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London: Gay couple threatened with death in violent late night homophobic assault
141
Government considers watered down same-sex marriage bill to minimise Tory rebellion
133
UK: Card Factory accused of homophobia for selling offensive 'fag' birthday card
103
Tory MP Gerald Howarth: 'There are plenty in the aggressive homosexual community who want more than just same-sex marriage'
95
France: Far right activist commits suicide in Notre Dame following legalisation of equal marriage
93
Philip Hammond: 'No great demand for gay marriage and it's upsetting vast numbers of people'
73
Norman Tebbit: David Cameron has 'f**** things up' with his equal marriage bill
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Tory MP Sir Gerald Howarth defends 'aggressive homosexual community' equal marriage slur
66
US church blames Woolwich suspected terror killing on UK acceptance of gay people
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David Cameron: Gay teenagers will stand that bit taller following equal marriage vote
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Robert in S. Kensington 723
GulliverUK 361
Midnighter 352
D.McCabe 348
Mark Y 327
Jock S. Trap 324
Iris 307
That There Other David 292
Sasha 288
Rehan 274
While I applaud the move towards full equality for all, I believe it’s cynical. Church attendance is at an all time low. Is this simply an exercise in stemming the haemorrhage?
Yes, but attendance isn’t anywhere near as low in America compared to Europe. it’s one of the most religion-oriented western societies, just look at its politics, infested with religious nutters, especially in the republican party. You can’t even get to be president unless you profess a belief system, usually ‘christian’. Almost every speech a president makes is punctuated at the end with “god bless America”. I’m not aware of any other western democracy where that occurs. Very odd for a country that is supposed to have no state religion.
So how do you explain the re-election of a pro-gay-marriage president? I think you’ll find that even America is fast becoming a nation of sceptics. They have seen, over and over, the hypocrisy of preachers who are tax dodgers, adulterers and closet gays. Religion in America (as elsewhere) is big business. Perhaps, in a recession, people are less inclined to fund hypocrisy and bigotry. Perhaps people are actually becoming kinder … and increasingly viewing religion as judgmental and divisive.
The re-election had more to do with fiscal policies, the economy, jobs and the republican party’s eye on austerity cuts to social programmes such as social security, medicare and medicaid while protecting the wealthiest 1% who pay next to nothing in taxes, and some corporations paying absolutely nothing.
Obama’s election didn’t necessarily mean that it was the death knell for religious nutters in and outside of the political system. They are still very powerful and will continue to influence the republican party. There are now an even larger number of right wing hate groups, approximately 1400 of them and almost all religion based.
I lived in Florida for five years. I detected a distinct shift in attitude. Trust me, financial policies,etc aside, Obama would NEVER have been re-elected if the nation’s conservative Christians still held any significant political sway. If I believed in conspiracy theories, I would put money on a gay rights orgaisation funding the Westboro Church nut-jobs. While they continue to demonstrate at soldiers’ funerals, even right-wing Christians will start to doubt the wisdom of being affiliated to ‘faith’.
Maybe so, but still the one thing no-one in any position of power is able to be in the USA is an atheist. Gaad is still invoked with a regularity that is startling to most people in the UK.
It is getting less so. You cannot keep having people like ‘god-fearing, anti-gay-marriage family-men’ like Swatznegger being exposed as adulterous hypocrites and catholic priests molesting children without organised religion continuing to be discredited and damaged.
I’m glad you say this – it isn’t the impression one gets from the relentless barrage of articles on PN, but I’m aware that it is a huge country and it’s possible we’re really only hearing about the lunatic fringe.
I rest my case …. the priest who has to call for 911 after becoming trapped in handcuffs. :)
http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2013/01/illinois-catholic-preist-calls-991-help.html#disqus_thread
Much good sense on this thread but Obama possibly owes his re-election to the Republicans failure to put forward a viable candidate. Romney was an embarrassing clown.
Excellent. So good when some take the lead to decency!
Good news. I urge all Anglican clergy in favour of equal marriage to leave the CoE and start their own branch of the Episcopalians. Now that would send Canterbury into a tail-spin.
It is about ceremony two adult people choose to celebrate their commitment to each other and to express love. Even love of God, which is beyond me but still. My wedding is no one else’s business. Huge business in it’s own right thou. And right so. It’s for Life. Amen.
And when in Westminster Abbey and St. Paul Cathedral? It will be very symbolic act; one Conservative 2011 has claim, that Cameron wish ‘see gay couple marrying in Westminster Abbey’ Ironic, that exactly that now will happen in ‘conservative’ America. Yes, I know, Abbey is for Royals only. But who know – maybe, some time in the future, if monarchy still exist, and Church of England too …
The rules with St Paul’s and St Peter’s (the abbey), as with most UK cathedrals, are different because of ancient conventions and hierarchies.
Well, ‘old’ not necessary means ‘bad’. But, as once has written one Sicilian duke Lampedusa in his novel ‘Il Gatopardo’: ‘time by time some things must be changed, and only so all can rest as it was before’.