Friday, May 30, 2008

Modern Day Pharisees

Michael in Norfolk has some strong words regarding the New York State [Roman] Catholic Conference:

As 365gay.com is reporting, the New York Catholic Conference is having vapors and conniption fits over Governor David Paterson’s directive requiring state agencies to recognize gay marriages performed legally elsewhere.

The official position of the Conference is to oppose all efforts to legalize the union of same-sex couples, whether called marriage or civil unions, thereby demonstrating that its alleged mission to uphold “the innate dignity of every human person made in the image and likeness of God” and to “seek justice, fairness and charity for all” is a crock of bullshit if one happens to be gay or the victim of sexual abuse by a priest. Like all of the Roman Catholic Church bureaucracy, the Conference has been utterly silent when it comes to demanding the disciplining of bishops and cardinals who enabled/covered up sexual abuse of minors, e.g., New York’s Cardinal Eagan.

In short, the Conference behaves much like the Biblical Pharisees: fawning conduct towards clerics and concern over form and rules rather than the substantive message of the Gospels.

Well said, Michael!


Recommended Off-site Links:
How Governor Set His Stance on Gay Rights
– By Jeremy W. Peters and Danny Hakim (New York Times, May 30, 2008).
Fighting Same-Sex Policy Seems to Be Uphill Battle
– Adam Liptak (New York Times, May 30, 2008).
Statement on Gov. Paterson’s Same-sex Marriage Action
– New York State Catholic Conference (May 29, 2008).

See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
The Changing Face of “Traditional Marriage”
The Real Gay Agenda
Naming and Confronting Bigotry
Love is Love
On Civil Unions and Christian Tradition
Separate is Not Equal
Mainstream Voice of “Dear Abby” Supports Gay Marriage
New Studies: Gay Couples as Committed as Straight Couples
Grandma Knows Best
Truth Telling: The Greatest of Sins in a Dysfunctional Church
Just Love
The Many Manifestations of God’s Loving Embrace
Good News from Minnesota
Compassion, Christian Community, and Homosexuality

3 comments:

CDE said...

Though Jesus objected in no uncertain terms to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, he also told the crowds and his disciples to observe their teaching. (cf. Matthew 23)

These are challenging words. Who will accept them?

CDE said...

If we're Christians in union with the apostolic tradition, we haven't abandoned the Jewish faith, we have only seen its fulfillment.

St. Peter and his successors now sit on the seat of Moses.

kevin57 said...

Yes, the same Church which proclaims over and over again that discrimination against homosexuals is unchristian again and again in its actions shows its true sentiments.