Scottish Bishop: Gays Suppressing "Straight" Lifestyle
High-ranking Scottish Bishop Joseph Devine lashed out at gay adoption in a letter to Scotland's First Minister Jack McConnell:
"I am only too well aware, of course, that the conventional family unit is in decline and society is paying the price. But where the traditional family unit does exist, it should for the sake of the children be deemed a far more appropriate refuge for them than exposure to a homosexual or lesbian way of life. No doubt for refusing to pander to the idea that homosexual and lesbian relationships are equal to heterosexual partnerships, particularly those blessed in the sight of God, I shall be termed a bigot by the politically correct hardcore in the Scottish Parliament.
[The Catholic Church has] watched with mounting disquiet the forces of political correctness corrupt our moral, political and social order. Now their insidious influence threatens our innocent and vulnerable children. What started as a tolerance and compassion for gays had developed into the suppression of the majority heterosexual lifestyle. Traditional family values are in the dock and the judge and jury are composed of politically correct extremists."
And his prediction comes true: a bigot he is.
Over in Quebec, opposing feelings are stirring. A group of 19 Roman Catholic priests have sent a letter to the church questioning its policies on same-sex marriage and gays serving in the priesthood. Asks the letter: "[Does the church] have the last word on the mysteries of political, social, family and sexual life? In these matters, the official teaching of the Church has shown itself more than once to be wrong."
His Excellency has a very good point. Political correctness has done harm to the church. Just look at how doing the politically correct thing of exposing the systemic child-abuse, endemic episcopal protection of sexual predators (straight, gay and pedophilic) and lack of concern for victims has led to lawsuits threatening to bankrupt Christ’s holy church! Why it’s disgraceful! The Roman Catholic Church is led by the most sexually repressed misogynistic bunch of men on earth. This is the same church that codified tolerance for rape in marriage because that is what women are for. Oh, and by the way, if a woman is raped, it’s her fault.
Please, if there are any men or women reading this who were abused by RC clergy, report it to civil authorities (don’t trust the members of the church, they’re uncivil). It is important to expose the lies, the illegal protection of sexual predators and the evil – yes, I say EVIL (do I hear an “amen”) – that is the One Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church. Your actions could help bring this monstrous corporation to its knees…where most of the bishops are probably most comfortable, anyway.
Posted by: JT Stout | Feb 27, 2006 9:54:59 AM
Yeah he's a bigot... but look at him. He's totally circling the drain. We'll have to deal with his particular brand of crap for what, a year? Two? I bet I can wait it out.
And frankly, I'm getting a little tired of hearing Catholic priests tell the rest of us what's best for "the children". I can't think of ANYONE less qualified to counsel parents on how best to raise their kids.
Posted by: Brian | Feb 27, 2006 9:57:09 AM
How tired I am of hearing about how we gays are persecuting straights and that the "heterosexual lifestyle" is under attack!!
The real reaction presented here is one of frustration with the steady decline in the influence of the Catholic Church on western culture. For hundreds of years the Church held us in its sway, but over the past couple of hundred years we have seen more and more western nations adopt secular democratic political systems and ignore the Church's wants in forming public policies.
The comments by this bishop reveal his true ignorance about the lives of gay people. Does he think that gays want to adopt children so that they can then pursue a life of nightclubbing, partying, dancing and drugging? Children adopted by gays and lesbians are WANTED children. All of them. Gays have a much harder time adopting, having to disprove so many assumptions and biases held by heterosexuals. Adoption is a costly and lengthy experience for anyone, but it seems like it is even moreso for gays. My guess is that the lives of gay adoptive parents is probably not dissimilar to the lives of most heterosexuals.
The real problem here is with the Church's intransigence in its persecution of gays. Their opposition is based in their own bias and ignorance, not in any science or fact. Gay people are "bad" because they say they are bad, not because they have actually taken any time at all to examine who and what gay people really are! Their beliefs are in conflict with reality - not just on gays but on other issues as well - and until the Church is willing to accept that their traditional beliefs about sexuality are just wrong and misinformed they will remain at the top of my list of blood-enemies of the gay and lesbian international family, alongside other notables such as the American Taliban (Falwell, Robertson, Dobson, Perkins, Schafley, Phelps, etc.) so I guess they will be in good company, eh?
Posted by: Jonathon | Feb 27, 2006 10:07:45 AM
Anyone wanting to read more about the fuckedupedness of the RC Church, should read Uta Rahnke Heinneman's Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven. Prof. Heinneman had her license to teach RC theology yanked by Cardinal Ratzinger (now the Poop) a couple years age because she dared write the historic truth about what a pack of hyena's the prelates of the church are. The book is scholarly, but is a great read. I especially like how she presents facts...with shitloads of endnotes...in each chapter, but ends each with a vicious personal attack on the poop and the bishops. She's like an liberal George Will. Except she's not.
Posted by: JT Stout | Feb 27, 2006 10:20:30 AM
Before Leland writes a rebuttal because of the typo, I confess, I put an apostrophe in hyenas. It was a misteak.
Posted by: JT Stout | Feb 27, 2006 10:28:49 AM
'circling the drain' is my new favorite phrase ever.
Posted by: mollycoddler | Feb 27, 2006 11:33:58 AM
The best part of the Quebec letter is: "The Church does not follow the Gospel. The Supreme Court's ruling allowing gay marriage is more in line with the Gospel than the opinion presented before the court by the Canadian Conference of Catholics Bishops".
snap!
Posted by: Francois | Feb 27, 2006 12:38:59 PM
Why is there a picture of a drag queen instead of Bishop Devine???
Posted by: samguy | Feb 28, 2006 5:39:59 AM
JT, thanks for the tip on Uta Rahnke Heinneman's 'Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven'. I wasn't familiar with her or her works, but found a page on the 'net which contained sections from the book. While it is a scholarly work, I didn't find it all that hard to read and actually enjoy it. I need to put my hands on a full copy now to get the whole story. There seems to be some great rhetorical ammunition there, so I do recommend it to anyone else who has an interest in theology and politics as do I.
Posted by: Jonathon | Feb 28, 2006 10:20:12 AM
Have no doubt ! Adoption is the new mantra !! It is tied to the Church's paedophilia scandal !! Adult monogamous normative gays are being scapegoated for the true Vatican coverup of the centuries.
There is no doubt that in Scotland - the Church of Scotland is Presbyterian and ultra-conservative. The Scottish Episcopal Church, unlike its sister, the Church of England, holds no establishment rights in Scotland. In this case, the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland - second largest only to the Scottish Presbyterians, fears a further loss of support and communicant status.
Do I believe that the Roman Catholic hierarchy, have within their number - cardinals, archbishops and bishops - who are actively homosexual, or psychosexually homosexual and celibate - yes, of course.
Do I believe personally, IMHO, that several modern popes have been or are self-loathing homosexuals??? Do you hear the deafening "Sounds of Silence"?
THE MOST DANGEROUS opponents of the LGBT community will ALWAYS be the self-loathing and self-destructive closeted or latent psychosexually-oriented homosexual.
Posted by: Raymond | Mar 20, 2006 5:08:10 AM