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interesting blog, what are you implying about?

i can get the geist of your item...

:(

For you were straying like sheep.

Typical bishop - thinks the issue is one of obedience to his authority and never mind the substantive issue of human sexuality and marriage as a sacrament established by Christ.

I agree smasher. The statement from the bishop says it all. He's lost the plot. I support gay marriage and I hope the church will decide to offer that grace to gay and lesbian people in the future. This was not marriage, it was a blessing for a same-sex relationship. The issue seems to be that the priest used the Book of Common Prayer marriage service and changed the words here and there to make it into a blessing. That was bound to be a massive controversy. I heard the priest interviewed and he seemed amazed at the controversy, which shows how wet behind the ears he is. Its less than 2 months to the Lambeth Conference and he has placed Rowan Williams in a more difficult situation now.

Can anyone refute the following with chapter and verse rather than heat and rhetoric?


- Psychiatric patients have a complete ethical right to request orientation therapy if they wish.

- Psychiatrists are professionally obliged by ethics to help patients set their own therapy goals.

- Unwanted same sex attraction is a mental condition recognised by the WHO.

- There are plenty of credible studies which show it is possible.

- The Royal College of Psychiatrists has no policy or ethic to discourage patients from seeking such therapy nor to discourage counsellors from giving it.

- It merely says that some treatments in this field may be damaging. If they are shoddy treatments no doubt they will be damaging but that is not the same thing as saying that all therapies in this field will be damaging.

That is merely promoting ideology through rhetoric and is not an objective statment on the matter in any sense.



SOURCES;-

WHO says Egodystonic sexual orientation is where;-

"The gender identity or sexual preference (heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or prepubertal) is not in doubt, but the individual wishes it were different because of associated psychological and behavioural disorders, and may seek treatment in order to change it."

The orientation itself is not the disorder nb but WHO affirms that the patient may still seek to change "sexual preference".


professional studies for successful change cited here;-




testimony here;-

orthodox-tradition, interesting comments but could you repost them under another article realted to conversion therapy, since this post is about the marriage service specifically. Thanks.

"St Bartholomew's is not a personal fiefdom. You serve there as an ordained minister of the Church of England, under the authority of the Canons and as someone who enjoys my licence."

I would have thought that the C of E wasn't a personal fiefdom either, but rather one part of the people of God who enjoy the licence of the Great High Priest, Jesus, and who live under His authority.

Seems to me that the bishop has more than one problem here.

"I am giving an opportunity to you to make representations to me direct."

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and husband."

It seems to me those words speak for themselves. Which one didn't the bishop understand? There is nothing more to be said by the priest that matters, even if he is defrocked.

It will be interesting to see if the marriage is annulled by the church. How will church and state view it? What are the legal ramifications?

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

I don't like the looks of this guy. I don't know if it's that little beard and mustasche, his demeanor and expression, his costume or the whole package. I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover but sometimes I feel I lived long enough to take a pretty good guess what people will be like just taking one look at them, and this is one I do not like. It wouldn't surprise me if he turns out to be a sex pervert too.

Orthodox-tradition

Are you PB in disguise?

Ps. I have no wish to defame or insult by this comment.