An OpEd column from the Ugandan Observer is titled Tolerance key in gay saga. Here’s a sample:
…While it is understandable that many people, particularly in Africa, find homosexuality so revolting, churches are giving the issue more attention than it actually deserves.
Besides, some religious leaders seem to have forgotten the virtues of tolerance and forgiveness so well articulated in the Bible in their zeal to condemn and pass judgment on homosexuality.
As a result of this fixation, such religious leaders tend to keep a blind eye on other evils going on under their noses everyday but are quick to jump onto the gay bandwagon.
Every other day some religious leaders are cited in cases of theft, witchcraft or adultery, but they are not treated as outlaws as much as gays are. Yet the Bible clearly says that all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory…
Once again we learn that a diversity of views exist in Africa, as indeed they do anywhere else in the world.
You don’t say!
Thank you to the Uganda Observer. This is a breath of fresh air. It is souls such as this who give us some hope of breaking the yoke of tyranny, repression, accusations and poverty. One of my hopes in giving examples of the problems within the Anglican communion is that others outside would recognize the similarities both within their faith communities, but also in how various parties in society relate to each other. Fortunately, it appears there are souls outside the Anglican communion are also considering such lessons e.g. http://news.google.com.au/news?hl=en&ned=&ie=UTF-8&ncl=1120158711 http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jjCXvoorM9zpncoBF7NPRPjx4IWw In this article Rabbi Eric Yoffie has addressed the… Read more »
So…the church “should accept all its children, regardless of their flaws or tendencies.” Great logic….so we must accept all flaws????? No need for repentance any more – a Ungandan journalist knows better than St Peter, St Paul and the Lord himself…..there, the matter is settled now, all sins are now accepted in the church! (this is the logical conclusion of the editorial’s comment) Also, all are welcomed already but, as the ABC has said, the gospel is a message of transformation….it does not affirm or condone sin…..we are called to something better IF we believe God’s gospel (see Romans 6,… Read more »
“Every other day some religious leaders are cited in cases of theft, witchcraft or adultery, but they are not treated as outlaws as much as gays are.” For me, this was the most interesting statement, offering a glimpse behind the public face of the true believers staunchly defending the Gospel. It give the impression of things nasty. Theft, witchcraft, adultery? Really? A beam that size in one’s eye must surely obscure one’s vision of the mote in one’s brother’s. And no, that isn’t justification for TEC’s contentious actions. It is, rather, a statement that the words of someone who tolerates… Read more »
“Theft, witchcraft and adultery.” Oh my! I have always thought it curious that homosexuality should be such a wedge issue. I mean, in terms of sins, it doesn’t even rate the top ten. Yet so many people hold it in such detestation. A theory. If a person has a guilty conscience (and doesn’t REALLY want to repent), one must find some other sin – some sin one has not committed onesself – and declare it to be the worst sin of all, the most revolting, perfidious and horrifying of all sins. So that one can say: “I may be a… Read more »
Malcolm+’s observation would be supported work with convicted criminals. A hierarchy of offences exists, it is suggested, with the ‘nonce’ at the bottom of the heap. Even a murderer needs someone about whom to feel superior, apparently. That hierarchy is not particularly logical, but once created it is perpetuated in much the same way that the Hindu caste system is perpetuated – those with power have the most interest in keeping things as they are.
Malcolm, I can relate to your bemusement that homosexuality is such a wedge issue.
One of my jokes for the last week is that if sexuality is so important, why didn’t Jesus have any? Or was he modelling appropriate celibacy for a soul that was gay?
NP: have you still not realised that no-one here ‘defends sin’ – we just don’t happen to agree with you as to what is sinful….
“no-one here ‘defends sin'”
Really? People here have very definitely defended usury and war, for a start. The same people have denied as sin that which has been explained away by “fudges” they find acceptable. When this is pointed out, it is for some reason seen as an attempt at the justification of the “sins” of their opponents, a ‘tu quoque’ argument, which it isn’t at all, of course. Funny, the ones who most loudly defend sin are the ones most loudly accusing everyone else of that very thing!
“O felix culpa !”