Category: Religion

Anglican Prelates Refuse Communion with U.S. Brethren Over Gay Issues

February 17, 2007
GLBTReligionStrange
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Unbelievable. The NYTimes reports today on the very strange choice made by Anglican archbishops visiting the Tanzania:

Seven archbishops who say they represent more than 30 million Anglicans worldwide refused to take Communion here on Friday with the new head of the American Episcopal Church, to protest her support of gay clergy members and blessings for same-sex unions.

Their action demonstrated the deep gulf between conservative and liberal wings of the Anglican Communion, the world’s third largest Christian denomination, with 77 million members. Conflict over the American branch’s acceptance of an openly gay bishop and same-sex unions has dominated a high-level Anglican meeting here.

Disagreement is one thing, but refusing to sit down and share communion? This type of a theological posturing is truly sad. Even if one disagrees with another, even if one actually believes the person at the table is a sinner of the worst kind (as these right-wing cone-heads obviously do), then certainly a cursory reading of one’s own scriptures would reveal the example of a simple Rabbi who not only ate with sinners, but entered their homes to do so.

But we’re not talking about sinners here. We’re talking about bishops refusing to share the Eucharist with bishops. Has it really come to that? Again? And again?

Hats off — or miters off — to the American Anglican bishops who have the courage to stand by their convictions and reach out to all in love.

And shame on the Tanzanian Seven who refused Christ.
How sad, and how silly it all is.

I miss Gerald Ford

December 29, 2006
ReligionRepublicans
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President Gerald Ford

I miss Gerald Ford.

When Ford was president, the world was still largely black and white. I’m not engaging in whimsy, longing for those golden days of yesteryear. Nah. Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.

What I mean by black and white is that, literally, the world was reported in black and white. My newspapers were printed in black and white. And Gerald Ford appeared on my television in black and white. He did bring us to the precipice of the world of color, however. The day after he was sworn in as president, the Pittsburgh Press (Defunctus est, R.I.P.) printed his picture in color on page one. That’s the first color image I remember on the cover of a newspaper. Ever.

But, the next day, the world was back to black and white.

I know that pardoning Richard Nixon was controversial. I know I too felt betrayed that Nixon was let off so easy. But I don’t agree with these guys that Nixon’s pardon had some ill-effect on the possible impeachment of George W. Bush:

If we look at the remainder of the 1970’s it is certainly possible that the country was calmer than if faced with the trial and possible imprisonment of a former President. However it is not the 1970’s I am concerned about now but the present. The pardon established a terrible precedent that the President is above the law and should not be punished for crimes because it would be too hard on the country.

No, I disagree that that action had such an adverse effect on any possible action against W. If Congress can go after a man for lying about a blowjob and some quick cigar foreplay (who thinks of these things?), then Congress can go after a man for lying about a war.

I disagree with the presumption of some that because we’re on the left, we’re supposed to attack those on the other side of the aisle at all costs. Ford had some redeeming qualities. At the very least, he was great for Chevy Chase. I’ll never forget Chase decorating that Christmas tree on SNL, and falling headfirst into it.

“Live! From New York!…”

But what I most admire Gerald Ford for is his ability to change. I admire his ability to speak out when his party was drifting so radically to the right in recent years. Consider this story published yesterday in eNews Park Forest:

National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Mourns Death of Gerald R. Ford

WASHINGTON, Dec. 27–(ENEWSPF)– The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force mourns the death of former President Gerald R. Ford, who died Tuesday at the age of 93.

Statement by Matt Foreman,
Executive Director National Gay and Lesbian Task Force:

“We mourn the death of former President Gerald R. Ford, a good, decent and principled leader. Because he espoused true conservative values, he consistently advocated for the rights of individuals and condemned those who sought to impose conformity of thought and behavior. These beliefs led him to support women’s rights and to publicly support federal legislation to prohibit anti-gay discrimination in employment. When, in 2001, he said, ‘I think they [same-sex couples] should be treated equally. Period,’ he became the highest-ranking Republican ever to publicly support equal treatment for our families.

“In recent years, he decried the growing coarseness of American politics and called for bipartisan solutions to our nation’s problems, something he always sought while in office.

“We express our condolences to Mrs. Ford, his children and other members of his family and to all who knew and loved him.”

That took chutzpah. That took spunk.

Hell, that took balls. “W” stuffed his crotch and declared victory in Iraq. Phony message. Phony balls. Congress needs ’em some now.

I miss Gerald Ford.

