Hi all,
I wanted to share this article that I came across about how an organization called the Glitter Ash Project encouraged church officials to mix glitter in with typical ashes on Ash Wednesday (today) to symbolize inclusion of LGBT Christians. On Ash Wednesday, Catholics and other Christians get a cross on their head in ashes to symbolize the beginning of Lent.
"Clergy who requested glitter ash included Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists, Mennonites and many more. Many were located in more conservative parts of the country — Madison, Tenn.; Bedford, Tex.; Boone, N.C.; Algona, Iowa; Richmond, Ind.; Jefferson, Ga.; Hayes, Kan.; and many more small towns across the Midwest and the South made the list, as did churches in the United Kingdom and Canada." Pretty awesome!
Check it out: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/03/01/on-ash-wednesday-ashes-to-go-with-a-little-extra-sparkle/?utm_term=.6e3187069bb5
I found this really surprising. My first thought after reading your summary was about it being sacrilegious (I know very little about christianity). After seeing how Edmonds-Allen covered her basis of religious approval, I thought the idea was brilliant. While I wouldn't have been surprised to hear about some of the more progressive San Francisco churches taking to the idea, seeing the list of states and sects that took to it was shocking. In the wake of the new administration, as Diane Jordan said, “it symbolizes a hope for me. You know, like a better tomorrow.”
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