It's fascinating to watch the political (and religious) left at work -- somewhat in the same way that storms are fascinating. Quite a sight until you stop and think that people are being hurt, or will be before it's all over.

In particular, the left has been steadily, and often stealthily, taking over mainline Protestant denominations such as the Anglican (Episcopalian) church. Like leftists everywhere, they plead for "tolerance" and "diversity" until the sufficient control has been established; after that point the trap is sprung, and the teeth and claws appear.

One window into that process has been Christopher Johnson's comments over at Midwest Conservative Journal.

Getting back to the title, one of the problems with relying on lies is that dishonesty presents so many options, often making it hard to keep your story straight. For example, I'm reminded of this account of a group of people who were attempting to lie about someone:

The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. (Mark 14:55-56)

So it's not suprising to me when I read the religious left both claiming that we "traditional" Christians are mired in an outmoded, orthodox past...

We fear that the American Anglican Council and other conservative groups, which share the same philosophy, intend to turn back the Anglican Communion to an earlier traditional orthodox state. Bishop Smith seems to be their test case, apparently feeling he embodies all of the reasons why turning back the calendar is essential.

... and that such views are also not orthodox...

Sadly, there are those who are working to undermine the Church family... claiming for themselves the guidance of the Holy Spirit and holding on to what they themselves have determined to be the “Essentials” of Anglicanism, they... have no regard or respect for those “in authority over them”... they have now launched their own “national” paper to share the “truth” and have seen fit to distribute it within dioceses and parishes without seeking any approval for doing so. Various other “essential” tracts have also been distributed in parishes in order to give the “real story”. My hope is that those who read such material are aware of its source and recognize that it does come with its own particular bias from those claiming to be “orthodox”. As Bishop I do not endorse any such material nor do I wish to see it distributed in or through our parishes. Part of my episcopal mandate is to “guard the faith, unity, and discipline of the Church” in other words the “orthodoxy” of the Church and it is in fulfilling that role that I comment on those materials which I see as misrepresenting the teachings of the Church. While some might see this as a form of censorship...

Right. "Orthodox" means believing whatever I, the guy in charge, believe today, and being under my discipline. These people do not obey me, hence they are falsely claiming orthodoxy, hence the scare-quotes. Well, which is it, are they unorthodox or orthodox? It's so hard to decide.

And of course, here we see also the bits I mentioned in my opening screed: the left, once established in power, will not tolerate even the slightest dissent. Hence the censorship of any materials whose contents conflict with the Bishop's theological outlook. This from the same people who have previously argued how important it was to tolerate and even welcome unorthodox views.