A Christian Talks About Homosexuality

I've often linked to stories with religious people espousing homophobia and other bigotries.  So it's probably time for me to link to something a bit different:

Christians in Britain and the US who claim that they are persecuted should "grow up" and not exaggerate what amounts to feeling "mildly uncomfortable", according to Rowan Williams, who last year stepped down as archbishop of Canterbury after an often turbulent decade.

"When you've had any contact with real persecuted minorities you learn to use the word very chastely," he said. "Persecution is not being made to feel mildly uncomfortable. 'For goodness sake, grow up,' I want to say."

Of course, I have other problems with Williams—even some of the stuff he's quoted as saying within that article—but it's nice to see a cleric call out this type of behaviour.

Religious Leader is Homophobic Bigot

Something of a Dog-Bites-Man title, I know.  But this time, the religion is the fuzzy, liberal Church of England.

Same-sex marriage sets a "dangerous precedent" which could lead to sibling marriage or polygamy, says Lord Carey.

Ahead of the Lords debate on the bill next week, the former archbishop of Canterbury argued there could be "unintended consequences".

He has previously courted controversy by likening critics of gay marriage to persecuted Jews in Nazi Germany.

As you can see, strictly speaking Carey is not a religious leader any more, having ended his tenure as Archbishop of Canterbury eleven years ago.  Though I'm pretty sure the only reason he gets to sit in the House of Lords is because of his religious role.  I also note the casual way that polyamorous¹ relationships are automatically seen as wrong².

Kenyan Condom Ad

Surprise, surprise, religious leaders are trying to cause actual harm, this time in Kenya:

A TV advertisement promoting condom use in Kenya has been withdrawn after an outcry by religious leaders, health official Peter Cherutich has said.

The argument is at least slightly less obnoxious than usual:

Christian and Muslim clerics said the advert encouraged infidelity, rather than safe sex to curb HIV/Aids.

I say slightly less, because infidelity can cause actual emotional harm, instead of the fictional harm often invoked (see: Roman Catholic Church, passim.)  But I get the feeling that this implied message is: cheaters deserve whatever punishment they get.  After all, sex is only acceptable in marriage as that is a great tool of social control what god wants.

The Right Thing for Bad Reasons

A story the BBC classifies as Technology, but I prefer Scary as Shit:

A court challenge has delayed plans to expel a Texan student for refusing to wear a radio tag that tracked her movements.

Religious reasons led Andrea Hernandez to stop wearing the tag that revealed where she was on her school campus.

The tags were introduced to track students and help tighten control of school funding.

...

Ms Hernandez refused to wear the tag because it conflicted with her religious beliefs, according to court papers. Wearing such a barcoded tag can be seen as a mark of the beast as described in Revelation 13 in the Bible, Ms Hernandez's father told Wired magazine in an interview.

So.  Where to begin?

Concern Trolling

I see that the Church of England is to vote on whether to allow women bishops.  Usually in cases like this, my desire for a religious organisation to do the ultimately self-destructive thing is tempered by the realisation that this will cause real, serious harm to members of that religion.  But here the harm is minor, so I encourage the church to stick to its tradition, vote no, and speed its path to irrelevance.

Another Christian Whining About Persecution

While looking up the news article I commented on in my last post, I came across this little gem:

A Kent GP has accused medical watchdogs of persecuting Christians after denying trying to convert a patient.
...
He is before the GMC accused of breaching medical rules by refusing to give a patient medication at his Margate surgery, in August 2010.

I guess in honesty I should point out that the accused, Dr Richard Scott, is still being tried.  But he is definitely guilty of magical thinking:

He told the council scientific studies, mainly carried out in the United States, showed faith benefited patients.
"Spirituality and faith is now becoming a new angle with medicine," Dr Scott told the hearing.

Marriage Again

Oh look!  It's another group of Christians complaining about gay marriage!

The Church of England has warned that proposals to legalise gay marriage could undermine its status.
It says giving civil ceremonies the status of marriage would "alter the intrinsic nature of marriage as the union of a man and a woman".

What intrinsic nature?  Marriage is a human construct.  Historically it has been about inheritance and property rights, and polygamous marriages have been common.

...the Church of England said government proposals to allow same-sex marriages by 2015 would "alter the intrinsic nature of marriage as the union of a man and a woman, as enshrined in human institutions throughout history".
It said marriage acknowledged "an underlying biological complementarity which, for many, includes the possibility of procreation".

So, obviously, any heterosexual couple who get married and don't intend to have children are wrong to do so.  For fuck's sake, do these people ever think about what they are saying in their rush to be homophobic?

Religious Schools and Bigotry

The UK has seen a noticeable push towards state support of religious schools over the last ten years or so.  I don't want to get into the various economic reasons that underlie this; the point is that government-supported schools should be welcoming to all citizens.  And as we all know, if there's anything known for being open and welcoming, it's religion:

It emerged this week that the CES wrote to nearly 400 state-funded Roman Catholic schools inviting them to back a petition against gay civil marriage.
...
Earlier this week, Pinknews.co.uk reported that students at St Philomena's Catholic High School for Girls in Carshalton were "encouraged" to sign the anti-equality pledge by the school's headmistress.

I'm sure that gay and lesbian students will feel right at home!  Certainly, we shouldn't let our concerns for them get in the way of Catholic's right to advocate for traditional marriage (one man and one or more chattel).

The only good news about this whole thing is what the bigots are opposing; full marriage equality, which is being introduced by our main Right Wing party.  Even the Conservatives have figured out to get on the correct side of the issue.

Also, only tangentially related but it really pisses me off when people try to justify bigotry with religion.  If I believed in a god with such a flawed morality, I wouldn't worship it.  Indeed, the fact that so many religions depict their god as a ethically primitive barbarian really makes me wonder.  Am I supposed to be impressed?  Really?

Evil, or Just Stupid?

It's really tempting, as a non-American, to laugh at the problems the USA has with religion.  Of course, no small amount of that is nervous laughter at the prospect that the religious fanatics might get serious power, and then we're all in trouble, but most of it is the hope that we're superior in some way.

We aren't, of course, and news like this reminds us of that fact:

Anti-abortion campaigners in Britain are making controversial claims that abortions are linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, in a presentation to children in school which has been obtained by the Guardian.

 That link to breast cancer?

A study co-ordinated by Cancer Research UK and published in the Lancet has shown that abortion does not increase the risk of breast cancer.

But why let facts get in the way religious dogma?

This group also opposes abortion in the case of rape, saying that it can be a "second trauma".  Well, I'm sure that would be true for some people, but certainly not for all; surely, the only person who can make that choice is the woman involved.

This group also opposes sex education, of course, because why endorse something that stops unwanted pregnancies?  It's almost as if the entire thing is about controlling people's sex lives, forcing those dirty sluts who have sex to be punished, and generally reducing women to the role of breeders!

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go look at pictures of cute animals till I no longer need to vomit.