This just in from the (increasingly overcrowded) Department of Idle Threats: The Presbyterian Church in Australia is claiming they’ll stop marrying anybody, at all, ever again, if same-sex marriage is legalized in the country.
So there.
John McClean, convenor of the Gospel, Society and Culture Committee of the NSW Presbyterian Church, isn’t threatening to set himself on fire or marry his own daughter, but he’d like you to believe he’d rather pull the plug on all this marriage business than see that right extended to gay Australians.
Related: Will the Presbyterian Church Finally Approve Sexually Active Gay Clergy?
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In an opinion piece for The Sydney Morning Herald, McClean laments the fact that “most people do not think that sex is only for marriage, and the vast majority of couples in Australia who marry live together first.”
Yeah, this op-ed piece really blows the roof off.
He adds that “[m]any Australians are not convinced that marriage should be for life” and “[n]ow a significant section of the Australian population also want marriage redefined to include same-sex couples.”
He feels these three trends deviate so far from the traditional Christian view of marriage that the only thing left to do is throw in the towel and give up.
According to Pink News, McClean was asked why it was the prospect of same-sex marriage that led him to abruptly take such an extremo stance, and not, say, no-fault divorce or premarital sex. He limply replied that “he was not around in 1975 when no-fault divorce was introduced.” So… he’s just trying to make up for lost time.
Singing a veritable cantata of false notes, McClean claims: “Jesus’ view was that sex is for marriage, marriage is for life, and marriage is for a man and a woman… Many people don’t share any of the three key elements in Jesus’ definition.” So now, he claims, it’s time to withdraw from the Marriage Act altogeteher.
We’d say we don’t follow his logic, but there’s clearly no logic to try following.
M J Martinez Crogan
Yawn ð???
Orean Keels Jr.
Um, I thought we won it already. UPDATE: Oh, Australia…yawn.
Carlos Zuniga
These religious nutz are getting tired.
Alex Rothwell
What in the heck does this mean ? !
Brandon E Donovan
Have at it hoss! Then you will either have to have sex out of a marriage or go the rest of your lives without it. Please make it the last one so you don’t make another one of you
Curty
Why do people try to use their own beliefs to control other people’s lives? That’s the very definition of tyranny, dictatorship. It seems more and more religious nutjobs are control freaks and would rather democracy to turn into theocracy. That’s very dangerous. People were given free will for a reason. Its just rather selfish and egotistical how these religious nuts should follow their path in life. Its tyranny.
aliengod
Seems only right. If they won’t marry some people, they shouldn’t marry any. We’ll see how that works out for them.
Joseph Dudley Manabat
Christian View? Oh, please. Women are not men’s property. If my brother died, I will not marry my sister-in-law.
Ivan Alberto Lugo
Bunch of hypocrite morons!!!!
Gee Rosato
We won get over it
Marty Kirtley
WHO CARES!?!?!?!?!?
Xzamilio
Such nonsense… it never ceases to amaze me the lack of irony when it comes to some of these fundamental Christians demanding that we all conform to their religious beliefs while being afraid of Islamic Sharia coming to America. Really? What’s the problem? You both serve the same made up god the Jews made up first, you want your religious doctrine to be the law of the land, and you demand that people respect your religious freedom to remove the freedoms and rights of those who don’t share your worldview. There is no such thing as “Free Will” as a divine construct… or divine anything for that matter.
We’ll demand scientists to demonstrate the effects of climate change and biological shifts in ecosystems before we fund their research, but a bunch of nut jobs convene in a church and start shouting in gibberish, and they get tax free status and clout in politics. Absolute bullshit.
Rory P. Rentmeester
We’re here, we’re queer….get use to it!
Stefano
@Xzamilio: Yep ! And those Christians will have big problems when Muslims will be as numerous as they are. The world will be a very differentplace in 2050 (in only 35 years)…
Luis H. Lopez
What imbeciles !
sanfranca1
Another faux Christian.
benandy
“not around in 1975”? Oh, Mary! You mean you are LESS than 40?!? And already look that haggard? Pity.
John Wadsworth
I used to be a Presbytrian…until I learned how bigoted they are.
Jaroslaw
@benandy: be nice – he meant he wasn’t in leadership then.
Damon Robbins
The Episcopal Church is now performing same sex marriages in the U.S.
Kenneth Fallows
Dear Heavenly Father, forgive some of your children, for they know not who’s ultimately in charge!
Sam Oropeza
Sorry, admit it and face reality for once and for all.
DC Sheehan
They’d lose the income stream from weddings. Economics says that if/when the law changes they’ll just refuse gay couples.
Loyd Hawkins
Divorce away Presbyterians….
Realitycheck
Translation, the Austrian Presbyterian church will soon alienate even more followers with
yet another stupid policy, after all, why accept modern times when one can retreat (yawn) in the past?
Michael Hunter
a bit late mate
Madelaine Bencivengo
shut up and just do it already, then you can light yourselves on fire
Noel Hoklin
And they will continue to lose followers, especially the youth because they see it for what it really is – bullshit!
Dominic Mancuso
Carlos Martinez
Bye bitch bye
Timothy Herbert
what does this headline even mean?
Transiteer
Okay. It’s offensive to see people this simple minded permitted to marry anyway, so this works out fine.
DimAsAnEmber
Fine, let them. They lose out on all the gay wedding money that would be spent renting those pretty churches. And the straight ones, for that matter.
Barb Kipper
Keep reading this sort of action and you will be convinced of the mistake of joining a church.
Terry Purdue
That’s like taking a dump in the sandbox so no one wants to play in it
Xzamilio
God and Gay (A Poem)
http://shallowvoices.blogspot.com/2015/07/god-and-gay-poem.html
Just do not care about this shit anymore.
Atrius
@Curty: Free Will is a self canceling concept. We have no choice but to have it.
Atrius
@Xzamilio: Hear hear!
Kevin B
Best start your process then. Who gives a shit what you people do anymore?
DCFarmboi
Just a note of interest. In 1977, the Methodist, Presbyterian and Congregationalist churches in Australia merged into the “Uniting Church of Australia.” Today, this is the third largest denomination in Australia with over a million members. It is very supportive of the lgbt community.
A minority of conservative Presbyterians refused to join the merger. They formed the Presbyterian Church in Australia that is referenced in this article. They have 54,000 members and have withdrawn from fellowship with most other mainstream Presbyterians world wide.
Clark35
Presbyterians in the United States are not this way and have been supportive of LGBT people and same gender marriage for decades. I am not sure if it’s like this in Australia?
Stos
This is the churches equivalent of when a child throws a tantrum and threatens to take their ball and go home.