyond the borders of our province. What is happening is terrifying because albinos are now looked upon as a commercial good."
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/posted/archive/2008/10/21/burundi-s-albinos-flee-sorcerers-and-organ-traders.aspx
snip
Albinos in the country of Burundi in eastern Africa are in danger and seeking refuge in an official's safehouse, Agence France-Presse reports today.
In recent weeks, Ruyigi province has seen a gruesome string of murders and mutilations of albinos, whose body parts are sold to witch doctors.
For background information, the Twa, Tutsi, and Hutu tribes have occupied Burundi since the country's formation five centuries ago. Germany and Belgium occupied the region at the beginning of the 20th century, and Burundi and Rwanda became a European colony known as Ruanda-Urundi. While it remains a tribal culture, the Europeans did make an impact as 62% of Burundians are considered Roman Catholic, 8-10% are Muslims and the rest follow indigenous beliefs and other Christian denominations. Witchcraft is still highly prevalent.
"People say that the body parts taken from albinos are sold in Tanzania. They put them on gold mines and that brings the gold to the surface, then you just need to collect it," Richard Ciza, a 19-year-old albino, said, fear evident in his pale blue eyes.
More from AFP:
"Some fishermen also use the parts to bait large fish they think have gold in their bellies."
Still in shock, Ciza spoke to AFP from the safety of Ruyigi province chief prosecutor Nicodeme Gahimbare's personal residence.
The official's home has been turned into an albino safehouse, surrounded by a three metre wall, where some 25 albinos from the all over the region have taken shelter.
"We held a crisis meeting with the administration, the police, local MPs and people representing the albinos... We've decided to gather all 45 known albinos in Ruyigi to guarantee their security," Gahimbare said.
On Sept. 22, a 16-year-old albino girl by the name of Spes was attacked in her village of Nyabitsinda.
She was dismembered and her body parts disappeared. A few days later, it was the turn of a man in the village of Bweru. Officials have reported two other recent murders in other parts of the country.
Police have established that the limbs, organs and blood of the albinos were smuggled into neighbouring Tanzania and sold to local sorcerers who use them to concoct lucky charms.
Northern Tanzania has been plagued by grisly incidents involving witchcraft. The phenomenon has reached such proportions that the country's president has had to launch a special protection program.
Demand is such in Tanzania that albinos across the region now feel threatened.
Albinos in Ruyigi province, where witchcraft is deeply entrenched, are more at risk than others.
Ephrem, an eight-year-old boy from Nyabitsinda, walked for more than 10 kilometres with his father to reach the prosecutor's safe house in Ruyigi town.
"Just because of their skin colour, they are being hunted on the grounds that have a commercial value in the eyes of some people," said his father Protais Muzoya, a father of 10, two of them albinos.
"Not very far from our home, some criminals killed a young girl who looks like my children. They cut her arms off and collected all her blood and I'm very scared for my children," he said, holding his son's hand.
As the worried father recounted the girl's death, a car pulled up in front of them to offer a lift to Ruyigi but Ephrem panicked, kicking and screaming, refusing to get into the stranger's vehicle.
"My son is in a constant state of terror since he heard what happened. When he walks in the street, some people say things like 'Our fortune goes by'," said Protais, politely turning down the perplexed driver's offer.
The handful of albinos in the region have had to close ranks and often exchange stories and survival tips.
Albinism is a congenital lack of the melamin pigment in the skin, eyes and hair which protects from the sun's ultraviolet rays. Albinos are vulnerable to medical complications and social discrimination in Africa.
But while they once had to hide only from the sun and jeers, albinos in Tanzania and Burundi are now running away from a more macabre menace.
"The threat against albinos is very real. Richard Ciza for example was chased by four murderers armed with rifles and had to hide in the forest for two days," Gahimbare said.
"These people say they can earn 600 million Tanzanian shillings [US$500,000] from the body of one albino," he said.
"The fate of albinos should become a national preoccupation because it has spread far beyond the borders of our province. What is happening is terrifying because albinos are now looked upon as a commercial good."
Albinos killed in Tanzania for witchcraft body parts
Just when one would think that humans cannot sink any lower, there they go again.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5inzrNvmUa17YD9kzQWgl4MPZUHnw
snip
DAR ES SALAAM (AFP) — Attackers murdered and mutilated a Tanzanian albino girl who became the latest victim of gangs who sell body parts as lucky charms to sorcerers.
Local councillor Joseph Manyara said that 10-year-old Esther Charles was killed on Sunday in the village of Shilela, in the western Shinyanga region.
She died just hours after President Jakaya Kikwete called for an intensified crackdown saying the killing of albinos has "stained the country's good image."
"It is utterly stupid for some people to believe that albinos have magic powers and their parts can make them rich," he told a rally organised by the Tanzania Albino Society (TAS).
"People should be provided with education to understand that it is only through hard working that they can prosper in life and not through selling albinos' body parts."
Another gang on Saturday cut off 28-year-old albino Mariam Stanford's hand, leaving the other hand dangling, western Kagera area police commander Selemani Miranzi said. The woman survived but has been admitted in hospital.
snip
Discrimination against albinos is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, but in Tanzania, it has taken a twist with victims, including children, killed or mutilated.