Looking Haggard and Drawn

November 3, 2006
EvangelicalsGLBTReligion
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Ted HaggardThis story adds a new category to Turning Left: Evangelicals. And this story fits nicely into three categories: Evangelicals, Republicans, and GLBT.

By now Ted’s story is well known. George W. confidant, president of the 30 million-member National Association of Evangelicals, the largest evangelical group in America, a man who wielded influence on Capitol Hill and condemned both gay marriage and homosexuality, resigned on Thursday after a male prostitute reported that he had drug-fueled trysts with Haggard.

Haggard, who is also founder and senior pastor of the 14,000-member New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a man of truth to the last, admits to receiving a massage from Jones after being referred to him by a Denver hotel, and that he bought meth for himself from the man. However, he says he never had sex with Jones, and never used the drugs. “I was tempted, but I never used it,” the 50-year-old Haggard told reporters from his vehicle while leaving his home with his wife and three of his five children.

Jones, who advertises himself as an escort only in gay publications or on gay web sites, scoffed at the idea that Haggard learned of him through an employee at a hotel. “No concierge in Denver would have referred me,” he said.

Haggards web site boasts of his popularity with the media, securing his place as a true leader in the Evangelical community:

Pastor Ted has been interviewed by Barbara Walters, Tom Brokaw, Bill O’Reilly, Chris Matthews, and more. Time included Pastor Ted in their list of the 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America. Harper’s says, “No pastor in America holds more sway over the political direction of evangelicalism than does Pastor Ted.”

Any day, perhaps, but today. AP reports, “Jones did not immediately return calls from The Associated Press on Friday.”

Catholic Church misses the mark again

October 29, 2006
GLBTReligion
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United States Catholic BishopsIn a disappointing move, the U.S. Catholic bishops announced that they have drafted new guidelines for ministry to gay people. The bishops’ document affirms church teaching on same-sex relationships, marriages, adoptions by gay couples, but encourages parishes to reach out to gay Catholics who feel alienated by their church.
The document is a lot of nothing, and will do more harm than good.

It says that gay people may benefit from revealing their “tendencies” to friends, family and their priest, but should not make “general public announcements” about it in the parish. We wouldn’t, after all, want good Catholics to know there were people in the parish with “tendencies.”

The New York Times reports that the guidelines recommend baptizing the adopted children of same-sex couples as long as the children will be raised Catholic. However, these same same-sex couples should be denied any type of leadership or ministry positions in the church because their behavior “violates” church teaching. Rev. Thomas G. Weinandy, who worked on the draft, is quoted as saying, “The bishops would like people with homosexual inclinations to really participate in the church, but they don’t want to ‘give scandal.’ If you knew a heterosexual couple were just cohabitating and not married, you wouldn’t let them be eucharistic ministers either.”

True, but the heterosexual couple, or, those with heterosexual tendencies, would have the option to marry.

The document, boldly entitled, “Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelines for Pastoral Care,” will be voted on when the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops meets Nov. 13-16 in Baltimore.

Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli of Paterson, N.J., the chairman of the bishops doctrine committee, which wrote the new guidelines, predicts that the document would pass, “My sense is that the bishops will readily embrace it.”

Gay Catholic leaders have their concerns. Sam Sinnett, president of DignityUSA, an organization for gay Catholics, says that there is some “lovely language” in the document, but it essentially repeats all of the “spiritually violent things” the bishops have said in the past that has alienated gay Catholics, “that we are ‘objectively disordered’ and our relationships are intrinsically evil.”

Rev. James Martin, editor of the Jesuit magazine America, said, ““The document expresses the tension in the church between a sincere desire to minister to gays and lesbians, and the reality that many gays and lesbians feel unwelcome in the church by virtue of the church’s teaching.”

The Times article goes on to summarize the bishops’ statements from the past couple of years regarding homosexuality, many of them made in the wake of the pedophilia scandal:

The bishops have issued statements in recent years condemning gay marriage, gay adoption and benefits for gay partners. They have historically been more attuned to gay issues, however, than some of their colleagues overseas. Last year, the Vatican issued an “instruction” saying that men with “deep-seated” homosexual attraction should not be ordained. In its wake, some American bishops commented in their diocesan newspapers or privately to their priests that they did not regard this as a ban on ordaining gay men, and would continue to accept gay candidates on a case-by-case basis.

It would appear the bishops tended to blame gay priests for the abuse of children, and their own inadequate leadership in dealing with pedophile priests throughout history.

The Times article does not mention, nor does it appear the reporter ever asked, how many United States Catholic bishops who would be voting on this document have heterosexual “tendencies,” and how many of these men have homosexual “tendencies.”