All welcome, regardless of species All welcome, regardless of species (August 25, 2004)
For unfamiliar visitors, one of the most startling aspects of the Sunday service at the Church of Gnosis may be the cats sitting on thrones in the front or the dogs roaming the pews.

Their presence highlights an aura of tolerance Bishop Rosamonde Miller aims to convey. No one, regardless of his or her species, is turned away.

Two cats that regularly attend, Ubasti and Ti-Kwai-Li, are Miller's beloved pets. Ubasti, a skinny Devon Rex, sits on a purple throne during the ceremony, wrapped in a scarf. The ashes of one of Miller's former dogs sit in a box under the altar.

A shocked Muslim man who once visited church asked Miller: "'How come you allow dogs in the center, because the dogs are unclean?'" "Well you know, I don't practice discrimination here," she responded.

Owls and snakes have also made appearances. During one service, Miller recalled, the snakes got loose and slithered to the front of the church while she was giving a talk.

"Then they started coming behind my chair, but I didn't realize it. People started smiling and laughing," Miller recalled. "I look and I see their little dumpling eyes. It gets very funny at times."

In Gnostic texts, the serpent in the Garden of Eden is the hero of the story, leading Adam and Even out of ignorance and into understanding.

"I love snakes," Miller said with a giggle. --Bill D'Agostino

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All welcome, regardless of species All welcome, regardless of species (August 25, 2004)For unfamiliar visitors, one of the most startling aspects of the Sunday service at the Church of Gnosis may be the cats sitting on thrones in the front or the dogs roaming the pews.

All welcome, regardless of species All welcome, regardless of species (August 25, 2004)
For unfamiliar visitors, one of the most startling aspects of the Sunday service at the Church of Gnosis may be the cats sitting on thrones in the front or the dogs roaming the pews.