Things that are messed up...
The Church of England is to allow gay clergy to enter into civil partnerships but only if they promise to abstain from sex, according to guidance issued yesterday. [...]
In a “pastoral statement”, the House of Bishops said that clergy would be able to take advantage of the Act, but only if they reassure their bishops that they will uphold Church teaching. Clergy were also told that they should not offer formal services of blessing for couples who had been through a civil partnership ceremony, but they could pray with the couple. (source)
Oh yeah. That makes a lot of sense.
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Yes Robin... but, I think we all need to keep in mind that things are slowly and surely changing. The REAL reason that the Right are so pissed off over gay marriage and our quest for equality is that they are losing the battle. They know this. They can see the writing on the wall.
You see, I'm not upset because we will lose this battle, because, whether the Right knows this or not, they have lost and we have won. It's only a matter of time. I'm upset for admittedly selfish reasons. Kent will never realize my Social Security surviver benefits, or me him (along with over 1,000 other benefits), because in my lifetime I don't believe the United Stated Federal Government will ever acknowledge two gay people getting married - or even honoring civil unions, for that matter. More states will in my lifetime, I believe, but not the Federal Government.
But this will happen, in time. Sometime in the next generation, I predict that either government sanctioned marriage will end and we will all (gay and straight) move to a civil union-type arrangement, for the purposes of civil benefits. Religions institutions can continue to do whatever they want to do in the way of blessing the relationship, which is fine with me.
With the Civil Partnership Act became law earlier this year, it was only a matter of time before the cracks started to appear... I'm not religious and almost anti-religion, so I don't really care whether or not I have the Church's blessing – for me the world still spins...
What is more disturbing is the number of Conservative controlled councils who are now banning gay civil ceremonies from taking place on civic premises... I think we are up to five now... the usual destruction-of-the-family, equating the civil partnership to gay marriage, you’re Evil and we’re Good, blah-de-blah-de-blah – nothing but petty minded sour grapes...
I would say "Unbelievable", except that it's not.