Church of Scotland to Allow Gay Clergy in Historic Shift

The Church of Scotland today narrowly approved a rule which would allow gay and lesbian ministers, reports The Guardian:

The church's ruling general assembly voted to allow congregations to admit gay ministers but only if they specifically elect to do so, in a radical departure from more than 450 years of orthodoxy set in train by the protestant reformer John Knox.

Despite the new regulations, the general assembly voted down a proposal that would have made acceptance of gay and lesbian clergy the church's default position by a vote of 340 to 282.  The new rule will effectively decentralize the decision-making process, leaving it to individual congregations to choose whether or not to ordain gay ministers in a system known as a "mixed economy."

According to The Guardian, the new rule will likely not take effect until 2015, and must first be written into church law and approved by next year's general assembly.

The BBC adds that the push for consideration of gay clergy began when the first gay minister was appointed by the church four years ago:

The dilemma faced by the Church of Scotland goes back to 2009, when the openly gay minister Scott Rennie (below) was appointed to the Queen's Cross parish in Aberdeen.

He was backed by most of his congregation and by the General Assembly, but the decision resulted in protest and the break-away of a small number of congregations and ministers.

In 2011, the Church of Scotland's general assembly voted to allow gay and lesbian clergy to remain in their posts, as long as they were either celibate or in civil partnerships.

The church's new rule comes at a time when the debate over marriage equality is in full swing in the UK and the issue of allowing gays to marry in religious ceremonies has caused significant division.  

The UK House of Commons is scheduled to debate the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill today--which would establish marriage equality in England and Wales but not Scotland--although advocates are wary of a last minute push by opponents of marriage equality to include a provision that would extend civil partnerships to opposite-sex couples.  The proposed legislation would allow same-sex couples access to civil marriage ceremonies only, and would bar them from marrying in the Church of England or the Church of Wales.

In December of last year, the Scottish government announced its own draft legislation to legalize marriage equality in the region, and is currently seeking public feedback on the measure.  Under the Scottish proposal, religious institutions would be allowed to "opt in" to wedding gay and lesbian couples.  Up until this point, the Church of Scotland has opposed the marriage equality bill, and while it seems unlikely that will change any time soon, the inclusion of gay clergy is certainly a step towards greater acceptance of the Scottish LGBT community. 

Anti-Gay Pastor To Lead National Day Of Prayer

Anti-gay California Pastor Greg Laurie, who in the past, has stated that "homosexuality is not in God’s order" and a sin, will lead this year's National Day of Prayer in Washington, DC. According to the Human Rights Campaign, "Laurie will be in Washington DC next week to lead events at the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill as part of the 2013 National Day of Prayer."

Laurie's church, Harvest Ministries, has published their anti-gay views on their website:

"We believe that homosexuality is a result of sin's widespread effects on the world. Homosexuality is a sin of behavior; therefore, people are not born into a homosexual or a lesbian lifestyle. We believe that the redemption for this sin, as for all sin, is only possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ."

The HRC claims that “Pastor Laurie’s message is out of step with what the majority of people of faith across this country believe.”

OutServe-SLDN has called for Laurie's invitation to lead the event be revoked:

"Mr. Laurie represents the worst our nation's communities of faith have to offer when it comes to fairness, justice, and equality. His hurtful, out-of-the-mainstream rhetoric stands at direct odds with the mission the Commander-in-Chief and the Secretary of Defense have laid out...we call upon the Department of Defense to rescind their invitation to Pastor Laurie and invite in his place a faith leader who can speak with integrity and respect to the needs and concerns of all of our nation’s courageous service members.”

The National Day of Prayer will take place on Thursday, May, 2, 2013.

Deposed Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien Had Long-term Gay Relationship with Priest Who Forced His Exit

Former Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the anti-gay crusader who stepped down after being accused of "inappropriate acts" with other priests, had a long-term relationship with one of the priests whose accusations led to him getting sacked, the Guardian reports:

Officials in the Scottish Catholic church claim that the priest, who is alleged to be the first man to complain to the Vatican about O'Brien, left the priesthood in the mid-2000s but has since returned to the church.

These officials have told the Herald they believe that the man complained to the Vatican last winter in revenge for O'Brien's outspoken attacks on homosexuality and gay marriage, just as his career was coming to an end. He described homosexuality as a "moral degradation" and gay marriage as "harmful".

Immediately after the priest, who had known O'Brien for decades, submitted his accusations to the Vatican in late 2012, the cardinal was summoned to Rome and in effect sacked. Then Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh and seen as the de facto leader of Scotland's 750,000 Catholics, O'Brien was told privately by Vatican officials that he would be expected to retire on his 75th birthday, which fell on 17 March.

The Herald adds:

One senior church figure said that while some fundamentalist Catholic groups had previously linked the priest with Cardinal O'Brien "there were many questions that others were asking about the relationship".

Another source said: "These guys, we now know, were part of an inner circle. In the 30 years since these allegations took place there's been ample time to complain. The Cardinal has had a huge profile for the past decade. But the door wasn't just shut on them, it was bolted in the past 18 months. I believe they wanted to silence O'Brien - as he's about to do another conclave, and make a huge deal of it. As he's retiring, a decision's been taken to go public and take him down."

