God Hates Gays

[poliphilo]

The government proposes legislation requiring that all state-funded adoption agencies consider gay couples. The Archbishop of Westminster (Roman Catholic) lobbies for the right to opt out and gets the backing of the Archbishops of Canterbury and York (Anglican). But government stands firm and says, no. 

Because, as Angela Eagle MP (I've met her !) says  (in more diplomatic language than I'm going to use) if you allow exceptions on religious grounds to a law forbidding bigotry all that will happen is that every homophobe will suddenly develop a personal relationship with Jesus.

If Tony Blair (who wants to be a catholic when he grows up) were still in the ascendant he might well have given the Cardinal what he wants. It's a sign of how his authority has waned that the Cardinal got knocked back.

Hooray.

And the other thing it demonstrates is how Christian leaders are losing their grip.  Do they really want to present the Gospel of Jesus Christ as being primarily about hawt gay sex? Surely not? But to judge by the headlines they provoke, this is about the only thing on their minds these days. 

Comments

[dadi.livejournal.com]

And the other thing it demonstrates is how Christian leaders are losing their grip

Yeah. In GB maybe. Here in Italy we are still ankle deep, hell, what am I saying, hip deep into fundamentalist, vatican owned propaganda...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

This is arguably the most secular nation in the world, but people like Cormac Murphy O'Brien don't seem to have woken up to this yet- and how bad it makes him and his institution look to be flexing his bigot-muscles in public.

[pondhopper.livejournal.com]

All fundametalists of any colour are repressed creatures and must act accordingly by seeing forbidden (for them) sex everywhere. And if they´re not repressed they´re Doing Things on the sly which requires them to be very loud hypocrites.

I´m pleased to hear your government is standing firm on this.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

"I´m pleased to hear your government is standing firm on this."

They seem to be. John Reid- the Home Office Minister- has said their can be no exceptions- and he's the cabinet's most senior Catholic.

[happydog.livejournal.com]

I heard about this on NPR yesterday. I am sorry to say that immediately after they said "The Archbishop of Westminster" I heard a voice in my head saying,

"Hello mum! Hello dad! There's a dead bishop on the landing!"
"A Dead bishop? What archdiocese is he from?"
"How can you tell?"
"It's tattooed on the back of his neck!"
"Looks like it's the Bishop of Westminster."
"Call the church!" "Call the police!" "Call THE CHURCH POLICE!"

I am sure that there is some kind of treatment for this illness but it might involve taking more pills than I already do.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That sounds like Monty Python. Is it?

[happydog.livejournal.com]

yep. "The Church Police." I think I saw that when I was 14 or 15 and it has been burned into my brain ever since. My younger brother and I can do the whole skit almost verbatim. Sad, isn't it...

[four-thorns.livejournal.com]

in Boston, Catholic Charities had been quietly arranging adoptions with gay as well as straight couples for many years. then last year, someone in the archdiocese made a fuss about it, and the Archbishop ordered Catholic Charities to stop allowing gay couples to adopt. then the State of Massachusetts told them that that was discriminatory and they couldn't do it. so rather than comply with the state and allow gay couples to adopt, they just shut down their adoption service entirely. because it's better to let all the kids live in orphanages than it is to allow some of them to find homes with two mommies or two daddies.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

It seems to be happening all over; the Churches are retreating into bigotry and hard-line fundamentalism.

"The best lack all conviction and the worst are filled
With passionate intensity."

[besideserato.livejournal.com]

Rah!