Steven P. BarrettCAT'S OUT OF THE BAG NOW, ABP. W ILLIAMS PRIV. CORRESPONDENCE SHOWS HE FAVORS GAY MARRIAGE (LINK)
August 7th 2008 04:35
By Steven Barrett
Well, the cat's out of the bag insofar as any evidence of "fairness" or "balanced" treatment of traditionalist Anglican prelates and priests complaints against the sudden rush towards endorsing homosexual marriages.
"Gay relationships 'comparable to marriage', Anglican leader says: reports" the AFP
In addition to the hidden biases this man had harbored for so many years, I also have some questions as to why and how this letter became public, especially since it was addressed to a lay evangelical Christian psychiatrist. If Williams released the psychiatrist's confidentiality obligations it makes me wonder if he's willing to take a stand on anything and make it stick one way or another. If he can't, then he should be removed by his fellow bishops, never mind wasting the time of everyone playing Hamlet over deciding to resign or not.
And if he didn't release the psychiatrist, then why on earth did she risk her license, reputation and good will by releasing what should've been a confidential piece of correspondence, no matter how "valuable" it'd be for Williams' detractors. It's one thing for Williams to fight his own battles on his own merits or demerits without medically licensed Chrsitians to do damage to Christ's good Holy name and their profession by playing underhanded politics.
SOme readers might think I'm trying to play it both ways. Actually I'm not. There's a wider picture to consider than a "here it is, you've suspected it all along, and I might as well make it public" moment or a "gotcha moment" played out by an overzealous psychiatrist thinking she's doing God's work by violating her oath of confidentiality. Both sides have to come clean on this. This looks bad all around for people on all side of this issue. However much I disagree with homosexuals on the issue of "gay marriage," they have as much right to expect that people entrusted with maintaining confidentiality oaths won't break them for political reasons. And all sides deserved to know the full truth of where their religious leaders stand on issues of grave importance
The story continues:
Pray tell Archbishop, how do you go from loan sharking to birth control pills to completely turning upside down the social order and natural law by okaying homosexual marriages and treating these issues as if they all deserved equal weight?
Williams can actually get away teaching nothing and saying he teaches what the church teaches so long as he's only referring to the Church of England which doesn't even bother teaching moral theology. And when it comes to "controverted areas" he neither teaches what Scripture, Tradition and Natural Law have taught since time immemorial about marriage and sexual conduct, he has shown no desire to accept any responsibility whatsoever for his pathetic decisions and incompetent pastoral "leadership."
Why do I spend so much time on this? Given the sad state of so many miserable people being made more miserable duel to a world lead by men with jellyfish spines and rocks for brains -- not to mention what this sad and groaning world has been paying thanks to the dictatorship of relativism then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger warned about three Springs ago -- this kind of erzatz "leadership" by a man who should exemplify and teach longstanding Christian moral values has the potential to create enormous damage even beyond the carnage we're still dealing with in the aftermath of the Student Tantrums of 40 years ago .
Well, the cat's out of the bag insofar as any evidence of "fairness" or "balanced" treatment of traditionalist Anglican prelates and priests complaints against the sudden rush towards endorsing homosexual marriages.
"Gay relationships 'comparable to marriage', Anglican leader says: reports" the AFP
Wed Aug 6, 7:35 PM ET
LONDON (AFP) - Faithful gay relationships are "comparable to marriage" in the eyes of God, the leader of the world's Anglicans wrote in private correspondence before he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, British newspapers reported Thursday.
According to The Times and The Daily Telegraph, Rowan Williams argued in the letters, written in 2000 and 2001, that biblical prohibitions on homosexuality were targeted at "heterosexuals looking for sexual variety in their experience."
"I concluded that an active sexual relationship between two people of the same sex might therefore reflect the love of God in a way comparable to marriage, if and only if it had about it the same character of absolute covenanted faithfulness," Williams was reported to have written.
The letters were apparently written to Deborah Pitt, a psychiatrist and evangelical Christian, while Williams was still archbishop of Wales
LONDON (AFP) - Faithful gay relationships are "comparable to marriage" in the eyes of God, the leader of the world's Anglicans wrote in private correspondence before he was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, British newspapers reported Thursday.
According to The Times and The Daily Telegraph, Rowan Williams argued in the letters, written in 2000 and 2001, that biblical prohibitions on homosexuality were targeted at "heterosexuals looking for sexual variety in their experience."
"I concluded that an active sexual relationship between two people of the same sex might therefore reflect the love of God in a way comparable to marriage, if and only if it had about it the same character of absolute covenanted faithfulness," Williams was reported to have written.
The letters were apparently written to Deborah Pitt, a psychiatrist and evangelical Christian, while Williams was still archbishop of Wales
In addition to the hidden biases this man had harbored for so many years, I also have some questions as to why and how this letter became public, especially since it was addressed to a lay evangelical Christian psychiatrist. If Williams released the psychiatrist's confidentiality obligations it makes me wonder if he's willing to take a stand on anything and make it stick one way or another. If he can't, then he should be removed by his fellow bishops, never mind wasting the time of everyone playing Hamlet over deciding to resign or not.
