Adrian Smith, employee of Trafford Housing Trust in Manchester, made a statement to the effect that Churches should not be forced to carry out same sex weddings.
That statement was made privately (if Facebook entries can be deemed private) and it was done in his own time, not that of his employers.
As a result he has been demoted to a lesser position with a corresponding reduction in salary.
I do not know which Christian denomination Mr Smith belongs to, it does not actually matter in this context, he has offered up his livelihood for what he knows to be true - he has become a "dry" martyr!
I do know that his lead is a brave one; it takes courage to stick your head up above the parapet, especially if you believe that measures will be taken against you.
Before long I can envisage civil prosecutions being applied as a result of anyone swimming against the flow of sewage that society forces upon us.
Well done Mr Smith, you have my prayers and, I am sure the prayers of many others to support and strengthen you.
What can we as Catholic bloggers expect in the future? Much of the same I suspect.
Now, we await a move from our Church leaders. Will one or some of them (or, even 20% of them - see Ecumenical Diablog) stand up in front of the cameras and state that the Trafford Housing Trust and other organisations like them are wrong. That David Cameron is also wrong to pursue his goal of same sex marriage for homosexuals and lesbians and, before long, for those who might wish to wed their poodle or pet goat.
If Cardinal Heenan was alive I can assure you that every portal in the media would have been kicked open by now and the good Cardinal would have stated the position of the Church clearly and unequivocally - none of this "Who knows what's down the road?" nonsense.
As a matter of fact, I do know what is down the road if we continue along this path...it involves hellfire and damnation!
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| A Facebook entry crosses the divide between public and private but, it was an entry made in Mr Smith's own time |
That statement was made privately (if Facebook entries can be deemed private) and it was done in his own time, not that of his employers.
As a result he has been demoted to a lesser position with a corresponding reduction in salary.
I do not know which Christian denomination Mr Smith belongs to, it does not actually matter in this context, he has offered up his livelihood for what he knows to be true - he has become a "dry" martyr!
I do know that his lead is a brave one; it takes courage to stick your head up above the parapet, especially if you believe that measures will be taken against you.
Before long I can envisage civil prosecutions being applied as a result of anyone swimming against the flow of sewage that society forces upon us.
Well done Mr Smith, you have my prayers and, I am sure the prayers of many others to support and strengthen you.
What can we as Catholic bloggers expect in the future? Much of the same I suspect.
Now, we await a move from our Church leaders. Will one or some of them (or, even 20% of them - see Ecumenical Diablog) stand up in front of the cameras and state that the Trafford Housing Trust and other organisations like them are wrong. That David Cameron is also wrong to pursue his goal of same sex marriage for homosexuals and lesbians and, before long, for those who might wish to wed their poodle or pet goat.
If Cardinal Heenan was alive I can assure you that every portal in the media would have been kicked open by now and the good Cardinal would have stated the position of the Church clearly and unequivocally - none of this "Who knows what's down the road?" nonsense.
As a matter of fact, I do know what is down the road if we continue along this path...it involves hellfire and damnation!
But the point is, Richard, that practicing Catholics only comprise a tiny proportion of the population, and the rest of us do not have this religious hang up about homosexuality. And that 'thin end of the wedge' comment about poodles and pet goats is unwarranted and just plain nasty.
ReplyDeleteI'm not homosexual, and I have no desire to be, but I do regard them as people deserving of our tolerance and respect. The Catholic attitude is I know based on religious doctrine, (and sometimes more than a little fear,) and I understand why you therefore oppose homosexuality. Fine. Just do not expect the rest of us to agree. I've no idea why any homosexual would want to get married in a Catholic Church anyway.
Furthermore, if Mr Smith was treated unfairly, then he has recourse to legal redress, and ready assistance from the like of the Christian Legal Centre to help him.
Simian..it's not just a 'religious hang up'. One only has to think of what the homosexual act incorporates to feel revulsion.
ReplyDeleteOf course, homosexuals are deserving of compassion, that is not the issue. The issue is the sin element. Many good Catholics are celibate homosexuals and that means that their souls are free of the stain of sin attributed to the act of homosexuality.
As far as the animal quote is concerned, I stand by that. Already, in various parts of the world we are seeing 'marriages' between men and animals, bizarre as it might appear.
You may not like to admit it but, in the wake of giving homosexuals legitimacy of marriage will come a gradual acceptance of man and animal.