Another said: "If you're asking me to describe what this is about in one word, it's revenge. I've no doubt the allegations did take place in the 1980s but they've come out to - destroy O'Brien."

Frank Bruni To Pope Francis: Stop Talking About Sex

Like many people, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni sees the ascension of Jorge Mario Bergoglio from simply Argentine cardinal to Pope Francis as a time for the church to transition as well. The church has become too mired in sexual policing, something of which Francis too is guilty, and that mission derailed the church by shining the light on its own misconduct.

To get back on track, Bruni says, the church must first ignore Salt 'N' Pepa and stop talking about sex.

It's time for the church to stop talking so much about sex. It's the perfect time, in fact.

It's on matters of sexual morality that the church has lost much of its authority. And it's on matters of sexual morality that it largely wastes its breath. By insisting on mandatory celibacy for a priesthood winnowed and sometimes warped by that, by opposing the use of contraceptives for birth control, by casting judgment on homosexuals and by decrying divorce while running something of an annulment mill, the church's leaders have enraged and alienated Catholics whose common sense and whose experience of the real world tell them that none of that is wise, kind or necessary.

The church's leaders have also set themselves up to be dismissed as hypocrites, unable to uphold the very virtues they promulgate.

If Francis lives up to his reputation and truly embodies the spirit of the saint after which he's named, a humble servant of the poor, he must start rebuilding the church's outreach to the world's least fortunate, the 1.3 billion people living in poverty. That number, Bruni points out, is more than the 1.2 billion of people who identify as Catholic.

Keith O'Brien, Cardinal Implicated In Gay Scandal, Admits Sex With Priests

Former Scottish Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the outrageously anti-gay crusader who stepped down after being accused of "inappropriate acts" with other priests, admitted today that, yes, he did all of the things he denied only a week ago, including coercing subordinates into sexual situations.

His statement:

In recent days certain allegations which have been made against me have become public. Initially, their anonymous and non-specific nature led me to contest them.

However, I wish to take this opportunity to admit that there have been times that my sexual conduct has fallen below the standards expected of me as a priest, archbishop and cardinal.

To those I have offended, I apologise and ask forgiveness.

To the Catholic Church and people of Scotland, I also apologise.

I will now spend the rest of my life in retirement. I will play no further part in the public life of the Catholic Church in Scotland.

Considering the amount of time O'Brien spent spreading lies about gay people and fighting LGBT rights, is an apology enough?

News: Obama and Tiger, Shockwave, Djesus, Berlin

Only 11% of Americans think that Congress reflects the nation's values, according to right-wing polling site Rasmussen.

President Obama and Tiger Woods played golf together in Florida today.

Kendra Wilkinson versus Greg Louganis.

150,000 people went out to see the Pope deliver his final public mass.

New Mexico church has been fighting for marriage equality since 1984.

Rev. Bayani Rico and his gay son work side-by-side at an Episcopal school in California.

"Djesus Uncrossed"

Gay films were front and center at Berlin Film Festival: "The Alfred Bauer Prize for innovation, named for the founder of the Berlinale, went to perhaps the most eccentric film in the competition, the French Canadian director Denis Côté's 'Vic and Flo Saw a Bear,' a darkly comic and melodramatic lesbian love story. The Australian director Kim Mordaunt won the best first feature award for 'The Rocket.' And the Teddy Award for best gay-themed film went to the Polish director Malgoska Szumowska's 'In the Name of …,' about a Catholic priest struggling with his homosexuality."

RIP Mark Kamins: "Pioneering DJ and producer Mark Kamins, who was instrumental in facilitating the signing of Madonna to Sire Records in 1982, has died. He was 57."

Was Oscar Pistorius trying to revive slain girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp when police arrived at his home?

he Die Hard franchise is still box office gold. The fifth installment topped the weekend box office with an estimated $30 million in ticket sales.

An Illinois Catholic school will not give students extra credit for attending an anti-gay marriage rally. "A Notre Dame instructor in an ecclesiology class offered students 20 points extra credit if they attend the lobby day. The offer also included information on a bus trip, sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Peoria, to the event. After much debate and attention, Principal Charlie Roy posted an update on the school's website Friday, stating the extra credit will not be offered to those students."

Baltimore firefighter accused of being a pimp on the side.

A Cameroonian lawyer vilified for defending gay and lesbians activists has fled to the United States and is seeking asylum: "The threats against Togue that began in Cameroon have not stopped on US soil, where he continues to be subjected to menacing phone calls and text messages. 'They say they are going to kidnap my children, that they'll turn them into queers. I feel very vulnerable,' he said. His family has been in the United States since November, and he joined them in January."

This is what progress looks like: "Colin Clark, who was suspended last season for directing a gay slur at a Seattle Sounders ball boy – and vehemently apologized afterward – on Saturday made clear his support of [gay player] Robbie Rogers."

The meteor that struck Russia Friday sent subsonic shockwaves around the world.