One of the newer links on this page is to the Christian thinktank Ekklesia – a small oasis of good sense in the intellectual faith desert.
Symon Hill, associate director of Ekklesia and a Quaker, commented on 2nd August:
“I trust this decision will inspire people of all faiths and none who are working for the inclusion of gay, lesbian and bisexual people. As with other churches, this has not been an easy process for Quakers. I hope that others will have the courage to follow this lead and speak up for the radical inclusivity of Christ. As Christians, we are called to stand with those on the margins who are denied equality”.
Symon’s comment followed last week’s decision of the Quakers' Yearly Meeting in York to fully affirm the principle of same-sex marriages, not just give the nod to civil partnerships. For some two decades now Quakers have without fuss blessed same sex unions during their meetings, and remain the only Christian denomination to not only do so but to want to conduct legal Christian civil partnerships as well as heterosexual marriage ceremonies.
Meanwhile, here in Europe’s Third World, where we still await even a vague date for a basic Civil Partnership Bill, we can only marvel.
But then, Manx Christians still don’t recognise Quakers as ‘proper’ Christians anyway. The executive level of Churches Together in Mann remains an airtight ghetto where just four distant patriarchs decide and pronounce the ‘official’ beliefs of the many they claim to represent. While CTIM loves to take the credit for a Quaker-led Manx landmine clearance project, the woman who ran it had to be given a special associate status to a CTIM sub-committee in order to make things official.
In turn, we have no real idea how these grey and ghastly ‘church leaders’ come to agreement with equally grey, equally distant senior politicians over new laws and continued Christian privilege.
They just do, and we just suffer the consequences.
10 years ago
1 comment:
I was an Altar boy at St Mary's (RC) Church in Castletown. I eventually abandoned the christian faith after attending one of my confirmation classes. I remember the priest saying, "homosexuals will burn in hell. You have a choice whther yor a homosexual or not". I obviously felt differently, as I had been brought up roman Catholic and had tried to force myself to fancy women. Apparently , " i had a choice".
I eventually came to the realisation that I either had to accept myself or kill myself. I wasn't willing to die and I figured well....I can at least give it a go or kill myself and burn in hell, or not give it a go and still burn in hell for being gay.
I don't hold any grudges against the RC church as a result of how I'm, treated by them, but I do hold a grudge against the priest.
I've never been treated as badly as I have by the RC communion of that church. I've never been as happy as I am now...being OUT. But for christians that are told to forgive people and not judge people by their sins....I think the RC church is a load of hypocrits. I've had more abuse of them than I have an average person in the street..
Post a Comment