And if he didn't release the psychiatrist, then why on earth did she risk her license, reputation and good will by releasing what should've been a confidential piece of correspondence, no matter how "valuable" it'd be for Williams' detractors. It's one thing for Williams to fight his own battles on his own merits or demerits without medically licensed Chrsitians to do damage to Christ's good Holy name and their profession by playing underhanded politics.
SOme readers might think I'm trying to play it both ways. Actually I'm not. There's a wider picture to consider than a "here it is, you've suspected it all along, and I might as well make it public" moment or a "gotcha moment" played out by an overzealous psychiatrist thinking she's doing God's work by violating her oath of confidentiality. Both sides have to come clean on this. This looks bad all around for people on all side of this issue. However much I disagree with homosexuals on the issue of "gay marriage," they have as much right to expect that people entrusted with maintaining confidentiality oaths won't break them for political reasons. And all sides deserved to know the full truth of where their religious leaders stand on issues of grave importance
The story continues:
He was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Church of England and the leader of the world's 77-million-strong Anglican Communion, in 2002.
Williams presided over the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference earlier this month, amid a row over gay bishops in the church.
Around 200 bishops boycotted the meeting over the consecration five years ago of the first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, the bishop of New Hampshire in the United States.
According to the newspapers, Williams apparently wrote that the church "has shifted its stance on several matters -- notably the rightness of lending money at interest and the moral admissibility of contraception so I am bound to ask if this is another such issue."
In response to the reports, Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's office, only quoted remarks given by Williams recently to the Church of England Newspaper: "When I teach as a bishop I teach what the church teaches. In controverted areas it is my responsibility to teach what the church has said and why."
Williams presided over the once-a-decade Lambeth Conference earlier this month, amid a row over gay bishops in the church.
Around 200 bishops boycotted the meeting over the consecration five years ago of the first openly gay bishop, Gene Robinson, the bishop of New Hampshire in the United States.
According to the newspapers, Williams apparently wrote that the church "has shifted its stance on several matters -- notably the rightness of lending money at interest and the moral admissibility of contraception so I am bound to ask if this is another such issue."
In response to the reports, Lambeth Palace, the Archbishop of Canterbury's office, only quoted remarks given by Williams recently to the Church of England Newspaper: "When I teach as a bishop I teach what the church teaches. In controverted areas it is my responsibility to teach what the church has said and why."
Pray tell Archbishop, how do you go from loan sharking to birth control pills to completely turning upside down the social order and natural law by okaying homosexual marriages and treating these issues as if they all deserved equal weight?
Williams can actually get away teaching nothing and saying he teaches what the church teaches so long as he's only referring to the Church of England which doesn't even bother teaching moral theology. And when it comes to "controverted areas" he neither teaches what Scripture, Tradition and Natural Law have taught since time immemorial about marriage and sexual conduct, he has shown no desire to accept any responsibility whatsoever for his pathetic decisions and incompetent pastoral "leadership."
Why do I spend so much time on this? Given the sad state of so many miserable people being made more miserable duel to a world lead by men with jellyfish spines and rocks for brains -- not to mention what this sad and groaning world has been paying thanks to the dictatorship of relativism then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger warned about three Springs ago -- this kind of erzatz "leadership" by a man who should exemplify and teach longstanding Christian moral values has the potential to create enormous damage even beyond the carnage we're still dealing with in the aftermath of the Student Tantrums of 40 years ago .
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Comment by Anonymous
Yeah, who knows.
Believe it or not, I'm developing more respect for Robinson than Williaims. At least the former's a hell of a lot more honest about where he stands, no matter how much we shake our heads. Williams, on the other hand, keeps playin the same old game of trying to keep everybody happy. Fool's errand.
No doubt the hard-core evangelicals and fundamentalists will be pointing fingers at Robinson being in the employ of Satan. Hell, the devil could care less about Robinson. Not when he's got a MUCH bigger toy to play with: what's left of the Anglican "communion" and the rest of liberalized mainline Protestantism.
His next trick is to weave his way into any evangelical church that doesn't have even the slightest mention in print of what's allowed or not allowed within their churches or individual congregations, other than relevant Scrpitural verses. Rome has done this, so have the the Orthodox. If it's not in writing, and even that's no guarantee with some national and state/provincial governments, who's to say what could happen? This can turn into a real bad "can o' worms" if enough people don't wake up soon.
They'll see their whole parishes and congregations permanently altered right below their eyes, and one of the reasons for this is the devil's going to make sure his wishes are in black and white, not just relying on mushy wishes and "bonds of fraternal cooperation," etc.
Truly the inmates have taken over the asylum when you have "players' coaches" like Williams who can't deal a clean hand to anybody on either side.
Comment by Rainbow Reporter
Comment by Anonymous
His recent speech at the end of the York Synod was anything but an example of placating the traditionalists. It's one of the few times he demonstrated any spine whatsoever, but even then he demonstrated it on behalf of the right for more people to hide behind irresolution and taking the easy way out. Typically Anglican.
There was a popular Country song some 18 years ago where the singer stressed that we had to stand for something or we'll fall for anything. That's true for all of us, inclulding Abp. Williams.