House of Bishops

I have just listened to R4 Thought for the Day. More often than not its announcement jumps me out of bed to switch the radio off. Today was the Revd. Giles Fraser and he rightly ripped into last week's House of Bishops report on Civil Partnerships. His most telling comment that the church blesses warships but will not accept that people can choose to love each other and value person before gender. Despite Jesus clearly valuing person before gender and the whole idea of "One God in three persons, holy and blessed Trinity" getting on for being two thousand years old. This week I have encountered a dear friend who is very much exercised by this dinosaur like mentality. I know many broad minded ministers and I know others who would struggle to welcome a gay couple into church and communion. This is such a pathetic dispute but at its heart lies the idea of authority and whether a book tops the spirit. Jesus never promised a book but promised the Spirit. In my view whether you believe in a seven day creation and possibly even more importantly did pain enter the world before or after the fall will colour what you make of gay relationships. I am with Auden "Man faulted into consciousness". Are you with science or not? Genesis does matter. It is wrong, wrong scientifically (about creation and about death), wrong morally, wrong in its treatment of women. Unless you are willing to confront that and be clear, then the pain will continue and the Churches will be left to the fanatics who do not welcome people and are full of fear and judgement. Sad that when what the world needs is to know that grace and love can be tops. And that God could take responsibility by being incarnate of the Virgin Mary.

Gays in Russia

Russia is and always has been a great country. However at numerous points in its history it has been managed by what can only be called institutionalised thuggery. Now with a former KGB officer managing to adroitly maintain power, I fear the same process is at work and if it continues for decades it will threaten British interests. Support of the Assad regime is an example. Another index of institutionalised thuggery are attitudes to homosexuals. Hitler's Germany demonstrated this. So it is with considerable concern I read this http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23901290 .