Gay Archbishop Gene Robinson loves the Anglican Church, but that doesn’t mean he’s not livid about the way the international movement’s leaders treat their homo brethren:
Gay people have been abused, really, by the church, and just mindlessly suggesting that they go back is like telling an abused spouse to go back to her husband. But what I say is that God and the church aren’t the same thing. The church has gotten this and many other things wrong. God hasn’t gotten it wrong.
Moreover, the church that you left may not be the church that’s there now. There has been a lot of change. It doesn’t mean that every church is safe, but there are enough safe places that gay and lesbian people can find a place that will really welcome them.
Robinson also took some time recently to blast the city’s anti-gay Archbishop, Dr Peter Jensen: “It is ironic that the Sydney Diocese, taking in one of the great gay cities of the world, is also among the most bigoted.”
Gerard Priori
That’s all well and good, but he fails to take into account that god is fiction. Robinson is correct in saying “God hasn’t gotten it wrong”–fictional characters in books can’t do anything in the real world, so they can’t get it wrong. Somehow, though, I don’t think that’s what he’s trying to say.
chuck
Well, I will give him credit for blasting the Church which is clearly out to lunch and over the top regarding gay LGBT people.
God or no God, at least Gene has that right.
Charley
He spent all those years and money studying baloney in “divinity school”, when he could have a degree as a therapist counseling LGBT’s to accept themselves through reason and scientific knowledge. Preaching about a nonexistent sky god and what it thinks, just makes people crazier.
Andy
Archbishop Gene Robinson? He must have been secretly promoted since he jetted back to the USA after a lengthy visit to England and Scotland!
John
Well, it’s impossible for Robinson to get a promotion to “Archbishop” because the Episcopalian Church doesn’t use that title. Although the “Presiding Bishop” is considered the equivalent of an Archbishop in rank (ex officio).
There’s only one Presiding Bishop in the United States at any given time. The current holder of the office is Katharine Jefferts Schori. She’s the first female in the Anglican Communion to lead a national church.
chuck
I do have to admit that I get a kick out of these ‘tightrope’ walkers, who feel the need to assuage both their God and their homosexuality in the same breath.
Shark
Chuck – Trust me, it’s not fun. Neither is being made fun of, but hey, the webs the web. I agree with Gene here. Religion isn’t fucked up because of God, it’s fucked up because of people. I know a LOT of Christians (and two of my good friends are Muslim) who accept me for who I am…and it does help since they know I have difficulties reconciling being gay and being Christian. Not all of us are raving lunatics, mates.
Puddy Katz
I just can’t get over the feeling that Episcopalians don’t REALLY believe anything about God.
The liberal ones at least. But they are nice people who say about gays.
That is not, in my view, the basis of a religion, but to each his own.
On the whole I am indifferent to Gene Robinson and the whole drama in the Episcopal/Anglican Church.
Puddy Katz
I meant to write “who say nice things about gays.”
jarvisbearcub
1) there are PLENTY of homophobes outside of the Church
2) reason and scientific knowledge are not enemies or outwith the Church, only some members of the Church, who sadly have their own TV stations and press agents. reason and science have always been accommodated in the religious tradition. not all religion is televangelist crap
3) i recently saw Bishop Robinson speak here in Edinburgh and took eucharist from him. He is a normal, faithful man who has been treated like crap by the Church
4) believing in God does not make you “insane.” religion speaks to issues that are deeper than science can claim to go, beyond the mechanical “how” of life into the “why.”
Charles J. Mueller
>4) believing in God does not make you “insane.” religion speaks to issues that are deeper than science can claim to go, beyond the mechanical “how” of life into the “why.”
Not to take issue with YOUR belief system, but if the past has been any illustration of the inability of the Church to understand the ‘how’ of life, based on provable facts rather than pure ‘faith’ and superstitions, then this is a poor argument for me to believe in a mythical sky-daddy, pixies and heffer-dust!
Pursuing the ‘why’ of life is, indeed, a fascinating subject. But, when too much time is spent on on pursuing the ‘why’, the ‘how’ of life and the pleasure of living it, gets stomped on.
Copernicus and Galileo were two shining examples of how the Church suppressed the ‘how’ of life. They were branded as heretics for their discoveries and sentenced to house arrest by the Church.
Science many not be able to give us the answer to ‘why’, but is sure does explain ‘how’ things actually are and make it possible for man to learn about his environment…as well as learning how to take care of it, regardless of where it came from or who created it.
“How’ much is your Church doing in that respect, other than sitting around and praying for the rapture and the end of all life on the planet?