Bridge of Reason

It hardly seems credible that this kind of thing could happen. We have unfortunately become used to, although I hope not inured to stories of men and women preying on the young and vulnerable to satisfy their own perverted sexual gratification. We call it paedophilia or pederasty and express our abhorrence at such things, regarding perpetrators as sick and dangerous members of society. Nothing provokes people’s ire as does this crime. Yet in our 21st century society, there are men and women who staunchly defend such activities on religious grounds, subjecting girls as young as 14 and 15 to loveless “marriages” to middle-aged or even elderly men. Young men in the community are driven away as unwanted rivals, becoming waifs and orphans, victims themselves of this twisted systematic abuse. Young girls are threatened with eternal damnation if they do not abide by the commands of their elders and leaders. But our elders are supposed to be our betters and not our stalkers! And who did th...

The Big Questions , BBC1, Sunday 5 July 2009, hosted by Nicky Campbell. In the light of the half million person Gay Pride march on Saturday, Bishop Michael Nazir Ali’s call to repentance and the massive outcry against him, homosexuality is very much the subject du jour . The inevitable Peter Tatchell was joined by Christina Rees , of the CoE Synod, on the main panel, all of whom joined in the condemnation of Nazir Ali . The usual homophobia = racism equation was spun out, with Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement assistant chief executive Sharon Ferguson comparing homosexuality to left-handedness. More interesting were the contributions made by Dr Mike Davidson and Phelim McIntyre, both of whom struggled with homosexual behaviours in the past. Davidson spoke warmly of his 29-year marriage, his children and the possibility of change, and questioned why a society so much in favour of free choice would not leave room for people with homosexual feelings to actually want to develop a ...

The Big Questions , BBC1, Sunday 28 June 2009, hosted by Nicky Campbell. Apparently, the hardest people to book for the programme are Catholic priests, because they have to find another priest to cover their parishes so they can appear on TV. Kind of commendable that they're at their posts. The Big Questions is one of those strange anomalies: a religious programme that is on air when anyone who is a truly committed Christian will probably be attending a church service. Well, watch it on iplayer, like I do: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007zpll . Father John Flynn, chaplain of Salford University, said that he "wouldn't be a priest if there was no celibacy". He held up Christ as his model for celibacy, argued winsomely for the superiority of the kingdom of God and pointed out Christ's comment that there is no marriage in heaven. As a counterpoint, a former Catholic priest Joe Fitzpatrick stated his opposition to compulsory celibacy. He maintained that 75% of Fr...

Many may know that a battle raged in California last year over what is known as Proposition 8, an amendment to local legislation designed to confine marriage to relationships between men and women. I commented on it a little while ago in earlier post . The Mormons threw themselves into the "Yes" campaign along with Catholics, Evangelicals and others. However, the Mormons drew most of the rage felt by the gay community and liberals in general putting them near the top of many news reports for the wrong reasons. Anyway, the "Yes" vote won and traditional marriage values have prevailed, much to the chagrin of those who wished to call by the name of marriage anything that suited them. Inevitably, someone must be to blame and the Mormons seem to be getting all the attention again but this time their methods and integrity are being seriously challenged and, it would seem, there is some substance to the charge that they have broken the law. The article I have linked to is ...