Witch doctors believe that albinos have magical powers to bring fortune.
At least 26 other albinos, mostly women and children, have been killed in different parts of the east African country over the past year.
In 2007, police reported several cases of people exhuming the bodies of infants to remove organs, in many cases the genitals and eyes, to make potions used in rituals.
snip
According to press reports, albino skin is also in demand in the Democratic Republic of Congo, another troubled African nation where superstition is high.
***
Wow, those poor witches. I mean, it must be really difficult to work your spells when you have a shortage of "albino skin" and have run out of dead baby eyeballs and genitals for your key chains.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5inzrNvmUa17YD9kzQWgl4MPZUHnw
snip
DAR ES SALAAM (AFP) — Attackers murdered and mutilated a Tanzanian albino girl who became the latest victim of gangs who sell body parts as lucky charms to sorcerers.
Local councillor Joseph Manyara said that 10-year-old Esther Charles was killed on Sunday in the village of Shilela, in the western Shinyanga region.
She died just hours after President Jakaya Kikwete called for an intensified crackdown saying the killing of albinos has "stained the country's good image."
"It is utterly stupid for some people to believe that albinos have magic powers and their parts can make them rich," he told a rally organised by the Tanzania Albino Society (TAS).
"People should be provided with education to understand that it is only through hard working that they can prosper in life and not through selling albinos' body parts."
Another gang on Saturday cut off 28-year-old albino Mariam Stanford's hand, leaving the other hand dangling, western Kagera area police commander Selemani Miranzi said. The woman survived but has been admitted in hospital.
snip
Discrimination against albinos is endemic in sub-Saharan Africa, but in Tanzania, it has taken a twist with victims, including children, killed or mutilated.
Witch doctors believe that albinos have magical powers to bring fortune.
At least 26 other albinos, mostly women and children, have been killed in different parts of the east African country over the past year.
In 2007, police reported several cases of people exhuming the bodies of infants to remove organs, in many cases the genitals and eyes, to make potions used in rituals.
snip
According to press reports, albino skin is also in demand in the Democratic Republic of Congo, another troubled African nation where superstition is high.
***
Wow, those poor witches. I mean, it must be really difficult to work your spells when you have a shortage of "albino skin" and have run out of dead baby eyeballs and genitals for your key chains.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Creepy doings at Lambeth
Wow. It's like the American delegation has been able to create a church that's not about God, and just plain old humanly offensive too. I hope reverent Episcopalians wise up and swim the Tiber (with or without water wings, just hurry).
http://www.nysun.com/opinion/losses-at-lambeth/83118/
snip
If there's one thing on which the fractured pool of Anglican bishops can agree, it's that the Lambeth Conference is an enormous waste of time and money. Lambeth — named for the Archbishop of Canterbury's opulent London palace — is the once-a-decade gathering of the bishops of the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church here in America is a small part.
Sadly, it's the New York City-area Episcopalian delegation to Lambeth that is to blame — once again — for ruining the conference. This time around it was the antics of the suffragan bishop from the Diocese of New York, Catherine Roskam. At a Lambeth workshop late last week, Ms. Roskam told the crowd that men beat women "because they can."
According to a report in the Times of London, Ms. Roskam shocked and dismayed her fellow bishops with the following tirade: "We have 700 men here. Do you think any of them beat their wives? Chances are they do. The most devout Christians beat their wives ... many of our bishops come from places where it is culturally acceptable to beat your wife." She may be right that such places exist. The problem is that the bishop was making sweeping allegations about groups, not individuals.
***
Read the whole article. The whole Church of England/Episcopal nightmare could be titled "Legends of a church that forgot all about God and became just plain mean and falsely self righteous instead." Ugh. Bleah.
http://www.nysun.com/opinion/losses-at-lambeth/83118/
snip
If there's one thing on which the fractured pool of Anglican bishops can agree, it's that the Lambeth Conference is an enormous waste of time and money. Lambeth — named for the Archbishop of Canterbury's opulent London palace — is the once-a-decade gathering of the bishops of the Anglican Communion, of which the Episcopal Church here in America is a small part.
Sadly, it's the New York City-area Episcopalian delegation to Lambeth that is to blame — once again — for ruining the conference. This time around it was the antics of the suffragan bishop from the Diocese of New York, Catherine Roskam. At a Lambeth workshop late last week, Ms. Roskam told the crowd that men beat women "because they can."
According to a report in the Times of London, Ms. Roskam shocked and dismayed her fellow bishops with the following tirade: "We have 700 men here. Do you think any of them beat their wives? Chances are they do. The most devout Christians beat their wives ... many of our bishops come from places where it is culturally acceptable to beat your wife." She may be right that such places exist. The problem is that the bishop was making sweeping allegations about groups, not individuals.
***
Read the whole article. The whole Church of England/Episcopal nightmare could be titled "Legends of a church that forgot all about God and became just plain mean and falsely self righteous instead." Ugh. Bleah.
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