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The Episcopal Church reduced to a comedy routine by Robin Williams

The Episcopal Church reduced to a comedy routine by Robin Williams
Actress Ann B. Davis died a faithful, believing Episcopalian

COMMENTARY

By Mary Ann Mueller
VOL Special Correspondent
www.virtueonline.org
August 18, 2014

Robin Williams ... Mork from Ork ... Mrs. Doubtfire ... Simon Roberts ... The Genie ... Adrian Cronauer ... Garp ... John Keating ... However you knew him, he was larger than life -- a life that was snuffed out by his own hand.

Williams also proclaimed to be an Episcopalian. In a 2002 HBO Special standup comedy routine, he delineated his reasons for being an Episcopalian: (10) No snake handling; (9) You can believe in dinosaurs; (8) Male and female God created them; male and female we ordain them; (7) You don't have to check your brains at the door; (6) Pew aerobics; (5) Church year is color-coded; (4) Free wine on Sunday; (3) All of the pageantry - none of the guilt; (2) You don't have to know how to swim to get baptized; and the Number One reason to be an Episcopalian -- (1) No matter what you believe, there's bound to be at least one other Episcopalian who agrees with you.

It's sad, not funny, that Williams apparently saw The Episcopal Church as the butt of a joke. The Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion are treated lightly as in "Free wine on Sunday" (Holy Communion); and "You don't have to know how to swim to get baptized" (Baptism). There is only a brief mention of God -- "Male and female God created them; male and female we ordain them". There is no mention of the Gospel or the salvific action of Jesus Christ and the Cross.

The Episcopal Church is so caught up in Millennium Development Goals: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger, achieve universal primary education; promote gender equality and empower women; reduce child mortality; improve maternal health; combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases; ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development; and making "All the Sacraments for All the Baptized" a reality -- no matter if one is a "he" a "she" or an "it" -- that the power of the Gospel is lost in the mix. How to tap into that power at a time of need is never conveyed.

Williams is not the only known Episcopalian actor to die recently. Ann B. Davis, best known for her roles as Alice the housekeeper in The Brady Bunch and as Schultzy on the Bob Cummings Show, was also an Episcopalian who was a television and commercial actress.

Once she semiretired from acting, she got involved in a Christian community formed by Bishop William Frey (IX Colorado). She stayed the rest of her life with Bishop Frey and his family.
In an obituary, Bishop Frey described her as "a very faithful churchwoman and Christian with an insatiable curiosity." It was also revealed that she conducted a Bible study and attended church twice a week -- midweek and Sunday -- in order to participate in Communion. She was active in an area Episcopal Church choir.

Davis was grounded in her Episcopal faith. She lived it and taught it. Williams joked about his Episcopal connections.

Perhaps that is why Williams was unable to reach out through his faith to touch God when basic life seemingly became too burdensome. He saw being an Episcopalian as a joke, devoid of the spiritual power, strength and comfort that Ann B. Davis found.

Mary Ann Mueller is a journalist living in Texas. She is a regular contributor to VirtueOnline

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